Cycles for Softimage

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Sycles 2.4.1Author: Shekn @si-community
V 2.4.1 released August 2026 —

This is a full integration of the Blender Cycles renderer into XSI. Version 2.4 is compiled with Cycles 5.3 (state of July 2026). The second generation of the addon (since 2.0) is a complete rewrite and works with Softimage 2015 SP2.

New since version 2.1.3 (from the github release notes): 2.4.1: fixed incorrect transforms of instances when the master model has rotation or scale, repacked with missing DLLs 2.4: Cycles 5.3. New Alpha parameter for the ImageTexture node, Sky Texture with Single and Multiple Scattering models, Thin Film for Metallic and Glass BSDF, new Raycast and Scene Time nodes, OSL custom camera, Linear 3D curve shape (also as per-object override), Geometry Approximation mode for NURBS surfaces, Render Time pass (CPU), texture optimisation (resolution, limit, tx texture cache) and a detailed scene export timing log 2.4: renders MaterialX shader trees from the MaterialXSI addon (converted to OSL). Note: OSL shading works on CPU render devices only 2.3.x: Cycles 4.5, OSL support is back, new Metallic BSDF and Set Normal nodes, phase function for Scatter Volume, Diffuse Roughness for Principled BSDF, more Noise Texture types, subdivision with motion deform, per-frame texture images, rendering of NURBS surfaces and curves (via custom properties), tile rendering, fixed shadow catcher, vector input ports for OSL shaders 2.2.x: nodes of Blender 4.3 (Ray Portal BSDF, Sheen BSDF, Gabor Texture, redesigned Principled BSDF), current Blender OCIO color profiles, custom velocity grids for VDB primitives, Particle Info node fed by ICE attributes, denoising of the final passes with OIDN or OptiX

Supported Softimage features (quoted from the download page):

Polygon meshes and hair geometry Texture coordinates Vertex colors Shaderball preview. For materials, shader nodes and texture nodes Basic limited support of the following built-in Softimage shader nodes: Phong, Lambert, Hair Shading, Image, converters between vector, color and scalar Ambience global environment light Limited support of built-in Softimage light sources Model instances ICE strands geometry ICE pointcloud instances ICE geometry attributes (vector, color and scalar) with context per-point and per-object Volume rendering. In particular supports emFluid, Explosia FX and openVDB for Softimage volumes Special VDB Primitive for rendering vdbs without ICE Output multilayered exr file with all rendered passes Rendermaps

The following features from Cycles itself are supported: CPU and GPU rendering. In particular multidevices are supported. This allows you to use cpu and gpu simultaneously. The libraries for GPU rendering are included in the package. All Cycles shader nodes OSL shaders OpenColorIO profiles (Blender profile included) All Cycles output passes (Combined, Depth, Normal and so on) Color and value shader AOVs Lightgroups Cycles camera properties, in particular all panorama modes Cycles light sources Denoising by using Open Image Denoise and OptiX denoiser

For more information, full documentation and a list of the available Cycles nodes see the download page linked below. There is no local backup because the addon is still frequently updated - the plugin can be downloaded on Shekn's github releases. The source code is available on github there as well.
download page: https://ssoftadd.github.io/syclesSecondGenPage.html / wiki with tutorials / all of Shekn's plugins / author on vimeo / si-community thread

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Maximus
Posts: 1121
Joined: 09 Jun 2009, 13:45

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by Maximus » 24 Feb 2023, 15:43

this is what i get in the logs and suddenly crash:


