Katana 8.0v4 by The Foundry is a cutting-edge lighting and look development software solution tailored for high-end CG, animation, and VFX production. Built for speed, scalability, and collaborative pipelines, Katana empowers artists and studios to streamline rendering workflows, develop looks efficiently, and manage complex scenes with precision.
With powerful integration capabilities, Katana supports multiple production renderers, including Arnold, RenderMan, V-Ray, and Redshift, alongside deep USD (Universal Scene Description) optimization for seamless data exchange across departments. Its open architecture enables smooth integration with other industry-standard tools like Nuke and Mari, forming a robust pipeline for lighting, compositing, and asset development.
Katana’s Foresight Rendering workflows allow artists to simultaneously generate multiple interactive renders or deploy networked rendering, accelerating iteration cycles and visual feedback. The software’s artist-friendly lighting tools enable multi-shot and sequence-based workflows, giving creators full control over light setups while following precise art direction.
Katana also enhances team productivity through collaborative features such as shared tool creation, safe update integration from downstream teams, and department harmonization. Whether you're developing hero assets or working on entire sequences, Katana scales with your creative needs.
Designed to be a core component of any modern production pipeline, Katana 8.0v4 helps studios increase throughput, reduce technical friction, and maximize return on creative investment.
Key Features of Katana 8.0v4 for Windows:
High-performance lighting and look development tool for CG and VFX
USD-optimized architecture for modern production pipelines
Native integration with multiple commercial renderers (Arnold, RenderMan, V-Ray, Redshift)
Foresight Rendering for scalable, simultaneous, and networked feedback
Artist-first lighting tools for sequence-wide lighting workflows
Streamlined look development for hero assets and complex scenes
Open-source Shotgun Toolkit (TK) integration
Seamless collaboration across departments and teams
Cross-platform compatibility with other Foundry tools like Nuke and Mari
Easily extendable with APIs for pipeline customization
Ideal For:
VFX and animation studios
Look development artists
Lighting TDs
Pipeline developers
Asset management teams
Teams working in complex, collaborative CG pipelines
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Published:
Sep 03, 2025 10:09 AM
Version:
v8.0
Category:
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