Fab Marketplace by Epic Games
Fab, Epic Games' new content marketplace, is now live. Artists can access 3D assets for VFX, games, and post-production projects. Expect updates as the platform stabilizes.
New Cloth Creation Toolset for Houdini: A First Look
Houdini Artits introduce a new cloth and curves creation toolset basend on the drawing of Curves.
Pixell Upscaling System for VFX Artists
The latest entry into the world of AI-driven tools for post-production is Pixell, a new AI-powered video upscaling system designed with VFX artists in mind.
Blackmagic Camera 1.4 Update for Android: Xperia Support and More
BMD has rolled out version 1.4 of its Camera Control app for Android, now supporting Xperia devices.
Free Adobe MAX 2024: Access all Talks from Last Week’s Event
Adobe MAX 2024's key sessions are now available online for free, providing creatives with tutorials on VFX, animation, filmmaking, and post-production tools.
Blender Plug-ins by Jesse Miettinen Now Free to Download
The Developer made his Blender plug-ins free, offering new tools for artists to streamline their workflows.
Namaqualand 3D Assets: Free, Desert Dry—But Not Your Workflow!
Poly Haven drops over 30 3D scans and 10 HDRIs of South African desert plants and rocks, free for VFX pros. Formats? Blender, FBX, USD—and more.
Unity 6: New Features After the Licensing Turmoil
Unity 6's release brings new features and stability enhancements. Licensing policies have been reworked after last year’s backlash, with better flexibility for small studios.
Nvidia boosts Adobe’s AI with New Tech Driver
If you want to get all out of the Adobe-AI-tools, you might want to update the drivers for your Nvidia Card ...
Inkscape 1.4 Released
Inkscape 1.4 is now available, delivering significant performance upgrades and new tools that will benefit digital artists, VFX…
Substance 3D Viewer (Beta): New Lightweight 3D Viewer for Over 70 File Formats
Adobe has released Substance 3D Viewer as a free open beta. The tool supports over 70 3D formats and integrates seamlessly with Photoshop for a flexible, non-destructive workflow.
Autodesk Launches Bifrost for Maya 2.11
Autodesk unveils Bifrost for Maya 2.11, offering Artists enhanced tools for procedural effects, USD support, and a better integration for fluid simulations.
Have your say about the future of blender!
The first Blender survey - if you ever thought "If they'd just asked me, I could have...." - this is your chance!
Free Houdini Animation Tutorial Now Available
A new free tutorial for learning animation in Houdini has been released. Ideal for artists looking to expand their skills in procedural workflows.
Friday Fun: Temple Run, selfmade
Virtual production artists, rejoice! Scans Factory has just unleashed a massive free asset pack of over 120 high-resolution 3D scans of ancient Cambodian temples, available on the Unreal Engine Marketplace.
Can Erduman & Jennifer Cox | Creating 3D Prehistoric Life and Environments for TV | #IBC2024
Join freelance character artist Can Erduman and ZDF Digital’s Jenny Cox as they provide an in-depth look at how a small team brought to life stunning dinosaurs in awe-inspiring environments for a documentary exploring life on our prehistoric planet.
Ran Manalov | Media Doesn’t Matter, Fundamentals DO | #IBC2024
Media may change, but fundamentals are key. Sculptor and Art Director Ran Manolov shares his journey, navigating both the digital and traditional art worlds. He delves into character art, essential techniques, art direction, VFX, and cinematics, demonstrating how mastering the basics can elevate the creative process in any medium.
Assimilate Live FX 9.8 Pre-release
Live FX 9.8 introduces major enhancements, supporting USD 3D workflows on macOS, projection mapping updates, and improved OpenColorIO v2.3. Perfect for virtual production on the Mac.
Colorfront’s New SDR/HDR Workflow Tools
Colorfront introduces innovative SDR/HDR tools that streamline mastering for cinema and television productions, maintaining creative intent across multiple display formats - including Dolby Vision!
Event: Project Arena – Redefining Virtual Production Workflow
Join the VES Society for "Project Arena: Redefining Virtual Production Workflow," a event focused on emerging technologies and standards in VP - free admission, invaluable knowledge ! THe event is in Berlin.
Move it like Hyfydy
SCONE plug-in enables real-time muscle simulations for biological motion. Ideal for gait analysis, machine learning, and unusual muscle setups.
KAOS Showreel
Sadly there won't be a second season of KAOS, but at least we'll enjoy this Breakdown of Cerberus, the three-headed dog, made by Cinesite.
Blender 4.3 Beta Released
Blender 4.3 Beta is live, introducing the third-gen Grease Pencil, Eevee Light Linking, and Asset Browser updates. Available for testing until November 6.
