Software

Jan 17, 2012 HIERO Open Beta Launches Today – The Foundry

More : News/Press Releases · Software · The Foundry

HIERO Open Beta Launches Today - The Foundry

Collaborative working on VFX projects, especially with a quick turnaround, can be painful. HIERO has been built from the ground up to address these challenges and create a smooth workflow to improve efficiency and increase shot throughput volume.

Conform and parcel out your VFX shots to multiple NUKE artists, automatically creating a file structure that knows where everything is. Review shot progress in the context of the edit with the confidence that you always have the latest versions at your fingertips.

Flexible and scriptable, HIERO is easy to integrate and significantly reduces the infrastructure work required to keep a VFX team up and running.

Free up your expensive finishing systems to concentrate on their real strength – finishing.

HIERO is designed to sit in the VFX pipeline, doing the initial conform, putting plates online and then sitting at the heart of the daily review process.

Tony Lawrence, Head of 2D, Smoke and Mirrors, comments: “We love that The Foundry are developing a product as sophisticated as HIERO. The flexibility, ease of use and integration into our pipeline will increase our output, allowing even more jobs to pass through our facility. The Foundry has yet again come up with a solution that will benefit the post production community.”

Andres Kirejew, VFX Supervisor/Partner, Township, adds: “HIERO has removed all the tedious, manual labour from conforming. I pointed it towards my EDL and 1.5tb of RED Epic footage magically relinked! HIERO breaks out shots with ease and automatically names, symlinks and prepares them for NUKE roundtripping. HIERO is ****ing brilliant. Seriously, at the price point, it’s a no-brainer!”

Senior Product Designer, Matt Plec said, “NUKE is already a powerful compositing tool, but it’s missing a component many artists need. HIERO provides this missing link functionality currently dealt with either by expensive tools, in-house scripting or a cumbersome manual process. HIERO’s the bridge tool our customers have been asking us for.

Keep up to date with pre-release information about HIERO and more in the weekly edition of The Compositor www.thefoundry.co.uk/thecompositor

OPEN BETA
If you want to try HIERO for yourself, sign up for the OPEN BETA: www.thefoundry.co.uk/hiero

Release Date and Pricing
HIERO is due for release in February 2012 and will cost $5,000 (all prices quoted are nodelocked and include one year of maintenance).

HIERO will be available on OSX and Linux, with Windows to follow.

Dec 16, 2011 V-Ray 2.0 Update with Hair & Fur Capabilities

More : Chaos Group · Software · Updates/Upgrades · Videos · · ·

V-Ray 2.0 Update with Hair & Fur Capabilities

An update to V-Ray 2.0 is now available!
Chaos Group is pleased to announce an update to V-Ray 2.0, delivering outstanding new features and improvements, including enhanced GPU functionality using V-RayRT and new Hair and Fur capabilities.

New Hair and Fur Capabilities
• Render hair and fur with unprecedented quality, control, and speed using the new VRayHairMtl shader and VRayHairInfoTex map.
• Seamlessly render hair created using Ephere’s Ornatrix plug-in with the new modifier – VRayOrnatrixMod.

V-Ray 2.0 Hair and Fur Shader Tutorial
by Dimitar Krastev-Jimmy, Chaos Group

Continue reading “V-Ray 2.0 Update with Hair & Fur Capabilities”…

Dec 12, 2011 Free Cinema 4D R13 & BodyPaint 3D Upgrades Released

More : Maxon Cinema 4D · Software · Updates/Upgrades ·

Free Cinema 4D R13 & BodyPaint 3D Upgrades Released

The new update for CINEMA 4D R13.051 includes a wide array of improvements and fixes.

MAXON is always working to provide CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D users with the best possible products. The free update of Release 13.051, which is available immediately, is a continuation of these efforts. This update is recommended for all R13 users. A detailed list of updated features can be found here.

This update can be downloaded and installed directly via the Online Updater or you can download it at the MAXON web site.

