Available immediately for Mac and Windows computers, tablets, interactive white boards, and touch screens, ArtRage Studio and Studio Pro 3.5 provides a most realistic tactile experience. Major improvements in version 3.5 including improvements to the interface to smooth out workflow, tweaks to tools to give quick access to important functionality, and other changes that have been requested since the release of 3.0. Other features include the ability to record and playback actual paint strokes, faster speed, scripting, content sharing, and improved color blending tools.

New ArtRage 3.5 Features

Multithreading

Users of multiprocessor or multicore machines will see substantial speed increases when using version 3.5. Multithreading support has been added to the tools and many of the processor intensive functions in the application.

Package Files

Package Files make the process of sharing custom content like stickers, presets and stencils easy. The Package system lets you gather together as many custom resources as you like and compress them in to an easy to use data file that can be shared with other users and installed with a double click.

 
• Double click and ArtRage extracts and installs the contents of the Package automatically to the user content folders without you having to lift a finger.
• Installed Packages save a receipt which allows easy uninstallation or repair at a later date.
• (Studio Pro) Create your own Package Files, and add author notes and a preview image to personalize it before distribution.
• (Studio Pro) Save out partially completed Package Files to a Template so that you can work on them over multiple sessions.

 

Scripting

ArtRage Script Files allow users to record the process of painting as it happens in to a data file that can be played back later, reproducing the strokes that made up the painting dynamically for the viewer. Record your art for posterity, create tutorials with annotations explaining techniques, and share the process of painting as well as the finished result.

 
• Download and play back scripts at original or accelerated speed to see the painting constructed live on your canvas. The end result is a PTG file complete with all its texture and paint data.
• Play back scripts at different resolutions, recreating your artwork at larger or smaller sizes without losing quality as you would if you resized the original.
• (Studio Pro) Record paintings in a Script File that can be shared with other users.
• (Studio Pro) Annotate scripts as you record with Note Bubbles and Spotlights that draw the viewer’s attention to areas of the canvas during playback. Great for creating tutorials or sharing your knowledge by explaining why you’re using a certain technique or tool.
• (Studio Pro) Scripts are saved with the painting as you work, allowing you to come back to a session and continue recording later.

 

The ArtRage Scripting System is built on a Scripting Language that can be used by advanced script authors to create manually written scripts in a simple text file.

 
• Scripts recorded in ArtRage can be edited manually. Want to change the color of a single stroke you made in the painting, or change the tool that was used? You can adjust and rewrite every element of the painting script however you require.
• Control almost every aspect of ArtRage via written commands, including paint strokes, transformations, settings, built in filtering and more. This deep level of control allows you to automate complex processes in a single file.
• Work with C++ style functions and variable manipulation. The script language supports a wide range of variable types and operators, allowing you to write scripts for procedural painting.
• The script language includes user input options, so you can create scripts with branching functionality or allow the user to select values for numeric or string variables in the script while it plays.

 

Artistic Enhancements

3.5 contains a number of enhancements to the natural painting simulation, including enhancements to tools and color systems.

 
• The Real Color Blending system in ArtRage Studio Pro has been rewritten from the ground up to produce better blending results at faster speeds.
• You can load your Palette Knife with paint and create smooth strokes of pigment across the canvas, blending as you go. Studio Pro allows control over the precise angle of the knife edge if you want to create uniform strokes without worrying about how you hold the stylus.
• The Airbrush has new controls for the sharpness of its falloff so that you can create hard edged strokes, and adds control over drips in the nozzle to allow spattered paint effects.
• Hard tipped media tools such as Pencils, Crayons, and Chalks have been tweaked to allow more expressive variation based on stylus pressure when they interact with the canvas.

 

Comparison Chart

http://www2.ambientdesign.com/files/artrage_3.5_product_comparison.pdf

Corel Photo Paint 12

The Navigator panel allows the viewing of the image from any angle and enabling drawing modes, Impasto, tracing paper, grids and color management.

