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Friday, February 27, 2009

Corel Painter™ 11



+ Corel Corporation introduced Corel® Painter™ 11, the newest edition of the world’s leading painting and illustration software. With more than 40 new and enhanced features, Painter 11 provides the most inventive drawing and painting tools available, making it the ultimate art studio for those ready to expand their definition of creativity. Since its inception, Corel Painter has set the standard for painting and illustration software. With Painter 11, artists can now expand their digital toolset with the most advanced painting and natural media tools available. New pressure-sensitive brushes allow hand and brush to fluidly work as one, producing brushstrokes that are unrivaled in texture and precision. Enhanced drawing tools and customizable media allow users to create distinct art every time.
Painter 11 offers artists the ability to enhance their creativity through the freedom to create and customize brushes and media variants to their precise specifications. With unique new tools including new artistic media, new hard media brushes, and new selection tools, Painter 11’s unique toolset enables users to create art that would not be possible working with traditional media. With Painter 11, artists can expand their digital toolset with painting media designed to extend the capabilities of digital photography programs such as Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo and Adobe® Photoshop®. New color management improves color recognition when importing files from other applications and individual color profiles per document create greater color accuracy for each file. For those looking to embark on an artistic education, Painter 11 offers the ability to experiment with color theory and composition much faster than in a traditional environment, and without the toxins and mess. With the option to undo brushstrokes and other effects, this digital art studio provides the ability to experiment in an unlimited capacity, giving students, teachers, and other new users the confidence to explore a wide variety of artistic techniques. Artists using Painter 11 can enjoy creating in an inviting environment that is optimized for their workflow. Enhanced brushes perform up to thirty percent faster than in previous versions, making this the fastest, most responsive version of Painter yet. The English version of Corel Painter 11 is available tomorrow (Feb. 25) as an electronic download through www.corel.com and is priced at $399 US for the full version and $199 US for the upgrade. The boxed product featuring new, environmentally-aware packaging is also available immediately for preorder and is priced at $429 US for the full version and $229 US for the upgrade. For more information about Corel Painter 11 and to see a detailed list of new and enhanced features, and to view exceptional art created using Corel Painter, please visit www.corel.com/painter.

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QUIDAM 3



+ N-Sided® announces the coming release of QUIDAM 3, the new version of its unmatched 3D character creation program. Known for its high productivity and originality, QUIDAM is unique in being able to generate thousands of different characters instantly.QUIDAM's Studios (combining, sculpting, posing, painting...) are totally dedicated to personal creation, offering very natural and intuitive methods. One of the most recognized advantage of QUIDAM is its use in professional work environments. QUIDAM is the only character generator able to perfectly export multiresolution models, ready to be animated into all major 3D applications.
Coming with a lot of great new features and top quality 3D and 2D content, QUIDAM 3 is even more Professional and Creative. QUIDAM 3 offers an advanced Catalogs system to help saving and reusing all kind of 3D component (characters, morphs, lights, props…). The 3D Paint Module has been fully rewritten to be much more accurate and to provide a direct bridge with 2D paint editors (like Photoshop). An automatic UV projection system has been added to automatically prepare imported objects so that they can be textured. N-Sided innovates again with an amazing approach that allows you to retouchs UV maps directly onto the 3D model. This new version comes with a huge amount of new 2D and 3D : custom characters, textured multiresolution 3D objects, paint and bump brushes, high resolution textures, backgrounds and floor images, skeletons, poses, camera presets, etc. Many other new features dramatically improve QUIDAM: Self shadows in real time, major improvements in edition of skeletons and proportions, an extended QUI format. For more information, visit www.n-sided.com.

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VFX of Benjamin Button Shaped with Autodesk Technology


