Sapphire 8 Released
GenArts describes its Sapphire as a "Swiss army knife for effects". Version 8 adds several more practical ready-made effects to the package.
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Smaug in an Interview
For his satirical news show "The Colbert Report", Stephen Colbert interviewed "Hobbit" dragon star Smaug – live in the studio.
Meteorite from Oklahoma
Digital Tutors caused confusion with a fake meteorite video on the social-news website Reddit. They have now published a free After Effects tutorial about it.
SP 3 for 3ds Max 2015
Autodesk has released Service Pack 3 for 3ds Max 2015, which is intended to contain numerous bug fixes for the tool.
Element 3D V2 Tutorial
First render scene and an immediate hit: D.L. Watson created an impressive CG spaceship with the new version 2 of Element 3D and reveals how in a tutorial.
Woolworths Commercial Breakdown
The Australian Woolworths commercial advertises animal trading cards. Alt.vfx contributed the CG cheetah.
Behind the Magic – “Transformers 4”
ILM has published a making-of clip for the fourth "Transformers" instalment, which certainly will not have been the last.
Animation Reel by Richard Spriggs
Plenty of keyframe animation and many creatures can be seen in Richard Spriggs' animation reel.
Cinema Competition for IMAX
Dolby vs. IMAX: The audio company is entering the movie-theatre market with its own cinema systems.
AE Plug-in for Preview Before Rendering
The After Effects plug-in Compression Preview from Zero VFX allows sequences to be tested for artefacts or other errors in the compressed version before rendering.
Mari and Modo in the Indie Version
The Foundry is offering indie versions of the texturing tool Mari and the sculpting software Modo on Steam. The commercial tools are also cheaper until tomorrow.
Terragen 3.2 Available
Planetside is making the free Terragen 3.2 update available to users, with improved and new functions.
Scratch 8.2 & Web
Grading directly in the camera live feed, Oculus Rift, and cloud-based one-click reviews - new tools in Scratch.
Christmas Shopping? Mocha!
Boris FX is acquiring Imagineer Systems - so a proper tracker is likely to be available in Boris Continuum soon.
Oscar-Worthy VFX
These ten feature films have a chance of a golden Oscar statuette in the Best Visual Effects category in 2015. There are no surprises in the selection.
V-Ray Service Pack Available
Chaos Group has released the V-Ray 3.0 service pack for 3ds Max, which is available to download now.
VFX Breakdown for “Crossbones”
Sweden's Important Looking Pirates follow up. After VFX for the series "Constantine", here is the breakdown for "Crossbones".
Ink, Slide, Germany
Presented in June, now available - the first Adobe hardware has now also arrived in the digital diaspora of Germany.
Avid Listed on the Stock Exchange Again
Good news for MediaComposer fans: Since December 8, you can once again buy shares in the company behind your favourite editor!
Mad Max, the Second
For anyone who has had enough of Christmas cosiness, here is the second trailer for the icing-free apocalypse reboot.
Motion Capturing Without Markers
iPi Soft has released version 3.0 of its motion-capture software. New features include Kinect 2 support and improved tracking of body parts.
Millions of Point Clouds for Sparta
Sparta allows point clouds to be edited by hand drawing. A proxy function is now intended to enable the app to handle point clouds numbering in the millions.
Indigo Renderer 3.8
Glare Technologies has released Indigo Renderer version 3.8 and is offering the software at a special price until the end of December.
Seed of Hope” competition
For the short film project "Seed of Hope", artists are invited to work on individual sections as part of a competition.
MKV Format in Windows 10
The Technical Preview of Windows 10 has revealed that the MKV video format and the H.265 codec, which is particularly important for 4K resolutions, are to be officially supported.
New Colour Calibration Software for Scratch
SpectraCal has worked with Assimilate to offer integrated 3D LUT calibration support in the form of a plug-in for Scratch.
Mocha Customer Showreel 2014
In the customer showreel, Imagineer Systems presents the best work by users who worked with the Mocha Pro and Mocha AE tracking tools.
Sneak Peek Houdini 14
Side Effects Software has released an extremely entertaining sneak-peek video of Houdini 14. The tool is due to be released in January.
Autodesk Upgrade Discounts Until the End of January
The era of perpetual licences at Autodesk is coming to an end. Until the end of January, the subscription upgrade is still available for some software packages at up to 30 percent less.
