Eovia Releases Carrara 5.1
Eovia Corp., developer and publisher of leading 3D software tools, released Eovia Carrara 5.1, a free update to its complete 3D solution. Carrara 5.1 delivers enhanced stability and an array of compelling new capabilities.
Category: Technology
Apple Ships First Universal Final Cut Studio 5.1
Apple is now shipping the first Universal version of its Final Cut Studio video production suite that delivers up to 2.5x the performance when running on a MacBook Pro notebook computer. Final Cut Studio features state-of-the-art tools that complement Final Cut Pro 5, including Soundtrack Pro, a new audio editing and sound design application that makes video projects sound as good as they look; Motion 2, the first realtime motion graphics application with GPU accelerated 32-bit float rendering; and DVD Studio Pro 4 for professional DVD authoring.
NVIDIA Offers First Quadro FX Mobile Workstation
NVIDIA Corp. announced a new line of NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics solutions. This new lineup includes:
* The NVIDIA Quadro FX 350M: the company's first professional GPU designed specifically for thin and light mobile workstations.* The NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500M: offering outstanding application performance and the industry's highest image precision and quality.* The NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M: bringing an industry best 512MB of graphics memory for customers looking for the highest performance.
Vicon iQ 2.5 Now Available
Vicon has released Vicon iQ 2.5, the most recent installment of the company's industry-leading Vicon iQ software. Vicon iQ has consistently streamlined and automated motion capture workflows by providing intuitive controls and a user interface that simplifies the tasks associated with recording and managing even the most complex motion capture data.
3D Visualizations for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Mary Ann Skweres reports on vital 3D visualizations for forecasting and tracking of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Includes QuickTime clips!
Blackmagic Offers 2K Support With Multibridge Extreme 5.5
Blackmagic Design announced true 2K resolution support with version 5.5 software for the highly popular Multibridge Extreme all-in-one bi-directional converter with PCI-Express.
In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia, Australia
Autodesk FBX Now Part of DAZ|Studio
DAZ Prods. Inc., a leading developer of professional quality 3D software and models, announced that Autodesk FBX is now fully integrated with DAZ|Studio, a free, feature-rich 3D art software package. DAZ|Studios integration of the FBX file format allows users to import and export their favorite DAZ models and scenes into and out of every major 3D package on the market, and access a wealth of tools and content available through FBXs extensive partner network.
Pixel Farm Ships PFClean, Goes ‘MacTel’
The Pixel Farm, a company focused on innovation in the field of high-end digital post-production, has released PFClean1.5. Since its release in 2005, PFClean has already been adopted by a growing number of DI and post-production facilities worldwide including, Hollywood Intermediates, Ollin Studios and Hungarian Film Labs.
Polhemus Announces MINUTEMAN Tracking
Polhemus, the industry leader in 6 Degree of Freedom (6DOF) motion capture, tracking and digitizing technologies, now offers MINUTEMAN, the new low cost (under $1,500) 3-Degree-of-Freedom (3DOF) tracking product.
ARTVPS Collaborates with mental images on New Ray Tracing Solutions
ARTVPS, developers of a unique graphics processor for photorealistic ray tracing, and mental images, the developers of the globally leading, Academy Award winning high-end rendering software mental ray, have concluded agreements that will further the evolution of advanced ray tracing solutions for 3D visualization.
The Dawn of High-Def DVDs
Karen Raugust looks at the two high-def DVD formats, HD DVD and Blu-Ray Disc, set to launch this spring and how it will affect the home entertainment industry.
Architectural Visualization: Building the Future
Janet Hetherington looks at how advancements in technology are providing new ways for architects to design, plan and build the places where we live, work and play. Includes a QuickTime clip!
ATI Introduces FireGLT V7350
ATI Technologies Inc. announced the industry's first one gigabyte (1GB) workstation graphics accelerator, the ATI FireGLT V7350, and also a 512 megabyte configuration, the FireGLT V7300. Featuring an extremely powerful ultra-threaded parallel processing GPU, and ATI's industry leading AvivoT video and display technology, these new ultra high-end graphics cards further extend ATI's workstation graphics line, delivering better performance, more advanced features and higher image quality.
In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Europe
Intel Introduces First Dual-Core Low-Voltage Intel Xeon Processor
Intel Corp. now offers the first lowvoltage Intel Xeon processor to combine dualcore technology with Intels innovative power management capabilities, helping to boost energyefficient price/performance with up to two to four times the performanceperwatt of previous Intel Xeon processors and platforms.
