VFX/3D CG Selected News

Cinema 4D version 9.5_3ds Max 8_Animators can look forward to improved modeling, rendering

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:04:00 -0800

Animators can look forward to improved modeling, rendering, character animation and workflow tools that were displayed by 3D application developers at the SIGGRAPH 2005 convention. New versions of every major professional 3D software application were being shown, including Maya 7 , SOFTIMAGE |XSI 5, MotionBuilder 7, Cinema 4D 9.5, 3ds Max 8, LightWave 9 and Houdini 8. Plus, Luxology, developer of the modo modeler, revealed that it has a 3D animation application in the works.

Several packages are now 64-bit compatible, including SOFTIMAGE XSI v. 5.0, Cinema 4D 9.5 and LightWave 8.5, while Houdini already supports 64-bit Windows and Linux . Technology previews were also shown of 64-bit versions of Maya and 3ds Max .

But whether users are ready for 64-bit or not, there are a host of new features they can take advantage of in the meantime. Here’s a roundup of the highlights of the various 3D applications being shown in Los Angeles

Maxon Computer
Cinema 4D version 9.5

Maxon Computer has beefed up the lighting, rendering and workflow features of Cinema 3D 9.5, which will be available (along with BodyPaint 3D R2.5) in September 2005. Version 9.5 offers a streamlined process for setting up lights, and the lights can now be tailored to any desired shape. For realistic-looking scenes, area lights and area shadows now render up to four times faster.

Version 9.5 lets users output images in 32-bit /channel color depth as HDRI or OpenEXR, and includes the ability to directly output multipass renderings as compositing files for Shake . Plus, the Baker has been reworked for faster creation of textures, normal maps and UVs.

The Advanced Render module has several new features, including Ambient Occlusion, for the quick creation and rendering of realistic shadows. Ambient Occlusion can be either rendered or baked as a texture. Another new feature is SKY, a versatile tool for the creation of atmospherics.

Workflow enhancements include a new Content Browser for convenient access to projects and presets, which can reside either locally or on a server . Also, a new full screen mode lets the workspace be quickly adjusted to its maximum size.

Autodesk
3ds Max 8

Key upgrades in Autodesk’s 3ds Max 8 include character animation upgrades, advanced modeling and texturing, a more comprehensive development framework and complex data and asset management tools. Version 8 is slated for fourth quarter 2005 release.

The character development tools in 3ds Max 8 have been significantly overhauled. With the former Character Studio plugin now completely integrated into 3ds Max , BiPed and other character tools are now simply features in the application. The character animation toolset of version 8 has new advanced rigging tools, a redesigned Motion Mixer and non-linear animation features called Motion Retargeting. The new Motion Mixer allows animations or motions of any type to be mixed together. The mixing functionality includes time stretch, editing, trimming and transitions, and it supports all types of animation – not just character and biped.

Also, Cloth and Hair and Fur tools will be included as part of 3ds Max 8. These were previously available to 3ds Max users via Autodesk Subscription. Cloth allows animators to convert modeled geometry to simulated cloth and design clothing patterns. Hair and Fur, based on Joe Alter’s Shave and a Haircut, includes a Brush tool for shaping various contours, and support for clumping and frizz textures. It also permits instanced geometry to be used as individual hairs for the creation of forests, fields and landscapes.

A new UV pelt mapping procedure promises much faster creation of texture maps. Users can define seams on a model and unfold the geometry to those seams. It is not necessary to rebuild the seams. Also, new Relax methods are designed to help reduce mapping distortion by matching an object’s UV to its geometry. Version 8 also includes DirectX and . fx support, making it possible to create real-time shaders in the Max Viewport.

This release will also introduce a new XML-based motion data file format called .XAF. An open standard developed by Autodesk, it enables Max to load and save animation data and to load map or retarget it onto other characters. It can also be used to transfer motion not derived from characters.

Version 8 will address a variety of scalability, workflow and collaboration issues with a new Complex Data management toolset. In addition to new abilities for manipulating large datasets, 3ds Max 8 will connect directly to various asset management systems, including Autodesk Vault.

ResPower Super/Farm Render Farm Supports Maya 7

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 08:16:00 -0800

ResPower announced the immediate support for Maya 7, the latest release of Alias. flagship 3D modeling solution.

"With this release of Maya 7, Alias has delivered a huge increase in 2D and 3D animation , effects , modeling and rendering power," according to Early Ehlinger, ResPower's President.

"ResPower is totally committed to supporting the latest and best computer graphics tools on the market. Upgrading the Super/Farm™ to meet the needs of our customers who use the Maya 7 expanded toolset is a natural and exciting move for us."

About ResPower
Founded in 2000, ResPower today houses the largest and fastest third-party computer graphics rendering solution in the world. The ResPower Super/Farm™ supports over 14 versions of nine render engines. With more than 3,000 GHz of on-demand rendering power, the Super/Farm turns any computer graphics crew into a major studio.

The Super/Farm is available for projects of every size, from one-frame graphics to feature-length movies. ResPower's client list includes Nickelodeon, Technicolor, and Country Music Television . For more information on how to render over the Internet, please log onto http://www.respower.com/

Free CINEMA 4D R9.52 Update - Also Available for 64-bit

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 08:13:00 -0800

MAXON, November 23, 2005 - Software developer MAXON is pleased to announce a free upgrade for CINEMA 4D Release 9.5. In addition to a number of bug fixes, this update boasts over a dozen optimized features and additional improvements. Since MAXON was the first developer worldwide to release a 64-bit version of its software, CINEMA 4D R9.52 is also available in 64-bit!

The R9.52 update includes such improvements as changes to the Content Browser that make it even easier to use, expanded drag & drop functionality and an improved menu structure, making this easy to learn application even more efficient.

In addition, a new shader has been added to CINEMA 4D - the ChamLum shader. This shader illuminates the surface of objects with a soft, slightly fuzzy look - great for rendering realistic skin. Furthermore, a Content Browser library containing shaders, light setups and a bunch of useful goodies is also available for free download.

For more information about the CINEMA 4D R9.52 update click here.