MetaTailor 2.0: Procedural Character Generator
MetaTailor 2.0 improves procedural character generation with a new Blender plugin, better workflow customization, and enhanced support for CG pipelines.
Free Blender Addon Converts Images to 3D Models
A new Blender addon converts 2D images to 3D objects. It's free, easy to use, and available for immediate download on BlenderMarket.
DaVinci Resolve 19.0.2 – Gimme Mpeg Streams!
DaVinci Resolve has released version 19.0.2, focussing on enhancing file compatibility, streamlining audio management, and refining metadata handling.
QD-Oleds by Asus
ASUS launches its ProArt Display OLED PA32UCDM, a 32-inch QD-OLED monitor aimed at creators, offering precise color accuracy
Subdivision Cuts Explained
A brilliantly stupid way to explain Subdivision cuts. (Link to a Instagram Video)
Unreal Engine 5.5 Preview Introduces New Lighting System
Unreal Engine 5.5 Preview is now live, bringing a new Global Illumination lighting system and Nanite updates!
SpeedTree 10 : Workflow and Performance
SpeedTree 10 is out, offering a streamlined workflow, improved integration with major platforms, and faster processing for 3D vegetation creation.
Fit Camera to Objects Script for 3ds Max
Miau’s latest “Fit Camera to Objects” script for 3ds Max allows users to align their cameras with selected…
Silo 2024.3: New Modifiers Enhance Non-Destructive 3D Modeling Workflows
Silo 2024.3 introduces new modifiers for non-destructive 3D workflows, including Boolean, Chain Replicate, and Path Extrusion. Updates also include community-driven improvements.
pScatter breaks your renders!
pScatter, a new free plugin for Nuke, aims to bring natural randomness to perfect computer-generated (CG) images.
Freemium Stuff: Blender to Resolve Course!
Want to streamline your VFX projects? Blender and DaVinci Resolve now work better together. Here’s what you need to know about the latest integration.
KAOS-showreel
Since we immensly enjoyed the first season of KAOS, here is a small look at the VFX. I never supsected they didn't actually burn "the Fates" on set!
Forest Pack 9 for 3ds Max Released: What’s New?
iToo Software has rolled out Forest Pack 9 for 3ds Max, and the latest update is packed with new tools and improvements aimed at artists working on environment creation, visual effects, and architectural visualization
Blender 4.3: New UV Unwrapping
Blender 4.3 introduces a streamlined UV unwrapping system with a new algorithm, promising faster workflows for 3D artists.
James Cameron Joins Stability AI. What?
James Cameron, renowned filmmaker and visual effects pioneer, has joined the Board of Directors at Stability AI, a leader in generative AI.
Logitech unveils the MX Creative Console
Logitech introduces the MX Creative Console, a customizable tool designed for digital artists to streamline workflows with deep Adobe app integration.
Modeler 2025 Released for Houdini
Modeler 2025 brings a complete rewrite of the Houdini modeling toolkit, introducing new retopology features and enhanced usability for artists.
Lightweight Crowds: “People Going Places”
People Going Places is a new free Blender add-on aimed at animating crowd simulations. It provides a streamlined approach to populating scenes with large numbers of moving characters without heavy resource consumption.
Friday Freestuff: Glitch Effect for Blender
Create glitch-based visual effects in Blender with this free distance-based glitch tool. Adjust your 3D scenes with a customizable node setup that leverages object distance to create glitch distortions.
YouTube on 35 mm
Our favourite stand-up mathematician, Matt Parker, goes through film aspects, rations and some of the common types of stock used. For all you young whippersnappers out there: Watch this, it's history that's still in effect today (hehehehe), and for all of us who are getting nostalgic: did you remember to take your ibuprofen today?
Quixel’s Megascans No Longer Free After 2024
Starting January 2025, Quixel's Megascans will no longer offer free access to its vast library of 3D assets. Artists must adapt their workflows and budgets accordingly - and safe a copy of their stuff!
Unity drops Runtime Fee, increases subscription prices
Unity announced a reversal of its contentious runtime fee policy, instead opting for price hikes across its subscription models.
New Report on Generative AI Released by Animation Guild
A new report from the Animation Guild highlights the rise of generative AI in the animation industry, emphasizing its potential and concerns for the VFX community.
HumbleBundle Blender Collection
New asset collection for Blender offers tools and resources.
Spyder and SpyderPro for Monitor Calibration Released
Datacolor introduces Spyder and SpyderPro, its latest monitor calibration sensors, designed to support the newest display technologies like OLED, Mini-LED, and Apple Liquid Retina XDR.