+ For the 14th consecutive year, every film nominated for the Best Visual Effects Academy Award was shaped with Autodesk, Inc. digital film making tools. Autodesk congratulates Matte World Digital for its Oscar-winning visual effects work on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". "This year's Academy Award nominees continued to push digital imagery to new heights -- from intricate and complex computer-generated characters to pyrotechnical marvels to invisible effects so realistic they deceive theeye," said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment."We extend our heart felt congratulations to the artists and technologists who enthrall audiences with spectacular visuals. We are honored that these film makers utilize Autodesk digital technology from planning and previsualization right down to final grade."
Oscar Winner--Matte World Digital, tasked with re-creating the early 20th century through Hurricane Katrina, created 3D environments, crowd simulations and matte paintings using Autodesk 3ds Max as its main tool with Autodesk Maya 3D modeling, animation and rendering software complementing the work of some shots. Asylum VFX used Maya, Autodesk Smoke finishing effects software, Autodesk Inferno visual effects software and Autodesk Lustre digital color grading system for 189 shots for the photoreal tugboat adventure that included extensive water simulation, digital environments and a computer-generated (CG) submarine. Lola VFX created 100 age reduction and 200make-up enhancement shots using a combination of tools, including Inferno and the Autodesk Flame system. Evil Eye Pictures used Maya and Autodesk Combustion desktop compositing software to integrate matte paintings and environmental effects set in and around New Orleans.
Source: Autodesk

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Compositing and Visual Effects Masters Degree Course


+ The University of Westminster, London UK has enhanced its portfolio of courses within animation, games and interactive media with an one year Masters of Science degree in Digital Compositing and Visual Effects starting October 2009. Graduates from the course will be exposed to the theoretical, technical, practical and professional competences enabling them to follow a variety of careers within film, television, animation, advertising and gaming. The curriculum places importance on the development of professional and transferable skills including project management, teamwork, planning and workflow, which are all vital to professional life. The taught modules cover digital production process, computer graphics & modelling, animation, compositing, visual effects, motion graphics, editing and professional practice. On completion of the taught modules student undertake a three month practical or work based project.
The course is delivered in intensive block mode, where most modules are delivered and assessed within a four or five week period. This approach enables students to focus primarily on a subject at a time; to immediately work on applied problems within realistic time constraints; and build on both prior knowledge and output. The course is also a part of a developing collaboration with the University of Mumbai, India. This collaborative scheme will take advantage of the globalisation within the sector and provide the opportunity for students from both institutions, to undertake part of their studies or work experience abroad as well as be exposed to curriculum that reflects both local and global contextualisation. For further details - Click Here

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Skechers USA Boosts Productivity by Adding Wacom Cintiqs to Its Graphics Pipeline


+ Skechers USA designs trendy shoes for every age group, catering to the lifestyle footwear market with more than 2,500 individual styles. The brand image has been built with eye-catching graphics tailored for each demographic, ranging from kids' cartoon characters to bold designs for teens. As Graphic Artist and Illustrator at Skechers, Anwar Madrigal designs advertising graphics, packaging and illustrations that are applied to the shoes. Working in an art department that functions as an in-house agency, Anwar originally used a Wacom®® Intuos®® graphics tablet for design and illustration until a behind-the-scenes television special turned him on to the incredible benefits of the Cintiq®® .
Anwar lobbied Art Director Fred Machuca for a Cintiq, selling him on the benefits of Cintiq's all-digital workflow. Skechers made their first order for two of the Cintiq 21UX LCD displays. Those soon proved their worth in productivity gains alone, and more Cintiqs were ordered for the art department's other illustrators. The Cintiq made an immediate difference for Anwar. Previously, he spent a lot of time scanning his line art illustrations. It was a time-consuming process, especially with larger illustrations. With the Cintiq, he no longer had to do that. "Simply by eliminating the scanning process, I would say the Cintiq increased my productivity by a good 25 percent," Anwar continues. "It has become an essential tool that I use constantly." Word quickly spread around the company about how the art department's new interactive pen displays were enhancing creativity, saving time and boosting overall productivity. Eventually the footwear designers came upstairs to see for themselves and were equally impressed. Not long afterward, the Skechers design department upgraded to Cintiqs as well, where 10 technical designers are using them to create the 2D shoe designs. As a result, new footwear designs are taken to completion much more quickly than in the design department's previous workflow, which included pencil and paper and Intuos tablets. This has greatly increased productivity and design flexibility. That kind of versatility has made the Cintiq an essential tool throughout the Skechers organization, freeing artists and designers to concentrate on their craft while boosting their productivity. With some of the strongest graphics and shoe designs in the competitive footwear industry, the commitment Skechers has made to Cintiqs is clearly paying off. For more information on Wacom and Cintiq, visit: www.wacom.com/cintiq/.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Softimage 7.5 *