About MAXON Computer

MAXON Computer is the developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions. Its award-winning products have been used extensively in the film, television, science, architecture, engineering and other industries. MAXON products have been used for and in Polar Express, The Flight of the Phoenix, Hero, Van Helsing, King Arthur, Spiderman, Spiderman 2, Haunted Mansion, Cat in the Hat, Charlie's Angel's-Full Throttle, Star Wars 2-The Attack of the Clones, The Mummy Returns, Gladiator, Tomb Raider, the new Columbia-TriStar Film Logo, the On-Air Packages for Comedy Central, Monday Night Football, Discovery Channel Canada, Lucky, Touching Evil, King of Queens, Def on Demand, Power Puff Girls Music Video, Cher's "Song for the Lonely" Music Video, Inspector Gadget, The Emmys on CBS, TiVO, NBC, DirecTV, CBS NFL, Mad TV, Smart House, J.A.G., The WB, Fox Kids, The Fremont Street Experience and many more. MAXON has offices in Friedrichsdorf (Germany), Newbury Park (CA, USA), Bedford (UK) and Tokyo (JP).

Web Site: http://www.maxon.net

NewTek Releases Eighth Free Texture Collection

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 07:50:00 -0800

Fifty new images bring free resources for digital artists to 400 high resolution textures

(November 17, 2005) NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, today announced the release of the eighth edition of NewTek's free Texture Collection. As with previous editions, this new set includes fifty high-resolution images useful for textures and reference available for free download at NewTek.com. The total number of free texture and reference images available from NewTek is now at 400. The eighth edition of the texture collection contains images in the categories Concrete, Nature, Landscape, Soil and Wood. The images are suitable for use as is, and most can be easily processed for seamless tiling as well.

"The high-resolution images in NewTek's Texture Collections are an incredible resource for texture mapping as well as for reference in 3D modeling and digital painting," said Henk Dawson of Dawson 3D . "Also, while I use 3D for all of my commercial projects, there are many times where a 2D element can save a lot of time. Texture maps can often replace geometry and a background created in Photoshop from one or more source photos can efficiently fill out an image. All-in-all, the resolution and detail in these collections are just what digital artists need, and a terrific gift from NewTek to the community."

All textures are unretouched photographic images. The first 250 in the collection offer a resolution of 1600 pixels x 1200 pixels. For the sixth through eighth sets, most are at a resolution of 2304 x 1728, with a few images at lower resolutions. The textures are provided in JPEG format, for efficient download. The first seven editions of the texture collection have been overwhelmingly popular, with tens of thousands of downloads since they were originally posted. NewTek plans to release additional sets of high-resolution textures from time to time and participants can sign up for notification of the release of new sets.

Pricing and Availability
NewTek's Texture Collection, Eighth Edition, is available for free download at: http://www.newtek.com/freestuff.

Spike TV Video Game Awards 2005 Winners Announced

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 00:42:00 -0800

Winners were announced on Nov, 19, 2005, during the 3rd annual Spike TV "Video Game Awards 2005" ceremony held at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, the two-hour "game vs. game" extravaganza will premiere on Spike TV Saturday, Dec. 10 (9:00-11:00 pm, ET/PT).

RESIDENT EVIL 4 (Capcom) took away the Vector Monkey trophy for Game of the Year as well as Best Graphics. PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG: THE OFFICIAL MOVIE OF THE GAME (Ubisoft) won three awards including, Best Performance by a Human — Male for Jack Black; Best Game Based on a Movie and Best Cast. WORLD OF WARCRAFT (Blizzard Ent.) won four awards including Best Multiplayer Game and Best PC Game.

Below is a complete list of winners.

Game Of The Year
RESIDENT EVIL 4 (Capcom)

Best Action Game
GOD OF WAR (Sony Computer Ent. America)

Best Individual Sports Game
TONY HAWK'S AMERICAN WASTELAND (Activision Inc.)

Best Team Sports Game
MADDEN NFL 06 (Electronic Arts)

Cyber Vixen Of The Year
Maria Menounos as Eva in JAMES BOND 007: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (Electronic Arts)

Best Game Based On A Movie
PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG: THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THE MOVIE (Ubisoft)

Best Performance By A Human — Male
Jack Black in PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG: THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THE MOVIE (Ubisoft)

Best Supporting Male Performance
Christopher Walken in TRUE CRIME: NEW YORK CITY (Activision Inc.)

Best Performance By A Human — Female
Charlize Theron in AEON FLUX (Majesco Ent.)

Best Supporting Female Performance
Traci Lords in TRUE CRIME: NEW YORK CITY (Activision Inc.)

Best Cast
PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG: THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THE MOVIE (Ubisoft)

Best Original Song
"Maybe We Crazy" by 50 Cent in 50 CENT: BULLETPROOF (Vivendi Universal Games)

Best Soundtrack
GUITAR HERO (RedOctane)

Best Original Score
WE LOVE KATAMARI (Namco Hometek Inc.)

Designer Of The Year
David Jaffe for GOD OF WAR (Sony Computer Ent. America)

Pontiac Best Driving Game Award (Viewer's Choice)
BURNOUT REVENGE (Electronic Arts)

Most Addictive Game Fueled By Dew (Viewer's Choice)
WORLD OF WARCRAFT (Blizzard Ent.)

Best Wireless Game (Viewer's Choice)
MARC ECKO'S GETTING UP (Atari Inc. & Glu)

Best Fighting Game
EA SPORTS FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 2 (Electronic Arts)

Best First Person Action
F.E.A.R. (Vivendi Universal Games)

Best Military Game
CALL OF DUTY 2 (Activision Inc.)

Best Graphics
RESIDENT EVIL 4 (Capcom)

Best Handheld Game
LUMINES (Ubisoft)

Best Multi-Player Game
WORLD OF WARCRAFT (Blizzard Ent.)

Best Breakthrough Technology
Sony PSP (Sony Computer Ent. America)

Best PC Game
WORLD OF WARCRAFT (Blizzard Ent.)

Best RPG
WORLD OF WARCRAFT (Blizzard Ent.)

Albie Hecht and Casey Patterson serve as exec producers of the Spike TV "Video Game Awards 2005." Greg Sills is supervising producer, Magda Liolis is producer and Scott Fishman is the executive in charge of production. Julia Knowles serves as director.

