Press Release
Source: Autodesk, Inc.

Autodesk, Inc. announced Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 software — the latest version of its modeling, animation, rendering and compositing application. A new node-based material editor, innovative hardware renderer and full-featured compositor are new features offered in the 2011 release to help accelerate the creation of compelling imagery and entertainment content.

“Our first priority with 3ds Max 2011 was to make artists more productive in common everyday workflows”

“Our first priority with 3ds Max 2011 was to make artists more productive in common everyday workflows,” said Stig Gruman, Autodesk vice president of digital entertainment. “We have re-architected core parts of the software, introduced a much requested node based material editor streamlining workflows and added new features, like the painting tools and the Quicksilver hardware renderer, to help customers meet or beat their deadlines without compromising either creativity or quality.”

Key New Features in Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 Software

Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 has the following new and enhanced features:

• Slate, a new node-based material editor that enables artists to more easily visualize and edit material component relationships
• Quicksilver hardware renderer, a new multithreaded rendering engine that uses both the central processing unit (CPU) and the graphics processing unit (GPU), and can achieve up to 10 times faster rendering than traditional techniques on common graphics cards
• Ability to view many 3ds Max texture maps and materials in the viewport to help develop and refine scenes in a higher-fidelity interactive display environment — without the constant need to re-render
• Extended Graphite modeling and Viewport Canvas toolsets for 3D and 2D painting of textures directly in the viewport, along with the ability to paint with object brushes to help create geometry within a scene
• Ability to non-destructively layer local edits on top of referenced content, helping artists to collaborate more efficiently
• 3ds Max Composite, a full-featured, high dynamic range (HDR)–capable compositor, based on technology from Autodesk Toxik software

From March 11–13, 2010, visit the Virtual GDC event on the AREA to watch 3ds Max 2011 product demonstrations and customer presentations live from the Autodesk Game Developers Conference booth. More information is also available on Autodesk’s 3ds Max blogs by Ken Pimentel, Shane Griffith and Louis Marcoux. Videos of the new features in 3ds Max 2011 are available on the Autodesk YouTube channel.

Beta Tester Feedback

“The new Object Paint tool and the updated Viewport Canvas are like gold for game artists,” said James Haywood, senior technical artist at Bungie. “Those two things alone are going to save tons of time creating our game assets. And the fact that we can save back to version 2010 means that we can safely make the jump to 2011 midproject without the usual upgrade jitters.”

“The new release is packed full of great new features and refinements to existing tools,” said Martin Coven, founder of Launch Studio. “Building complex materials is a breeze with Slate. Workflow enhancements in Graphite tools and the inclusion of 3ds Max Composite put the cherry on top of 2011.”

Pricing and Availability

Autodesk anticipates that 3ds Max 2011 will be available in English in April 2010. Autodesk expects to announce Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2011 software in late-March 2010. The Autodesk suggested retail price (SRP) for an Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 stand-alone license is US$3,495.* The SRP to upgrade from either 3ds Max 2010 or 3ds Max Design 2010 stand-alone to 3ds Max 2011 stand-alone is $1,745.* Autodesk Subscription is available for purchase simultaneously with the product or upgrade purchase for $495* SRP per year.

Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 will also be available as part of the Autodesk 3ds Max Entertainment Creation Suite 2011. The Suite offer customers 3ds Max 2011, together with Autodesk Mudbox 2011 and Autodesk MotionBuilder 2011 software. Artists and production facilities have access to a range of powerful creative tools at more than 35 percent** cost savings, compared to purchasing each product separately.

*International pricing may vary.

** International savings may vary.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies — as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects — use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, Toxik and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

If you want similar news delivered straight into your mailbox, please fill the form below

(you can opt-out anytime)

Support this blog!

Show your love (we appreciate it that’s for sure!) by spreading it through your social bookmarklet!

Working with Final Cut Pro can be a tedious task unless you are a well organized editor. There are several utilities for FCP that can make your workflow much easier! Professional video editing now days requires technical knowledge and skill, a catchy eye and SPEED!

Some of the most useful utilities for Final Cut Pro

FCP Versioner
is a backup and versioning utility for Final Cut Pro. It automatically backs up Final Cut Pro projects in XML format and generates changelogs to show exactly what has changed between revisions.

Preference Manager
This tool allows you to manage preference files for Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Express. Preference files store information about user preferences, window and toolbar placements, and launch settings. Sometimes these can become corrupted, causing problems. Preference Manager allows you to trash corrupted preferences and keep backups of working preference files in order to quickly restore your settings.

FCS Maintenance Pack
FCS Maintenance Pack is a utility pack designed to keep your Final Cut Studio or Final Cut Express machine running at optimal performance and help resolve problems when they arise.

TitleCleaner
TitleCleaner is a tool which makes use of the Final Cut Pro XMLs to clean text from subtitles much easier and faster than it can be done within FCP. TitleCleaner can be used to quickly clean titles from Final Cut Pro XML, eliminating duplicate/extra spaces, additional carriage returns, and more. TitleCleaner automates the tasks with a few clicks and also allows users to perform a custom “Find/Replace” and spell checking within the text of the generators in the XML as well as batch renaming of clips based on the titles themselves.

TitleExchange Lite
TitleExchange Lite is a basic tool for easy and fast transfer of subtitles from FCP to DVD Studio Pro. Simply export your FCP timeline with the subtitles as XML and open this XML with TitleExchange. TitleExchange Lite willconvert the XML to a DVD Studio Pro compatible STL format. TitleExchange Pro allows to convert text formats like STL, tab text delimited files and QTtext into a FCP XML. TitleExchange Pro does allow to convert XMLs into QTtext as well.

FCP Attic 3.0
Trash, Backup and Refresh your Final Cut Pro preferences with the click of a button. Can be used with all Mac OS X compatible versions of Final Cut Pro (version 3.x thru 6.0.x). Unlike other preference utilities, FCP Attic allows you to choose your backup folder location so you can move your preferences from machine-to-machine with external media.

FCP Rescue 5
Instant backup, restore and removal of Apple Final Cut Pro’s preference files using this small utility that helps you if Final Cut Pro crashes and corrupts its preference files. Also very useful if other editors use your login, and you want to be able to go back to YOUR settings afterwards. Very simple interface. One backup per user login. Trashing and restore, affects ONLY the current logged in user.

