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Category: Technology

Motion Headline News

Vicon Allows Upgrade with MX Bridge

Vicon, developer of Academy Award-winning motion capture technology, has released MX Bridge, a hardware product that allows previous-generation Vicon cameras to be seamlessly connected to the new Vicon MX architecture. MX Bridge represents a flexible upgrade path and gives users benefits such as grayscale imaging and the ability to mix and match cameras of different types. The MX Bridge is aimed at and priced for current Vicon users who want to move to Vicon MX but need an alternative to a full MX system replacement, or users who are seeking to add MX cameras to an existing pre-MX setup.

Headline News

Iridas Releases SpeedGrade OnSet for Laptop-Based Color Correction

Iridas, which first introduced non-destructive color grading technology in 2003, announced the release of SpeedGrade OnSet, a look creation tool for cinematographers, which provides a means for communicating looks to all parts of the post-production and film finishing pipeline. The new application uses the same .look file format as SpeedGrade DI allowing for direct collaboration between cinematographer and colorist. SpeedGrade OnSet runs on both the Mac and Windows platforms.

Game Headline News

Pipelinefx to Unveil qube! 4.0 at SIGGRAPH 2005

Pipelinefx, a leading provider of render farm management software for 3D animation and interactive entertainment companies, will demonstrate version 4.0 of its flagship product, qube!, at SIGGRAPH 2005, being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 31 to Aug. 4.

Headline News

Polhemus Offers Totally Wireless Tracking System

Polhemus, the industry leader in 6 Degree-of-Freedom (6DOF) motion capture, tracking and digitizing technologies, announced the LIBERTY LATUS (Large Area Tracking Untethered System). This system represents a whole new dimension in tracking technology, one that offers a totally wireless, full 6DOF solution. The system has speed, ease-of-use via an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI), and is capable of tracking up to 12 independent markers over large areas at a rate of 94 or 188 updates per second.

Software Headline News

Side Effects Used for Advanced Feathering on Valiant

Side Effects Software announced that U.K.-based Vanguard Animation utilized Houdini software to create new levels of realism in the 3D-animated VALIANT, which Disney will release domestically on Aug. 19, 2005.

Key to the believability of this bird-centric world about carrier pigeons in London during World War II was the feather effects needed for virtually all of the characters. In order to create this visual effect, Vanguard selected Houdini software to achieve realistic motion in the feathers while providing an efficient and cost-effective pipeline.

Effects Headline News

RE:Vision Effects Releases FieldsKit 1.5

RE:Vision Effects now offers FieldsKit version 1.5 for After Effects-compatible applications (Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Combustion, Adobe Premiere Pro, Digital Fusion and Apple Final Cut Pro, among others).

At the heart of FieldsKit is FieldsKit Deinterlacer, which deinterlaces video imagery with superior results. Using proprietary field reconstruction and adaptive motion techniques, FieldsKit Deinterlacer can build full frames from fields that are of much higher quality than the standard approaches available in most effects and video editing applications.

Animation Headline News

Bauhaus Software Introduces Mirage Nomad Tablet

Bauhaus Software Inc. unveiled Mirage Nomad, a new tablet PC-based animation and storyboarding system for 2D artists. Mirage Nomad frees artists to draw, paint and animate anywhere. From storyboards and pencil tests, to fully-colored final animation and vfx, Mirage Nomad is a powerful, portable 2D animation studio that easily fits in a backpack.

Effects Headline News

NewTek, e-on Offer 3D Natural Environment Creation

NewTek Inc. and e-on software are teaming for a special offer providing Vue 5 Infinite, e-on's flagship solution for the creation of natural 3D environments, and LightWave 3D, NewTek's Emmy-award winning 3D content creation and rendering package, to purchasers at the special price of $995. The special offer represents a savings of $1,199 off the combined regular prices of $599 for Vue and $1,595 for LightWave. Vue 5 Infinite will also be available with LightWave upgrades at $495, a $599 savings. This limited-time special offer is available for Mac OS X and Windows 2000/XP platforms.

Color Headline News

Iridas Releases First Component of New Color Pipeline

Iridas, an industry leader in uncompressed playback technologies announced the release of Service Pack 2 for FrameCycler 3.5. This update introduces a key component of the new Iridias color pipeline. With SP2, FrameCycler playback applications now allow users to view sequences with SpeedGrade .look files applied. Color graded playback is thus now possible from every workstation or screening room at any point in the filmmaking process.