AddICECompoundNode("Generate Strand Trails", "pointcloud.pointcloud.ICETree");
ConnectICENodes("pointcloud.pointcloud.ICETree.Simulation_Root.Execute1", "pointcloud.pointcloud.ICETree.Generate_Strand_Trails.Execute");
SetValue("PlayControl.Current", 11, null);
SetValue("PlayControl.Key", 11, null);
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Component0D2D
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Component1D
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Component2D
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Singleton
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_SubsetMasterNode
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Age
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: AngularVelocity
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: BlobBlend
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: BlobStrength
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionLocation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionScale
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionShape
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionSize
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Color
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: DragCoefficient
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: DynamicFriction
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Elasticity
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: EmitLocation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Force
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: GoalLocation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: ID
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Mass
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: MaterialID
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Materials
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: NodeUserNormal
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Orientation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: PointUpVector
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: PointUserMotions
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Scale
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Shape
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: ShapeInstanceTime
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: ShapeSizeAbsolute
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: SimulatedFrameFraction
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Size
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: SpriteAngle
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StaticFriction
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StrandDeform
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StrandOrientation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StrandPosition
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StrandSize
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StrandUpVector
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StrandVelocity
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: SurfaceGeometricNormal
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Component0D2D
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Component1D
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Component2D
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_Singleton
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __Init_SubsetMasterNode
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: __StateInitialized
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: AngularVelocity
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: BlobBlend
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: BlobStrength
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionLocation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionScale
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionShape
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: CollisionSize
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: DragCoefficient
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: DynamicFriction
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Elasticity
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: EmitPosition
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: GoalLocation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init_Color
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init_Force
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init_Mass
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init_Orientation
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init_PointVelocity
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init_Scale
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: Init_Size
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: ShapeInstanceTime
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: ShapeSizeAbsolute
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: SpriteAngle
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: State_transition_Time
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StaticFriction
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: StrandCenter
//
(null) // VERBOSE : 5403 - The data is not set on this ICEAttribute: SurfaceGeometricNormal
//
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User avatar
Maximus
Posts: 1121
Joined: 09 Jun 2009, 13:45

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by Maximus » 24 Feb 2023, 16:05

so i triple checked, the problem is just with the node "Generate Strand Trails".
every other method to create strands, melena included works. I have no clue what is going on but whatever :)
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avalon_70
Posts: 45
Joined: 09 Jan 2021, 13:59

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by avalon_70 » 25 Feb 2023, 03:16

Maximus wrote: 24 Feb 2023, 16:05 so i triple checked, the problem is just with the node "Generate Strand Trails".
every other method to create strands, melena included works. I have no clue what is going on but whatever :)
Soft solution: if you have many Addons, remove them all (just move the "addons" folder) and see if it does the same.
A bit drastic solution: uninstall and reinstall softimage. It seems strange, but to me, in a 2014 installation (which works better than 2015 for me) it crashed when opening the render tree. Reinstalling everything worked fine.
To speed up the reinstallation, I suggest you copy the folder "C:\Users\_your user_\Autodesk\Softimage_2015_SP2\Addons"
and then copy it again in the new installation.
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behavior
Posts: 1
Joined: 01 Mar 2023, 13:30

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by behavior » 13 Mar 2023, 02:37

I can't find anymore sycles options， :( :(
win11（21H2），i7-11700K，P4000。ImageImage
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nospitters
Posts: 52
Joined: 06 Jul 2012, 16:08
Location: bremen, germany

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by nospitters » 13 Mar 2023, 07:38

@shekn will be there some updates on sycles? the last update on github is from march 2022...
and do you think it can be open source some day?

edit: oh just realized there is a 2.x version...and open source now...

thx a lot for that...

cheers
The Soulcage Department
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Shekn
Posts: 254
Joined: 30 Dec 2016, 19:18

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by Shekn » 13 Mar 2023, 14:23

behavior. It looks like the Syscle addon conflicts with some other installed addon. One of the way to detect is it true - delete all installed addons and add it one by one.
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nospitters
Posts: 52
Joined: 06 Jul 2012, 16:08
Location: bremen, germany

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by nospitters » 13 Mar 2023, 17:02

@shekn, do you know how to get also the optix-denoiser? i can only choose between "no denoise" and "OIDN"...
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wireframex
Posts: 425
Joined: 08 Jun 2009, 21:02
Location: France

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by wireframex » 13 Mar 2023, 18:47

nospitters wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 17:02 @shekn, do you know how to get also the optix-denoiser? i can only choose between "no denoise" and "OIDN"...
When you have an OptiX GPU compatible you will get this :