If you want similar news delivered straight into your mailbox, please fill the form below:

(You can opt-out anytime)

Press Release

cmiVFX Releases Houdini Procedural Road Creation vol. 3, Tunnel Building and Road Flattening

cmiVFX releases a brand new video for the Houdini product line; this is the 3^rd in the series for Procedural Road Creation.  cmiVFX continues to create highly sought after training that caters to resolve real world problems in production environments.  Kim Goosens a highly experience production strategist and educator delivers another compelling training video.  When it comes to high end CG and VFX training, there is only once choice… cmiVFX. This video is available today at the cmiVFX store for a Special Introductory Offer Price!

Houdini – Procedural Road Creation vol. 3 – Tunnel Building and Road Flattening

http://cmivfx.com/productpages/product.aspx?name=Tunnel_Building_and_Road_Flattening

Preparing

Like a good architect you are going to create the most economically viable road construction over the landscape. Learn about the basic approach for leveling out the landscape. Start out by creating a basic shape provided with all attributes to later be able to adjust the landscape. Learn how to use the ramp parameter to create attributes on a line object and how to control it procedurally. In combination with the spline sections create shapes containing the data needed to adjust the landscape.

Projecting Attributes onto Landscape

Having built an easy controllable shape providing the data; learn techniques on how to project those attributes onto the landscape.  Discover how to store height position data, falloff and how the Raysop can be used for a variety of application methods. Techniques will be demonstrated on how to change, re-mesh and modify the UV’s of the landscape with tools such as subdivide controlled by the attributes.

Extending the Landscape Intersection Tool

There are differences in how to approach carving out the landscape and adding extra soil to level out the landscape. Here go into deeper detail on how to make differences based on the current situation.

Adjusting Tools for Carving & Creating Tunnels

Discover techniques for determining the inside and outside of a landscape. The current approach has too many limitations giving proper control on determining the length of the segment. In this tutorial section learn how to extend the curve segments in an accurate way.

Creating a Procedural Tunnel Profile

Identify how making a simplified procedural profile for carving out the tunnels together with improving the stability of the joint sop.  This will allow the ability to create all sorts and varieties on the basic tunnel shape. Together with the tunnel profile and a tunnel entrance box the basic tunnel will have been created.

Applying Procedural UV Tiles

One of the most important things to avoid in texturing is repetition. In this section, learn about various techniques to match textures and UV sets so that the texture can provide a limitless amount of variation.

Connecting the Separate Segments

All texturing has been complete and now it’s time to bring things together.  Here learn how to bring the different sections together with nested for loops to ensure that all segments are being utilized.

Adding Elements in the Tunnel

When sweeping shapes it is often necessary to create shapes at the ends that are not just simple profiles. Receive a small overview on how to create end shapes to a swept profile with the proper orientation.

This video is available today at the cmiVFX store.

cmiVFX Video Player Online Store http://cmivfx.com/store/Browse.aspx?Category=11

About the Author:

Kim Goossens is a Belgian CG-artist who is working as a freelancer and CG-instructor with a long history in CG-graphics starting back at 1989 He became quite known for his creation of the GIRL later adopted by DAZ3D. He is currently teaching Houdini procedural modeling for games at the IGAD program at the NHTV University of Applied Sciences. While working on various game projects and commercials both as Art-director and technical artist, he gained a profound knowledge of tools such as Maya, Max, Zbrush, Modo, shake and Houdini. His biggest passion has always been to research strategies to increase production and quality, which has led him to research procedural modeling. For more information about Kim Goosens please contact cmiVFX.

About cmiVFX

cmiVFX is the leader in High Definition Video Training for the Visual Effects Community. Register for FREE and receive hours of FREE content at cmiVFX: http://www.cmivfx.com/cmi_vod.html For additional information about cmiVFX, visit www.cmivfx.com. © 2010 cmiVFX | cmiStudios. All rights reserved.

If you want similar news straight into your mailbox please feel the form below:

(you can opt-out anytime)

Video  editing is a creative but sometimes tough and anxious job (but never a frustrating one).  Sometimes an editor needs to take a break and focus to other things, many of us take a walk out of the office, others  surfing the net or playing some games. Personally I am fan of games, but I haven’t installed any in my editing suite.

After some google search I found Noggin.
It’s one best flash based game site with lots of categories for every taste.

Why not take a look to Noggin games, you might find it very refreshing…
Have some Nogginfun guys!

If you want more news delivered straight to your email please fill the form below:

(you can opt-out anytime)

There are two extremely useful iPhone applications for cinematographers out in the iTunes store developed by Chemical Wedding. Helios and Artemis  (both Greek names)  are essential for your production planning.

Artemis is a digital directors viewfinder for the iPhone. Designed with both cinematographers and directors in mind, Artemis works in much the same way as a traditional directors viewfinder, though much more accurately and much more conveniently.

Helios is an iPhone/iPod Touch application that graphically predicts the path of the sun from dusk to dawn, on any given day, in any given place. Designed as an aid to Cinematographers and Stills Photographers working in natural light, Helios is essential to anyone who needs to plan a day around the constantly changing character of sunlight. Gaffers, Grips, Location Managers, Production Designers and First Assistant Directors will already be aware of the value of this information. Other professionals, from Architects and Surveyors to Electricians and Landscape Gardeners can now predict sun exposure in the field, without the need for complex tables or graphs.

Visit Chemical Wedding’s official website for more information on these apps…

If you want more news delivered straight to your email please fill the form below:

(you can opt-out anytime)

Now, iPhone users can navigate fast and with ease through our weblog and read the latest broadcast industry news, software and hardware reviews, tutorials and more…

I think you will enjoy this new add-on but we strongly need your feedback so we encourage you to write a comment about it.

Press release

San Francisco, January 12, 2010 – Elgato today announced EyeTV One, an easy-to-use TV tuner for DTV antennas. EyeTV One delivers digital TV and HDTV channels straight to a Mac or PC, enabling users to watch and record the huge variety of TV shows that are broadcast over-the-air for free. The new EyeTV One offers an uncomplicated way to connect a computer to a DTV antenna and at just $119.95 USD, it’s an affordable alternative for an HDTV and full-featured DVR.

Integrated hardware design
EyeTV One comes with a built-in, flexible USB extender cable, so it can be used on a Mac or PC without blocking other ports. EyeTV One also sports a standard full-size coaxial plug and can be connected to an indoor or outdoor antenna without the need for an additional adapter.

