Digital-Tutors has released STEREOSCOPIC 3D IN MAYA and STEREOSCOPIC 3D IN AFTER EFFECTS, the latest additions in a library of interactive training for new and experienced digital artists learning stereoscopic 3D in Autodesk's Maya.

cmiVFX | cmiStudios launches another Houdini Software Training Video for its customer base. Particle animation training has always been limited by selection. cmiVFX is proud to offer the most robust particle training for a large majority of animation packages. The INTRODUCTION TO PARTICLE ANIMATION VIDEO is geared towards training entry level individuals or those migrating from other animation packages. Video is about four hours in length.

This video is available today at the cmiVFX store: http://cmivfx.com/store/Browse.aspx?Category=11.

Creating Particles

Learn the art of mixing computer-generated objects into real-life footage with "Camera Tracking for VFX," a new online course from Escape Studios that delves deeply into the professional camera tracking techniques required by aspiring 3D artists. Taught by the world-renowned staff at Escape Studios, "Camera Tracking for VFX" covers background, workflows and best practices in a flexible online format that includes 12 hours of video content.

Hollywood-based concept designer Feng Zhu will launch a new school in Singapore -- FZD School of Entertainment Design -- come April 2009.

VooDooDog, the London based creative studio, have been commissioned by Saudi Aramco to create 2x5 minute animated films to educate 6-9 year-old children and their parents in environmental matters.

The two classically animated films tell stories on how children can take the lead within their family unit in recycling and litter prevention.

This is the first time Saudi Aramco have commissioned such films under their program by their Environment Protection Department and will be screened in Saudi Arabian schools and will also stream on the Internet.

Ringling College of Art and Design has launched a new BA program -- Business of Art & Design.

The new BA course, The Business of Art & Design, aims to help graduates understand business, and how better to run businesses if they strike out on their own. The program contains echoes of Harvard Business School. To the knowledge of the college, there is no comparable course among other art and design schools.

Ringling's major courses grew from six to 14 in the past three years and the school boasts an 85 percent graduation rate.

Digital-Tutors has announced INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL RAY IN MAYA 2009 and MOTORCYCLE MODELING TECHNIQUES IN 3DS MAX, the latest additions to a collection of training for media and entertainment and developed for new and experienced artists using mental ray, a high-performance rendering engine developed by mental images that generates photorealistic images, and 3ds Max, the customizable and scalable modeling, animation, and rendering solutions for games, film, and television.

The Walt Disney Company has announced the creation of the Disney Memorial Pausch Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University in recognition of the passion and energy Dr. Randy Pausch brought to his work at both Carnegie Mellon and Walt Disney Imagineering. Pausch is best known for his life-affirming "Last Lecture," which he delivered to his students and colleagues a few weeks after learning he had just months to live.

The Entertainment Technology program at Santa Monica College offers a number of exciting courses in animation, vfx, visual development, game design and motion graphics.

Enrollment is open to anyone, and classes begin at $24 per unit. Their state-of-the-art campus, the Academy of Entertainment and Technology, is located at 1660 Stewart St., Santa Monica. The spring semester begins Tuesday, February 17, so enroll now.

For a complete list of our spring courses, see http://www.smc.edu/schedules/2009/spring/default.htm.

i3DTutorials has released training for Autodesk Maya 2009, INTRODUCTION TO RENDERING WITH MENTAL RAY IN AUTODESK MAYA 2009.

NVIDIA Corporation and National Taiwan University (NTU), one of the world's leading research universities, announced that NTU has been named as Asia's first CUDA Center of Excellence. NTU earned this title by formally adopting NVIDIA GPU Computing solutions across its research facilities and integrating a class to teach parallel computing based on the CUDA architecture into its educational curriculum.

Digital-Tutors has released MOTORCYCLE MODELING TECHNIQUES IN MAYA and AUTOMOTIVE MODELING IN XSI -- the newest releases in the largest library of interactive training for emerging digital artists using Maya, the integrated 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and rendering solution for artists in film, television, game development, and design industries, and XSI, the complete 3D package for modeling, rendering, and character animation newly acquired by Autodesk in 2008.

Digital-Tutors, makers of award-winning video-based training for emerging digital artists, announced the continued support of their training solutions by studios and schools around the world and the largest number of training titles released by Digital-Tutors in a single year. With 67 training titles released in 2008 and a library of over 150, Digital-Tutors is now among the largest training resources for Autodesk applications including Maya, 3ds Max, Mudbox, and Softimage.

i3DTutorials has released their latest training product for SOFTIMAGE|XSI, RENDERING WITH SOFTIMAGE|XSI V.II: MENTAL RAY.

This latest offering from the growing library teaches artists advanced production techniques for using the industry standard mental ray renderer to create imagery of exquisite and stunning detail. Emphasizing production proven techniques, users are taken through a series of demanding production scenes that mimic the complex scenarios and challenges commonly found when producing renders for production.

Enhance your architectural design and visualization skills with the new Autodesk 3ds Max course from Escape Studios.

For the second year in a row, The Art Institute of California - Orange County has awarded a member of its faculty a quarter-long sabbatical to pursue a passion, add to their body of knowledge and bring the information back to the school. Media Arts & Animation instructor Brian Smith was named the Spring 2009 recipient.

His proposal was titled "The Urban Commuter, An Environmentally Safe Automobile for the Active Family and Its Implications for Teaching in the Area of Industrial Design."

Houdini training partner Digital-Tutors has released INTRODUCTION TO FLUIDS IN HOUDINI, the latest release for emerging digital artists learning Houdini. INTRODUCTION TO FLUIDS IN HOUDINI offers three and half hours of practical projects for effects artists and provides production-applicable techniques and general workflows to particle-based and volume-based simulations to create realistic fire, smoke, and liquid effects with Houdini.

Making It Look Great 5: Design, Production and Workflow Techniques for Adobe After Effects: provides seven hours of in-depth video training for Adobe After Effects and After Effects plug-ins from Motionworks.

Digital-Tutors, an Autodesk Authorized Publisher and leader in video-based training, has announced the availability of INTRODUCTION TO MUDBOX 2009 -- the newest release in a library of interactive training for emerging digital artists using Mudbox, the advanced, high-resolution, brush-based digital sculpting and texture painting software.

This week The Gnomon Workshop releases a wide range of new titles to help you end 2008 on a very positive note. From THE SKINNED CHARACTER RIG to WATERCOLOR AND GOUACHE PAINTING, these DVDs offer something for everyone.

COLOR THEORY: THE MECHANICS OF COLOR
APPLIED AND THEORETICAL COLOR WITH RICHARD KEYES