Autodesk unveils Maya LT - many Maya features now for a much lower price!

We usually don't write about products for games development, but this can be huge also for some small and indie visual effects studios. Autodesk introduced a new product called Autodesk Maya LT 2014. It is a new 3D modeling and animation tool tailored for independent and mobile game developers, but can be handy also in other industries and what's even better it costs much less than the full version of Maya. The tool allows for the creation of professional-grade 3D mobile, PC and web-based game assets, but of course these assets can be exported to many other tools and used for example for the creation of visual effects for videos.

More...

Understanding Linear Workflow and Gamma

Understanding Linear Workflow and Gamma:
Linear Workflow is a term that tells something about how the gamma works. To understand this term, you need to know what gamma is, why it exists and how to take control over it. I’m getting back to that. Let’s see some examples first.

More...

LeoMoon Renamer 1.10 [Mass Search and Replace]

LeoMoon Renamer 1.10 [Mass Search and Replace]:
This program can do mass search and replace on multiple files inside a folder with recursive and case sensitive options (No RegEx yet). Depending on how many files you have and/or how many search and replace you want to perform, this might take a few minutes. That's why I also included stats while this program is running.

More...

"Tears of Steel" Original Footage

"Tears of Steel" Original Footage:
The short film "Tears of Steel", code-named "mango" during development, was a Blender Open Movie Project. It developed an open vfx pipeline for compositing computer generated elements with live action video. It was originally released 2012 September 26.



More...

Adobe After Effects CS7 to include a live 3D pipeline with Cinema 4D Lite

Adobe After Effects CS7 to include a live 3D pipeline with Cinema 4D Lite - News - Digital Arts:
The headline feature is what Adobe's business development manager for video Niels Stevens describes as a 'live 3D pipeline' between After Effects CS7 * and Maxon's Cinema 4D. The traditional workflow with Cinema 4D and After Effects is that scenes created in Cinema 4D can be rendered out with multiple passes to bring some information into After Effects, but any changes in Cinema 4D require re-rendering and re-importing of renders into AE.

More...

Blender: Jack of all trades, but in a good way!

RedShark News - Blender: Jack of all trades, but in a good way!:
Anyone working with digital tools today has a wide choice of applications for specialized tasks. An office suite consists of a program for writing text, one for spreadsheets, presentations, a database etc. For a VFX workflow you might use a tool for tracking, one for compositing, one for editing, various tools for simulations and specialized applications for modelling, sculpting, texturing and animation. RedShark contributor and Blender expert Gottfried Hoffmann reports.

More...

Autodesk Debuts 2014 Entertainment Creation Suite

Autodesk Debuts 2014 Entertainment Creation Suite:

Autodesk announced the new features of the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite 2014 today. The versatile workflow includes award-winning 3D animation, visual effects and creative tools, Autodesk Maya 2014, Autodesk 3ds Max 2014, Autodesk MotionBuilder 2014,Autodesk Mudbox 2014, Autodesk Softimage 2014 and Autodesk Sketchbook Designer 2014, all which have been updated to offer new workflow enhancements that help artists collaborate, manage complexity and move data through their pipeline more efficiently.



More...

Maxon Announces Strategic Alliance with Adobe to Bring Creative Professionals New Levels of Digital Media Content Creation

Maxon Announces Strategic Alliance with Adobe to Bring Creative Professionals New Levels of Digital Media Content Creation | Studio Daily:
Maxon, the developer of Cinema 4D, a leading 3D animation software for film, broadcast and motion graphics professionals, today announced it has entered into a strategic alliance with Adobe Systems Incorporated to further collaborate on technology that provides creatives in the motion graphics and visual effects industry with new levels of digital media content creation. As part of the alliance, both companies are expected to collaborate and engineer a pipeline between Adobe After Effects software and Cinema 4D to give users a seamless 2D/3D foundation.

More...

3ds Max and Autodesk Maya now cheaper than ever thanks to new licenses!

3ds Max and Autodesk Maya now cheaper than ever thanks to new licenses!: Autodesk's products are not cheap and such tools as 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya cannot by afforded by many smaller companies of freelancers. It seems that the Autodesk wants to change this situation and so they kicked off a 90-day project license of Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max 3D animation software. Thanks to this move it will be much easier for many artists to create high-end professional work for short-term projects using Maya or 3ds Max.