Award-winning TV software for Mac
EyeTV One comes with Elgato’s EyeTV 3, the award-winning TV software for Mac. EyeTV 3 enables users to watch, pause, and rewind live TV on a Mac, as well as record shows, subscribe to a favorite TV series, and create Smart Playlists. EyeTV 3 has a built-in editor to remove unwanted content and can automatically send recordings to iTunes to sync with an iPhone, iPod, or Apple TV. Recordings can be shared over a local network with other Macs. Elgato also offers optional apps to stream live TV and manage recording schedules on an iPhone while away from home.

EyeTV 3 software includes one year of free TV Guide data, with optional* renewal for US $19.95 per year.

Compatible with Windows 7
Users who have a Windows PC as well as a Mac can use EyeTV One with either computer. EyeTV One is compatible with Windows 7 and works great with Windows Media Center.

Pricing & Availability
EyeTV One ships today. It is available at Apple resellers in the US and Canada, and at the Elgato online store. The suggested retail price is USD $119.95.

*Smart Series Guide functionality requires a subscription to the TV Guide data service.

About Elgato
Elgato is the home of internationally acclaimed EyeTV, the world’s leading television solution for Mac computers. Elgato produces award-winning TV software together with a complete range of TV tuners to watch, record, and edit TV and HDTV on the Mac. Elgato also produces a variety of world-class H.264 video products. Elgato is privately held with offices in Munich, Germany and San Francisco, California.

If you want similar news delivered to your email, please subscribe

USB3.0 protocol is here!

This is great news for the videomaker community as numerous professional and hobbyists video editors and videographers use external storage solutions. Imagine a firestore HD hooked up in a USB 3.0 port transferring your footage at 5Gpbs!! Although the USB3.0 specs are out it is up to hardware vendors to implement the new protocol at their products.

Question: Is there any hard disk capable of such transfer speed? Or maybe it is more suitable for solid state and raid solutions?

Read about the USB3.0 here

If you want similar news delivered staright into your email, please subscribe

Press Release

cmiVFX | cmiStudios launches a brand new way of delivering videos for its fast growing user base. This new series of training videos is called cmiDirect. Why “direct”?  The videos are DIRECT to the point and focus on one topic at the time. This will enable artists all over the world to have access to the information they need immediately without sorting through longer feature length videos. These videos explain all the information you need in depth and direct to the topic.  Bundled video packages will be available in the near future for continuing education at affordable prices.  When it comes to high end CG and VFX training, there is only once choice… cmiVFX!

V-Ray Introduction: The Blender Connection

http://cmivfx.com/Blender3D_Training_Tutorials/vRay_Intro_Connection/default.aspx

The days of excuses are over! If the lack of a production-tested Global-Illumination-Renderer kept you from using Blender, the wait is over!  Blender-Users have been utilizing other Apps like Max or C4D that have the V-Ray-Renderer-Plug-in.  Where is the good news for you?  Now that the V-Ray for Maya Standalone version is out, you can use an elegant and surprisingly good working exporter-script to render your Blender scenes with the V-Ray for Maya Standalone.  Yes, you heard right, rendering with V-Ray from directly within Blender has become possible!  Use your favorite tools and your beloved Blender-workflows, and produce stunning and superfast renderings with one of the most used and favored renderers out there! And not only that, when you finished rendering use the Blender Äôs built-in compositor to do color-correction, effects and compositing.  The possibilities are endless!  Need a fast; reliable, easy to setup, high-quality renderer, then V-Ray is for you.

INSTALLING V-Ray

This tutorial will show you how to install the V-Ray for Maya Standalone version, how to setup the license-server and how to use the exporter-script. After a brief overview over the different sections of the script and its interface, learn the basic setups for Irradiance-Map and Light cache.  Although there are a couple of other rendering methods in V-Ray, the combination of Irradiance-Map and Light cache is the most common one and gives blazingly fast and good results.  Both methods provide lots of possibilities to tweak render-settings and to find the best compromise between speed and quality.  Light cache is perfect to get an idea of the final look of your scene in just seconds.  This tutorial uses very simple example scenes, so you can quickly and easily reproduce the test-renderings of this video.

SETTINGS

The V-Ray/Blender exporter-script allows you to use Blender interface to control the basic light-settings, material-setups, mirror / transparency settings and world-backgrounds.  You will barely notice that you are working with a script. If there is the need to add special settings to objects, lamps or world-settings that cannot be accessed in Blender, there is an extra section in the script where you can do just that.  As an example, you will learn how to use HDRI Maps to add reflections and light your scene as well as how to eliminate noise in the renderings by adjusting the lamp-settings.

MATERIALS

After the basic introduction the tutorial shows a basic workflow for how an architectural rendering could look like. Assign materials, unwrap the mesh and apply textures in Blender, similar to the Blender Internal renderer. Use Blender Äôs sun-lamp for fast and easily changes to the mood of your image completely by simulating the times of day with the V-Ray-Sun and V-Ray-Sky. During the tutorial learn some important tips and tricks for some special extras, like dynamic linking of V-Ray-renderings to Blender Äôs built-in compositor or region-rendering for super-fast previews of your scene.

WILL IT BLEND?

Of course only test-renderings and simple demo scenes are a bit boring, so we decided to add the blend file from the title image as a special little bonus to the tutorial.  Because what could be better as an example-scene for a Blender-tutorial than a Blender?  The last chapter gives an overview on the scene-setup, the materials and the render settings.  Check out the settings for glass material, smooth plastic with blurry reflections and translucent materials. This introduction for Blender-to-V-Ray-connection keeps you and your CPUs busy until we come up with the next, advanced tutorial for V-Ray and Blender.

This video is available today at the cmiVFX store. cmiVFX Video Player Online Store

http://cmivfx.com/store/Browse.aspx?Category=6

About the Author:

Sebastian König is a German 3D-artist who is working as a freelancer and CG-instructor for several years now. During his studies for Education of Art he discovered the joy of modeling and creating 3D-Animations with Blender and hasn’t stopped since.  Being a passionate Blender-User he has been teaching Blender at the University of Art and Design Halle/Germany.  He has been working for various studios and companies as a 3D-Artist and freelancer.  During the dozens of projects and jobs he completed with Blender he got a profound knowledge of almost every aspect of this great Open-Source 3D-application.

About cmiVFX

cmiVFX is the leader in High Definition Video Training for the Visual Effects Community. To test drive the new cmiVFX TVOD © system, visit http://www.cmivfx.com/cmi_vod.html For additional information about cmiVFX, visit www.cmivfx.com.

