Sydney, Australia-based Digital animation studio Plastic Wax, who specialize in videogame production, are implementing global expansion plans that include extensive talent acquisition, investments in new technology and the opening of an office in San Francisco focused on business development.
Playing with blocks isn't just for kids anymore. The aniMate plug-in for DAZ Studio allows artists to animate 3D characters through drag-and-drop animation modules called aniBlocks, which seamlessly blend into any DAZ Studio project. Created by GoFigure, producer of viral applications for Internet, computer and mobile social networks, and DAZ 3D, developers of 3D software and models, aniMate offers an extremely easy approach to building animation sequences that is ideal for beginners, yet capable of producing professional results.
Earlier this week, Studio B lost producer Richard Pimm, who passed away on September 24, 2008. Pimm, 60, was a known animation producer throughout Canada and the world.
For more than 30 years, Pimm worked for many of the world's leading animation companies, including Nelvana, Disney and Lucasfilm. He also spent 12 years working as an overseas supervisor in Korea, Taiwan, China, Wales, Thailand and the Philippines, where he was the General Manager for Toon City.
Three of the principal developers of the critically acclaimed METROID PRIME series have announced the formation of Armature Studio, which is now welcoming resumes. The company, located in Austin, Texas, is headed by Mark Pacini, Todd Keller and Jack Mathews, the former Game Director, Art Director and Principal Technology Engineer of the hit Nintendo franchise.
Morris Sullivan, who helped establish the Irish animation studio responsible for AN AMERICAN TAIL and THE LAND BEFORE TIME, has died in Toluca Lake, California at age 91, according to a LOS ANGELES TIMES obituary.
Sullivan ran a financial consulting firm before he helped found Sullivan Bluth Studios in 1985 with Don Bluth and other former Disney animators, who had produced several shorts and the feature THE SECRET OF NIMH but went bankrupt in 1984. Sullivan Bluth produced AN AMERICAN TAIL in 1986, and the studio was moved to Ireland to produce films more cost-efficiently.
Rushes, in partnership with Itch Film, will soon reopen their fully equipped, newly refurbished and re-branded studio. This new venture will combine a state of the art studio space with Rushes' long-standing knowledge of pack shots and motion control studio shoots.
Itch Film is a boutique production company, founded by Charlie Paul, an experienced food shoot specialist.
The studio has undergone a complete transformation, with a larger stage area and a stylish, contemporary client area, WiFi Internet access and a roof terrace.
Producer/director/writer Jack Olesker, creator of the MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS television series, has been named President of KEN Creative Studio, the India/U.S. production arm of KEN Group, the Bangalore, India-based multinational conglomerate.
Olesker's immediate task will be to develop a slate of original animated feature films and television series for distribution in the U.S. and internationally, and to be produced jointly in the U.S. and India.
Toon Boom Animation has launched Toon Boom Studio 4.5 and its Toon Boom Studio Importer to Flash (TBSi).
3D software developer DAZ 3D and optical tracking technology developer NaturalPoint announced the ARENA plug-in for DAZ Studio, an easy-to-use and cost-effective complete motion capture solution. Being shown for the first time at the 2008 SIGGRAPH Conference in Los Angeles, the ARENA plug-in for DAZ Studio allows full body and facial capture, rendering, as well as a real-time workflow perfect for previsualization.
To obtain additional information during SIGGRAPH, visit DAZ 3D's Booth #910, or to view a live real-time demonstration, visit NaturalPoint at Booth #733.
Twentieth Century Fox is in negotiations to bring LOVELAND, a U.K. dating show with a virtual reality twist, to the U.S., per VARIETY.
The show is from Standing Stone Productions, the U.K. shingle launched in 2007 by FremantleMedia North America CEO Tom Gutteridge.
After watching the pilot, Fox reality chief Mike Darnell expressed interest in making an American version.
Lucasfilm will present an exclusive advance screening of their animated film STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS as part of the new Production Studio Nights at the SIGGRAPH 2008 Computer Animation Festival. Hosted by John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor from ILM, the evening will begin with a behind-the-scenes discussion about the film's design and style with the film's director, Dave Filoni.
