Toon Boom Technologies, a leading supplier of 2D animation software, announced the commercial release of Toon Boom Studio v1.0 for Mac and PC. Toon Boom Studio increases productivity for digital animators with improved drawing accuracy, an automatic lip-sync feature, 3D scene planning and compact Flash-compatible file rendering for greater scene complexity. The software package also incorporates the feel of traditional animation with a rotating light table, "X" sheet visual representation of the work and a "flip-book" feature. The software also features an output to Apple's QuickTime, a second camera-view in the scene-planning mode and Adobe Illustrator input. "As a beta tester, we had the opportunity to test the drawing and production features of Toon Boom Studio, and we were pleased with the variety and depth of the tools provided by the software," said Scott Dacko, vice president of production, Traction Interactive. "I was especially impressed with the interface, and the powerful drawing and scene-planning tools." Toon Boom Studio is a native Mac OS X program and is also available for Windows (98, ME, 2000). It is available via download for US$349 and via mail, which includes a disc and printed documentation, for $374. Also, it is available at a special discounted price for students at $99. The new software is being used at itoons and Funny Garbage. Bayer hired itoons to develop a Web series for midol.com to promote its Midol menstruation medication. Starring three heroines (the Mighty Midols), the plot focuses on a battle against the evil forces of "Monsteruation." The cartoon teaches consumers about symptoms associated with menstruation. Funny Garbage used Toon Boom technology to develop an animated music video for Sugar Ray to introduce their new album and single, "When It's Over." The song debuted on CartoonNetwork.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