Minimum requirements: CINEMA 4D R13.016 or higher must already be installed on your computer.

Nov 30, 2011 The Foundry Introduces MARI 1.4!

More : Software · The Foundry · Updates/Upgrades · Visual Effects ·

The Foundry Introduces MARI 1.4!

Three Musketeers: © Summit Entertainment & Constantin Films. Images courtesy of Mr. X.

Introducing MARI 1.4
Scalable and future proof. The ideal paint tool for 3D artists

MARI has been designed from the ground up to meet the needs of the most demanding VFX texture and matte painting artists. It is capable of handling vast numbers of pixels, and out performs all other paint tools in speed, flexibility and processing capabilities.

Continue reading “The Foundry Introduces MARI 1.4!”…

Nov 29, 2011 3Dean: Sunlight System/Vray Sun animations in 3ds Max

More : Autodesk · Plugins · Software · Tutorials · Videos · Visual Effects · · · · · · ·

3Dean: Sunlight System/Vray Sun animations in 3ds Max

Short tutorial on using the sunlight system/Vray sun to create architectural sunrise/sunset animations by Motion Media.
This is part of a larger presentation presented by Motion Media Dec 5th, 2011:
Click here to sign up!

Software used: 3ds Max 2012, Vray 2.0

Nov 11, 2011 NewTek Unveils LightWave™ 11

More : News/Press Releases · NewTek · Software · Updates/Upgrades

NewTek Unveils LightWave™ 11

NewTek has announced  LightWave™ 11, a powerful new version of its Emmy® Award-winning, professional 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software.

LightWave 11 fits into any studio pipeline seamlessly, offering support for Autodesk Geometry Cache and FBX, including pixel-perfect camera matching with Autodesk Maya cameras. It also supports the Unity game engine and Pixologic GoZ ZBrush workflow, making it ideal for all production environments, including smaller specialized studios and individual artists.

About LightWave 11 Continue reading “NewTek Unveils LightWave™ 11″…

Oct 31, 2011 Export Projects from After Effects Directly to Cinema 4D with New Plugin

More : Adobe · Maxon Cinema 4D · Software · · ·

Export Projects from After Effects Directly to Cinema 4D with New Plugin

MAXON, the leading developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, today announced immediate availability of a new plug-in for Adobe® After Effects® CS5 and CS5.5 that allows motion graphics artists to export projects directly into CINEMA 4D R13. This new capability broadens CINEMA 4D’s domination as the industry-leading 3D motion graphics toolkit, known for its seamless connectivity to popular 2D motion graphics and compositing tools. This new plugin is the perfect companion to the CINEMA 4D composition import already widely used by broadcast designers worldwide. With the combination of these two plugins, motion graphics artists working on Windows and Mac OS X will enjoy easy data exchange to and from both applications.

The CINEMA 4D export appears directly in the After Effects export menu and generates a .c4d file containing 3D layers, cameras, lights, solids, nulls and footage. Even nested compositions are supported. All major layer attributes including animations (rotation, position, parameter, anchor points, POI, etc.), expressions, layer parenting, layer locking and layer visibility are retained. Render and document settings in CINEMA 4D are adapted accordingly to the After Effects’ project settings.

“The After Effects-CINEMA 4D workflow is the proven choice for top motion design studios worldwide seeking to easily integrate their 3D and 2D workflows.” commented Harald Schneider, managing partner and CTO at MAXON. “We are pleased to offer our customers this new After Effects export plugin so they can benefit by the increased speed, efficiency and tight integration between these two powerhouse software packages.”

“CINEMA 4D is a 3D package After Effects users have already come to know and love because of its seamless integration into After Effects,” said Steve Forde, product manager for Adobe After Effects. “The ability to bring assets the other direction as well will certainly enhance productivity and further solidify CINEMA 4D as an ideal 3D solution for motion graphics artists.”

The new CINEMA 4D R13 exchange plug-in compatible with Adobe After Effects CS3, CS4, CS5 and CS5.5 is immediately available as a free download.

