Category: Visual Effects

Pixologic has announced the release of the learning edition of ZBrush 2 and the ZBrush Learning Kit. Experience ZBrush 2s innovative modeling and texturing tools. With its realtime sculpting and texturing of multi-million poly models, ZBrush will carry your digital art to that next level of realism and artistry.

Addressing the needs of commercial producers and others involved in high-end visual effects production, Hollywood Center Studios has unveiled a new 4,500-square-foot shooting stage with a three-wall, hard cove cyc. Dubbed Stage 12, the new space can accommodate the popular motorized Fisher Light rigs, making it ideal for car shoots, as well as bluescreen or greenscreen work.

The Moving Picture Co. (MPC) has completed more than 750 visual effects shots for WALLACE GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, the stop-motion animated feature directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. This first feature-length WALLACE & GROMIT outing was created by Aardman Animations with distribution through DreamWorks. The picture was color graded by Max Horton in the MPC DI lab

The 4th Annual VES Awards presented by the Visual Effects Society (VES) will be held on Feb. 15, 2006 at 7:00 pm at the Hollywood Palladium.

Submissions for the 4th Annual awards competition began being accepted online at the VES Awards website (www.vesawards.com) on Sept. 1. The deadline for all submissions is Dec. 2, 2005.

The WAR OF THE WORLDS remake by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, which grossed $582 million worldwide, is bound for DVD on Nov. 22, 2005 (DreamWorks Home Ent., $30). The limited edition, two-disc set will include interviews with Spielberg and Cruise recounting their on-set experiences and revealing their approach to telling the personal story at the heart of this epic odyssey.

DAZ Prods. Inc. has launched DAZ Studio, a free, feature-rich 3D animation software package that puts a complete virtual photo and motion picture studio at your fingertips. With pre-configured 3D scenes, poseable characters, animals, environments, clothing and accessories, DAZ Studio is the easiest way to quickly create high-quality digital images and animation for games, multimedia, illustration and photography applications.

In many respects, Quiet Man functions much as it sounds. The New York visual effects company is decidedly low-key and casual, reflecting the comfortable confidence with which they ply their craft. However, Since opening their doors a decade ago, the creative studio has enjoyed a, for the most part uninterrupted, growth in status and reputation in the advertising industry, in which they are renowned for the high level of aesthetic and technical finesse they bring to their visual effects work.

The weird and wacky movie adaptation of Douglas Adams THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99) comes to DVD Sept. 13, 2005. Its fun to watch the scene stealing going on between Sam Rockwell (as galaxy president Zaphod Beeblebrox) and John Malkovich (as rival Humma Kavula), but its Alan Rickman who steals the movie as the voice of Marvin, the kvetching robot. Imaginative vfx by Cinesite, creatures by Jim Hensons Creature Shop and models by Asylum Models & Effects.

The Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the schedule of events for eDIT 8. The Filmmakers Festival, taking place in Frankfurt, Germany, from Oct. 911, 2005. Focusing on storytelling in the digital age, eDIT 8 will feature more than 40 different presentations covering a wide range of production aspects, including editing, writing, digital cinema, sound design, producing, visual effects in commercials, television design and much more.