+ Autodesk, Inc. has launched Autodesk Softimage 7.5 software for visual effects and game production. With this release, Autodesk has renamed the SOFTIMAGEXSIsoftware -- acquired from Avid Technology, Inc. -- Autodesk Softimage. The 7.5 version offers time saving new features, such as UV unfolding technology, a multithreaded Syflex cloth simulator and an integrated mental ray 3.7+ renderer. Artists have used Softimage to create numerous movies, commercials and video games, including the Oscar-winning film "Happy Feet," Coca Cola's"Heist" Super Bowl ad, and the "Fable II" video game.
Key New Features in Autodesk Softimage 7.5
UV Unfolding Technology: Softimage now features UV unfolding technology that enables artists to unwrap polygon models with just a few clicks. This technology works well on complex organic models, which would be difficult to unwrap manually. Softimage 7.5 also provides UV editing tools that help artists quickly create and edit UV maps. mental ray 3.7+: Version 3.7+ of the mental ray renderer is now integrated into Softimage 7.5. Highlights include improvements to binary space partitioning for faster render times, multiple final gathering refinement passes and new motion-based displacement. These enhancements help users create high-fidelity images faster than ever before. Multithreaded Syflex Cloth Simulator: The production-proven cloth simulatorin Softimage is now multithreaded, enabling artists to use the cores on their machine to iterate faster. Scene Compatibility with Version 7.0: Scenes saved in Softimage 7.5 will load into Softimage 7.0. For more information about Autodesk Softimage 7.5, visit www.autodesk.com/softimage.

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DMM Plug-in for Maya


+ Pixelux has released a DMM Plug-in for Maya. The DMM Plug-in provides a set of tools for the artist to create 3D DMM objects and DMM simulated animations. The objects can then be used as interactive props in-game with the DMM Engine. As for the animations, they can be exported as movies or played directly into any 3D engine. For this the DMM Engine doesn't have to be integrated to your game, only the DMM player. The DMM Plug-In works with Maya 8.5, 2008 and 2009 under 32-bit Windows XP and 32-bit Windows Vista.

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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Turtle 5.0 Beta Released



+ llluminate Labs has announced the fifth generation of our renderer plug-in Turtle for Maya, now available as a public Beta, faster, sharper, and shinier than ever. Much work has been done to improve the Global Illumination system. The handling of light leak problems has also been improved, for both Final Gather and the Path Tracer. The baking system has also received a whole lot of love. Turtle Beta unified workflow for Texture/Vertex Baking and Surface Transfer enabling you to combine baking from high res surfaces with ordinary baking and everything can now be done at both the texture and vertex level. A new adaptive sampling scheme has been implemented for anti-aliasing, as well as a specific system for handling very small or thin triangles in texture baking. For vertex baking there is also a new sampling method which gives smoother and better results. The user interface has also been improved to make it easier to find the specific controls that you need to adjust. Support for Maya 2009 is, of course, included in the package. Download full feature list (pdf).

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Camera Tracking for VFX - New Course by Escape Studios


+ Learn the art of mixing computer-generated objects into real-life footage with "Camera Tracking for VFX," a new online course from Escape Studios which delves deeply into the professional camera tracking techniques required by aspiring 3D artists. Taught by the world-renowned staff at Escape Studios, "Camera Tracking for VFX" covers background, workflows and best practices in a flexible online format that includes over 12 hours of video content. "Camera tracking, also called match moving, is one of the most important and fundamental techniques for 3D artists to master," says Dominic Davenport, CEO and founder of Escape Studios. "Our 'Camera Tracking for VFX' course has been meticulously planned to provide students with a thorough professional grounding in the theory and techniques required for seamless camera moves."
The course covers software applications PFTrack 5 and Maya Live, part of Autodesk® Maya®, showing techniques that are applicable to all software packages. A basic understanding of Maya is required, but the course assumes zero prior knowledge of camera tracking and takes students to an advanced level. After completing the course, students will be well-versed in tracking, solving and adjusting shots, as well as techniques for manipulating footage. A series of accompanying online videos is provided to clarify key lesson points, and students can experiment with included sample footage for hands-on learning. Additionally, as part of Escape Studios' online learning system, immediate access to professional feedback and communication with other users is provided and encouraged. "Camera Tracking for VFX" contains more than 12 hours of video content and is available for USD $299 (GBP £199). For more information on Escape Studios' "Camera Tracking for VFX" course or to register, please - Click Here