More...

More 3D plugins for Nuke

More 3D plugins for Nuke:
More 3D tomfoolery comes to Nuke with two suites of plugins by Frederich Munch.
Geometry Tools is a general 3D asset creation and modification suite. Dynamics is a rigid and soft body simulation tool set.

More... 

Blender Siggraph Reel 2012 – YouTube

Blender Siggraph Reel 2012 – YouTube:
Check out Blender’s Siggraph Showreel 2012 – All this content was made with Free Open Source software. Download Blender.org and start creating!
Blender Siggraph Reel 2012 – YouTube.

More...

Autodesk Announces Extensions for 2013 3D Animation Software

Autodesk Announces Extensions for 2013 3D Animation Software:

Autodesk Inc., has announced new extensions for Autodesk Maya 2013 and Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 3D animation software, which are included in the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites 2013. Available to users with active Subscription contracts, the extensions will help artists create more sophisticated physical simulations, and move data more easily through complex pipelines.

More...

MAXON Announces CINEMA 4D Release 14

MAXON Announces CINEMA 4D Release 14:
Breakthrough Innovations in Modeling, Performance and Product Integration Bring a High-Impact Creative Experience to 3D Professionals.

More...

Autodesk Flame’s Evolution Gives 3D Compositors the Edge

Autodesk Flame’s Evolution Gives 3D Compositors the Edge:

Autodesk is celebrating 20 years since the launch of Flame. VFX artist Caroline Journo at Digital District in France tells why her skills in Flame make a difference in the world of visual effects.

More...

After Effects CS6 (11.0.1) update: bug fixes and added GPU and 3D renderer support

After Effects CS6 (11.0.1) update: bug fixes and added GPU and 3D renderer support:
Today, the After Effects CS6 (11.0.1) update was released.
If Adobe Application Manager hasn’t already told you about this, go ahead and check for new updates by choosing Help & Updates. The best way to check for updates is by closing all Adobe applications other than Adobe Bridge, and choosing Help > Updates in Adobe Bridge; this ensures that all processes related to Adobe video applications have been quit and can be updated safely.

More...

Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 Builds Up Render Pass System

Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 Builds Up Render Pass System:
Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 software improves on its interactive rendering with ActiveShade
support in the NVIDIA iray renderer and a new render pass system with integrated
node-based compositing.

More...

The Foundry Launches MARI 1.4v3

The Foundry Launches MARI 1.4v3:
Visual effects software developer, The Foundry, has released MARI 1.4v3 – the latest update to its cutting-edge texture and matte painting tool for 3D artists. The new release features several fixes and tweaks and includes a host of upgrades that current users have requested.

More...

Importing 3D models into Adobe's After Effects

Importing 3D models into Adobe's After Effects

Most people think that the only way to work with real extruded 3D elements or 3D models inside of After Effects, is by purchasing a 3rd-Party Plug-in. Well, that's just not the case. In this tutorial, Kevin P McAuliffe show's you how, with a little help from Adobe's Photoshop, you can import and work with .3DS models inside of Adobe's After Effects, and have the model be effected by the 3D cameras in your compositions.

More...

Infinite Z Showcases zSpace Virtual Holographic Simulation System

Infinite Z Showcases zSpace Virtual Holographic Simulation System:

Strategic Partnership Enables Company to Expand its Footprint in Design Industry Infinite Z, Inc.,® a technology provider that enables virtual-holographic 3D imagery to bring designs to life, today announced a technical proof of concept of the zSpace® immersive user experience...

More...

MentalCore - a solution for optimizing the Maya and mental ray workflow is out!

MentalCore - a solution for optimizing the Maya and mental ray workflow is out!:
CoreCG is a New Zealand-based research and development that specializes in creative solutions for CG animation and visual effects. The company announced the release of MentalCore - a cross-platform, standalone plugin designed to help artists achieve maximum creativity and efficiency while using NVIDIA mental ray with Autodesk Maya. According to the company, the release follows two years of extensive use at Oktobor Animation, a year of beta testing by high profile film, television, and game companies, and a soft launch in December 2011.

More...