Spike TV, the first network for men, is available in 88 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

SOURCE: SPIKE TV

Makehuman v 0.8 (demo) Online: stand-alone, multi-platform, GPL software ex-Blender script

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 03:05:00 -0800

(pressrel)- After much work and many months of preparation, we are pleased to announce the next-generation MakeHumanC that, after five years of life as a Blender(c) python script, has finally become mature enough to be a standalone, multi-platform software program; and, of course, still free, open source and GPL.

Ideas and algorithms developed during the python coding have been translated into C and visualized, thanks to an elegant GUI completely written in OpenGL.

With this pre-alpha, we want to reward and satisfy the curiosity of those fans, who, for a long time now, have been following the development of this software and are impatient to see the first results. However, we must first explain some important points: - We have called this release a DEMO, not because of the existence of a commercial version, nor because a particular license is necessary; but, simply, because within the fixed date for this pre-alpha, the program's ability to save your creation is not implemented.

The beta release version, scheduled for 20 November, will include this ability for both the MakeHuman specific and .obj formats, the latter for import by several widely used 3D modeling programs. - Being a pre-alpha, many elements are still incomplete.

Morphings must be improved and calibrated, many icons will be created or modified, and the current GUI buttons must be considered temporary.

Facial expressions are not yet active, although there are some MakeHuman Emotion Expression System (MEES) morphings now available for experimentation. However, this version gives, already, a good idea of what we have accomplished:
- Over 750 basic parametric morphing targets.
- Uses less than 10 MB RAM.
- Very low CPU usage (on some computers, this value does not even register)
- Professional renders with RenderMan compliant engines.

MakeHuman v0.8 Pre-Alpa Website Link

Autodesk introduces its flagship Discreet Flame visual effects system on Linux-based workstations.

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 07:53:00 -0800

Autodesk has launched its Discreet Flame visual effects system on dual-core workstations running the Linux operating system. The Discreet Flame system is already available on workstations running the IRIX operating system. As a result, film studios, broadcasters and post-production facilities will have more flexibility and choice in shaping their digital content creation pipelines.

For more than a decade, the Discreet Flame system’s hallmark speed and creative toolset have set the standard for high-quality digital content creation. The system has helped digital artists realise ideas for hundreds of blockbuster films, television shows, television spots and channel brands. The system gives artists continuous innovation in a fully interactive 3D compositing environment that is packed with advanced creative tools for video, standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) TV and 2K digital cinema post production.

Kevin Tengan, head of 2D systems at Los Angeles-based Rhythm & Hues Studios, said, “With the exception of our IRIX-based Autodesk Discreet systems, Rhythm & Hues Studios is predominantly a Linux shop. We’ve now integrated the new Linux-based version of Discreet Flame into our facility to create a more manageable, homogenous computing environment. The speed of this system is amazing, as is the stability. We’ve already completed three spots with it, one of which involved several client-assisted sessions. Our client was also blown away by the Flame capabilities on the dual-core workstation." Television spots were delivered for both the discount retailer Target Corp. and SeaWorld adventure parks.

Dave Smith, managing director at UK-based post-production facility Absolute, said, “The Discreet Flame system has been a big part of our business. The Flame system running Linux is a turning point for the industry. Autodesk’s use of high-performance, dual-core Linux workstations provides us with more flexible and cost-effective platform choices going forward. The system’s new tools, such as layer-based paint in batch, are great too because they increase our design flexibility.”

Autodesk’s Discreet Flint visual effects system and Discreet Smoke editing system are also available on Linux-based workstations, making Autodesk one of the world’s leading providers of digital content creation tools for the Linux operating system.

“Autodesk is dedicated to providing our media and entertainment customers with highly optimised Discreet systems that operate on the latest-generation workstations,” said Bill Roberts, director of product management for Autodesk’s Media & Entertainment Division. “Dual-core workstations offer fast, interactive performance that empowers digital artists to realise their creative visions faster than ever before; ultimately allowing the facility to be more productive.” Dual-core processor technology allows users to execute multiple tasks simultaneously at a faster rate than traditional single-core processor technology.

Autodesk’s Discreet Flame and Discreet Smoke 2K systems are currently available on SGI IRIX-based workstations. Autodesk anticipates that the following Discreet systems will be available on Linux-based workstations this coming January:

Discreet Flame and Discreet Smoke 2K systems.
Discreet Flint high definition (HD) and Smoke HD systems.
Autodesk will showcase a number of the aforementioned Discreet systems this week at the following events:

NAB Post +: Visit the Autodesk booth (# 302) at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, USA from Nov 15-17, 2005.
International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (Inter BEE): Visit the Autodesk booth (# 7105) at the Nippon Convention Center in Makuhari Messe, Japan from Nov 16-18, 2005.

source: cgsociety

Cast Enters Kung Fu Panda

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 07:10:00 -0800

DreamWorks Animation announced that two-time Academy Award-winner Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan and Ian McShane (TV’s DEADWOOD) are joining Jack Black in the cast of KUNG FU PANDA. In addition, award-winning actress Lucy Liu is in talks with the studio to voice another main role.

Black (SHARK TALE) heads the voice cast as Po the Panda, the laziest of all the animals in the Valley of Peace. With powerful enemies at the gates, all hope has been pinned on an ancient prophecy that a hero will rise to save the day. But among all the martial arts masters who come forward, none has shown the mark of The Chosen One… until now. When Po unwittingly shows up in the midst of the competition, the masters are shocked to see that this unmotivated panda bears the mark. Now it is up to them to turn this gentle giant into a kung fu fighter before it’s too late.

Dustin Hoffman will voice the role of Shifu, the by-the-book and tough-as-nails Kung Fu master, who has been given the unenviable task of turning the undisciplined Po into a kung fu fighter. Jackie Chan will lend his voice to Master Monkey, a strong, agile and dedicated kung fu warrior, who serves as a daily reminder to Po of everything he is not… yet. Ian McShane will be the voice of the villainous Tai Lung, a ferociously powerful snow leopard, who breaks out of prison, intent on using his kung fu skills to destroy the Valley of Peace. Lucy Liu is in discussions to be the voice of Master Viper, another of Po’s teachers, who can be coy and feminine when she needs to be, but can then uncoil the lethal kung fu warrior within.