If you want similar news delivered straight to your email, please subscribe

Autodesk, Inc. has announced that it is ready to start shipping Autodesk Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X, a software-only editorial finishing tool and the first Autodesk finishing product designed to run on the Mac. Smoke software’s proven editorial finishing tools harness the 64-bit power of Snow Leopard to provide an interactive, all-in-one finishing experience.

“The business of post-production is evolving. Post-production and broadcast facilities alike are seeking more affordable, integrated creative tools that can help them stand out from the crowd,” said Stig Gruman, Autodesk vice president of digital entertainment. “Smoke 2010 on the Mac has been designed to help editors increase creative output, project quality and turnaround times. It brings production-proven finishing capabilities to the extremely talented community of artists already using the Mac in broadcast and post-production.”

“Snow Leopard is the world’s most advanced operating system, ideal for high performance applications like Smoke 2010,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We’re delighted that Autodesk is bringing its premier editorial finishing tool to creative professionals on the Mac.”

Autodesk Smoke helped define editorial finishing by combining the timeline workflow of a non-linear editor with advanced visual effects tools. Customers have used Smoke to help shape many high-profile television programs such as “House,” “NCIS,” “CSI: NY” and “Entourage” as well as popular Super Bowl commercials, including Coke Zero “Mean Troy” and Cash4Gold.com’s “One Up.” CCTV in China used Smoke to help create its 2008 Beijing Olympics packaging and promotions as well as for content production during the Games.

Autodesk Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X Feature Highlights

Since the software’s Inter BEE technology preview in Japan last month, the creative community has been anticipating the launch of this established editorial finishing offering for the Mac. As a software offering, Smoke easily integrates into existing Mac-based workflows using Final Cut Studio or Media Composer. Visit the Smoke on Mac website for hardware requirements. Top benefits are:

• An all-in-one toolset for editorial finishing: editing, conform, 2D and 3D titling, sophisticated color correction, image stabilization, precision tracking and keying, 2D and 3D compositing, paint, rotoscoping, retouch and design
• Autodesk Modular Keyer, Master Keyer and Colour Warper advanced image-processing technologies
• Ability to import entire timelines from Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer using the AAF or XML format and even finish projects using Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD media used in creative cut
• Native support for popular files-based formats: QuickTime, Panasonic P2 HD and Sony XDCam files
• Support for uncompressed DPX, TIFF and OpenEXR workflows

Beta Tester Testimonials

“We started our business with Final Cut Pro and After Effects, but we’re always looking for new capabilities to enhance what those tools already do and to be more competitive. Smoke seamlessly integrated into our existing Mac workflow and allowed us to bring our creative work to an even higher level.”

—Michael Sandness, Colorist/Finishing Artist, Splice Here

“We have to do everything fast and cool. Since all the tools I need are in Smoke, I don’t lose any time going into other programs. There’s prestige working on a Smoke.”

—Valeria Petit, Motion Graphics Artist, Ottoblix

“We could quickly do editing, color correction and 3D visual effects in a single affordable application. If you want to create a project from A to Z with Smoke, now you can.”

—Charles Verret, Assistant Editor, Post Moderne

Pricing and Availability

Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X license is available at a suggested retail price of US$14,995*. Autodesk Subscription is available for purchase simultaneously with the product license for $1,995 SRP* per year. Autodesk’s Subscription program benefits include software extensions, version upgrades, product support as well as access to exclusive training materials. Smoke 2010 on Mac OS X is also available for a free** 30-day trial download.

* U.S. pricing only, International pricing may vary.

** Free products are subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies the software.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies — as well as the last 14 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects — use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Colour Warper and Smoke are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

If you want similar news delivered straight to you email, please subscribe to Krama i.news

(you can opt-out anytime)

Lee Stranahan, Director of Special Projects at cmiVFX sent me an email about the upcoming Orlando Boot Camp they’re up to.

Lee wrote:

I wanted to get you some details about the Orlando Visual Effects Supervisors Boot Camp that we’re doing March 19-21. It’s next year – but only about three months away.

Before I do that, I wanted to share two things…but at the end of the email I’ll tell you about the special, limited time pricing I’m offering on the Orlando Boot Camp

The dates are March 19-21, 2010. Plan to arrive in Orlando in the afternoon. The class kicks off Friday evening and for this one, we have a FULL slate of events starting the first night.

We’ll be announcing hotel info in the next two weeks. You will responsible for getting to and from your hotel. We will have shuttle service from the hotel we partner with.

Topics will be slightly different from the first Boot Camp but will include shooting with both Red AND HD cameras, interior and exterior green screen, location shooting, match moving, still photography and more.

We’ll have a slightly different roster of crew and instructors – details to come

Now, about the deal – the price on the Boot Camp is $2600. More than one attendee said their experience was worth much more than that but we want to keep the prices affordable while still making sure it’s high enough that all the attendees are serious about their career.

But I also want to get a sense of people’s interest early, so I’m offering a killer deal that will not last long – tuition of only $1800; that’s $800 off the regular price

AND because I know it’s the holiday season, I’ll let you break that up into two monthly payments; one now and one in January…at no extra cost. Just two payments of $900 each.

Plus, if you sign up I’ll get you immediate access to the exclusive VFXSupervisor’s web site – with interviews, data from the Albuquerque boot, access the no-noise forums we’ll be opening soon and more.

There’s one catch, though – I’m only doing a limited number of these specially priced spots. Because of the costs associated with putting on this event, I can’t afford to let everyone in at this price. When they are gone, the price goes up.

So there are only six slots available at this special $1800 price. If you’ve decided it’s time to get serious about your career in visual effects and film making, I hope you’re able to make the investment in yourself.

[Paypal payment links]

For more informations about the event and payment links you can email Lee Stranahan
Lee[at]Stranahan.com -please replace [at] with @

Unfortunately I can’t participate (I am located 3000 km away) although it seems an interesting event but who knows maybe next year.

Catch Lee Stranahan’s blog with some reallly interesting posts at LeeStranahan.com

If you want similar news delivered straight into your email please subscribe:

(you can opt-out anytime)

In the digital era, a video artist [1] is in need of very fast and inexpensive services to help him throughout his workflow. What I have in mind to tell you is how Rapidshare helps me out delivering video and really big image files to my clients.

Some of you might say it isn’t a big deal since there are so many “free” big file downloading hosts.
Yes there are!

But rapidshare (at least works for me) is one of the fastest because it  has the infrastructure required to meet high demands of traffic. Rapidshare has several petabytes (a petabyte is a million gigabytes) of storage capacity and an internet connection that transfers hundreds of gigabytes simultaneously. Pretty awesome?

