Rendering with the new render manager has never been easier.

The interface for the render manager has been streamlined and simplified. Many of the requests made by users of the previous incarnation of the render manager have been addressed.

Some of the ICE tree features such as node compounding and annotations have been added into the rendertree. Also, unconnected rendertree nodes no longer vanish when you refresh the tree: Dropping a rendertree node on to a connection line between two other nodes will auto-insert/auto-connect the three nodes together as best it can.

XSI 7: Color management tools done right.

Fantastic new color management tools have been added to XSI allowing you to manage your gamma correction so there won't be any surprises when your renders get shipped out the door. It's not just some lens shader that makes an attempt to show you what you are going to get. It's fully integrated into the software. Total support is available everywhere you'd need it. From the rendertree with f-curve controls similar to the curves control in Photoshop and textures that can have their own profile, to the built in compositor, to the render region (allowing for side by side comparisons) to the full support of lookup tables of just about any type and much more. It really is a first class implementation.