Recently, I sat down with Zorana Gee, senior product manager for Photoshop, to learn more about what’s new for 3D fans in Photoshop CS6 and why these tools are more compelling than ever for creative work.

What was the focus for the 3D team when it came to Photoshop CS6 Extended?

Zorana: I’m really excited about the 3D changes in Photoshop CS6 Extended. The main focus this time was usability and performance. We’ve completely overhauled the User Interface and 3D workflows are much more intuitive and easier to use. For example, we went from 14, 3D tools down to just 1 – where you can essentially use the standard Photoshop Move Tool and click on the element (light, camera, mesh) in your 3D layer (scene) and that will reposition it!

Photoshop CS6 Extended Student & Teacher Edition is available at an academic discount price of $245.95

Photoshop CS6 Extended School/Nonprofit Edition is available at a discount price of $299.95

“The decisive moment, it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

A decisive moment is the split second when everything changes. It could be an instant from history that altered everything on Earth. Or a pivotal point in time that changed you personally. Perhaps a knockout punch in a heavy weight championship. The last block placed on the Pyramids. The first human step on the moon. A gunshot, a wrong step, or a glance, the decisive moment when fate propelled the world to greatness or drove it to the point of destruction.

The Chaos Group and CGSociety invite you to create an image to tell that story. Using any application to model and V-Ray to render, we want you to illustrate a blink-of-an-eye moment that changed the world. A moment that changed the big picture or had an impact on a person’s life. All industries using V-Ray can fit into the Challenge theme and are welcome to participate.

To complement the V-Ray Challenge, CGWorkshops are offering two 5 week online V-Ray workshops run by veteran trainer and V-Ray practitioner Boaz Livny. Brush up on your skills in Intermediate and Advanced Techniques in V-Ray Part 1 and then Part 2. Chaos Group is offering free fully functioning, time-limited V-Ray licenses to students of these workshops. (Please note that although Boaz can teach you a lot about Intermediate and Advanced Techniques in V-Ray, he can’t help you with your submissions for the challenge)

V-Ray is available at an academic discount price from Creation Engine.

VMware products including ACE, Fusion, Infrastructure, IT Service Delivery Pack, SpringSource, Stage Manager, ThinApp, vCenter, vFabric, View, View Enterprise Bundle, VMware Server, vShield, vSphere, Workstation, Zimbra are now available at an academic volume license discount to schools and nonprofits through Creation Engine.

We’re seven members of the team behind SketchUp, the 3D modeler for everyone. (Proof). Today you’ll be hearing from:

• John Bacus - (jbacus): Product Manager
• Tyler Miller - (sketchup_tyler): Lead Software Engineer
• Scott Lininger - (scottlininger): Software Engineer
• Jody Gates - (sketchup_jody): Product Specialist
• Mark Harrison - (sketchup_mark): Community Manager
• Chris Dizon (sketchup-chris): Sales Guy
• Barry Janzen (bjanzen): SketchUp QA

SketchUp is used by architects and design professionals, not to mention an entire universe of people who want to bring their ideas to life in 3D. We’re constantly looking for ways to make the program more useful to both avid SketchUppers and those who haven’t discovered it. We’ve answered common questions about SketchUp features in the past, but listening to what our users want from SketchUp is an ongoing effort. We hope you’ll chime in to help us brainstorm new features!

Google SketchUp 8 is free.

Google SketchUp Pro 8 is available at a student discount price of $49.

Google SketchUp Pro 8 is free for instructors.

Google SketchUp Pro 8 Lab licenses are available at a school discount price of $15.

Google SketchUp Pro 8 Laptop Licenses

Norton Antivirus 12 For Mac
$24.99
Powerful protection against viruses and spyware that won’t slow down your Mac. Includes both Norton AntiVirus 12 for Mac (for Mac OS X v10.7) and Norton AntiVirus 11 for Mac (for Mac OS X 10.4.11 -10.6 running on Intel and PowerPC-based Macs).