Slated for release in May 2008, KUNG FU PANDA is being directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb.

source: awn

Pixar’s Jim Morris to Receive VES Board of Directors Award

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 06:36:00 -0800

Pixar producer and former ILM senior exec Jim Morris, currently overseeing an Andrew Stanton (FINDING NEMO) feature to be released in summer ‘08, will receive the Board of Directors Award from the Visual Effects Society. This award will be presented at the 4th Annual VES Awards on Feb.15, 2005, at the Hollywood Palladium, and follows last week’s VES announcement that Pixar founder John Lasseter will receive the 2005 Georges Melies Award for artistic excellence and lifetime achievement.

“As you might imagine, I am extremely honored to receive this award from the VES,” said Morris. “I feel very, very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with so many talented filmmakers and artists both in the VES and on so many wonderful films, and I am deeply moved to be recognized by my colleagues in this way.”

Morris will be honored for his indispensable role as the founding chair of the VES, an organization started in 1997 by Tom Atkin in response to the explosive growth in the visual effects art form. According to Carl Rosendahl, VES chair, “Jim’s management experience was vital in creating a strong organizational foundation for the VES, while his exceptional reputation in the field served as the key recruiting force for membership. The VES’ continued success can truly be attributed to his vision and steering, and for that the board of directors unanimously named Jim as the recipient of our most personal award.”

Morris joined Pixar in early 2005. His previous post was president of Lucas Digital Ltd., topping his 17 years at Lucasfilm. Morris served as gm at ILM on more than 150 movies, including STAR WARS’ EPISODES I and II, the first two HARRY POTTER movies, JURASSIC PARK, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, FORREST GUMP, SCHINDLER’S LIST, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, THE MUMMY, MEN IN BLACK and many more.

Morris had previously served as ILM’s exec in charge of production, where he supervised all of the company’s productions, including the Oscar-winning TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY and BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART III, among others. Morris first joined ILM in 1987, producing visual effects sequences for films and commercials. THE ABYSS, which also earned an Academy Award for best achievement in visual effects, and ALWAYS are among Morris’ producing credits.

Before joining ILM, Morris was exec producer at Arnold & Associates, where he produced commercials for clients such as Atari and Chevron, and oversaw the company’s three offices. Prior to that, he was exec producer at One Pass, where he headed the commercial production department. He also worked in the production departments at J. Walter Thompson and Foote, Cone & Belding in San Francisco. Morris has also worked as a producer-director for PBS, working on documentaries and educational programs for the network. He launched his career as a cameraman and editor at the NBC affiliate in Syracuse, New York.

Morris has served as a board member for a number of academic institutions and motion picture organizations. In 1997, Morris was named founding chairman of the VES and went on to serve three terms in the organization’s top post. He is currently a commissioner for the San Francisco Film Commission.

Morris earned a B.S. degree in film, from the Newhouse School, Syracuse University. He also holds a M.S. in television and radio from the same institution.

Founded in 1997, the Visual Effects Society (www.visualeffectssociety.com) is a professional, honorary society, dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects and to improving the welfare of its members by providing professional enrichment and education, fostering community and promoting industry recognition. The VES is the entertainment industry’s only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners, including artists, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos and games. Comprised of a diverse group of about 1,250 global members, the VES strives to enrich and educate its own members and members of the entertainment community at large through a multitude of domestic and international events, screenings and programs.

Pixar Animation Studios (www.pixar.com) combines creative and technical artistry to create original stories in the medium of computer animation. Pixar has created six of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time: TOY STORY, A BUG’S LIFE, TOY STORY 2, MONSTERS, INC., FINDING NEMO and THE INCREDIBLES. Pixar has won 18 Academy Awards and its six films have grossed more than $3.2 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The Northern California studio will release its next film, CARS, on June 9, 2006.

China Gets Game

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 06:10:00 -0800

China Gets Game
A ceremony was held earlier this week in Shanghai to launch a state-level base for the development of the fledging online game animation industry in China, reports ASIA PULSE.

Located in the Zhangjiang High-tech Zone in east China’s Shanghai municipality, this is the third such kind of 3D industrial base for online game animation in the country following those set up in Sichuan and Guangdong provinces.

More than 200 domestic and overseas software corporations specializing in web games and animation will operate in the zone. As well, some 300 high-tech companies and 60 research centers in the zone will also contribute to the growth of the industry in China.

The base was established under the approval of the Press and Publication Administration of China, which is promoting the development of the online games and animation industry.

The income of Shanghai-based web animation firms accounts for about 70%of the country’s gross volume in this field.

Shanghai will also see the opening of the country’s first cartoon-theme shopping mall by the end of 2005. The Toonmax Cartoon Shopping Center, covering 10,000 square meters of floor space in Shanghai’s downtown business district, is a joint project of Toonmax TV, China’s first, fulltime cartoon company and channel for all ages, and Songyu Group.

Toonmax TV has already established cooperative relationships with more than 30 Chinese and international cartoon brands, such as Disney and Toys & Wonders Ltd. for the shopping center.

source: awn

Rendercore Unveils Remote Rendering Solution for CINEMA 4D 9.5

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 08:40:00 -0800

Rendercore Inc. now has complete integration and support for MAXON CINEMA 4D 9.5 on Rendercore’s state-of-the-art render farm, based in downtown Los Angeles.

“We integrated MAXON’s latest release of CINEMA 4D 9.5 with our proprietary remote rendering management tool RenMan so that clients can automatically upload CINEMA 4D 9.5 project files for job submission and remote management,” said Brian Kim, td for Rendercore. “RenMan is the only solution in the market offering anywhere, anytime access, for monitoring and controlling of computer graphic files rendered over a distributed computing network for CINEMA 4D 9.5.”

“We strive to continue to expand and improve our remote rendering service ability and capacity to complement our cutting edge remote rendering infrastructure,” Henry Choi, president of Rendercore said, “This is the latest in a series of innovative tools we have developed and implemented for our creative clients. We are increasing capacity and the range of tools available, to enable our clients to work more efficiently and effectively.”

Added Chris McBride, Computer & Video supervisor of U.K.-based AVC Prods., “AVC was asked to produce the end title sequence for the movie DOOM. The three-minute animation was to invoke the sense and feeling of the game while still providing a creative new look. CINEMA 4D was used over Maya due to ease of use, we found we needed a large team of animators and modelers on the project and CINEMA 4D was a common skill base for our team. As the project progressed, we found the limitations of such a small render farm with single frames taking up to 16 hours to render. It was clear that we were going to need an external resource to help us render this out to meet our deadline. We were introduced to Rendercore by recommendation from a smaller farm in the UK. From the moment we contacted Rendercore, our worries about reaching the 10-day deadline were dispelled.