So when the client wants to see video preview of w.i.p [2], I render a mpg video preview and upload it to the host late at night. In a couple of hours (depends on the upload speed), rapidshare robot sends an automated email to the corresponding address with a one-click downloading link. The client clicks the link and the transfer begins.

Rapidshare works in two ways, as a free user or premium. You can use the service without registering a premium account, meaning you are not facilitate rapidshare at full speed (the host announced downloading speed up to 100mbit per user if applicable and all free user accounts up to 1mbit).

There are several subscription plans for the premium account such as monthly, 3-month, 6-month and one year. My account is one year plan (offers a 34% off) and I use for my clients (if the don’t have one already) the one month premium account. You see, I use a little marketing trick here. I offer them to register them as a premium user through the official rapidshare reseller and I include the expense in the final project fee. So they think it is a value add I offer exclusively to them, and they thank me for myself doing all the “hard work”, pretty nasty?

The conclusion is that I do my job easily, fast and reliable, the clients are happy because they can have samples of work in progress at a glance and without any hassle.

Click to buy a rapidshare premium account

[1]as a video artist I mean the editor, motion graphics designer, vfx artist, 3D modeler, texturer, animator, compositor, rotoscoper, audio engineer, freelancer, etc.
[2] work in progress

Rapidshare.com and the logo “Rapidshare” is property of RapidShare AG, Corporate Communications

Comment this article,  leave your opinion about similar services and describe how they benefit your bussines.

If you want similar news delivered straight in your email feel free to subscribe:

I had some time to laugh seeing an animated short but this made my day!

Oktapodi is an exceptional 3D animated short film  directed by: Julien Bocabeille, François-Xavier Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier, Emud Nokhberi.
The 3D CGI animated short film tells the story of two octopuses which, to escape a cook, run through a sunny Greek little town (it’s Santorini island) only to discover that being together will be hard. I think is a gem of animation and storytelling with fast pace dynamic camera moves you are going to love it!

If you want similar news delivered straight into your email, please subscribe

(you can opt-out anytime)

KRAMA post production studio is responsible for the new commercial of Atlantis Consulting (a client through Toro adv. – an advertising agency I work with for several years). To be totally honest it was quite tough to complete because of the strict deadline. This tvc is actually  a mixture of two commercials…The first half is a typographic style tv spot and the second half its all 3D animated.

I used a couple of tools  such as After Effects 7, 3ds Max 9 and the most useful MAX2Ae (a plug-in that exports camera, lights, objects for 3ds max to After Effects and back).As  I already mention, I  had to break the spot in two shorter editions  in order to complete it.

Production Diary

One day of the production spent in the audio facility – Studio Genesis -  I was there directing the voice talents. Dimitra and Apostolis were professional to the core. They gave me lots of alternative versions  I had to choose from, according the feeling I wanted to achieve. Sound mixing came later this day using Adobe Audition.

The next day was the pre production. Photoshop and Ilustrator worked together in order to make the counter true. Text formed sentences, they all animated in After Effects. I had to re-import all elements in Audition for syncing and to add some sfx. I encoded the first commercial and send it to the ad agency via email for screening. The tvc passed the review (there were some minor changes though) and I was on the route for number two…

Ok. That’s tough! I had some screenshots to guide me through the creation but I had to invest on much more time than I thought. I started modeling the key elements. Those were a 3D folder, a key and a lock. If I completed those on time I would finish the entire spot quick. Creating the 3D animation took me about 6-7 hours work (not rendering time). Choosing the right materials, making some render tests for the lighting and when all were ready, I setup the scene and took a nap while the rendering was running.

The next day I reviewed the animation sequence and I was excited because It was just as I wanted to be. Then I switched to After Effects but… “Whoh! This is not as easy as I thought it would be… I must think… like After Effects does…”, I talked myself. The problem was that 3ds max’s camera data couldn’t import into afterfx, don’t know why this happened. I took a break.

Switched on the safari, hit the google search trying to find a plugin or something to help me out…and voila…MAX2AE! This was my saviour. Seriously! I wanted to export seamlessly the 3D camera from 3ds Max to the AE. It worked far beyond my expectations! You’ll see what I mean when you watch the commercial below.

TVC: Atlantis Consulting Services  – 3 versions (55sec, 32sec, 25sec)

Client: Atlantis Consulting
Agency: Toro adv
Production: Krama post production studio
Motion Graphics Designer/ 3D artist: Chris Lelidis
Audio Recordings:  Studio Genesis
Voice Talents: Dimitra Karamouza, Apostolis Roussopoulos

Panasonic Broadcast has announced pricing and delivery of its new AG-HMR10 AVCCAM compact field recorder/player and the ultra-slim AG-HCK10 remotely controlled 3-MOS HD camera head. Both of these products are versatile additions to the company’s growing AVCCAM line of professional solid-state high definition products.

The AG-HMR10 handheld recorder and the AG-HCK10 compact camera head, which can be connected via optional cables (in 3-meter and 20-meter lengths), will be available next month at suggested list prices of $2,600 and $1,800, respectively. Shipments of the HMR10 recorder will come initially (through March 2010) bundled with free Neo 2 video editing software (Retail Value: $199).

The new AVCCAM recorder utilizes AVCHD (MPEG-4/AVC High-Profile) compression and is ideal for applications in video production, sports coaching, healthcare, public safety, remote imaging and much more. Equipped with an HD-SDI input and output, the HMR10 AVCCAM recorder is also suitable for back-up recording from any HD-SDI-enabled camera or for use in studio or event production. The 1.2-pound unit features a lightweight, ergonomic design suited for handheld use (3.78” W x 2.07” H x 5.24” D) and has four 3mm threaded holes for flexible mounting.

The HMR10 records stunning full HD 1920×1080 resolution images in three recording modes – the highest quality PH mode (average 21 Mbps/max. 24 Mbps; an SD card specified at class 4 and higher is required), HA mode (approx.17 Mbps) and HG mode (approx.13 Mbps). The fourth recording mode, HE (approx. 6 Mbps), records at 1440×1080. The HMR10 records in HD formats including 1080/60i, 1080/50i, 720/60p and 720/50p. With input from the AG-HCK10 camera head, the HMR10 will also record 1080/30p, 1080/25p and 1080/24p. It also supports downconversion from HD to SD output. With the HMR10, users can capitalize on the compact size, cost advantages, solid-state reliability and the widespread availability and low cost of SD and SDHC memory cards. Using just one 32GB SDHC memory card, a user can record three hours of full resolution 1920×1080 video and audio in PH mode, four hours at HA mode and 5.3 hours at HG mode. In the HE mode, the camera can record up to 12 hours of 1440×1080 HD content – all on a single 32GB SDHC card. SDHC cards containing AVCCAM recordings can be played directly in a growing number of affordable Panasonic Blu-ray players, plasma displays, Sony PlayStation 3 game machines, PCs and other devices.