Topaz Photoshop Bundle plug-ins are compatible with Photoshop CS6

Nik Software plug-ins also compatible with Photoshop CS6

onOne plug-ins for a free compatibility update for Photoshop CS6

Alien Skin: “So far, all of our software seems to work just fine within CS6.”

Photoshop CS6 Extended, Topaz Photoshop Bundle, Nik Software, onOne Software, and Alien Skin Software are all available at an educational discount price from Creation Engine.

Capture the world around you in a whole new way!

Take photos with your camera-equipped iPad and submit them for processing on the Autodesk Cloud where they are automatically converted into a realistic 3D model that you can view, share, and download.

Creative Suite 6 Design & Web Premium School/Nonprofit Edition
$599.00
Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design & Web Premium includes Photoshop CS6 Extended, Illustrator CS6, InDesign CS6, Dreamweaver CS6, Flash Professional CS6, Fireworks CS6, Acrobat X Pro, Bridge CS6, and Media Encoder CS6.

Creative Suite 6 Production Premium School/Nonprofit Edition
$599.00
Adobe Creative Suite 6 Production Premium includes Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, After Effects CS6, Photoshop CS6 Extended, Adobe Audition CS6, SpeedGrade CS6, Prelude CS6, Illustrator CS6, Encore CS6, Flash Professional CS6, Media Encoder CS6, and Bridge CS6.

Creative Suite 6 Master Collection School/Nonprofit Edition
$999.00
Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection includes Photoshop CS6 Extended, Illustrator CS6, InDesign CS6, Acrobat X Pro, Flash Professional CS6, Flash Builder 4.6 Premium Edition, Dreamweaver CS6, Fireworks CS6, Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, After Effects CS6, Adobe Audition CS6, SpeedGrade CS6, Prelude CS6, Encore CS6, Bridge CS6, and Media Encoder CS6.

Photoshop CS6 Extended School/Nonprofit Edition
$299.00
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended software delivers even more imaging magic, new creative options, and the Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine for blazingly fast performance.

InCopy CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$90.00
Adobe InCopy CS6 software is a professional writing and editing solution that tightly integrates with Adobe InDesign CS6 software to enable an efficient collaborative workflow between design and editorial staff.

Audition CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$149.00
Adobe Audition CS6 software is the audio editor that speeds up editing, mixing, and sound design for video, radio, music, games, and more. A cross-platform toolset with uncompromising quality and flexible workflows, Adobe Audition CS6 can help you deliver audio for any media.

After Effects CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$349.00
Adobe After Effects CS6 software is the industry-standard animation and compositing solution. Deliver cinematic visual effects and motion graphics fast with Global Performance Cache. Extend your creativity with the 3D camera tracker, text and shape extrusion, and more.

Fireworks CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$100.00
Adobe Fireworks CS6 software helps you create beautiful designs for websites and mobile apps in a snap, all without coding. Deliver vector and bitmap images, mockups, 3D graphics, and interactive content for popular tablets and smartphones.

InDesign CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$199.00
Adobe InDesign CS6 software is a versatile desktop publishing application that gives you pixel-perfect control over design and typography. Create elegant and engaging pages for print, screens, and tablets. Easily adapt layouts to look great on a variety of devices.

Premiere Pro CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$349.00
Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 software is the industry-leading cross-platform video editing software. Edit low-resolution to 5K and higher resolution footage with greater speed and precision without transcoding. Get stunning 64-bit performance, highly intuitive workflows, and enabled for timesaving Adobe integration as you deliver professional video for virtually any screen.

Dreamweaver CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$199.00
Adobe Dreamweaver CS6 web design software provides an intuitive visual interface for making websites and mobile apps. Build fluid grid layouts designed for cross-platform compatibility to create pages. Review designs with Multiscreen Preview before publishing.

Adobe Flash Professional CS6 School/Nonprofit Edition
$249.00
Adobe Flash Professional CS6 software is a powerful authoring environment for creating animation and multimedia content. Design immersive interactive experiences that present consistently across desktops and multiple devices, including tablets, smartphones, and televisions.