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Monday, February 09, 2009

Vector Freebie: Hand Drawn Wings ^^



+ Go Media, the creator of popular Arsenal Vector Sets is offering Vector Freebie: Hand Drawn Wings from Vector Sets-14. Graphite, ink & moleskine fibers went flying & soon Go Media artists Adam Law, Jeff Finely & Bill Beachy had created a truly impressive collection of wings. GoMedia, a progressive art and design studio based in Cleveland, Ohio that delivers outstanding creative solutions to their clients all across the globe. Check out the love & quality linework in this free sample. Remember you can get the whole pack for the price of lunch at the Arsenal!

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Call For Entries - EXPOSÉ 7



+ Call For Entries has been announced by Ballistic Publishing for EXPOSÉ 7, the seventh edition of the premier annual artbook celebrating the creative talents of digital artists worldwide. Ballistic Publishing is calling on artists to submit digital images for consideration in EXPOSÉ 7. Images can be created in any 3D or digital illustration application. Photoshop and digitally manipulated photography is also welcome. We are interested in digitally-created fine art, whether it be 2D or 3D, for commercial use, or personal satisfaction. EXPOSÉ is the digital art industry’s premier annual publication, featuring the finest digital artwork the world has ever seen.

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3ds Max Design 2010 Announced


+ The Unofficial announcement has been made on autodesk's Area blog and video giving sneak peak into upcoming features of 3ds Max has also been posted on the blog. Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design software enables architects, designers, engineers, and visualization specialists to fully explore, validate, and communicate their creative ideas­from initial concept models to final, cinema-quality presentations. Most noticeable feature is Real-time light analysis.........find out more!

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DOF PRO v4.0.28



+ DOF Pro Developers, Richard Rosenman & Martin Vicanek has announced the official release of Depth Of Field Generator PRO v4.0.28. The DOF PRO new Version is the follow-up update to award-winning depth of field processing filter Plugin for Adobe Photoshop (or filter-compliant applications) currently being used by thousands of professional digital artists and production studios world-wide. For more information, visit www.dofpro.com/
DOF PRO v4.0.28 new features and enhancements:
- 100% multithreaded for increased workflow performance
- Multigigabyte memory allocation support for Win 32/64
- Real-world spherical and chromatic lenticular aberrations
- Spherical aberration thickness control for crisp bokehs
- Photometric burnout & purple fringing camera effects
- Sophisticated "Cat’s Eye" aperture lens implementation
- Pixel aspect ratio feature for NTSC, PAL & 16:9 output
- Optimized image conversion featuring improved speed
- Improved image conversion eliminating timeout errors
- Interactive dialog resizing for larger preview displays
- Dialog maximize, minimize, restore, default and close
- Hundreds of new code fixes, improvements and updates

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NEXUS Coke Spot for Super Bowl 2009


+ This new Wieden & Kennedy Portland commercial for The Super Bowl 2009 plays with the well established idea of the unifying power of Coke but gives it a modern twist. By satirising the fact that in an age of ubiquitous devices, with us so immersed in our digital lives, we sometimes miss the opportunity to connect with people in the real world. The film is a vivid portrayal of just that, as they transform people on an everyday street into their avatar or digital selves. Coke becomes the catalyst for a shared moment. Smith & Foulkes of Nexus, fresh from completing their short film ‘This Way Up’, which has just been nominated for an Academy Award®, were approached to direct the film by W+K. The directors have used a mixture of live action and animation to achieve the split-second transitions from human to racing car driver, zombie or spaceman – even a mythical centaur! Shot in Buenos Aires with DP Mattias Montero, all 3D character design, modeling and animation was done in the Nexus studio in London. Compositing was done with The Framestore London to great effect.

