The Gnomon Workshop and Design Studio Press have released five new training DVDs, three from veteran Scott Robertson, and the first two from the concept designer known as Puddnhead.

Robertson offers a three-volume series on rendering matte surfaces. The titles cover shading planar, round and complex curved surfaces. While he uses analog tools, such as charcoal and pencil, the skills are vital for anyone interested in foundation lighting concepts.

Skillset and the South West Regional Development Agency are supporting an exclusive professional masterclass offering unique insight from stop frame to CGI, designed and taught by animators for animators. Participants will have an opportunity to discover how Aardman Animations and DreamWorks are translating the skills of highly experienced stop-frame character animators into CGI.

Studio Arts, in collaboration with LAUSD's Venice Skills Center, will be hosting a special, full-time computer animation training program beginning Jan. 9, 2006. This intensive, high-end, low-cost animation program will meet daily, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm and will consist of daily lectures, demonstrations, lab time and additional video support in award-winning Alias Maya. The course runs for 20 weeks and costs only $75 for the entire semester. The semester ends June 23, 2005.

The Gnomon Workshop announced six new digital titles. The latest batch includes ZBrush, V-Ray, MEL and a title that takes you from a concept design illustration to a 3D render. This series of releases brings new titles from Chris Nichols and legendary artist Meats Meier, and introduces effects artists Kevin Mannens and Mark Lefitz to The Gnomon Workshop.

Students who are interested in pursuing a career within the video game industry may now apply for the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2006 Student Scholarships.

The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) will present recipients with full access to all sessions, roundtables and keynotes at GDC, which takes place March 20-24, 2006, in San Jose, California.

Students will be given an opportunity to take part in discussions, network with professionals, and witness the future course of the industry firsthand.

Digital-Tutors announced the availability of INTERMEDIATE: REALFLOW AND MAYA INTEGRATION training kit, a comprehensive video-based training guide for RealFlow and its integration with Maya. INTERMEDIATE: REALFLOW AND MAYA INTEGRATION marks the second RealFlow training title and the latest release in a growing library of popular training resources for emerging digital artists. INTERMEDIATE: REALFLOW AND MAYA INTEGRATION provides four hours of project-driven training for creating photorealistic liquid and dynamic simulations using a variety of timesaving techniques.

Digital-Tutors announced its annual Thanksgiving sale, with 20% off all training products storewide. Save today by simply entering — dtgive — at checkout. The sale ends Nov. 29, 2005 at 9:00 am. (Central Time). Popular titles include: INTERMEDIATE: REALFLOW AND MAYA INTEGRATION, INTRODUCTION TO MAYA: 2ND EDITION, INTRODUCTION TO PAINT EFFECT, FUNDAMENTALS OF MENTAL RAY IN XSI, INTRODUCTION TO XSI and INTRODUCTION TO XSI RENDER TREE.

Shop online and visit www.digitaltutors.com/store.

California State University, Chico has purchased 100 seats of Bauhaus Software’s Mirage product. Integrated directly into the university’s graphics and animation curriculum, Mirage will enable students to learn classical and modern 2D animation, in a completely paperless environment.

3D Buzz has released a new Video Training Module (VTM) series entitled HALF-LIFE 2 LEVEL DESIGN. This VTM will introduce students to Hammer, the powerful level editing tool within HALF-LIFE 2'S SDK. Lessons include full covering of Hammer's UI, creation and editing of geometry, creation and placement of entities, including props, weapons, lights, NPCs and more. Students will also see the entire process of creating a basic level, so that they can follow along and see how to start generating your own environments. The VTM is free and ready for download at www.3dbuzz.com.

Escape Studios and Side Effects Software will partner to provide training in the U.K. animation and visual effects market for the Houdini line of products. Houdini has long been recognized as a key contributor to feature film production pipelines and is a popular choice for technical directors working on high-end visual effects (CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, ANT BULLY, STEALTH, the SPIDER-MAN franchise, THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy).