3ds Max 2015 Extension 2
At Autodesk University in Las Vegas, Autodesk announced Extension 2 for 3ds Max 2015, which is expected to sweeten the Christmas season around December 17.
Graduation Film “Wrapped” Provides the Material for the FMX 2015 Trailer
The animago winner "Wrapped" provides the cinematic basis for the next FMX trailer and will thus adorn the 20th anniversary edition of the FMX professional conference.
First Footage from Blackmagic’s URSA Camera
We will test Blackmagic Design's URSA camera in detail in DP issue 02/15. Until then, there is some first footage and pregrade video material to watch.
Stream Autodesk University
Shortly before Christmas, only a few people can make it to Las Vegas, so Autodesk is offering the opportunity to watch the AU sessions online in real time.
Element 3D V2
Video Copilot released version 2 of Element 3D for After Effects today. Andrew Kramer previously released a half-hour video showing new features.
CG Penguin as a Best Friend
For the John Lewis online shop, MPC created a CG penguin that shares everyday life with a little boy. Here the studio explains how the character was created.
Animation from Static Images with Video Editor
Flash Integro's VSDC Free Video Editor is intended to create animated objects from image files and export them as a video sequence.
3,000 Free RED Clips in 4K and 5K Resolution
Film producer Frederick Tschernutter spent seven years shooting 3,000 clips with RED cameras. They can now be downloaded in full resolution.
Training with Flame
Autodesk has released Extension 2 for the free training software from the Flame product series, which can be installed on users' own hardware.
What’s New in the Maya 2015 Modeling Tools
In a video, Autodesk shows everything that has changed in Maya's modeling tools since 2012.
Use Photoshop in Chrome
Adobe has worked with Google so that Photoshop can also be used in the Chrome browser in the future.
Maya Plug-in for Clouds
Elementacular has been released in version 1.2. It is intended to render and simulate cloud volumes substantially faster than conventional methods.
AJA’s CION Available at the End of December
AJA Video Systems is now accepting orders for the new CION production camera. Delivery is expected to take place this year.
“Godzilla” – VFX Breakdown
The Moving Picture Company lets the lizard out of the bag. MPC acted as lead vendor on "Godzilla" and now shows the VFX work in this clip.
Christmas at The Mill
There is no point hiding: the first Sunday of Advent is approaching. In the spirit of early Christmas cheer, The Mill revived the legendary wartime Christmas event of 1914 for Sainsbury's.
Goodbye Codec Format Problems?
MOX is an open-source format for video and audio files that is intended to enable virtually lossless exchange between different applications as an intermediate codec.
RenderMan 19 Is Here
RenderMan 19 is now available, but distribution of the free version for non-commercial purposes is still delayed.
Commercials with 3ds Max
In this edition of Autodesk's "Meet the Experts", Alex Horst shows how to produce commercials efficiently with a fast VFX turnaround using 3ds Max.
The Nuke 9 versions are here!
Following The Foundry's announcement a few weeks ago, Nuke, NukeX version 9 and Nuke Studio are now available. Here is an overview of the new features.
Red Giant Expands Universe
Universe 1.3 comes with 13 new tools, six of which are available free of charge.
Tutorial on the Clapperboard
Tuts+ has published a tutorial on the correct use of the tried-and-tested clapperboard, with plenty of basic information.
Improved Cineware Workflow
Integration of Cineware 2.0 and Cinema 4D Lite Release 16 into the latest version of Adobe After Effects CC.
Internal 4K Recording for the Sony F5
Paul Ream revealed on his ExtraShot website how he achieved a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels with the Sony F5 camera.
New 4K Monitor from Eizo
The new FlexScan EV3237WFS3 can display 4K Ultra HD resolution on a 31.5-inch screen area.
Boris Works with Resolve
Blackmagic's DaVinci Resolve now supports Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) and Boris RED.
Hidden Render Passes
Render passes that are not part of the standard set are extremely helpful for Nuke compositing. Here it is explained how to create them with V-Ray for Maya.
Natron Version 1.0
Natron is the open-source clone of the compositing tool Nuke. The third RC version of the tool has now been released.
The Inner CG Glow
In this tutorial, motion graphics artist Uwe Schweer-Lambers explains how to create an "Inner Glow" effect for a 3D object in Maxon Cinema 4D.
Broken CG Glass in AE
Here is an overview of the best tutorials using Shatter and Element 3D for a broken-glass effect in Adobe After Effects.