Boris FX Updates Silhouette to 2024.5 with New Machine Learning Features
Silhouette 2024.5 introduces machine learning tools aimed at speeding up the roto and paint workflows for VFX professionals, enhancing efficiency and precision.
Blackmagic Camera Update: Timecode Sync and More for Android Users
The latest Blackmagic Camera update brings timecode sync, anamorphic de-squeeze, and off-speed recording to Android. Record up to 240fps on Pixel devices. Yaaaay!!
Keychron Q8
After direct enquiry: Our "Ergonomics and the perfect workplace" recommendation has a hole: What about all those who suffer from joint pain when typing? Carpal tunnel, tension, and so on?
Fallout!
Most of us have played an episode or two of Fallout - and were cautiously pleased when Amazon Prime announced a film adaptation. Turns out the first season was a lot of fun - and had some great shots. Some of the best came from Rise FX - so we connected our Pip-Boy to the bunker in Berlin and asked the artists!
Howler 2025 Released
Howler 2025, the latest update from Project Dogwaffle, introduces AI-driven features for animation and FX, improving workflow for artists and VFX professionals.
Look development between DoP & colourist
There's a word on everyone's lips at the moment: "look development".
DoP Matthias Bolliger and colourist Louise "Lou" Temmesfeld take a look behind this term.
17K Camera from Blackmagic Design on Preorder
Are YOU suffering from empty storage? Do you need EVERY pixel there is? Well, BMD has a camera for that - now on preorder, or live at the IBC.
Blackmagic PYXIS Monitor
Compact 5" HDR touchscreen monitor with full camera control for Blackmagic PYXIS 6K offers improved rigging options, high brightness, and single-cable integration.
Reallusion Releases iClone 8.5 and Character Creator 8.5
Reallusion updates its core 3D animation tools, iClone and Character Creator, to version 8.5. The updates focus on refining workflows and adding new features.
Kay’s script helper with AI!
AI is the big hype in every industry - at least if you believe breathless marketers who write newsletters to each other that nobody reads. But what if a VFX supervisor took on the topic? What does it do approximately? And now let's find out ....
Blender meets Minecraft
With the "BlockBlender" tool, every 3D scene becomes a pixel party mix for Minecraft. Simply import, script and export - and your block adventure is ready to go!
New After Effects Stuff!
Adobe has rolled out major updates to After Effects, enhancing 3D workflows for motion designers and VFX professionals. The new features focus on embedding 3D animations, improving shadows, and offering more depth mapping options.
ZBrush for iPad and new updates for Cinema 4D
Maxon releases ZBrush for iPad, along with updates for Cinema 4D and Redshift.
Premiere Pro Beta Adds Color Management and Performance Boosts
Adobe Premiere Pro's beta introduces an automatic color management system, enhancing efficiency for editors handling RAW and log formats without LUTs. Other updates include a new Properties panel and improved hardware acceleration.
Cascadeur 2024.2 Release Set for September 12
Cascadeur 2024.2 will be released on September 12, offering significant improvements for character animation, including new Auto-Physics tools and enhanced support for non-humanoid characters.
Virtual production on celluloid?
"What You Don't See" is a pioneering project that is one of the first to combine the oldest and one of the newest technologies in the film industry - 35mm film and LED volumes - in a scenic production.
Blackmagic Camera App now also available for Android
The new Blackmagic Camera App for Android offers VFX professionals advanced filming capabilities on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel devices and integrates seamlessly into modern VFX pipelines.
Intelligent Media Assistant?
Isn't it time to say goodbye to old workflows? And put the hype surrounding AI to good use? Instead of breathless marketeer newsletters that nobody reads anyway, there are also useful applications - for example Cara One.
Virtual production with just one Samsung LED screen?
Let's be honest: large virtual production stages are cool, but they're also damn unwieldy - do you really need that many screens?
Blender add-on “Quad Maker” for more efficient retopology
Quad Maker facilitates retopology in Blender. The add-on offers automated functions that can significantly speed up the retopology process.
LumaFusion 5: New features for mobile video editing
The latest LumaFusion update brings important functions such as speed ramping and improved keyframing
Marmoset Toolbag 5 Beta: Try it now!
Marmoset has released the beta version of Toolbag 5, which supports real-time rendering as well as texturing and lighting. The update offers numerous new features aimed in particular at VFX artists and game designers. Users of version 4 can test the beta version free of charge.
New version of Pixar RenderMan 26.2
New functions for more efficient rendering and enhanced material visualisation.
DaVinci Resolve 19: Final Release
USD tools, multi-source editing, rotoscoping in Fusion and MUCH more!