Oct 27, 2011 The Foundry Releases KATANA 1.0

More : News/Press Releases · Software · The Foundry · Visual Effects · · ·

The Foundry Releases KATANA 1.0

Today leading visual effects software developer The Foundry(www.thefoundry.co.uk)
announces the release of KATANA 1.0.
In tandem with this release Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a Lucasfilm Company, has purchased a site
license of KATANA.

KATANA is a look development and lighting tool, replacing the conventional CG pipeline with
a flexible recipe based asset workflow. KATANA is built from the ground up with the needs
of modern productions  in mind.  Its node based approach allows rapid turn around of high
complexity shots  while keeping artists in control  and  reducing  in house development
overheads.     Extensive APIs mean it integrates with a variety of renderers and your pre-
existing shader libraries and workflow tools, whilst it’s collaborative nature means it scales
to meet the needs of even the most demanding CG Features and VFX films.

KATANA is backed by The Foundry, highly regarded provider of high end visual effects tools,
and has been production proven on over 20 shows since 2004 at Sony Pictures Imageworks.

KATANA is specifically designed to address the needs of highly scalable asset based
workflow to:
•  Allow updating of assets once shots are already in progress.
•  Share lighting set-ups, such as edits and overrides, between shots and sequences.
•  Allow use of multiple renderers and specifying dependencies between render passes.
•  Allow shot specific modification of assets to become part of the lighting ‘recipe’ for
shots to avoid having to deal with large numbers of shot specific asset variants.

KATANA NAB 2011 Presentation by Jeremy Selan
In this demo, Jeremy Selan from Sony Pictures Imageworks gives an overview of KATANA, explaining how the tool has been employed in in-house productions.

Oct 11, 2011 Adobe Photoshop Image Deblurring Sneak Peak

More : Adobe · Software · ·

Adobe Photoshop Image Deblurring Sneak Peak

Adobe unveils a new potential feature of a future version of Photoshop at their annual MAX event, Image Deblurring. Check out the video from the show.

Sep 27, 2011 Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs 2012 Released

More : Autodesk · Software

Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs 2012 Released

Get your modems ready for some serious downloading!

Autodesk has released the subscription advantage packs for Maya 2012, 3ds Max 2012, Mudbox 2012, Motionbuilder 2012, Softimage 2012 and Smoke for Mac 2012.

Autodesk® Subscription Advantage Packs help you get ahead by giving you early access to the latest product enhancements.  Available for select products, Subscription Advantage Packs vary and can include additional product features, integrated web services, and robust design content. These enhancements expand software capabilities, promote collaboration, support sustainable design, and enrich renderings. Autodesk® Subscription Advantage Packs help you stay on the leading edge of your industry with the most current software features, and can increase your productivity with new functionality that helps you visualize and design faster.

Don’t have Subscription?  Get it Here Continue reading “Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs 2012 Released”…

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Pixologic announces ZBrush 4R3

zbrush4r3

Pixologic is pleased to announce the upcoming release of ZBrush 4R3.
This update includes new features and expands the features introduced in previous versions.

Read more →

3Dean: Multiple Mapping Coordinates in 3ds Max 2012

blog-featured-images_muluv.jpg

This is an “over the shoulder” look at my work flow for texturing a complex object w/out using uv unwrap in 3ds Max 2012. This video is much longer than my others so feel free to skip thru the parts you already know.

Read more →

V-Ray for Softimage Now Available!

vray-softimage.jpg

Chaos Group announces V-Ray for Softimage, the newest addition to its suite of innovative rendering solutions.

Read more →

AJA Ki Pro v3.0 firmware is now available

aja-kipro

New Ki Pro v3.0 firmware is now available for download from the AJA website. Ki Pro v3.0 provides a unified firmware release for both the Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.

Read more →

3Dean: Creating Realistic Night Time Buildings Using 3ds Max

blog-featured-images_akbld.jpg

3Dean shows you a technique for creating a realistic night time city using simple geometry and textures.

