---
title: "RenderMan 27 Documentation"
canonical: "https://rmanwiki-27.pixar.com/space/REN27/542212097/RenderMan%2027%20Documentation"
format: markdown
---
Welcome to the **RenderMan 27** Documentation !
Here you can find information on how to install, license, and use RenderMan and its various bridge products for [Maya](https://renderman.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/RFM27/pages/544538625), [Houdini](https://renderman.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/RFH27/pages/544640331), [Blender](https://renderman.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/RFB27/pages/544636929), and [Katana](https://renderman.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/RFK27/pages/546177025).
### Pixar's RenderMan
Version 27 of RenderMan is the latest version of Pixar's flagship renderer, widely used in animation and visual effects for over 30 years.
RenderMan 27 is the most significant release in over a decade, delivering groundbreaking performance, interactivity, and creative control. With XPU’s final-frame capabilities, visual effects workflows, deep data support, expanded stylization features, and improved artist workflows, Pixar continues to redefine rendering technology for high-end feature animation and VFX.
## RenderMan 27 - Main Features
**Final Frame Rendering **— The XPU architecture now supports final frame rendering, enabling artists to utilize both CPU and GPU resources for efficient high-quality image production. This fundamental shift enhances rendering interactivity and scalability, making XPU the backbone of future RenderMan development.
**Interactive Denoising** — The interactive denoiser significantly improves iteration times during rendering sessions. This feature is particularly beneficial for artists working on complex lighting and shading setups to receive fast feedback while maintaining final image fidelity.
**Checkpointing** — The introduction of checkpointing enables artists to output partial frames as checkpoints. This feature reduces time spent on rerendering and increasing production efficiency.
**Compositing** – Building on existing support for LPEs (Light Path Expressions), XPU now includes additional compositing capabilities necessary for visual effects, such as mattes, holdouts,, and an expanded set of AOV options, with Cryptomatte available in 27.3. This significantly improves the compositing pipeline, offering fine control over image assembly.
**Deep Workflows** — XPU now supports deep data workflows, allowing for precise compositing of complex volume and transparent elements. OpenEXR Deep IDs are fully implemented, providing streamlined data extraction and compositing flexibility.
**Stylized Looks** — The Stylized Looks™ toolset is not only fully implemented in XPU, but is also greatly expanded, enabling a range of non-photorealistic effects such as painterly styles, toon shading, and sketch-like rendering. These capabilities extend creative possibilities for artists looking to push aesthetics beyond traditional photorealism.
**OSL Display & Sample Filters** — Integration of Open Shading Language (OSL) display and sample filters into XPU, offering enhanced shading customization, improved artistic control, and increased efficiency in production workflows.
**Mesh Lights** — Full mesh light support is now available in XPU, enabling the use of physical light types and greatly improving geometric flexibility over lighting effects.
**MaterialX Lama** – MaterialX Lama is available as Early Access in XPU, supercharging artist workflows with Industrial Light & Magic’s shading toolset. It will be fully supported in the 27 release cycle.
**More Lookdev Features** – Nested instancing, OSL improvements (trace, getattribute), interior volume aggregates, as well as glass and single scattering enhancements, give XPU an even closer match to RIS, extending look development and ensuring consistency across rendering architectures.
**Multi-GPU Support** — With multi-GPU support, XPU now leverages multiple GPUs simultaneously alongside CPUs, optimizing hardware utilization and leveraging all rendering resources.
Read all about the new features in version 27 in the **[Release Notes](https://renderman.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/REN27/pages/542238470)**.
> ⚠️ Previous documentation versions (prior to 22) can be found through the RenderMan Support Forums for download. View your archive downloads and find the version you need, the documentation bundle is available on the page after selecting "Next" from your version choice.
> ⚠️
> ⚠️ The Doxygen package for software developers is available under the [Developer's Guide](https://renderman.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/REN27/pages/542236928).
#### **[Head over to the Release Notes to get a more complete look at changes in RenderMan!](https://renderman.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/REN27/pages/542238401)**** **