“The team at Rendercore took us through the process step by step making it a painless process. Basing the render times on our previous experiences we were concerned about the deadline and constantly kept hounding the Rendercore team, I need not have worried, every day a status report was sent by email giving an accurate update of the render. From start to finish the project was completed within a week, an astonishing achievement. The icing on the cake was the delivery method, we needed to get the files over to NBC Universal in Los Angeles urgently, Rendercore was only too willing to help by copying the files onto an external hard drive and personally delivering the project to NBC Universal, typically summing up the ethos of Rendercore by always going the extra mile for the client.”

Los Angeles-based Rendercore (www.rendercore.com) offers seamless remote rendering solution services with 400+ Intel Xeon 3.0X GHZ CPUs providing significant computing capacity for its cutting edge render farm infrastructure. The company developed industry’s first remote rendering solutions software, and provides on-demand super-computing services and related consulting services such as 3D computer graphics rendering, implementation of customized render farms graphics and on-demand remote rendering services.

source: awn

Architectural Rendering Redefined

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 08:38:00 -0800

LightWork Design and Arc Technology previewed enhanced rendering capabilities for the Arc+ Architectural CAD software at the Batimat Exhibition in Paris this week.

The collaboration between the two companies will result in the LightWork rendering engine being fully integrated into the Arc+ software, for higher-quality rendering and increased photorealism of modeled objects.

LightWorks rendering technology can be found in more than 80 software applications and the company boasts its product is in use by more than one million people worldwide.

A timeframe for the implementation of LightWork's rendering solution with Arc+ has not been announced. For more information about LightWorks, visit the company web site at www.lightworkdesign.com.

source: cgworld

Game Developers Conference 2006

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:27:00 -0800

The Game Developers Conference 2006
March 20-24
San Jose, California

The official event "by game developers for developers" of computer, console, mobile, arcade, online games, and location based entertainment, the GDC attracts over 12,000 attendees and provides educational, networking, and business opportunities for game development professionals driving the $11 billion video game industry.

It is the main global forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals and others involved in the development of interactive games gather to exchange ideas, network, and shape the future of the industry.

This market defining conference features over 300 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions on a comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts. In addition, the GDC expo showcases all of the game development tools, platforms and services. The conference also includes the eighth annual Independent Games Festival, where new, unpublished games compete for the attention of the publishing community.

What's Next
Next-gen game development will revolutionize every aspect of the gaming industry. From increased production complexity, team sizes, and budgets to new ways to reach the mass market, GDC:06 will answer the questions critical to the industry's success.

Learn lessons from next-gen, handheld, and current game development, explore collaborations with the film industry and gain access to the people, technologies, and tools that define what's next for our industry.

Conference Highlights
Look for these sessions at GDC:06. They're sure to be standing-room only!
The Game Design Challenge: The Nobel Peace Prize

Eric Zimmerman
(gameLab)

C++ on Next-Gen Consoles: Effective Code for New Architectures

Pete Isensee
(Microsoft Xbox)

Valve's Design Process for Creating Half-Life 2

Brian Jacobson
(Valve Software)

Advanced Tool Writing for Character TDs

Judd Simantov
(Naughty Dog Inc)

Crazy Taxi v. Simpsons Road Rage: Litigating a Gameplay Method Patent

Stephen Rubin
(Law Office of Stephen Rubin)

Big Screen to Game Console: Case Studies

Doug Cooper
(DreamWorks Animation)

For complete descriptions of the over 300 lectures, seminars, roundtables, tutorials and keynotes for the GDC 2006, click here.

Register For GDC:06

At GDC:06 you'll get a first-hand glimpse of What's Next…

Learn lessons from next-gen, handheld, and current game development

Explore new production techniques, collaborations with the film industry, and ways to reach the mass market

Attend in-depth one- and two-day tutorials including the popular Microsoft Developer Day

Discover emerging technologies and interact with hundreds of innovative companies at the GDC Expo

Register online by February 15, 2006 and save up to 35% on GDC:06 Conference Passes.

For the most up to date information on more than 300 sessions, keynotes, tutorials and roundtables at GDC:06, click here.

Hotel Reservations and Travel Information
The Game Developers Conference offers discounted hotel rates to all attendees and exhibitors. Rooms are limited, and discounted rates are based on availability. Make your reservations by Friday, February 17, and mention the Game Developers Conference for the conference rate.

For information on hotel, transportation, parking, shuttle buses, and more, visit here!

source: GameDev website

Anim!Arte 2005 Wants the Best in Student Animation

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:00:00 -0800

Anim!Arte 2005 – Brazilian Student Animation Festival
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
December 5-10, 2005
Deadline: December 2, 2005

Anim!Arte 2005 celebrates the best in student animation from around the world. The best international animation done by a student (outside Brazil) will win the original Animarte´s Tropical Trophy. For more information, visit www.vouanimarte.com.br.

source: awn

Animation Art Auctioned Online to Help Katrina Survivors

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Wed, 9 Nov 2005 15:50:00 -0800

Native New Orleanian Mo Willems is hosting “The Pigeon’s Auction For Children Affected By Katrina.” The online auction begins Nov. 15 and runs through Nov. 25, 2005. Willems asked a group of friends who happen to be renowned children’s authors, illustrators and television creators to join him in auctioning off original art, signed books and signed memorabilia to benefit the Foundations for Recovery, a Louisiana-based group that has organized funds for children and education affected by Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

Artists participating include:
Brad Bird (Director of THE INCREDIBLES)
Dave Barry (Pulitzer Prize-winning funny man)
Eric Carle
Kevin Clash (SESAME STREET’s Elmo)
Eoin Colfer (of Artemis Fowl fame)
Tony Diterlizzi
Dave Eggers
Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo
Oscar winner Pete Docter (director of MONSTERS, INC.)
Caldecott honoree Margaret Chodos Irvine
Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully
Noel McNeil (Bear of BEAR IN THE BIG BLUE HOUSE)
Tamora Pierce
Caldecott honoree Brian Pinkney
Jon Scieszka
Caldecott honoree David Shannon
Caldecott honoree Brian Selznick
Caldecott honoree Lane Smith
Andrew Stanton (director of FINDING NEMO)
Tom Warburton (creator of CODENAME KIDS NEXT DOOR).