Read more →


News/Press Releases


Pixologic announces ZBrush 4R3
Feb 22, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Pixologic is pleased to announce the upcoming release of ZBrush 4R3.
This update includes new features and expands the features introduced in previous versions.

V-Ray for Softimage Now Available!
Feb 20, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Chaos Group announces V-Ray for Softimage, the newest addition to its suite of innovative rendering solutions.

Avid Brings Full Scale Editing to the iPad
Feb 2, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Avid brings editing to the iPad. Avid’s award-winning technology is built into the Avid Studio iPad app, making it quick and easy to create, edit and share professional quality movies on the go.

HIERO Open Beta Launches Today – The Foundry
Jan 17, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Hiero from The Foundry is now in open Beta. What is HIERO? HIERO is designed to sit in the VFX pipeline, doing the initial conform, putting plates online and then sitting at the heart of the daily review process.

FxFactory 3 from Noise Industries
Jan 7, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

FxFactory 3 introduces hundreds of new effects and a brand new interface to let you browse our vast collection of visual effects for Final Cut Pro, Motion and After Effects.

Events


Class: Nuke for After Effects Users in Seattle
Jan 31, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Motion Media & renowned NUKE Trainer Steve Wright head to SEATTLE on Feb. 10th, 2012 to bring you this unique Friday class that will explore and demonstrate the key features of Nuke as compared to After Effects, and equip attending artists with a basic understanding of Nuke’s powerful workflow.

3 Day Nuke Training with Steve Wright
Jan 18, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Motion Media & renowned NUKE Trainer Steve Wright bring you this unique Friday, Saturday and Sunday class that will explore and demonstrate the key features of Nuke and equip attending artists with a basic understanding of Nuke’s powerful workflow.

Webcast: Accelerate Your Post-Production Pipeline with Smoke for Mac
Jan 16, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Don’t miss this opportunity to see how Autodesk® Smoke® brings editing, color correction and motion graphics together in an all-in-one application. Smoke unifies visual effects and editing on the Mac so you can deliver professional quality results – quickly.

Content in the Cloud Conference @ CES 2012
Jan 5, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Register today for the CONTENT IN THE CLOUD Conference at CES, taking place on Wednesday January 11th at the Las Vegas Convention Center. You’ll get an insider’s tour of the many ways cloud computing is revolutionizing entertainment delivery, and come away with a deeper understanding of the impact of this technology on content distribution.

LA Post Production Group Meeting Tonight
Dec 14, 2011 | 1 Comment | Read more →

Motion Media is sponsoring the Los Angeles Post Production Group & would like to invite you to the December Event – Tonight!

Updates/Upgrades


Pixologic announces ZBrush 4R3
Feb 22, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Pixologic is pleased to announce the upcoming release of ZBrush 4R3.
This update includes new features and expands the features introduced in previous versions.

AJA Ki Pro v3.0 firmware is now available
Feb 14, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

New Ki Pro v3.0 firmware is now available for download from the AJA website. Ki Pro v3.0 provides a unified firmware release for both the Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.

V-Ray 2.0 for Maya Update Available
Feb 6, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

The Chaos Group team is pleased to announce an update to V-Ray 2.0 for Maya, offering new hair and fur capabilities, V-Ray RT GPU enhancements, and tighter Maya integration. The update is free for V-Ray 2.0 for Maya users.

Autodesk Maya 2012 Service Pack 2
Jan 30, 2012 | No Comments | Read more →

Autodesk Maya 2012 Service Pack 2 includes several important fixes, refer to the readme for more information.

ZBrush 4R2b Download Available Now
Jan 24, 2012 | 1 Comment | Read more →

Pixologic has released an update to ZBrush 4R2 so you don’t have to wait until R5 to get some of these amazing new features. ZBrush 4R2b is pretty revolutionary and is well worth the free downloadable update.



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