In addition to HD-SDI input/output and an external mic input (stereo), the HMR10 comes standard with interface connections including the HDMI out and USB 2.0, and is compatible with TC/UB recording. It also has a built-in speaker and headphone stereo mini jack. The lightweight handheld’s 3.5-inch color LCD monitor displays content in thumbnail images for quick viewing. (The HCK10 camera head can be remotely controlled while images are checked on the LCD monitor.) Additional features include waveform monitor, simplified vectorscope display, zoom, start/stop, color bar and tone, key lock, convenient playback and recording functions such as shot mark, record check, pre-record, last clip delete, auto record, metadata recording, and 11 one-touch operation buttons. The HMR10 is compatible with camera remote controllers for the AG-DVX100, the AG-HVX200 P2 HD, and the AG-HMC150 and AG-HMC40 AVCCAM camcorders. It operates on battery or 7.3V DC power (AC power supply included).

For editing or playback, professionals can instantly transfer content from the SD card to Mac or PC computers with an SD/SDHC card reader or by connecting the HMR10 recorder directly via its USB 2.0 interface.

The ultra-compact HCK10 camera head, nicknamed POVCAM, is equipped with three newly-developed 1/4.1-inch 3.05-megapixel HD resolution 3-MOS imagers to deliver high-quality image quality. Weighing a little over a half pound, the HCK10 camera head is ultra-slim (2.1” W x 2.2” H x 4.8” D) and features a 12x optical zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) and Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS), a dynamic range expansion tool that simultaneously compresses highlight information and boosts shadow detail in real time. DRS, mic settings, iris, focus, zoom control and power are supplied from the HMR10 recorder.

Other features include a built-in microphone, ¼-inch 20 socket for mounting and 43mm lens filter size. Cables connecting the camera to the recorder will be available in lengths of 3 meters (9.85 ft.) for a suggested list price of $300, and 20 meters (65 ft.) for a suggested list price of $600. The cables are detachable at each end for added flexibility.

Panasonic’s AVCCAM series brings the benefits of solid-state recording to budget-conscious professionals with a range of products. In addition to the HMR10 and HCK10, the AVCCAM line includes the new compact AG-HMC40, the very popular AG-HMC150 handheld, and the shoulder-mount AG-HMC70. AVCCAM products record stunning professional AVCHD video onto inexpensive, reusable SD/SDHC cards, like digital still photography, providing a fast and simple, file-based workflow with ultra-reliable performance. AVCHD digital files can be transferred and stored on affordable, high-capacity hard disk drives (HDD) or optical storage media and transferred to future storage media as technology advances.

AVCHD, an MPEG-4 /AVC Hi Profile-based format, provides a near doubling of bandwidth efficiency with improved video performance over the older MPEG-2 compression used in HDV formats. It is supported by a wide range of editing options including Apple Final Cut Pro 6.0.5, Adobe Premier Pro CS4, Grass Valley EDIUS Pro 5 and EDIUS Neo 2. In addition, a free transcoder, available for download from the Panasonic Broadcast web site, will convert AVCHD files to DVCPRO HD P2 and downconverted DV files for use with most existing professional editing packages.

www.panasonic.com/avccam

If you want similar news delivered straight into your email, please subscribe

(you can opt-out anytime)

Well this is one of my favorites. You can have your resume stored in mandy’s database, a quick introduction to your services and skills with credits is allowed, email job alerts straight to your inbox (i think one month is free of charge), banner advertising with a fee, search jobs by country and US states, and much more. Personally, I must admit that ever since I posted my services on mandy’s, I’ve got several freelance jobs.

I haven’t use this job search website in full but I think it’s worth a visit. A feedback of its services will be valuable.

This is a very well organized website, probably you know it already. It focuses on freelancing and has many jobs posted for freelance editors and motion designers.

This is a great resource website for the video/film industry. It offers many things like news, reviews, podcasts, tutorials, interviews with lead artists, webinars, job listings with the most relevant jobs in the film/video industry that are posted daily. It is a valuable tool for all the “videosharks” out there.

It is a job board for film, television, video, live event and digital media production. It offers also a quotation request for services by simply fill out the request form detailing your production needs and they’ll match your request to appropriate production vendors in our network. Then you will receive competing bids from their qualified production vendors, usually within 24 hours. Looks neat…I’ll keep it on my bookmarks.

A job search website with hundreds jobs and internships in the film/tv industry. Major studios and companies are listed on entertainmentcareers.net so hit the bookmark button.

A solution for all the jobseekers and recruiters in the tv/film/3D industry. CreativeHeads.net is not just a job board, but rather a conduit that will facilitate communication and the rapid exchange of information between Employers and Jobseekers.

There are plenty of  job boards that I haven’t listed. Why don’t you leave your comment with your favorite tv-film job searching websites and job directories ? Please share this post in your favorite social website.

If you want similar news straight into your email please subscribe

(you can opt-out anytime)

Roland Emmerich films are synonymous with superlative visual effects — “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Independence Day” and now “2012.” Hundreds of artists created close to 1,500 visual effects shots using digital entertainment creation software from Autodesk, Inc. to help create the majority of spectacular effects in “2012.”

The Maya civilization left humanity its calendar, with an end date of 2012. This date is significant to many cultures, religions, scientists and governments. The Mayan prophecy has been well-chronicled, discussed and examined. “2012” is an epic adventure film about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. “2012” is directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Harald Kloser & Roland Emmerich, and produced by Harald Kloser, Mark Gordon and Larry Franco.

“The scale of visual effects in ‘2012’ is astounding. This film is a perfect case study for the breadth of our portfolio of filmmaking products, including our 2007 Technical Achievement Academy Award-winning Maya visual effects software,” said Stig Gruman, vice president of digital entertainment, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “Autodesk tools are designed for creativity, flexibility and interoperability, freeing creative visionaries, artists and production teams to focus on the work as opposed to the technology.” In an interview with MSN, Roland Emmerich, “2012” director, co-writer and executive producer, said, “Basically, it’s the digital technology which is so amazing. It gives you a new freedom and I really use that to the max.”