The new brushes are just as fun to use, as those in a copy of Painter I still have from way back. Also, for performance’s sake, the new kaleidoscope feature. This feature splits the screen into 12 lines from the centre of the screen and allows the palette to work rather like a, well, Kaleidoscope. As I say, it’s just a bit of fun, but this will certainly draw the crowds of never been creative before painters into using at least this feature.
One much more practical change is that the screen clutter seen in previous versions is minimised. Painter is much more focused on the working area, leaving the workspace available for some big images to take over. In fact, I found their menus and panels very light, workable and well-nigh Photoshop-esque. The ability to arrange your panels and palettes the way they are needed has been a big issue for studio workflow speed, and this is a step in the right direction.

The Brushes are reportedly three to five times faster in this release as well, though some reviewers have found some lag between pen down and resultant stroke. I love the Paper selection. I don’t know why, I just do. The new Computed Circular brush control panel lets you decide on the ‘tip profile’ of the brush. The dab opacity and hardness, and dynamic setting like angle and squeeze.

Painter also has now 64-bit support for Windows and a Mac 64-bit release is due out later on in the year. The full product of Corel Painter 12 retails for US$499.00

What’s New?

RenderMan for Maya 4.0

RenderMan® for Maya® 4.0 is the latest version of Pixar’s advanced rendering plug-in for Maya, featuring Pixar’s award-winning RenderMan renderer. Highlights in version 4.0 include a series of significant performance enhancements, which should be immediately apparent on many scenes.

NEW FEATURES

1. Maya Fluids – Maya Fluid are now supported with full support for motion blur and the ability to produce depth maps, for Deep Shadows, etc.
2. RenderMan Controls - A new, consolidated user interface provides intuitive, one-window access to the RfM’s basic settings and operations.
3. Co-Shader Support - RFM now supports tightly bound light/co-shader combiniations.

ENHANCEMENTS

1. Upgrade to 15.2 - RFM includes a significant upgrade to the core rendering technology, providing substantial out-of-box performance enhancements.
2. Unlimited Threading – Renderings now can take advantage of unlimited threads per seat.
3. Enhanced Threading - Significant gains when using multiple processors
4. Accelerated Ray Tracing – Substantial performance optimizations
5. Render Layers - The pass mechanisms for both implicit and explicit passes has been improved for Maya Render Layer’s.

JOB DISTRIBUTION

• 1. Pixar’s Tractor – RFM provides no-hassle job distribution with Tractor, Pixar’s new and improved work dispatching system … Tractor is available as a separate purchase for RFM.

NEW COMPATIBILITY

• 1. 64 bit Vista Support on OSX
  2. Maya 2011 Support

What’s New?

RenderMan Studio

RenderMan Studio 3.0 is the latest version of Pixar’s advanced suite of tools for shading and lighting TDs. Highlights in version 3.0 include a series of significant performance enhancements, which should be immediately apparent on many scenes.

NEW FEATURES

1. Relighting - GUI for interactive, final render-quality relighting of your Maya scene. (RFM Pro Only, RenderMan Pro Server Required.)
2. Maya Fluids – Maya Fluid are now supported with full support for motion blur and the ability to produce depth maps, for Deep Shadows, etc.
3. RenderMan Controls - A new, consolidated user interface provides intuitive, one-window access to the RfM’s basic settings and operations.
4. Co-Shader Support - RFM now supports tightly bound light/co-shader combiniations.
5. Slim Scripting – MTOR-style Slim scripting is now supported from RFM, via slimcmd and slimmsg.
6. TCL - RFM now supports Slim-side Tcl expressions (e.g. mattr, etc.)

ENHANCEMENTS

1. Render Layers - The pass mechanisms for both implicit and explicit passes has been improved for Maya Render Layer’s.
2. The RIB Inspector – A new RIB inspector provides quick access to your render data.
3. Better Intergration with Slim – RFM’s integration with Slim has been improved:
   1. Slim sessions now “travel” with Maya scene files.
   2. Bind Slim shaders to Maya nodes without the use of Maya ShadingGroup Nodes.
   3. Hierarchical binding via the Maya DAG is now supported. A new binding strength attribute allows you to override lower-level bindings at higher DAG levels.
   4. Slim can now initiate preview renders in Maya.
   5. Slim networks can now generally imply extra rendering passes.
   6. Full support for Slim-side Ensemble Adaptors.