KeenTools releases “FaceTracker” for Blender
KeenTools has released “FaceTracker” for Blender. The software offers real-time face tracking and is available for free in…
Unigine 2.19: New functions for 3D
With the latest update to version 2.19, the Unigine engine offers improvements in animation and new features, such as support for OpenXR and USD.
Google Blocks now open source
Google releases its VR modelling app "Blocks" as open source. Building virtual worlds - now you can do it yourself!
Friday Freestuff: 25 Classic Sculptures for nothing.
Antiquity in the pipeline: Free, but not for nothing - 25 models for free download.
Blender’s new sewing machine: clothes from nothing!
Blender makes it possible once again - or in this case: wearable. With the new plugin, you can now generate clothing as quickly as T-shirts go on sale.
Third Floor Company Reel 2024
The Thri floor is all about previs, pitchvis, techvis, postvis and things like that - here is their showreel, including Avatar 2, Star Wars series, House of the Dragon and more.
Blackmagic Camera for iOS 2.0
Blackmagic Camera for iOS 2.0 brings remote control, multicam support and other functions.
Element 2.1: Asset management for VFX professionals
The latest version of Das Element 2.1 brings numerous improvements, including enhanced video controls and improved library migration.
Autodesk takes over Golaem Crowd
Autodesk acquires Golaem's intellectual property and team to strengthen its position in crowd simulation and character animation.
Here comes the new Houdini
SideFX releases Houdini 20.5 with new features such as the MPM Solver and Copernicus that revolutionise the VFX workflow.
LightWave 2024: Not dead yet
LightWave Digital has released the latest version of its 3D animation software LightWave 2024. This version integrates the modular character rigging system RHiggit, which was previously available as a paid add-on.
OpenFX v1.5
The Academy Software Foundation releases OpenFX v1.5 with new features such as extended GPU support, improved colour management and the integration of Houdini.
Ember-, Liquid- and Geo-Gen now available!
JangaFX introduces updates to EmberGen, LiquiGen and GeoGen, offering moving simulation domains, whitewater systems and spline-based terrain control.
Blender 4.2 LTS
The latest version of Blender, 4.2 LTS, brings significant updates and features, improvements to the user interface, render engines and simulation tools.
Blackmagic Camera App now also available for Android
The new Blackmagic Camera App for Android offers VFX professionals advanced filming capabilities on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel devices and integrates seamlessly into modern VFX pipelines.
VR beyond the hype
Although the hype surrounding the Apple Vision Pro is still going strong, VR has yet to really gain a foothold at home. However, where it is really picking up speed is in the area of "rides" and free roaming. Amusement parks are where the technology can be fully utilised, regardless of home PC compatibility. We ask ourselves, what does it all look like then?
Fritzi & Sophie
The cinema film of the story was produced in classic 2D. For the series, we opted for the "third dimension". This presented us with new challenges, but also opened up completely new doors. Blender was our main tool.
VFX-Shoot in the trunk
How do you shoot a film in the smallest setting imaginable, a closed car boot? Can you manage to maintain the narrative tension for 90 minutes and at the same time reinvent yourself visually time and again?
Shock Dog from Stuttgart
Now, we're known to be more cat fans than dog fans - but when we saw "The Nevers", that went from "more" to "definitely" not dog fans - because (without giving anything away from the story), the "Shock Dog", Dr Hague's pet, made us turn on the light in the room in the evening while watching it.
Blackmagic Design: Apple Immersive Video
Blackmagic Design has introduced a new workflow that supports the production of Apple Immersive Video for the Apple Vision Pro. The centrepiece is the Ursa Cine Immersive Camera System, designed for 8K, 3D video with a 180-degree field of view and spatial audio. This format is designed to offer an immersive experience, but it remains to be seen how the untested technology will perform in practice.
PureRef, the new version
Pureref is a tool for artists to organise and view reference images. Version 2.0 has a new user interface, a new drawing tool and support for animated GIFs. There are also playback controls for scrolling through individual frames.
Card game for colour fans!
If you already own the card set for the Datacolor Spyder Checkr discussed in the last issue, you can now extend or replace these cards.
We’re building an AI box!
Okay, we admit it: AI is slowly becoming interesting - even for everyday production. And as we see more and more tools that are relevant for artists, and not just for "tech bros", the more our workstation is glowing. So it's time for us to find out what it takes to work normally and what adjustments we can make to reconcile budget and computing power.
Monkeys, the fourth
The time has come: the next part of the "Planet of the Apes" saga - now number four - will be released in cinemas on 8 May. And that's why we simply asked Weta how they - instead of the apes - built the environment.