Time To Get Some Training
So, you've chosen your software program. What now? Well, there are a few different ways to approach training as John Edgar Park explains.
Tagged With: Software
Choose Your Software Wisely
Which 3D packages will get you work and which ones will leave you feeling unwanted? You better choose carefully and John Edgar Park is here to help you out with the decision.
Side Effects Software Announces Free Houdini Training
Santa Monicas Side Effects Software has announced new dates for free Houdini introductory workshops and training in Santa Monica, San Francisco and Toronto. In these sessions, artists will be exposed to the power of Houdini, the award-winning 3D animation software package used in such recent blockbusters as Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, X-MEN, HOLLOW MAN and THE MATRIX. This class includes an introduction to the object, SOP (surface operator), material, composite and output editors.
RAYZ Compositing Software Available For Public Beta Testing
The final beta version of Silicon Grails RAYZ multi-platform compositing software is now available for public beta testing. The beta-testing period will last through April 22, 2001 when RAYZ will be officially launched at NAB. The software is available in versions for SGI IRIX, SGI IRIX (64 bit), Windows NT/Windows 2000, Intel Linux and Alpha Linux. The product is resolution independent making it equally suitable for feature film, large format film, HDTV and standard definition video projects.
Low-Cost Solutions, High-End Results
With today's new software packages becoming more and more efficient for less and less money, one can definitely do more with less. John Edgar Park discusses the different software and hardware combos that can get you on the fast track to great looking CGI work.
The Technology Circle
Over the past five years the changes in special effects technology for film and television have been monumental, causing large shifts and new issues for production companies and the software/hardware companies that service them. Bruce Manning outlines the issues and then sits down with Richard Taylor to discuss. Includes an image gallery from industry veteran Richard Taylor!
The March Issue Of Animation World Magazine Is Coming Next Week
March is technology month. In this issue we will be discussing what the future will be like for the high-end computer hardware/software companies. Have their glory days passed? Are they just releasing new software versions to release new product or are these true advancements? Do studios need all of these versions? Due to previous advancements are studios now comfortably doing more with less due to the high-end/low-end technology blur and proprietary software? How does the cost of retraining factor into these decisions?
Illegal Pac-Man Games On The Web Leads To Lawsuit
Twelve video game companies have filed a joint suit against four individuals accusing them of offering unauthorized versions of such games as PAC-MAN and DONKEY KONG on the Web. The suit seeks to shut down sites operated by Dasheill Ponce De Leon of Houston, John Sterling of Beaumont, Texas, Byron Beck of Monrovia, California and Kuei Lin Lo of Amherst, Massachusetts. The complaint also seeks monetary damages of US$150,000 for each copyright infringement.
Reallusion Announces Release Of New 3D And Facial Imaging Software
CrazyTalk is Reallusion's flagship software, allowing the user to transform text into personalized voice messages with synchronized lip movement and dozens of facial expressions, using either clip art or personal photos...
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eyeon Software Releases Digital Fusion DFX+
eyeon Software recently announced a major new release of their powerful digital effects and compositing software, Digital Fusion DFX+. DFX+ is a "modular" offering. eyeon has chopped Digital Fusion up into 5 different packages, created a new licensing system and presto their flag ship package is now highly customizable and accessible to all! eyeon also announced that a demo of the software is now available for download from their Website. "If you want to know how a software package performs in the real world, you have to kick the tires and take it for a spin.
REALVIZ Releases MatchMover 2.0
REALVIZ announced that the new version of their award-winning camera tracking software, MatchMover, is now shipping. The software is used to track the motion of a camera accurately so that the 3D elements can be seamlessly composited into place. The new version includes a graph editor that allows the user to edit camera parameters as curves on a graph easily. In addition, the new status-tracking feature also allows for the tracking and analyzing of project progress and results.
German Post-Production House Das Werk Makes Move On London
German post-production house Das Werk has announced their intention to acquire a majority stake in UK effects house Glassworks. The parties are aiming to achieve a definitive agreement early next year. Das Werk is a well-known provider of post-production services, from scanning and archiving, to editing and composing. London-based Glassworks is a leading facility in digital effects, combining expertise in 3D computer-generated imaging with high-end compositing and special effects. Glassworks will become an integral part of Das Werk's line of animation services and products.
Crater Software Offers Full Chromacolour Palette To CTP
Crater Software and industry-ally ChromaColour International, a leading developer and provider of digital and traditional animation software and equipment, now offer the complete ChromaColour palette with Crater's CTP, the company's total 2D production system...
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Getting Jig-gy With It
Steamboat Software, a Los Angeles developer of high-end computer graphics and visual effects software, has announced the release of Jig Software to the general public. Jig is a comprehensive solution for rendering traditional geometry, as well as photorealistic hair, volumes and particles. The software has been ported to SGI and NT platforms, but is primarily developed on and for the Linux operating system. Jig is designed to be scalable, performing well on modest workstations as well as large rendering clusters.