Willems will be auctioning some SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY stuff and an original drawing from DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS.

The auction is located at www.mowillems.com or stores.ebay.com/Pigeon-Auction.

Pixar Releases RenderMan For Maya 1.0

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Wed, 9 Nov 2005 15:44:00 -0800

Pixar Animation Studios has released RenderMan for Maya, the studio’s next-generation 3D rendering plug-in. Now all Maya artists can enhance their productions with the functionality and prestige of Pixar’s Academy Award-winning RenderMan.

With its seamless integration into Maya’s workflow, Pixar’s RenderMan for Maya is designed for intuitive ease of use while providing digital artists with the competitive advantages of RenderMan’s reknown quality and performance.

RenderMan for Maya is specifically engineered to deliver high-end feature film quality standards to a new and broader audience, and is the result of an extensive development effort placing as much importance on workflow integration as on pure rendering functionality. Proven during extensive production and beta testing throughout 2005, RenderMan for Maya has received outstanding reviews from its advance testers:

“Everyone knows that Pixar’s RenderMan has long been the cornerstone of professional film visual effects work,” said David Dozeretz at Persistence of Vision Ent., formerly of Industrial Light & Magic and the founder of the STAR WARS Pre-Visualization Department. “Now, for the first time, RenderMan for Maya allows visual effects facilities of every size and incarnation to harness the power of RenderMan at a remarkable cost. It’s fast, easy to use and the quality is, as always, simply stunning.”

“We are changing our current pipeline to render everything in RenderMan for Maya,” said Gustavo Braga of Conspiracao Filmes Ltda, Brazil. “As the plug-in is so easy to learn and use, our artists are in love with it and it’s clear to us that RenderMan for Maya is a major step forward.”

“We already decided we would buy it the day it is released…” said Alain Xerri, head of R&D at Sparx*FX, France.

Available on both Mac OS X and Windows XP, RenderMan for Maya can be purchased directly from Pixar’s online store at https://renderman.pixar.com/store/ for $995. Optional floating licenses are available on purchases of five or more copies at no additional charge.

Pixar Animation Studios (www.pixar.com) combines creative and technical artistry to create original stories in the medium of computer animation. Pixar has created six of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time: TOY STORY, A BUG’S LIFE, TOY STORY 2, MONSTERS, INC., FINDING NEMO and THE INCREDIBLES. Pixar has won 18 Academy Awards and its six films have grossed more than $3.2 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The Northern California studio will release its next film, CARS, on June 9, 2006.

source: awn

Pixologic Offers Free ZBrush Plug-Ins

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Wed, 9 Nov 2005 07:32:00 -0800

Joe Seig post this beutiliful work on Pixologic's forum

Pixologic has released Zapp Link, Displacement Exporter, and Multi-Displacement 2, free plug-ins for use with its ZBrush digital sculpting software.

Zapp Link enhances the program's texturing and illustration capabilities by automating the connection with programs such as Photoshop, Painter, and Illustrator.

Displacement Exporter automates and enhances ZBrush's displacement exporting features, with the ability to export 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit floating point grayscale or RGB maps.

Multi-Displacement 2 can be used to generate 32-bit, floating-point maps with real-world coordinates in the displacement map. You can also generate multiple displacement maps for a model by using UV regions. ZBrush is priced at $489 and the plug-ins are free to registered users.

Get the plug-ins from the Pixologic web site at http://zbrush.com.

Mammoth Additions in High Def

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Wed, 9 Nov 2005 07:11:00 -0800

November 10, 2005--Mammoth HD is offering 12 new additions to its Mammoth HD Library of more than 200 collections and 2400 clips, produced in an all-digital pipeline

The newest collections include The Bhutan Series 1-3, filled with monks, monasteries, culture, lifestyle, music, and art; Greg Hosman's San Francisco series; and Paul Ambrose's Steam Trains. Available formats include 1080i, 1080/24p, 720p, HDV, and SD. Collection pricing starts at $795.

Mammoth HD offers pther stock footage, 3D animation, and motion graphics in 1080i, 1080/24p, 720p, HDV, and SD(480p). For more details, visit Mammoth HD at www.mammothhd.com.

Resident Evil Helmer Travels to Castlevania

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Tue, 8 Nov 2005 15:44:00 -0800

Resident Evil

Paul W.S. Anderson, who developed a name for turning videogames into feature films such as RESIDENT EVIL and MORTAL COMBAT, has been hired by Steven Paul's Crystal Sky Pictures to turn Konami videogame franchise CASTLEVANIA into a feature, reports VARIETY.

Anderson will write and direct the film. Paul and Crystal Sky president Benedict Carver will produce alongside Impact Pictures’ Anderson and Jeremy Bolt.

The story will chronicle the origins of Dracula and the vampire-hunting Belmont Clan. Mid-2006 is set for production to start and no cast has yet been set.

source: vfxworld

Chicken Little Rules the Box Office

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Tue, 8 Nov 2005 15:35:00 -0800

Exceeding all expectations, CHICKEN LITTLE, Disney’s first full 3D-animated feature, debuted with an impressive $40M for the weekend ended Nov. 6, 2005. It marks the best opening for a Disney animated feature since LILO & STITCH’S $35.3M back in 2002.

Apparently even adults flocked to the movie. In addition, the launch of CHICKEN LITTLE in digital 3D proved very promising as well, turning in an estimated $2.1M in 85 U.S. locations.

Universal’s JARHEAD (with vfx from ILM) debuted in second with a strong $27.7M. Lion’s Gate’s SAW II (with vfx from C.O.R.E.) slipped to third with $16.8M and $60.1M so far. Following in the fourth spot was THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (with vfx from Peerless Camera Co. and Digiscope).

The Sony sequel carved out $10M for a two-week cume of $30.3M. Fifth place belonged to Universal’s PRIME, which tallied $5.1M and $13.3M. DreamWorks’ DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY (with vfx by Hammerhead) came in sixth with $4.7M and $23.8M. Shooting up the chart to seventh with $3M was Warner Independent Picture’s GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.