SLIM 9.0

1. Factory Templates – Complete upgrades to out-of-box templates, providing production-ready shading while leveraging the new capabilities of RSL 2.0.
   1. Improved physical accuracy
   2. Optimized performance
   3. New Slim nodes of all types, including Broadcast co-shaders, PTex utilities, volume nodes, and more.
2. Materials Library – A library of complex appearances is provided.
3. Tight Slim/RFM Integration – Offering new levels of interactivity with Maya. Tight integration means:
   1. Direct attachments from Slim
   2. A new Smart Palette based on Maya selections
      Slim networks can now imply extra rendering passes..
   3. Full support for Slim-side conditional Adaptors
4. PSets - PSets are a new UI tool for simplifying the process of introducing many minor variations in shaders.
5. Co-Shaders – Complex shading tasks can be much more controllable and efficient with co-shaders.

RENDERER ENHANCEMENTS

1. Upgrade to 15.2 - RFM includes a significant upgrade to the core rendering technology, providing substantial out-of-box performance enhancements.
2. Unlimited Threading – Renderings now can take advantage of unlimited threads per seat.
3. Disney’s PTex - RFM now supports PTex files, including both reading, writing, and baking, facilitating new workflows for painting and texturing models, with higher quality results.
4. Enhanced Threading - Significant gains when using multiple processors
5. Accelerated Ray Tracing – Substantial performance optimizations

JOB DISTRIBUTION

• 1. Pixar’s Tractor – RFM provides no-hassle job distribution with Tractor, Pixar’s new and improved work dispatching system … one Tractor license is included with every seat of RenderMan Studio.

Press Releases

EMERYVILLE, CA – (July 27th, 2010) Pixar Animation Studios today disclosed full details of the upcoming versions of its RenderMan Studio and RenderMan for Maya products at SIGGRAPH 2010.

Targeted for release in the fall of 2010, RenderMan for Maya 4.0 is Pixar’s RenderMan® plug-in for Autodesk’s Maya®, optimized to provide fast and easy access to the photorealistic rendering technology used to create the stunning visual effects in the majority of today’s feature films. This latest version provides accelerated performance via the addition of unlimited threading and significant acceleration and memory efficiencies from core optimizations to the internal renderer. Additionally RenderMan for Maya 4.0 brings support for Maya Fluids, Maya 2011 compatibility, and the addition of a new unified interface for RenderMan Controls.

Also targeted for release in the fall of 2010, RenderMan Studio 3.0 includes all of the above new features and adds enhanced Slim integration, a new production-quality shader library, a relighting GUI built on PRMan’s re-rendering API, enhanced co-shader support, PSets, Ptex compatibility, and more. In addition, RenderMan Studio now includes Tractor 1.0, Pixar’s recently released distributed render management solution built on an innovative new architecture designed to manage both small and large multi-core render farms.

Pixar’s SIGGRAPH 2010 booth (#628) features demonstrations of both the new RenderMan Studio 3.0 and RenderMan for Maya 4.0, together with customer case studies and workflow demonstrations from complimentary products that closely integrate with RenderMan in today’s production pipelines. The annual RenderMan Users Group is being held at 6.30 pm at the JW Marriott, Los Angeles at L. A. Live, 900 West Olympic Boulevard, CA 90015. More information is available for those both using and considering RenderMan at the Pixar booth.

SIGGRAPH 2010 highlights the latest versions of RenderMan Studio, RenderMan for Maya, together with RenderMan Pro Server, as the core technologies used in today’s cinematic rendering pipelines, all built on a shared technology base providing entry points and upgrade paths suitable for every level of user.

Availability
RenderMan for Maya 4.0 is compatible with Mac OS 10.5 and 10.6, Windows 7, Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit, and Windows Vista 64-bit HPC Server. In addition to the above, RenderMan Studio 3.0 is compatible with Linux 32-bit and 64-bit. New purchasers of the current versions of both products are entitled to a free upgrade when these versions release.