Uncharted Territory, the lead visual effects (VFX) house and co-producers of ”2012,” created over 400 shots mainly using Autodesk 3ds Max software for modeling, UV mapping, rigging and animation; Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Softimage software products for modeling; and Autodesk MotionBuilder software for pre-visualization, motion capture and final animation. As a co-producer and VFX supervisor on the movie, Marc Weigert said, “We’ve been using 3ds Max since our company’s inception, so it’s almost tradition. There are also countless plug-ins for this amazing software, making it even more essential to the success of our shots.” Uncharted Territory created the total destruction of fully computer generated (CG) photoreal Los Angeles and Las Vegas. CG Effects Supervisor Ari Sachter-Zeltzer said “3ds Max software’s OpenEXR format allowed us to push through an amazing volume of work in a relatively short time.” Weigert added, “Autodesk FBX format was another real time saver. It eased file exchange between the various Autodesk software packages and helped us deliver on budget and on schedule.”

Double Negative used Maya to help create over 200 shots, including the destruction of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The destruction involved smoke and dust simulation, digital crowds and a fully CG environment. In addition, Double Negative built a massive volcanic rock and ash cloud, lava eruptions and cracking fault lines in Yellowstone Park. CG Supervisor Gavin Graham said, “Maya is at the core of our pipeline and was an essential hub for our workflow. From the start of the process in our layouts, animations and asset creation, through to completion, its scripting capabilities allowed us to manage scenes of enormous complexity. We found Maya particularly beneficial for our dynamics and lighting pipelines. It helped us generate elaborate yet believable effects in an artist-friendly way.”

Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) completed 154 shots, including a colossal, CG environment of a massive shipyard constructed inside the Himalayas. SPI seamlessly integrated these digital set extensions with live-action plate photography. John Haley, SPI CG supervisor, said, “Maya allowed our modelers to build nine one-kilometer-long ships complete with thousands of passengers, hundreds of ship workers and dozens of vehicles. In addition, our modeling team created several square kilometers of rugged terrain high in the mountains and relied on the layout and animation capabilities in Maya to bring these enormous fully CG scenes to life.”

Scanline VFX artists created over 100 complex water simulation shots, including an aircraft carrier on a tidal wave crashing into the White House. Scanline VFX’s toolbox included 3ds Max, the VRay plug-in and a proprietary simulation system, Flowline. “Over 95 percent of our shots were fully CG, and creating them required 1,200 terabytes of disk space. The advantage of 3ds Max is that it can handle enormous data sets and you can just do a lot of the work right out of the box,” said Stephan Trojansky, Scanline VFX senior visual effects supervisor.

Evil Eye Pictures delivered 45 green screen and environment shots for “2012.” John L. Jack, co-founder of Evil Eye, said, “We used Maya software’s particle and fluid effects to create CG snow and CG breath for a key sequence, and to do our environment and matte painting integration work.”

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies — as well as the last 14 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects — use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality, and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, FBX, Maya, MotionBuilder, Softimage and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

If you want similar news delivered straight into your email, please feel free to subscribe

I decided to make this list because I was curious how many films were shot in various locations of Greece. Below you can find these films with links of purchasing the movie’s DVD from Amazon and also several other useful (i think) information, trailer, director bio.

I’d like to notice in this point that there are several exceptional filming locations in Greece and the most excellent lighting conditions as well. Also there are many filming companies that offers casting services and location scouting in the country.

2000 – 2007

EL CRECO (2007)

• Director: Yannis Smaragdis
• Country:  Greece, Spain, Italy
• Filming Locations: Greece, Spain, Italy

TRAILER | BUY DVD

CHE NE SARA DI NOI (2004)

• Director: Giovanni Veronesi
• Country: Italy
• Filming Location: Santorini

TRAILER | BUY DVD

THE FREEDIVER (2004)

• Director: Alki David
• Country: UK
• Filming Location: Greece

TRAILER | BUY DVD

CHALTE CHALTE (2003)

• Director: Aziz Mirza
• Country: India
• Filming Location: Greece

TRAILER | BUY DVD

GINGER AND CINNAMON (2003)

• Director: Daniele Luchetti
• Country: Italy
• Filming Location: Ios

TRAILER | BUY DVD

LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE (2003)

• Director: Jan de Bont
• Country: USA, Germany, Japan, UK, Netherlands
• Filming Location: Santorini

TRAILER | BUY DVD

BOAT TRIP (2002)

• Director: Mort Nathan
• Country: USA, Germany
• Filming Location: Hydra

TRAILER | BUY DVD

THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002)

• Director: Doug Liman
• Country: USA, Germany
• Filming Location: Mykonos

TRAILER | BUY DVD

THELMA (2002)

• Director: Pierre Alain Meier
• Country: France, Greece, Switzerland
• Filming Location: Crete

TRAILER | BUY DVD

ANNA’S SUMMER (2001)

• Director: Jeanine Meerapfel
• Country: Germany, Greece, Spain
• Filming Location: Simi

TRAILER | BUY DVD

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN (2001)

• Director: John Madden
• Country: UK, France, USA
• Filming Location: Kefalonia

TRAILER | BUY DVD

THE CAT’S MEOW (2001)

• Director: Peter Bogdanovich
• Country: Canada, Germany, UK
• Filming Location: Kiparissi

TRAILER | BUY DVD

BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING GUNS (2000)

• Director: John Tatoulis
• Country: Australia, Greece
• Filming Location: Crete

TRAILER | BUY DVD

GREAT IDEA (2000)

• Director: Jerome Lavy
• Country: France
• Filming Location: Milos

TRAILER | BUY DVD

RAT UZINO (2000)

• Director: Darico Basic
• Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
• Filming Location: Athens

TRAILER | BUY DVD

SIGNS & WONDERS (2000)

• Director: Jonathan Nossiter
• Country: France
• Filming Location: Athens

TRAILER | BUY DVD

Previous years of filmography will be posted soon.

If you want similar news straight into your email, please subscribe below.  (you can always opt-out)

I’ve got a new project to work with; subtitling an english spoken feature in greek. Although I have previously done some smaller in length subtitling projects, in this particular project I followed  strictly the guidlines, a professional subtitler must have in mind.