The advance screening of STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS will follow the discussion on Thursday, August 14, at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Foundation 9 Ent. is clarifying the branding for its three Amaze Ent. studios. The move comes as a result of the company's studio-focused strategy to foster individuality and studio autonomy within the company.
The Austin, Texas, USA studio is reinstating its original name, Fizz Factor, and the handheld studio in Kirkland, Washington, USA is also reinstating its original name, Griptonite Games. The console studio in Kirkland will be keeping the Amaze Ent. name.
The sale of the entertainment unit of EM.Sport Media AG to Studio 100, a Belgian media company, was completed today.
The sale was approved by the antitrust authorities in charge, as well as the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting and the Commission on Concentration in the Media.
Red Eye Studio, the Midwest's most experienced motion capture studio, is the first company in North America to purchase the T160 camera system, the latest in motion capture equipment from Vicon Motion Systems.
Ubisoft will expand its award-winning development teams with the opening its first production studio in South America.
The decision to establish a studio in Sao Paulo was directly tied to the fact that the city is the economic capital of Brazil, itself the economic leader in South America. It's also a cultural hotspot, with a young and creative population that has shown a passion for new technology and media, Sao Paulo boasts the largest grouping of universities on the continent.
Insomniac Games is opening a North Carolina-based development studio.
The new studio, which will be located in the Raleigh-Durham area, marks the first expansion in Insomniac's 14-year history. The North Carolina studio will also be known as Insomniac Games, and will focus both on developing current and new intellectual properties. While the new studio will operate largely autonomously from Insomniac's Burbank group, it will receive administrative support along with shared tools and technology.
Looking to add another dimension to your next Adobe Photoshop project? DAZ 3D, a leading developer of professional-quality 3-D software and models, today announced the immediate availability of the DAZ Studio 3D Bridge plug-in for Photoshop.
The 3D Bridge plug-in for Photoshop allows DAZ Studio users to automatically apply 3-D imagery and artwork to any Photoshop project. To help artists master the seamless transfer application, DAZ 3D is offering a free 30-day evaluation license of the 3D Bridge plug-in for Photoshop prior to purchase.
It's downloadable. It's professional quality. It's easy to use. Best of all, it's free. The latest release of DAZ Studio hits the market today, providing the industry with a simplified, enhanced version of this premier feature-rich 3D art and animation package.
Di-O-Matic, a leading developer of character animation software, released the new version of Facial Studio (3ds max edition).
Offering more than 500 controls covering the entire creation process of a 3d head, Facial Studio is for far more than just modelling, it's a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help you achieve better facial animation results in less time than ever before.
Nickelodeon has promoted Mark Taylor to Senior Vice President and General Manager, Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
He will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Nickelodeon's Burbank Animation Studio, the largest producer of television animation in the U.S.
He will report to Brown Johnson, President, Animation and Alison Dexter, Executive Vice President, Production, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group.
Emmy award-winning Toon Boom Animation announced the release of Toon Boom Studio Express 4. With this release, Studio Express 4 increases your ability to easily create eye-catching animation, all within a more user-friendly interface.
Feature highlights include:
*New flexible docking user interface*Calligraphic line styles for a unique animation look*Feather edges for creating blurs and glows*Vectorization using textures for bitmap integration
Post-production house Digital Video Arts has moved into their new 15,000 square foot facility in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
The new studio is state-of-the-art for the company's work in broadcast film production, post-production, still photography and music composition.
It houses a HD screening room with seating for 24, a bistro-style bar and lounge, two art gallery halls and a patio overlooking a pond and wildlife preserve.
Digital studio Radium, San Francisco/Santa Monica/Dallas, announces the addition of Executive Producer Stacy McClain to head up their San Francisco studio and Meghan Lang as Head of Sales, based out of Radium's Santa Monica office.
Also joining the creative team is designer Angela Ko, working out of the Santa Monica studio.
As a way to experiment beyond traditional video games, Electronic Arts has started a new developmental division called Blueprint, VARIETY reports.
EA is not officially talking about the project, but Blueprint will apparently focus on developing (at at low cost) original intellectual property it can spread across multiple types of media.
Neil Young, former head of EA's Los Angeles studio, is head of Blueprint.
In this month's "Mind Your Business," Mark Simon touts the benefits of living where the work is.