Pixar Pieces
At Pixar, Renderman NT is shipping, making the popular rendering software used in most visual effects films available to a much larger user base. However, Larry Gritz, developer of BMRT (available for download at www.bmrt.org/), the shareware rendering software most recently utilized in HOLLOW MAN and THE CELL, and co-author of ADVANCED RENDERMAN: CREATING CGI FOR MOTION PICTURES, is no longer with Pixar, though the hope is BMRT development will continue.
More Fluid Motion?
Fluid dynamics has been an emerging technique in CG, with several productions utilizing dynamics in features such as PERFECT STORM and U-571 and several software companies, like Alias and Realflow, are developing fluid software. Is applying dynamics to forestry and foliage, for natural wind and lifelike shadowing effects, the next application to use natural physical dynamics? We'll see. . .
Steamboat Software's Jig V1.0 Now Available
Steamboat Software's rendering software Jig v1.0 is now available for
sale or evaluation...
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face2face Adds New Directors Of Business Development & Marketing
face2face, a Lucent Technologies-owned facial analysis software developer, has named Kathleen Papera as director of business development and Rich Smith as director of marketing. In her new post, Papera will oversee face2face's marketing strategy, focusing on the gaming community. Papera will also be in charge of finding and managing relationships with complementary partners in the gaming industry, as well as supervising gaming customer's beta sites. "When I was first introduced to face2face's alterEGO, I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this venture," said Papera.
New Jobs: Animators, Digital Artists, Directors, Engineers And More...
Congers, New York-based Turner Studios is looking for a 3D ANIMATOR proficient in character animation & 3D modeling in various 3D animation software packages; an ASSISTANT CEL ANIMATOR with exceptional craftsmanship & illustration skills; a CEL ANIMATION PRODUCTION MANAGER with exceptional organizational and client skills; and a part-time CEL ANIMATOR. . . New York-based Improv Technologies Inc.
Stan Lee Developing Web-based Animation Software
Stan Lee Media, Inc. (SLM) announced a strategic alliance with Canadian-based Toon Boom Technologies for the development of Web-based animation software, which SLM will utilize in constructing its episodic Web comics. Jamie Wilkinson, executive vice president, Internet strategy for SLM, will oversee Beta testing in late summer/early fall 2000, to take place in Montreal and at a number of animation houses throughout the world. Pentafour Software & Exports Ltd., a leading developer of 2D/3D graphics and animation, special effects and software, will also participate in the project.
DEN Summons Sim As Head Of Digital Programming
DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK, INC. (DEN), an on-line network targeting Generation Y, announced the appointment of MORRIS SIM as head of digital programming. Formerly with Microsoft, Sim held a variety of top-level managerial positions, supervising entire teams of programmers and designers for Microsoft's extensive line of consumer software. During his seven-year tour-of-duty, Sim was a key player in the development and design of some of Microsoft's top software products, like Access, VisualFoxPro, Visual Basic, Microsoft Works, Home Suite and Microsoft Office.
New Jobs: Animators, Digital Artists and Tech Support/Producion Management
Dream Theater is seeking an ART DIRECTOR to work on the creation of
concepts, presentation materials and the refinement of design
directions in production. . . Hammerhead Productions is looking for
SENIOR ANIMATORS 2D/3D/TD for feature film visual effects. . . San
Francisco, California-based Attik is looking for a SENIOR ANIMATOR. .
. Monterrey, N.L. Mexico post-production house PubliK is looking for
a creative 3D SGI ANIMATOR. . . The Chimney Pot (Sweden) is seeking a
All This and 230M MIP-Mapped Textels/Sec, Too
I get fliers...I get phamplets...I get emails about all the amazing technology available to today's animators. And while I can't use any of it, we can all appreciate how new technology is making bringing `toons to life more easy.
CHROME Imaging Releases Photonyx 1.5
A new Switzerland-based company, CHROME Imaging, recently announced their
solution to the wonderful world of post-production Photonyx 1.5 is now
shipping. CHROME claims that the software, which is priced at a mere
US$675, was designed to address the high-end post-production market. The
program features RealTools, a painting palette which simulates real world
tools such as crayons, airbrush and charcoal. But moving on to compositing,
Photonyx features "Virtual Screens" technology which offers realtime zoom
3D Studio MAX 3.1 Now Shipping
Discreet recently released a maintenance update to 3D Studio MAX 3 which,
in the coming weeks, will be distributed free of charge to all registered
users of the software. The announcement comes shortly after the company
declared success at clearing well over 100,000 copies, and are reinforcing
their commitment to users by bringing them new features so soon after the
initial release of the software. The update includes data containers for
