PuppetTime Inc. recently announced that it has released version 1.0 of its

PuppetTime Producer software, an easy to use 3D character animation program

that the company claims makes "the TV-watching generation, the TV-making

generation." PuppetTime Producer is not a character animation package for

animators, but a package for non-animators which allows them to create

'movies' quickly and easily without any knowledge of animation technique at

all. Users can create 3D animation in minutes simply by selecting

The creators of Boris FXT and Boris AET, recently launched a new resolution

In promoting post-production on the MAC platform, Apple recently bundled a number of 3D and 2D tools with its Final Cut Pro system. MAXON, Terran Interactive, and Puffin Designs have announced that their software will be bundled in with Final Cut Pro at no extra cost. MAXON's Cinema 4D GO -- their entry level 3D package (in short, a cut down version of their very popular Cinema 4D XL package) -- will be included in the Final Cut Pro package as a full working version, allowing users to create 'flying logos' and other simple 3D imagery for use in their productions.

MetaCreations, a renowned provider of graphics software, recently announced

that the Board of Directors has made the baffling decision of effectively

dropping their range of graphics products to concentrate purely on their

MetaStream technology. This decision comes shortly before the release of

Carrara, MC's "next-generation 3D software for print, video and the Web."

On the third line of their Carrara announcement, MetaCreations stated that

it would continue to support their existing graphics products. However,

Discreet recently released a maintenance update to 3D Studio MAX 3 which,

in the coming weeks, will be distributed free of charge to all registered

users of the software. The announcement comes shortly after the company

declared success at clearing well over 100,000 copies, and are reinforcing

their commitment to users by bringing them new features so soon after the

initial release of the software. The update includes data containers for

Template Graphics Software (TGS) recently announced that its modeling and

animation software Amapi, was receiving an upgrade. The new release will be

'officially' announced at the Mac World Expo in January, however, the new

version is available now. It features Dynamic Geometry, which allows users

to edit an object dynamically by changing its outline, profile or basic

structure, through the software's ability to remember the construction

history of the object. The upgrade also has a new Decimation tool, which

LIPSinc., the producer of Ventriloquist for 3D Studio MAX, recently
announced that they had launched a new lip-synching program called Echo.
Whereas Ventriloquist is a plug-in for 3D Studio MAX, Echo is a standalone
program which outputs in flipbook, dope sheet and function curve animation
data for animation platforms, interactive 3D game engines, and multimedia
applications. Timeline Studios, a company founded by best-selling author
Michael Crichton, is using Echo in the company's first title, slated for

ICE, the developers of ICE Tools for After Effects and Media Cleaner, have
recently announced shipment of BlueICE SDI Video, an add-on daughter card
to ICE's BlueICE hardware for real-time, uncompressed, frame-accurate video
capture, playback and print to tape. BlueICE SDI Video allows Adobe After
Effects users, to digitize, preview and layoff to tape in real time - all
while remaining in the same After Effects environment in which they
composite and create visual effects. BlueICE is available in both PAL and

Digital Video SLR recently announced the release of Toonz Linetest, a
pencil test tool that is designed to preserve the animator's original
concept. Linetest, which relies heavily on the Toonz exposure sheet
technology, offers a wide range of editing tools to manipulate frames,
levels and sequences. One can insert new drawings, change the step of the
animation, and replace already grabbed images. One can also enlarge, reduce
and rotate images, or create complex movements with ease thanks to the

With Avid's recent announcement that they are effectively 'dropping' their
continued development and support of Media Illusion and Matador,
Interactive Effects has stepped in to offer customers using those products
a new solution. Interactive Effects is already an established provider of
digital tools for visual effects artists, filmmakers and broadcasters.
Their flagship product, the Piranha HD Visual Effects System, is in use by
many top studios all over the world (Pixar, Industrial Light + Magic, and