Motion Headline News

Vicon iQ 2.0 Released

Vicon iQ 2.0, the newest version of Vicons motion-capture pipeline software, has been released. Vicon iQ provides an intuitive interface with all of the tools needed to manage, automate, capture and process an entire production. With Version 2.0, Vicon iQ offers a complete realtime environment for setup, calibration and capture with Vicon's ultra high-resolution Vicon MX systems. Vicon iQ 2.0 also takes full advantage of the unique grayscale power of Vicon MX cameras, with all-new processing algorithms to deliver the best accuracy, quality and processing times.

Headline News

Rendercore Launches RenMan 2.65 & MacOSX RenMan

Rendercore announced that RenMan client 2.65 & MacOSX RenMan client are ready to launch. Also, there is a new release of the Flash manual on how to use RenMan client.

RenMan client 2.65 features:* Supports Maya Vector render 6.0 & 6.5.* Fixed minor bugs and enhancement made in program.

MacOSX RenMan client beta features:* Supports Maya Application only at this time.* Easy installation. (Download --> Unzip file).* Double click renmanclient.jar file --> RenMan is launched.

Flash manual features:

Games Headline News

AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 Processor Unveiled for 3D Games

The AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 processor is now available, providing increased PC performance on 3D games and more intense and realistic graphic resolutions.

"AMD recognizes that today's games are single-threaded. Users who crave the absolute best performance on 3D games and extreme applications can experience realistic physics and lighting, as well as gripping artificial intelligence and sound, with the single-core AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 processor," said Bob Brewer, corporate vp, Desktop Business, Microprocessor Solutions Sector (MSS), AMD.

Headline News

Softimage Announces Support for Microsoft Xbox 360

Softimage announced support for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system with the release of the .FX plug-in, a free effects creation tool for SOFTIMAGE|XSI software.

The technology powering the Xbox 360 allows developers to build graphically intense high-definition environments with all titles being designed for HD television resolutions (720p and 1080i) in 16:9 widescreen.

Headline News

Alias’ 64-bit mental ray Standalone Part of Larger Product Plans

As the initial part of its greater 64-bit plan, Alias is shipping mental ray Standalone 3.4 64-bit, which is fully compatible with the Maya 6.5 software. The 64-bit software offers faster processing times, and the ability to create and accurately render more complex scenes and images for film, games, broadcast, digital publishing and design visualization.

Digital Headline News

Maas Digital Creates Deep Impact Animation For NASA

Dan Maas of Maas Digital has created an animation charting NASA's Deep Impact spacecrafts trek from Cape Canaveral to its collision with the comet Tempel 1 in the early morning hours of July 4, reports SPX.

Using detailed research and hours of conversations with mission engineers and scientists, Maas has recreated every detail from the precise structure of the spacecraft to the celestial bodies it takes pictures of along its journey.

Headline News

SketchBook Pro 2 Available for Customer Download

Alias announced the launch of Alias SketchBook Pro 2, the latest version of its award-winning paint and drawing software application. Recognized for its ability to turn a digitized pen tablet or Tablet PC into an intuitive, mobile sketchbook, this release takes SketchBook Pro software to a broader audience of users, appealing to a growing number of creative professionals looking to add to their digital toolset.

Motion Headline News

RE:Vision Offers Twixtor 4.5 and ReelSmart Motion Blur 3.2

RE:Vision Effects has released a major update to its Shake version of Twixtor, the popular retiming solution, and a minor update to ReelSmart Motion Blur (RSMB), which adds and removes motion blur based on per-pixel calculated motion.

Nick Brooks, Academy Award and Emmy Award winner for visual effects, says, "Twixtor 4.5 represents a new touchstone in retiming. The difference in accuracy means that retiming artifacts are either drastically reduced or disappear on the hardest to retime footage. "

Technology Headline News

Realizm 800 to Power NEC Express Workstation

Wildcat Realizm 800 graphics technology from 3Dlabs has been selected by NEC to be incorporated in the TE6 ultra high-end graphics accelerator that powers the NEC Express workstation. The inclusion of Wildcat Realizm 800 graphics into the new TE6 graphics accelerator marks the first time that NEC has integrated third-party graphics technology into its TE-branded line of products. The Express workstation for CAD and broadcast video professionals will be available from NEC in Japan later this month.

Headline News

modo Ready for Apple’s Move to Intel Processors

Luxology announced that modo, a leading subdivision surface and polygonal 3D modeling platform, is compatible with Apples new Intel Processor-based Macs. modos highly adaptable architecture will enable Luxologys customers to access this advanced technology as soon as its released.

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