Tractor 1.0 is included in RenderMan Studio and is also available as a standalone product. Each additional Tractor license is able to execute one task on a remote client for only $99. Until December 31, 2012, existing Alfred, Alfserver, RenderMan Pro Server, and RenderMan Studio customers on active maintenance are entitled to freely replace their Alfred and Alfserver licenses with an equivalent number of Tractor licenses on a one to one basis at any time. Tractor 1.0 is compatible with Mac OS X and Linux 32-bit and 64-bit, but can deploy tasks to Windows 7, Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit, and Windows Vista 64-bit HPC Server also.

Pixar’s annual maintenance program benefits customers with access to ongoing support and free upgrades. For more information please visit www.pixar.com or contact rendermansales@pixar.com.

About Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. Creator of some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up and most recently, Toy Story 3. The Northern California studio has won 24 Academy Awards® and its eleven films have grossed more than $5.5 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The next film release from Disney•Pixar is Cars 2 (June 24, 2011).

source: pixar.com

DREAMWORKS ANIMATIONS’ MEGA MINDS PLOT DESTRUCTION WITH BLAST CODE, AT THE PRESS OF A BUTTON

“As we built the city, we also spent time developing how to break the city into all the demolition.” – Philippe Denis, Visual Effects Supervisor

Superheroes come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and you never know where they may be hiding. You can find several in the hallways of DreamWorks Animation, disguised in blue jeans and T-shirts, silently creating worlds and alter-egos. Here we will introduce two of those superheroes and tell their tale of how they created the latest animated blockbuster, Megamind. And blockbuster it is, not just at the box office, but on the screen, with busted blocks flying everywhere.

MEGA DESTRUCTION

Building the city and blowing it up were both major challenges. Denis explained how they tackled the issue of level of detail up front. “We were thinking about creating hero models for certain buildings. We did in some cases, but for the most part it worked so we used the procedural CG buildings for most of the shots, even the very close up buildings.

” The herculean city was built procedurally, taking nine to twelve months to complete. And it still needed to be populated. “We wanted to make sure the city was alive with crowds, and we used Massive to simulate the traffic throughout the city.” They also used Maya, Houdini, the Blast Code plug-in, Nuke for compositing, and DWA’s proprietary software.

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Sharp Develops 3D Camera Module for Mobile Devices Capable of Capturing High-Definition 3D Video Images, an Industry First*1
Key Device to Make 3D Video Readily Available

Press Release

Sharp Corporation has developed a 3D camera module for mobile devices capable of capturing high-definition (720p*2) 3D video images, an industry first. Sharp will start shipping samples in July. Mass production of these modules will begin within 2010.

3D images are composed of two views taken using two cameras that simultaneously capture separate images for the right and left eyes. Consequently, a 3D camera requires peripheral circuitry to apply image processing to the two images, for example, to adjust color or to correct positioning between the images from the two cameras. Manufacturers have thus been pursuing designs that reduce the size and weight of 3D cameras and seeking ways to shorten their development period.

The current 3D camera module developed by Sharp incorporates functions to process the image data output by the left and right cameras, including Color Synchronizing Processing to adjust color and brightness, Timing Synchronizing Processing to synchronize the timing of the video signals, and Optical Axis Control Processing to correct positioning. In addition, Fast Readout Technology rapidly transfers video data from the image sensor, enabling 3D images to be captured in high-resolution HD mode. Further, in developing this camera module, Sharp applied high-density mounting technology nurtured over long years of experience in camera module development to achieve a compact form. Embedding this camera module in mobile devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and smartphones will contribute to the development of a wide range of new, innovative communications tools.

In the future, Sharp will be opening up new 3D markets based on 3D display technologies, including small/medium-size and large-size 3D LCDs, as well as on 3D input device technologies such as 3D camera modules.