The George Clooney-directed feature has a cume of $10.9M. Paramount’s THE WEATHER MAN occupied the eighth spot with $2.8M and $8.6M. Buena Vista’s SHOPGIRL rose to ninth with $2.5M and a cume of $3.4M. Holding at10th was Buena Vista’s FLIGHTPLAN (with vfx Lola Visual Effects and Peerless Camera Co.), which turned in $2.2M for a cume of $84.4M. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.

Rendercore Releases Remote Rendering for 3D Studio Max 7.5

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Tue, 8 Nov 2005 09:01:00 -0800

Innovative remote rendering technology, "RenMan" to increases remote rendering options

Rendercore Inc.,the worldwide leader in remote rendering solutions,today announced complete integration and support Autodesk's popular 3D Studio Max 7.5 on Rendercore's state-of-the-art render farm, based in downtown Los Angeles, CA.

"We integrated Auto Desk's latest release of 3D Studio Max 7.5 with our proprietary remote rendering management tool "RenMan" so that clients can automatically upload 3D Studio Max 7.5 project files for job submission and remote management. RenMan is the only solution in the market offering anywhere, anytime access, for monitoring and controlling of computer graphic files rendered over a distributed computing network for 3D Studio Max 7.5", stated Brian Kim, Technical Director for Rendercore.

"We strive to continue to expand and improve our remote rendering service ability and capacity to complement our cutting edge remote rendering infrastructure," Henry Choi, President of Rendercore said, "This is the latest in a series of innovative tools we have developed and implemented for our creative clients. We are increasing capacity and the range of tools available, to enable our clients to work more efficiently and effectively," he continued.

"Being a freelance artist I am often asked to come up with the best quality product in the shortest amount of time. In a lot of cases I am able to get my rendering done on my own boxes, but every once in a while a project comes along where render need to be done yesterday. For my latest project this was just the case; I had hundreds of frames that need to be delivered in a matter of hours... this is where Rendercore came to the rescue. In a matter of minutes the Rendercore support staff was able to guide me through the process of uploading and submitting my file for rendering. Within 30 minutes all of my frames had been rendered and downloaded in a convenient .zip file and I was able to deliver the finished project on-time and on-budget. I highly recommend Rendercore to anyone, it's fast and highly economical. It turned this one man show into a one man army," commented Joel Lelievre, technical director of Intrinsia VFX Studio(www.intrinsia.net)

About Rendercore

Founded in Hollywood in 2002, Rendercore offers on-demand, remote rendering services and solutions for the customers from such diversified industries as entertainment, architecture, engineering and industrial design who demand robust computing resources.

With over 3Tera Hz of computing power built into the latest Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron dual core processors, a cutting edge super computing infrastructure and the industry's first remote rendering software, Rendercore's render farm provides instant on, outsource rendering capacity for users of Alias Maya, 3D Studio Max, Cinema 4D , Lightwave , Brazil r/s, Turtle, Final Render Stage-1.

Rendercore's location in downtown Los Angeles is right on the Internet's backbone and has bandwidth connectivity of OC12, enabling clients around the world to work as transparently and effectively half way around the world as they do using internal render engines within their facility.

For more information, please visit:http://www.rendercore.com

SuperToon Series Storms Europe With Maya MasterClasses

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Tue, 8 Nov 2005 09:00:00 -0800

Seminars offer industry solutions for animating toony characters using Maya Techniques

(November 07, 2005) Alias has announced its SuperToon European Roadshow of Maya ® MasterClasses, kicking off December 5, 2005 in Paris. The series continues in London and Copenhagen, December 7 and December 9 respectively. Event registration is now available online at www.alias.com/masterclasses with early bird pricing available until November 15.
This successful series was first seen at SIGGRAPH â 2005 and features presentations by industry experts including: Jeff Bernstein of Disney Feature Animation , Joe Harkins of Sony Pictures Imageworks and Chris Cordingley of Disney Feature Animation as presenters. The following three MasterClasses will be offered in each of the cities on the SuperToon European Roadshow.

Class Descriptions
Super-Toon Series | Modeling and Rigging Toony Characters
This course will discuss the differences in character development between animated features and visual effects . In addition, it will focus on effectively modeling cartoon characters, as well as creating stable setups for stretchy limbs, squashing bellies, character silhouettes and adjustable line of action.

Super-Toon Series | Toony Facial Rigging
This course will examine the anatomy of the cartoon face and will discuss topology, designing a facial system, translating emotion into setup, high-level controls and squash and stretch, as well as integrating the facial setup into the master rig.

Super-Toon Series | Animating 2D Characters in 3D
This course will cover topics such as: 2d vs. 3d planning, applying the principles such as real squash and stretch, cartoon timing and snappy animation , cool cheats, emotion, silhouette and line of action.

Pricing
Single Session (one ticket)
Regular ¬90.00 Early bird - ¬70.00

Two Session Bundle (includes two tickets)
Regular ¬140.00 - Early bird ¬110.00

Three Session Bundle (includes three tickets, Learning Tools and one month FREE of Silver Membership)
Regular ¬180.00 - Early bird ¬140.00

Four Session Bundle*Paris Only (includes four tickets, The Art of Maya ™, 3rd Edition, One Month's Silver Membership FREE and a session on animating with Alias MotionBuilder)
Regular ¬200.00 - Early bird ¬180.00

About Alias

As the world's leading innovator of 3D graphics technology, Alias develops software for the film and video, games, web, interactive media, industrial design, automotive, architecture and visualization markets. Alias has headquarters in Toronto and a custom development center in Santa Barbara with offices worldwide. Please visit the Alias web site at www.alias.com or call 1-800-447-2542 in North America. International contact numbers include: Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa, +44 (0) 1494 441273; Germany, East & Southeast Europe, 0049 89 31 70 20; France, Spain and Portugal, +33 1 44 92 81 60; Italy, 39 039 6340011; Japan and other parts of Asia Pacific, 81 3 5797 3500 and Latin America, 770 393 1881.

source: alias website

Softimage Announces TD Love Tour

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Tue, 8 Nov 2005 06:55:00 -0800

November 7, 2005--Softimage loves "Love." Fresh off the 3DLove Tour, the company is ramping up for TD Love, a series of free training seminars designed to help attendees optimize a visual effects pipeline with XSI, do in-depth facial animation, and model using Pixologic's ZBrush and XSI.