Subtitle Spotting and Translation

• Subtitlers must always work with a (video, DVD, etc.) copy of the production and if possible, should have a copy of the dialogue list and a glossary of unusual words, names and special references.
• It is the subtitler’s job to spot the production and translate and write the subtitles in the (foreign) language required.
• Translation quality must be high with due consideration of all idiomatic and cultural nuances.
• Straightforward semantic units must be used.
• Where compression of dialogue is necessary, the results must be coherent.
• Subtitle text must be distributed from line to line and page to page in sense blocks and/or grammatical units.
• As far as possible, each subtitle should be semantically self-contained.
• The language register must be appropriate and correspond with the spoken word.
• The language should be (grammatically) “correct” since subtitles serve as a model for literacy.
• All important written information in the images (signs, notices, etc.) should be translated and incorporated wherever possible.
• Given the fact that many TV viewers are hearing-impaired, “superfluous” information, such as names, interjections from the off, etc., should also be subtitled.
• Songs must be subtitled where relevant.
• Obvious repetition of names and common comprehensible phrases need not always be subtitled.
• The in- and out-times of subtitles must follow the speech rhythm of the film dialogue, taking cuts and sound bridges into consideration.
• Language distribution within and over subtitles must consider cuts and sound bridges; the subtitles must underline surprise or suspense and in no way undermine it.
• The duration of all subtitles within a production must adhere to a regular viewer reading rhythm.
• Spotting must reflect the rhythm of the film.
• No subtitle should appear for less than one second or, with the exception of songs, stay on the screen for longer than seven seconds.
• The number of lines in any subtitle must be limited to two.
• Wherever two lines of unequal length are used, the upper line should preferably be shorter to keep as much of the image free as possible and in left-justified subtitles in order to reduce unnecessary eye movement.
• There must be a close correlation between film dialogue and subtitle content; source language and target language should be synchronized as far as possible.
• There must be a close correlation between film dialogue and the presence of subtitles.
• Each production should be edited by a reviser/editor.
• The (main) subtitler should be acknowledged at the end of the film (or if the credits are at the beginning, then close to the credit for the script writer).
• The year of subtitle production and the copyright for the version should be displayed at the end of the film.

Technical Aspects

• Subtitles should be highly legible with clear lettering and a font which is easy to read. The characters should have sharp contours and be stable on the screen.
• The position of subtitles should be consistent, e.g.

1. centred for film applications;
2. left-justified or centred for TV and video applications. (With the globalization of broadcasting, subtitled television and video programmes are often shown not only on domestic channels. Many broadcasting stations worldwide still transmit their programmes with a logo in the lower left-hand corner, which inevitably covers the first couple of characters of all left-justified subtitles. Furthermore, at video festivals video productions are usually projected on large screens. It is easier to read subtitles on large screens if they are centred rather than left-justified.)
3. two-person dialogue in one subtitle should be left-justified or left-centred; individual speakers should be indicated by a dash at the beginning of each line.

• In video applications, character clarity can be enhanced by a drop shadow or a semi-transparent or black box behind the subtitles.
• In laser subtitling, sharp contours and removal of residual emulsion can be achieved by precise alignment of laser beam focus and accurate adjustment of power output.
• In laser subtitling, the base line must be set accurately for the projection format of the film.
• The number of characters per line must be compatible with the subtitling system and visible on any screen.
• Due to the different viewer reading times and the different length of lines for TV/video and film subtitles, TV/video subtitles should be adapted for film application and vice versa.

Proposed by Mary Carroll and Jan Ivarsson. Approved at the meeting of the European Association for Studies in Screen Translation in Berlin 17.10.1998

mental images®, an NVIDIA company, introduced iray® – the first fully GPU accelerated, commercially supported, turn-key rendering solution for a wide range of 3D graphics application developers. iray technology leverages NVIDIA® graphics processing units (GPUs) to deliver unbelievably fast photorealism to designers, engineers and consumers.

Life-like graphics can now become interactive as iray rendering technology exploits the massively parallel processing power of the GPU, enabling more convincing 3D visuals, greater levels of creativity and faster decision making. “With iray rendering technology, what used to take product designers, visual effects artists and CAD users hours to render can now happen in a matter of minutes without compromising the quality and detail of the image, said Dr. Jon Peddie, president, Jon Peddie Research. “The advent of iray is changing the face of this industry by increasing the standards in rendering efficiency as we know it.”

iray technology speeds the creative process by easily enabling designers to accurately simulate their creations using materials and lighting that relate directly to the physical world experienced every day. Because it’s highly scalable, interactive and physically accurate, iray technology allows design and engineering professionals to produce the highest quality final-frame output without the complexity inherent in other solutions.

With tight integration with mental ray® technology – mental images’ renderer, which is extensively used in feature film work and within the leading design and creation tools from Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes and Parametric Technology – iray rendering technology will empower millions of users with the ability to change the way they create synthetic images.

“The combination of iray and NVIDIA GPUs is an astounding achievement, demonstrating our undisputed leadership in computational graphics,” said Dan Vivoli, senior vice president, NVIDIA Professional Solutions Group. “The ease-of-use and remarkable speed of iray brings interactive photorealism easily within the reach of any creator or consumer of 3D content.”

iray rendering technology significantly improves how designers, engineers and other content development professionals work with rendering tools to produce high-quality, photorealistic imagery. Harnessing the power of the GPU and the NVIDIA CUDA™ parallel processing architecture, iray technology progressively refines an image until maximum detail is reached, providing a single process that smoothly combines interactive pre-visualization and final frame rendering. iray technology requires only a small number of intuitive settings relating to the physical world that delivers a “push-button” rendering experience for creating final-frame photo-real images.

“It’s no secret that users want to utilize the power of GPUs for photorealistic rendering,” said Rolf Herken, CEO and CTO, mental images. “With iray, we deliver a solution that not only leverages the GPU in the most efficient manner but also raises the bar for what is defined as photorealism in rendering.”

Pricing and Availability

iray rendering technology will be included with the mental ray 3.8 rendering software starting in late November 2009 at no extra cost to existing customers and OEMs under maintenance. iray technology will also be available as part of RealityServer® 2.4, the upcoming release of the 3D web application services software. A future iray Integrator Edition will allow independent software vendors to include iray technology within their own products, while future integration with the NVIDIA SceniX™ scene management engine will make iray technology easily accessible to all SceniX-based applications. For more information about iray, please visit www.mentalimages.com/iray.

www.mentalimages.com

Subscribe to get notified immediately when new posts are being published.