Sources : engadget

“We thought the renders looked pretty real, but when you put on the glasses, you believe it even more because now you can see both sides of the face at the same time because your eyes are far enough apart to take in that information.” – Guy Williams, VFX Supervisor

James Cameron may be the King of this world but he is the God of Pandora, a paradise planet of suburb transcendental beauty. And the artists of Weta Digital are Cameron’s angels. Of the 162 minutes of film, 117 minutes equaling 1,832 shots was created by Weta’s angels, over 2,000 if you count the omits.

Weta worked on every scene with a Na’vi. The Sci-Fi film is set in the future on the distant planet where humans attempt to mine a mineral whose largest deposit lies under the home of the Na’vi, an indigenous blue humanoid character who is directly linked to the life force of Pandora, and will fight to the death to protect it.

Humans, in an attempt to infiltrate and relocate the Na’vi, develop a DNA hybrid of them and selected humans, and grow Na’vi-like creatures that can be mentally linked and remotely controlled through the DNA-related human mind.

“Once you go into the world of the Avatar,” explained Wayne Stables, one of several VFX Supervisors needed to meet the requirements of this incredible film, “once (main character) Jake Sully and the other humans make this link, pretty much everything in the film becomes computer generated.

A realistic jungle with trees and leaves, with grass with the wind blowing through, with exotic plants that still have to look real, that becomes a huge task. Then add in characters that had to look real, had to be completely believable- you had to read the emotion in their face.

But they are blue. And just in case that hasn’t made your life difficult enough, you decide to do it in stereo. When you consider this is a large planet, rivers and waterfalls or various other complex phenomena, you can start to gauge the scope of digital FX that was required.” And then there is the jungle.

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Humans, in an attempt to infiltrate and relocate the Na’vi, develop a DNA hybrid of them and selected humans, and grow Na’vi-like creatures that can be mentally linked and remotely controlled through the DNA-related human mind. “Once you go into the world of the Avatar,” explained Wayne Stables, one of several VFX Supervisors needed to meet the requirements of this incredible film, “once (main character) Jake Sully and the other humans make this link, pretty much everything in the film becomes computer generated.

A realistic jungle with trees and leaves, with grass with the wind blowing through, with exotic plants that still have to look real, that becomes a huge task. Then add in characters that had to look real, had to be completely believable- you had to read the emotion in their face.

But they are blue. And just in case that hasn’t made your life difficult enough, you decide to do it in stereo. When you consider this is a large planet, rivers and waterfalls or various other complex phenomena, you can start to gauge the scope of digital FX that was required.” And then there is the jungle.

The long-awaited Avatar finally opens today from Twentieth Century Fox and, as you’ve read by now, actually lives up to all the hype about transporting us in a much more visceral and immersive way. I spoke to James Cameron by phone last week from the London junket, and he really enjoyed geeking out for us.

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3D camera breaks world record with 158 lenses

Sure, there are viable commercial options for taking photos in three dimensions, but if you really want to capture 3D images (and you happen to be attached to a major university) you can always go the route of Associate Professor Ishino Youzirou and company. The camera that they developed at the Nagoya Institute of Technology sports 158 lenses arranged on an 18.5-inch aluminum arc frame. The school’s combustion engineers will use it to study irregular flames — all the while content in the knowledge that they’ve entered the Guinness Book of World Records for building the camera with the most lenses. This is certainly safer than Youzirou’s other attempt to enter the Guinness book, Most Live Rattlesnakes Held in the Mouth (the record for that, by the way, is ten).

Cambridge’s ProFORMA does 3D scanning with any stationary webcam

Never mind that silly name: ProFORMA (which stands for ‘Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition’, if you must know) is some cool system that turns any ordinary webcam into a powerful 3D scanning tool. In fact, a camera is pretty much all you need for some “on-line” modeling action — no laser or green screen necessary — meaning the 3D models are constructed on the spot while you slowly rotate the objects, although ProFORMA can also track fast moving objects as shown in the demo video after the break. Fans of machinima should also look into this for their next Warhammer drama series, but don’t say you heard it from us.