REALVIZ VTour Now Shipping
REALVIZ announced the availability of VTour, the latest addition to their software portfolio for content creation. The product, which was unveiled at the recent IMAGINA show in Monaco, draws on the award-winning technology of Stitcher and ImageModeler and offers users of all levels an innovative and effective solution for the creation of photoreal 3D environments from 2D pictures or panoramas.
1.1 VFX Streamlines Workflow With Xstoner V2
Maximum Throughput Inc., developers of ultra high performance software-based solutions for networked storage infrastructure and media management, announced that 1.1 VFX, a visual effects/creative finishing company in Venice, California, has deployed Xstoner v2 software throughout its facility to ease data management tasks and speed the flow of jobs through its production pipeline.
3D Convergence: Bridging Design and Marketing
Karen Raugust reports on the growing convergence in design visualization in various industries, as they share digital assets and information to solve mutual production problems.
Emergent Game Technologies Launches New Tools at GDC 2006
Emergent Game Technologies has launched Emergent Elements, a powerful new set of modular game development tools that brings together stand-alone metrics, automation and 3D graphics technologies into a flexible, integrated framework. Emergent Elements enables developers to focus on the craft of game development, arming them with powerful new tools for building, testing and managing their games with more flexibility and control than ever before.
NVIDIA Releases New Gelato, Acquires Hybrid Graphics
NVIDIA Corp. announced the release of NVIDIA Gelato 2.0 rendering software, the latest major release of its high-end, GPU-accelerated rendering software.
Gelato also comes with the Mango plug-in for Maya and (coming soon) the Amaretto plug-in for 3ds Max. With the plug-ins, users have access to all the features found in Gelato. Amaretto is currently in beta testing with availability planned in coming weeks. Artists can use the plug-ins to render images right out of the box, or can use Gelatos API to combine the renderer with other production tools.
Luxology modo Available for Intel-based Macs
Luxology Llc., the creators of modo, a leading subdivision surface and polygonal 3D modeling platform, announced the immediate availability of a universal binary version of modo for Intel-based Macintosh computers. Used by Apple to conduct iMac performance benchmarks, modos universal binary version boasts more than twice the speed when running on iMacs that use Intel Core Duo technology, and performs up to five times faster than previous top-of-the-line PowerBooks when testing the rendering speed of the modo 201 beta version.
AGEIA’s PhysX Processor Available for Interactive Gaming
AGEIA Technologies Inc., a pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, announced the availability of its PhysX processor, the first physics processing unit (PPU) designed to power pervasive realtime physics in PC gaming. With immediate availability from the worlds leading gaming system and personal computer manufacturers Alienware, Dell and Falcon Northwest, the AGEIA PhysX Accelerator brings true physics interaction on a massive scale to serious gamers for the first time.
In Anime, Technology, Visual Effects, Anime, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All
Nokia Debuts New Advances at GDC Mobile
Nokia unveiled a new software development kit (SDK) and consumer interface for its next generation mobile gaming platform. The new tools and consumer interface are designed to empower the mobile games industry to create high quality 3D mobile games for Nokia smartphones.
Autodesk to Offer MotionBuilder 7.5
Autodesk Inc. has announced Autodesk MotionBuilder 7.5 character animation software. Designed to tackle the challenges of working with motion capture, the software features realtime productivity tools to realize ideas for sophisticated 3D characters in next-generation game pipelines. Autodesk MotionBuilder caters to a broad range of users, from independent digital artists to large-scale production studios.
Softimage Announces SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.5.1
Softimage Co. confirmed the latest update to the companys flagship character production software, SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.5.1. This release offers a range of new features designed to simplify deployment and asset exchange for customers working on next-generation game titles and vfx in mixed pipelines. Feature updates include native COLLADA 1.4 support, enhanced asset exchange with other applications and hundreds of other customer-driven enhancements.
NaturalMotion Debuts endorphin 2.6 at GDC
NaturalMotion Ltd. announced that it will debut endorphin 2.6, the newest version of the companys award-winning 3D animation software, at the 2006 Game Developer Conference (GDC), booth 1136. With new network licensing, improved adaptive behaviors, enhanced pipeline integration and improved character editing features, endorphin 2.6 boasts a powerful suite of tools that allow animators to create realistic, fully interactive 3D character animation for games, films and broadcast production.