Digital-Tutors announced the availability of INTRODUCTION TO MACROMEDIA FLASH 8 training kit, a comprehensive training tool for Flash 8 and the latest release in a growing library of popular training resources for emerging digital artists. INTRODUCTION TO FLASH 8 provides more than hours of project-driven training and guides you step-by-step through the industry’s most advanced authoring environment for creating interactive websites, digital experiences and mobile content.

Producer/director/animator Don Bluth and his artistic partner, Gary Goldman, signed a major gift agreement to give Savannah College of Art and Design a collection of more than one million pieces of art including animation cels, drawings and by these animation legends.

SCAD will honor Bluth and Goldman at the Savannah Film Festival with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Animation on Nov. 5 at 7:00 pm.

Electronic Arts (EA) is investing up to $2.6 million for a training program to grow its workforce of gamemakers at EA Montreal (EAM) with the technical and creative skills they need to develop the next-generation of interactive entertainment. Michelle Courchesne, Quebec minister of Employment and Social Solidarity, said that Emploi Quebec will contribute $660,000 toward this initiative.

Pixel Corps, the global learning guild for aspiring and professional digital craftsman, revealed its fall class line-up scheduled for Nov. 1-8 in San Francisco. Taught by industry veterans such as Alex Lindsay, Steve Wright and Marty Rosenberg, this four-part series of comprehensive workshops will cover everything from mastering Apple Shake 4 and the secrets of compositing, to shooting and lighting a visual effects shot on a fully-equipped greenscreen stage.

Seneca College’s Animation Arts Centre is now accepting applications for its January 2006 intake in its one year graduate certificate programs, which include 3D character animation, visual effects for film and television and 3D gaming program. In addition, Seneca offers a three-year undergraduate diploma in animation arts, which provides a solid foundation of 2 years of traditional animation and in their final year students can choose between 3D character animation for film and television or 3D game art and design.

The Art Institute of California — Los Angeles invites high school seniors interested in the fields of applied arts and design to apply for tuition scholarships in its 2006 Scholarship Competition. The competition is open to all students who are scheduled to graduate in 2006 from a U.S. high school or equivalent foreign institution.

Scholarships are available for new students pursuing degrees in Graphic Design, Media Arts & Animation, Game Art & Design, Interior Design, Interactive Media Design and Video Production.

Digital-Tutors announced the availability of INTRODUCTION TO XSI RENDER TREE training kit, a comprehensive training resource for SOFTIMAGE|XSI and the latest release in a growing library of popular training resources for emerging digital artists. A free trial of SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.5.0 Foundation is included with INTRODUCTION TO XSI RENDER TREE, allowing for immediate access to learn and explore the software.

Digital-Tutors announced the availability of INTRODUCTION TO MAYA: 2ND EDITION and INTRODUCTION TO PAINT EFFECTS training kits.

The Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition and the DigiPen Institute of Technology have announced the establishment of a scholarship to DigiPen Institute of Technology. Every member of the winning student design team for the “Physics” award will receive a $15,000 scholarship to DigiPen Institute of Technology, subject to admission to the program. Winners choosing not to attend DigiPen, or unable to qualify for admission, will receive cash and prizes valued at $5,000. The “Physics Award” judges engine, tool and A.I. programming, implementation and game play.

Digital-Tutors announced the availability of the highly anticipated FUNDAMENTALS OF SOFT AND RIGID BODIES IN XSI and FUNDAMENTALS OF MENTAL RAY IN XSI training kits, the newest releases in a growing library and first release of training material for XSI v.5.0. A free trial of SOFTIMAGE|XSI V.5.0 FOUNDATION is included with both, FUNDAMENTALS OF SOFT AND RIGID BODIES IN XSI and FUNDAMENTALS OF MENTAL RAY IN XSI training kits providing immediate access to explore the software and expand the users’ skills.