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MIT gestural computing makes multitouch look old hat

Ah, the MIT Media Lab, home to Big Bird’s illegitimate progeny, augmented reality projects aplenty, and now three-dimensional gestural computing. The new bi-directional display being demoed by the Cambridge-based boffins performs both multitouch functions that we’re familiar with and hand movement recognition in the space in front of the screen — which we’re also familiar with, but mostly from the movies. The gestural motion tracking is done via embedded optical sensors behind the display, which are allowed to see what you’re doing by the LCD alternating rapidly (invisible to the human eye, but probably not to human pedantry) between what it’s displaying to the viewer and a pattern for the camera array. This differs from projects like Natal, which have the camera offset from the display and therefore cannot work at short distances, but if you want even more detail, you’ll find it in the informative video after the break.

Latest SixthSense demo features paper ‘laptop,’ camera gestures

We’ve already seen MIT researcher Pranav Mistry’s SixthSense projector-based augmented-reality system in some cool demos, but he just gave a TED talk and his latest ideas are the wildest yet. Forget simple projections, he’s moved on to taking photos by just making a box with your fingers, identifying books and products on store shelves and projecting reviews and other information on them, projecting flight schedules on boarding passes, and even a new paper “laptop” concept that works by using a microphone on the paper to sense when you’re touching it. It’s pretty amazing stuff — check out his whole talk at the read link.

Marvell’s Armada chip bringing ‘HD-quality video, 3D graphics support’ to Entourage Edge

We already knew that a potent Marvell chip was under the hood of Spring Design’s Alex, but at long last the mystery surrounding the powerhouse within Entourage’s Edge is no more. The Armada PXA168 processor will be responsible for steering the world’s first “Dualbook” through the stormy seas that’ll be created once crazed consumers get ahold of this thing, and while we’ve no idea if the software will actually support this laundry list of capabilities, the chip should have no issue with “full-featured web browsing, multi-format video and image processing.” More specifically, we’re informed that “HD-quality video and 3D graphics” will be supported, which could obviously lead to some pretty interesting applications (you know, like actual web surfing on an e-reader). Hop on past the break for a brief look at an early generation model as well as a functioning version of what should hopefully hit shelves in early 2010.

“Strong concept art will save a lot of steps in the CG process;
it helps to keep the artists from meandering from the final goal.” – Aharon Bourland, Technical Art Director,
Look Development.

As the New Moon rises, so do the stars at Tippett Studio. Charged with creating the Quileute Wolf Pack for the Twilight sequel, some of the industries leading character artists sunk their teeth into just under 60 shots ranging from three to twelve seconds that were pivotal to the storyline. And those shots are getting noticed.

Wolf Mountain and Frankenwolf

The challenge wasn’t just to build a believable wolf, but to build five unique wolves of extraordinary size and weight, to portray that mass often with little more than the surrounding trees as comparisons, create believable fur and humanesque eyes that weren’t distracting. Nate Fredenburg, Art Director, helped to make sure those requirements were fulfilled, combining real-world attributes and CG magic.

“At Tippett Studio, we always look to real-life creatures for reference on how to design our characters, real or mythical. For New Moon, we had a special opportunity to travel down to wolf sanctuary in Southern California to observe wolves up close and personal. The key to looking at live reference is to form a knowledge base, study the creatures, their quirks and behaviors, the language between the pack. We looked for signs of what the creature was about and added those to the visual effects to make them believable.”

In Lucerne Valley, there is a sanctuary called Wolf Mountain where a dedicated group is trying to save wolves from extinction. This is where the Tippett artists traveled to spend personal time with the wolves, many tame enough to be approached and touched by strangers. There the artist could observe behaviors, pack interactions, hierarchy behaviors, and movement, and “closely examine the fur and its different lengths over the body, the coloring variations and markings, as well as the structure of the face, eyes, teeth and so on.”

The trip was extremely fruitful, but Phil Tippett, with his honed eye for perfection, added a second method to study fur under different controlled lighting and wind. “We had a bunch of photographs of wolves that we were studying but Phil was insisting that we take it to the next level and have something to touch, walk around, and actually do your own,” explained Fredenburg. This resulted in the creation of what became affectionately known as the “Frankenwolf”.
Tippett bought wolf pelts and cut them up with an Exacta knife and pasted it onto a taxidermy blank “so that we could do a lighting lab in two conditions? controlled lighting on our stage where we could shine very specific lights and look at how the fur responded, then we took it outside on an overcast day, which was perfect for New Moon. We came up with strategies for how to artistically make the wolves look better in flat lighting, which is what we were dealing with and is a very difficult lighting situation.”