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Monday, February 02, 2009

RealFlow RenderKit*



+ Next Limit is proud to announce the launch of the new RealFlow RenderKit. The RealFlow RenderKit is a set of tools that has been designed to facilitate the complex task of rendering RealFlow™ fluids. The RFRK enables you to generate procedural geometry at render time, and also render individual fluid particles. As a result, the RFRK will dramatically simplify and accelerate your RealFlow™ workflow. There are currently two different versions of the RFRK available: RFRK for RenderMan, and RFRK for mental ray. RealFlow RenderKit consist of two key tools FlowMesher™ and FlowParticler™.
FlowMesher™ generates a high-resolution polygonal mesh from RealFlow ™ PD and BIN particle files at render time. You no longer have to load heavy meshes into your 3D application - you simply load a representation of the particles as a guide for the meshing process. FlowParticler™ enables you to load millions of particles at render time quickly and easily, and feed your renderer with particle information from RealFlow™ PD and BIN particle files.

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American Illustration 28 : Call for Entries



+ Call for Entries, has been announced for American Illustration 28. All illustrators, creative professionals, representatives, students and teachers of illustration with work created anywhere for any purpose and/or any work published or exhibited in North America. International illustrators with North American representation or those who have been published or exhibited in North America are also eligible. Work produced or published between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008 in the following categories: Editorial, Books, Advertising, Graphics / Promotional, Film and Animation, 3-D, Unpublished/Personal/Fine Art and Student work. Entries must be received by February 20, 2009 online.
American Illustration offers an expansive view of this ever changing field, with images that redefine the most intriguing medium for the communication arts. With hundreds of images selected by an outstanding jury from thousands of entries, American Illustration lives up to its reputation as the best resource for cutting-edge talent that’s always on the mark - and the most intriguing gallery in print. American Illustration offers a who’s who in illustration with images by Istvan Baynai, Benoit, Seymour Chwast. Marcel Dzama, Vivienne Flesher, Nathan Fox, John Hersey, Brad Holland, Anita Kunz, Christoph Niemann, Christian Northeast, Chris Ware, to name a few. Work by today's masters is interspersed with pictures by students and up-and-comers just beginning to make a name for themselves. This year’s cover presents the work of recent Pratt University graduate, and Berkeley CA artist Evah Fan.

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3ds Max Architectural Visualization – Advanced to Expert


+ 3DATS announces the shipping of its 3rd 3ds Max book dedicated to the architectural visualization industry: 3ds Max Architectural Visualization – Advanced to Expert. Produced by over 20 of the industry’s leading experts, this 544 page full-color hard-cover book is a collection 20 self-contained chapters and numerous bonus appendices aimed at taking readers from an advanced level to an expert level by providing a straight-forward discussion of the most difficult subject matter not available anywhere else. Special preorder pricing includes $30 off and when purchased with another book also includes free shipping. This book is the follow-up companion to the book entitled book 3ds Max 2009 Architectural Visualization – Intermediate to Advance. That book was written primarily for users familiar with architectural visualization and is designed to take advanced 3ds Max users to the expert level; not just by teaching more advanced features but also by teaching practical application and time-saving techniques of the tools covered in our 3ds Max 2008 Architectural Visualization – Beginner to Intermediate. For additional information regarding this and other training material, visit the 3DATS products page at www.3dats.com/products.asp

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Digimation Opens New Office in Central Florida


+ Digimation® , a leading provider of 3D content and related services to the entertainment and defense industries, today announced the opening of its new office in Orlando, Florida, and the addition of two key employees. The company's Orlando address is: 250 International Parkway, Suite 320, Lake Mary, Florida 32746. In addition, the company recently filled two key positions.Rochelle Free joins the team as Marketing Manager and will be responsible for the overall vision and execution of the company's marketing initiatives. Rochelle's knowledge of traditional marketing, technical communication, and overall enthusiasm make her an exciting new addition. Prior to joining Digimation, Rochelle was the Director of Project Management for a Web design and application development firm. She also has experience in multi-media marketing and Web production with Cox Radio and Cox Radio Interactive.
Also joining the team is Grant Niesner as Technical Director. Grant will be responsible for the creative direction, quality, and management of projects as well as Digimation's production team. An accomplished artist, Grant has over 15 years of experience as a 2D and 3D artist, animator, and Art Director in film, television, and other media. He also holds credits in development of The Matrix Trilogy at Manex VFX and Tippett Studio and EA's NCAA Football 06. Grant's artistic vision and detail-orientation are anticipated to be a strong leading force for Digimation's presence in Central Florida. Digimation is also actively looking for 3D artists for their Central Florida location. Interested applicants are welcome to send their resume and portfolio information to jobs@digimation.com.

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