Pixar announced last week that it will be releasing a free, noncommercial version of its Renderman package. All of the many elements that make up Renderman will be made available to download as part of Pixar and Disney's initiative to set Renderman up as the 3D imaging industry standard.

Renderman comprises a large batch of software and an API, and it works with Autodesk products like Maya to expand on tools for modeling, lighting, texturing, shading, VFX, and animation. Renderman also includes tools for setting up a render farm across multiple computers and servers.

A single commercial license for Renderman retails for $495, with an "annual maintenance" fee of $200. Pixar and Disney are releasing the free version in part because "limitations on software access have become a brake on the development of the production industry, and that universal access and a set of common standards and practices can only stimulate greater growth and development," according to the product's FAQ.

The free version of Renderman will be released at the same time as a new commercial version, v19.0, timed around the SIGGRAPH 2014 conference in mid-August. In the meantime, interested parties can sign up for e-mail updates at Pixar's website.