Image

Image

Phil
"without mastery, power is nothing" - Softimage Addict User
CPU 3990x 128 Threads / 2 x 3090 RTX - 24 Go / 96 Go memory
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nospitters
Posts: 52
Joined: 06 Jul 2012, 16:08
Location: bremen, germany

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by nospitters » 13 Mar 2023, 20:43

ok...i have 2x rtx 2080ti, but i dont see the optix-prefix on it...maybe driver issue
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avalon_70
Posts: 45
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Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by avalon_70 » 14 Mar 2023, 01:39

behavior wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 02:37 I can't find anymore sycles options， :( :(
win11（21H2），i7-11700K，P4000。ImageImage
It is a conflict with the "tbb.dll" dll, in your case present in the Exocortex plugin. Not using it anymore, I took it off.
I had advised to report it in the installation instructions.
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avalon_70
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Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by avalon_70 » 14 Mar 2023, 01:42

nospitters wrote: 13 Mar 2023, 20:43 ok...i have 2x rtx 2080ti, but i dont see the optix-prefix on it...maybe driver issue
Happened to me too, fixed it after updating the drivers.
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wireframex
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Location: France

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by wireframex » 20 Mar 2023, 14:16

Hey Shekn

Any news about HDRMaster ;)
"without mastery, power is nothing" - Softimage Addict User
CPU 3990x 128 Threads / 2 x 3090 RTX - 24 Go / 96 Go memory
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avalon_70
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Joined: 09 Jan 2021, 13:59

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by avalon_70 » 26 Mar 2023, 03:05

wireframex wrote: 20 Mar 2023, 14:16 Hey Shekn

Any news about HDRMaster ;)
While waiting for an update, here is the new version modified by me.
It's just a compound to use instead of the "background" shader.
I made some improvements and additions:
1. Modified the intervention of the "Sun". I realized that each HDRI has a completely different sun effect, so I scaled down the power considerably. Depending on the map, the power can be adjusted.
2. Added rotations on the X and Z axes.
3. Inverted scaling
4. small fixes

Image


https://www.dropbox.com/s/ecut7ule61rbi ... 2.zip?dl=0
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avalon_70
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Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by avalon_70 » 26 Mar 2023, 03:15

Since I'm here, I make an observation.
In version 1 the changes to the "Color Management" were in real time (post effect type), now with version 2 any change will cause the render to be completely recalculated.
Seems like incorrect behavior to me...
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Shekn
Posts: 254
Joined: 30 Dec 2016, 19:18

Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by Shekn » 26 Mar 2023, 04:38

About color management. You are right. In Sycles 2.x it should works in the same way as in 1.x. If there are no changes of the scene except color management parameters, then it should use previously saved image buffer and only apply color transformation. But sometimes this logic does not work and it starts re-render of the scene. Why it happens I don't understand now. But of course, this is a bug and it should be fixed.

If you find the scenarios, when this bug is appears - it will be great. Because now when I test it in the simple scene, all works correctly.
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avalon_70
Posts: 45
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Re: Cycles for Softimage

Post by avalon_70 » 26 Mar 2023, 12:46

Shekn wrote: 26 Mar 2023, 04:38 About color management. You are right. In Sycles 2.x it should works in the same way as in 1.x. If there are no changes of the scene except color management parameters, then it should use previously saved image buffer and only apply color transformation. But sometimes this logic does not work and it starts re-render of the scene. Why it happens I don't understand now. But of course, this is a bug and it should be fixed.

If you find the scenarios, when this bug is appears - it will be great. Because now when I test it in the simple scene, all works correctly.
I did quite a bit of testing. Nothing worked.
Finally I tried to merge the scene into an empty scene, and magically it started working fine.
Unfortunately I don't remember if I started working on it with the first version 2 of Sycles.
Anyway, I'll do more tests. ;)
Changing topic:
doing a very large render (as we said last time) in Prompt, up to about 12000 px it works, above it goes out of memory of the video card (8gb).
Is there any setting I can work with?
It's not urgent, I've already delivered the job (done with redshift always in prompt). :)
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