JangaFX, creators of real-time visual effects tools for games and film, has released IlluGen, a brand-new addition to their existing suite of applications, which already includes EmberGen, GeoGen, and LiquiGen. Together, these tools form the Elemental Suite, representing fire, earth, and water.
IlluGen expands the lineup by introducing the ability to generate 2D and 3D assets for real-time game VFX. Designed specifically for video games, it streamlines workflows by eliminating the need to juggle multiple applications just to produce a single effect. It combines capabilities found in Photoshop, Houdini, Substance Designer, After Effects, and other tools into a single, purpose-built, artist-friendly package.
JangaFX illustrates a typical use case: creating a fiery sword-swipe visual effect. In this scenario, the artist could choose to use an arc-shaped mesh, a mask to remove hard edges, and several stylized panning noise textures. Traditionally, this approach would require switching between multiple applications. The mesh might be modeled in one program, the textures created in another, with constant back-and-forth adjustments to ensure everything works together.
IlluGen streamlines this process by enabling artists to create the mesh, masks, and noise textures within a single unified graph. This allows them to author and preview how all components interact, eliminating guesswork and speeding up iteration before integrating the final assets into the game.
IlluGen features a procedural, node-based workflow that lets users create both 2D and 3D VFX assets simultaneously. It can generate a wide variety of assets, such as tiling noise textures, normal maps, flowmaps, 3D FX meshes, caustics, masks, and distortion maps. It also includes a full animation timeline, along with built-in tools for flipbook packing and unpacking, and easy alpha channel management.
For output, users can export square and non-square 2D textures, flipbooks, and 3D meshes. It also supports exporting flowmaps, UV distortions, mesh flipbooks, baked pivot data, and full 3D animations.
Like the other JangaFX applications, IlluGen is available with both permanent and rent-to-own license options. It has also been added as the newest member of the Elemental Suite. A free 14-day trial is offered, providing full access to all applications within the suite.
For more information, be sure to visit the JangaFX website.