Targeted at technical directors and experienced 3D artists, the seminars will feature experts from CG Soup, Pixologic, and the Softimage Special Projects Team, demonstrating how to use Softimage XSI V5, ZBrush 2 and Softimage Face Robot to produce 3D art in a realistic timeframe.

Sponsored by Dell, Intel, and Microsoft, scheduled cities include: New York, Vancouver, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Toronto, and Montreal. For more details and registration information, visit www.softimage.com/tdlove.

New York, USA

December 1, 2005
Location (tbd)
More details and registration coming soon.

Vancouver, Canada

December 6, 2005
Location (tbd)
More details and registration coming soon.

Los Angeles, USA

December 8, 2005
Location (tbd)
More details and registration coming soon.

London, UK

January 10, 2006
Location (tbd)
More details and registration coming soon.

Paris, France

January 12, 2006
Location (tbd)
More details and registration coming soon.

Montreal, Canada

January 17, 2006
location (tdb)
More details and registration coming soon.

Toronto, Canada

January 19, 2006
Location (tbd)
More details and registration coming soon.

Endorphin 2.5 Ships

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Mon, 7 Nov 2005 05:19:00 -0800

November 7, 2005--Natural Motion is now shipping Endorphin 2.5, the company's 3D animation software based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis Technology.

Beta testers such as Giant Killer Robots and CIS Hollywood have added the software to their respective production pipelines, and the results both companies excited about the enhanced productivity it offers.

"Endorphin 2.5's new active animation features have proven invaluable for creating believable character performances," said Jason Porath, effects technical director at CIS Hollywood. "We've been able to take the realism of motion capture and mold it into a completely different environment, while maintaining the same fidelity of character movement.

Endorphin also allows us to finish animation work much faster than motion capture or keyframe animation. We recently used it for an entire sequence of shots, with each shot requiring between five and 20 background characters, whose performance had to match to live action. We'd initially estimated a month or two for this sort of work based off our experience with motion capture and keyframe animation, but using endorphin we were able to finish it in around a week."

"endorphin 2.5's new motion transfer events and balance behaviors allow us to create realistic custom character animation much faster than the previous version," said Tim Coleman, character set-up supervisor at Giant Killer Robots. "Endorphin 2.5 is also very effective when it comes to developing multiple variations on complex animation sequences, such as several characters interacting with one another dynamically - and the time involved in editing these complex performances is a fraction of what it would take with hand keyed or motion capture animation.

Endorphin also integrates seamlessly into our pipeline; we treat it as we would processed motion capture, importing the motion into and out of Alias Maya via the FBX format. By adding a few additional custom scripts, it's very easy to work with endorphin and Maya side by side."

Endorphin 2.5's feature list is hefty, offering Dynamic Blending, Motion Transfer and Active Animation Events, an Enhanced Collision Mode, Enhanced Character Edit Mode, and more. The software is priced at $9495, or it can be rented on a monthly basis for $1595 per month. Natural Motion is planning to offer a free Endorphin 2.5 learning addition later this month. Visit the company web site at www.naturalmotion.com.

endorphin Siggraph 2005 Show Reel (2:37) AVI (6.6MB)

Autodesk Technology Goes Prime Time in House, Lost, Nip/Tuck and other TV shows

noreply@blogger.com (hubafract) — Sun, 6 Nov 2005 16:19:00 -0800

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Oct. 27, 2005- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced that its media and entertainment systems and software are shaping more than 40 television shows for the 2005-2006 television programming season. From returning favorites such as Lost and Nip/Tuck to provocative new shows like Prison Break and Rome, Autodesk's technology is relied upon by broadcasters and post-production facilities to realize edge-of-your-seat entertainment.

Mark Driscoll, founder and president of Hollywood-based Look Effects, said, "Everyone knows that Autodesk's visual effects tools provide creative freedom. What's interesting is that this freedom is two-fold. We use the tools to deliver visual effects-driven shows like CSI New York. At the other end of the spectrum are the 'hidden visual effects' shows like The O.C. These types of shows require subtle effects like seamless transitions, color adjustments and green screen replacements. Autodesk's Discreet Flame and Discreet Flint systems enable us to flawlessly deliver both audible wows and undetectable story advancements." Look Effects also uses its Autodesk systems on Criminal Minds, Arrested Development and Malcolm in the Middle.

A52, an Emmy award-winning visual effects and design company, employed Autodesk's Discreet Inferno and Flame visual effects systems on the main title sequence for Rome, a new historical drama. This HBO and BBC co-production envelops viewers in the mystique of the Roman Empire of 52 BC. Created entirely in-house at A52, the title sequence combines live-action and computer-generated elements, including digital graffiti, grain and colors. Autodesk's systems were instrumental in crafting a chariot race from varied-rate footage that required extensive 3D tracking, and for creating a camera fly-through of a dye wall. In addition, the Inferno system has a big role in crime and medical dramas, which use extensive visual effects to play out murders and surgeries.

Post-production facility Digital Dimension recently won an Emmy award for its work on Lost. Digital Dimension used Autodesk 3ds Max animation software to create the chilling crash sequence that set the scene for the entire series.

Autodesk technology - including 3ds Max animation software, Autodesk Combustion visual effects software, Discreet Fire and Smoke editing systems, and Discreet Inferno, Flame and Flint visual effects systems - is being used by customers on numerous returning hits and new shows:
* Charlie Jade and Tripping the Rift (Cinegroupe)
* !Huff, Barbershop, Big Love, Charmed, CSI New York, Deadwood, House, Monk, NCIS, Nip/Tuck, Rome, The Unit and Veronica Mars (Encore Hollywood)
* The Flight That Fought Back (Imaginary Forces)
* ER, Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy and The West Wing (Level 3 Post)
* 10.5 (Meteor Studios)
* Everwood, Hot Properties, Joey, My Name is Earl, Out of Practice, Related and Two and a Half Men (MFX)
* Book of Daniel, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, Malcolm in the Middle, Misconceptions, Smallville, The O.C. and What I Like About You (Modern Video Film)
* Cerburus (Pixel Blues)
* Deadwood, Close to Home, Cold Case, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Prison Break and The Sopranos (R!OT)
* Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: SG1 (Rainmaker)
* CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, House and Medium (The Post Group)
* Battlestar Galactica, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Prison Break and Threshold (Zoic Studios)