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ZBrush 3.5 aims to bring you creative freedom and an end to technical constraints. With new features like ZSpheres II, ZSketch, Quick Sketch, Surface Noise, Planar brushes and many other new enhancements, your art will reach a whole new level.

With this new version, we have refined and added to ZBrush’s already exceptional toolset, improving the natural traditional media feel that ZBrush is famous for. We’ve made it easier than ever for you to create organic characters, mechanical objects, environments or product designs. If you are an illustrator, VFX or video game artist, product designer or just a hobbyist passionate about 3D, ZBrush is for you!

We invite you to discover the main new additions to ZBrush 3.5 – enhancements that are the foundation for the upcoming ZBrush 4! In addition, both versions are free upgrades for all registered ZBrush users!

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PART 1 OF 2

In this first of two features covering the efforts of
Vancouver’s Image Engine VFX studio, we meet some crew and find out how they worked.

History

For many years, the founding partners of Image Engine, namely Robin Hackl, Christopher Mossman and Greg Holmes wanted to nurture the company into new areas, to start taking on more film work. They’d grown a primarily television-focused business over the previous ten years, just like other boutique shops in Vancouver. When Neill Blomkamp arrived with the feature film pitch for ‘District 9′, this was exactly what they were waiting for.

They needed folks with feature film experience to drive the growth. Shawn Walsh began as a Digital Effects Supervisor on the existing episodic television work, but given his background, he quickly turned his attention to the task of creating a feature film division at the company. Now, Image Engine has grown roughly four or five fold in four or five years.

“The first person I called begging for help was Peter Muyzers who was my CG Supervisor when I worked as a lighter at The Moving Picture Company on ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’,” explains Walsh. “Both Peter and I were looking for an opportunity to create something in Vancouver and the film division at Image Engine fitted the bill for us. Pete and I hashed out a plan to grow the company into a film focused entity and set that plan in motion.” Now, film work accounts for about 90% of Image Engine’s revenue. Shawn Walsh says that Muyzers has been the key catalyst in their increased technical capabilities, the drive towards establishing a strong R&D department under John Haddon, and creatively reaching for the highest level possible. “It has been a really challenging three years, but we are really jazzed about our crew’s potential,” Walsh says.

PART 2 OF 2

Texturing, lighting and pampering the critters of ‘District 9′.
Image-Engine completes the story.

The Executive Producer of ‘District 9′ Shawn Walsh, had been following Director Neill Blomkamp’s career pretty closely for some years. It was a pleasant surprise when Neill got in touch one day asking if he was interested in collaborating on a project. “We’d nearly crossed paths many times, but we didn’t know each other,” adds Walsh. He says Neill sent him “great rambling bits of text that included all kinds of wildly imaginative stuff he wanted in the film. It was all very improvisational.”

Peter Muyzers, Digital Production Manager, thought there was something about the first connection with Neill’s assistant that convinced him to explore the film project a little further. “There was a brief outline in an email that immediately struck us as interesting,” Muyzers explains.

Liquavista’s been kicking around in the shadows for years now, and while its stuff has largely been viewed as vaporware, the video waiting for you just past the break changes everything. The company has today revealed three new e-reader display technologies that it’s working on, and all three of ‘em are in prototype form ready to wow. LiquavistaBright aims to speed up page refreshes on e-book readers and add support for video playback, and considering just how awful web browsing is on existing e-ink displays, we can hardly wait to surf on this stuff. It’s also toiling away on a LiquavistaColor screen, which is exactly what you think it is. Finally, there’s the elusive LiquavistaVivid, which is planned for “product implementation” throughout 2010 and 2011. Hit the read link if you’re down for looking into the future, and be sure to tell PixelQi its main competition has just come out in a big way.

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