Digital-Tutors is now offering Modified Street Racer, the latest release in a collection of modifications and add-ons for existing training kits for digital artists. MODIFIED STREET RACER, the first high performance add-on for MAYA INTERMEDIATE: PHOTOREALISTIC CAR MODELING, takes car modification to another level. In more than 2.5 hours of comprehensive training, users can take existing car models from ordinary to extraordinary.

Writers Store Llc. announced its first slate of courses from WritersUniversity.com, a new online learning center featuring a select team of established film and writing industry experts. The Writers University faculty is comprised of entertainment industry educators and authors from various fields of creative writing who provide specialized Web-based courses developed from years of real-world experience. Instructors include authors and educators Karl Iglesias, Michael Halperin, Noah Lukeman (also a literary agent) and Kathie Fong Yoneda (a popular story analyst).

Fueled by strong growth of the state’s economy and the need for trained workers in many industries, Westwood College has opened two new campuses in the Atlanta area, adding to its system of campuses across the nation. To celebrate the opening, the community is invited to a grand opening event Jan. 26 at the Midtown Campus.

Gnomon School of Visual Effects has been approved by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) to enroll non-immigrant M-1 students and to issue I-20s. Eligible foreign students may now receive visas to attend Gnomon’s High-End Computer Graphics Certificate Program or Maya Fast Track Program.

“This is such an important step for us,” said Kristin Bierschbach, Gnomon’s director of administration. “Because of the quality of our programs and instructors, students from all over the world want to come to Gnomon. Now they can.”

Digital-Tutors has released PRINCIPLES OF PHOTOSHOP CS, the latest in a series of training resources for digital artists. In more than three hours of comprehensive training methods, PRINCIPLES OF PHOTOSHOP CS gives new users a wide understanding of the program and the technical and artistic direction to get started with Photoshop CS.

Scott Caple has joined longtime friend and animation director Tina Seemann on the faculty of Max the Mutt Animation School. As a teacher in the animation field, Caple acquired experience in other schools in the U.S. He combines his academic qualifications readily with firsthand knowledge of the animation industry. He will be teaching Advanced Storyboarding.

From 2000 to 2003, Caple was involved in the concept and production design of THE INCREDIBLES. During his time at Pixar, he was responsible for both environment/background design and art direction.

Advanced Brain Technologies (ABT) announced today the release of SHELLY'S MY FIRST COMPUTER GAME, a first-of-its-kind, award-winning software program developed specifically to teach children, 3-6, the basics in using a personal computer as well as promoting memory and reading skills. The game was made by ABT, a leading developer of neurosensory training products to maximize the human brain's potential through its division, ABT Interactive, and in partnership with Vector Magic, a premier educational software animation producer.

Digital-Tutors announced the worldwide availability of its highly anticipated "Maya Intermediate: Female Android Modeling" training kit -- the latest release in a series of industry leading training resources for digital artists. In more than seven hours and four discs of comprehensive training methods, "Maya Intermediate: Female Android Modeling" guides users through the technical and artistic process of modeling a female android.

Animation and creative solutions company, Synergy Images, has announced that it would be partnering with Australia's Edith Cowan University, to offer its employees a masters degree in interactive multimedia technologies, reports CYBERMEDIA NEWS.

Synergy president/ceo, Malini Subrahmaniam said, "This master's degree would enable us to have a world class animation team in our company."

Mt. Sierra College, a leading media arts and design, business and technology college in the San Gabriel Valley, California has been selected to participate in the Howard Schaefer Pasadena Angels BTC Business Competition along with nine other Southern California colleges and universities. The competition, co-sponsored by the Business Technology Center of Los Angeles (BTC) and the Pasadena Angels, challenges teams of Southland students to develop a business plan, feasibility study or marketing plan to raise funds for an early-stage technology company.

Friedman 3D starts its new semester of high-end, low-cost CG training on Jan. 10, 2005. The semester runs until June 24, 2005.

The Maya CG course runs from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday for 20 weeks. The course is taught by David Gottlieb, a Maya animator formerly with Walt Disney Co.

Subjects covered will be: modeling, texturing, rigging, character animation, lighting and effects. Morning lectures will cover intro to basic subjects and occur daily from 9:00 to 11:00 am and labs from 12:00 to 2:40 pm.

Gnomon School of Visual Effects has revamped its lineup of teachers for the Maya Fast Track Program. Eric Hanson (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW), award-winning digital artist Meats Meier, Sean Mills (SMALLVILLE) and Joshua Reiss (HOLLOW MAN) have joined long-time instructors Alex Alvarez (Gnomon founder) and Darrin Krumweide on the Fast Track roster. The Maya Fast Track Program is a nine-week immersion in Alias Maya and how it is used in a 3D production pipeline. The winter term program runs from Jan. 17 through March 18, 2005.

The Gnomon Workshop released three DVD titles on Dec. 15, 2004, dedicated to understanding the complexity and power of Pixologic's ZBrush. Accomplished artists Meats Meier and Zack Petroc take the artist through the basics and intricacies of this remarkable digital sculpting tool.

Digital-Tutors announced the Season's Savings Sale and companion gifts at Digital-Tutors. In celebration of the holiday season, Digital-Tutors is offering 20% off all training titles and free USB Flash Drives on select products purchased now and through Dec. 29, 2004. To receive the discount, enter dtseason as the discount code for all purchases.

To meet the growing requirements of the animation industry, Arena Multimedia, a division of Aptech, has introduced a diploma in Animation Engineering. The course is designed to teach students animation techniques, keeping in mind the requirements and standards of the industry.

Just in time for the holidays, The Gnomon Workshop has produced 14 more instructive DVDs for release on Dec. 15. These new Digital Library titles, from artists Kevin Hudson, Matt Hartle, Ethan Summers and Sean Mills, give you a multi-layered look at modeling, Paint Effects and mental ray.

In addition, The Gnomon Workshop introduces the industry's first ZBrush titles. Artists Meats Meier and Zack Petroc take you from the fundamentals of this powerful application, through pipeline, sculpting and workflow Maya.

Softimage Co. and the National Animation and Design Centre (NAD Centre) launched NAD Centre Internet Academy (NADIA), the first realtime, interactive learning program for SOFTIMAGE|XSI digital content creation software. NADIA allows 3D artists to access professional instruction for SOFTIMAGE|XSI software directly from a desktop PC connected to the Internet. Participants can choose from a series of 18 modular courses supplemented by an extensive library of material and scenes.

Alias has launched a complete software solution for the education market, with the release of eight new Learning Bundles designed to meet the needs and budgets of teachers and students alike. The competitively priced bundles take 3D learning and content creation to the next level, combining award-winning software with advanced self-paced learning tools resources.

The Art Institute of California - San Francisco announced it has remodeled its curriculum for interactive design in response to technology advancements and changing opportunities in the multimedia field. The school is now enrolling for its upcoming classes in the program starting January 10, 2005.

The new curriculum in "Interactive Media Design" will arm students with skills needed to enter the interactive graphics, digital marketing and Web development industries. The program is offered at both the Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science levels.

Young creators from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania successfully completed a series of animation productions; a first in the East Africa Region, under the patronage of the UNESCO led initiative Africa Animated! The trainees followed an introduction to animation, drawing techniques, scriptwriting for animation and storyboarding.

The training started in Zanzibar International Film Festival's (ZIFF) in June 2004, followed by a four-week workshop in Nairobi at the Kenya College of Communication Technology (KCCT), where the films were produced.