3ds Max Script for Still Simulations
FumeFX Freeze Frame is a simple script for still simulations such as clouds, fog and static objects in Autodesk 3ds Max. Fume FX is also required.
Canon’s New EOS C100 Mark II
Canon is expanding its digital Cinema EOS system with the film camera. The new model is intended to offer better image quality, operation and Wi-Fi.
animago Impressions in 360 Degrees
The animago AWARD & CONFERENCE 2014 in pictures. Insights in the truest sense “all around” the setup, trade fair and, of course, the animago award ceremony.
Capture More Easily with Brekel
Two Brekel apps were improved in v2. More people can now be captured and point clouds exported to common formats.
Fusion 7 Free
Super deal: Blackmagic Design is offering Fusion version 7 as a free download. Fusion 7 Studio with an unlimited range of functions is available for around 1,000 US dollars.
Software from Buf
The French VFX studio Buf has decided to take its in-house software to market.
Photoshop CC 2014.2
Adobe released Photoshop CC version 2014.2 during the Adobe MAX Conference. Here is an overview of the new features.
New Tracking Features in Flame 2015
Extension 2 gives Autodesk's VFX and compositing tool new tracking options. Lead Product Designer Phillipe Soeiro explains which ones here.
Slow-Motion Surfing
Dreary, dark Monday? This summery high-speed footage should provide a remedy. And delight surfers anyway.
Free Nuke versions
At the beginning of 2015, The Foundry will make Nuke, NukeX and Nuke Studio available free of charge with limited functions - but only for non-commercial projects.
Using Modo with 3ds Max
Here is a collection of tutorials on how to use Modo with 3ds Max. Among other things, navigation and creating primitives are explained.
RealFlow Technical Showreel
Josh Clos shows his results with RealFlow in his 2014 reel — enjoy!
Feature videos for Nuke 9
Following the release of version 9, The Foundry has added a few short clips on the most important functions.
The Robot in Society
Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) once again deals with topics of the future in his upcoming film: how can robot "Chappie" be integrated into society?
How Do You Build a Black Hole?
Director Christopher Nolan and VFX supervisor Paul Franklin, among others, explain how the black hole in "Interstellar" was created.
Stop-Motion Music Video
Alan Hampton produced a stop-motion video for his song "Keep it in your Dream", created with paper figures and the multiplane camera technique.
Let It Rip
Navié has released Effex 2.5 for Cinema 4D. The solution for particle and fluid simulations comes with many new features.
ProRes 4:4:4:4 XQ in Every Mac Application
Anyone who can no longer wait to use the new ProRes in every tool can use this workaround.
HitFilm 3 Pro
Version 3 of the HitFilm Pro editing and VFX software will be released at the end of November. Here is an overview of the added features.
Marmoset Toolbag 2.06
News from Marmoset: The features of Toolbag in the current version are explained in the following clip.
RealFlow Presentation at the BFX Festival
At Bournemouth University's VFX and animation festival, Next Limit Technologies provided an insight into RealFlow and Maxwell Render.
Trial Version of thinkingParticles 6
The company Cebas has released a trial version of the 3ds Max plug-in for particle animations. This means the current version 6 can be tried out free of charge.
Tips, Tools and Models for Element 3D
Topher Welsh of VisualFXtuts.com has compiled practical things for Element 3D users. We list them for you here.
V-Ray 3.0 for Maya
Chaos Group has released V-Ray 3.0 for Autodesk's Maya: ray tracing in particular is said to work faster, and an improved V-Ray RT Engine has also been added.
Media Management Tools from Sony
Sony has released the new Catalyst media tool in two versions. With Catalyst Browse and Prepare for Windows and Mac OS X, media can be organised and prepared.
The Foundry presented: Nuke 9
Yesterday evening, half past eight German time, the time had come: The Foundry presented Nuke 9 and announced many other news.
30 Musicians in One Go
For BBC Music, The Mill brought together around 30 well-known musicians in one spot. FXGuide explains how it was done in the making-of.
Element 3D V2 Features Revealed!
Andrew Kramer has published a video in which he presents the new features of Element 3D version 2.
Making-of by Elefant Studios
Elefant Studios has published a making-of about its hologram work for a Swissquote spot and explains how the commercial was created.
Adobe Tip for Slow Render Times
Since the 2014 release, the render time for After Effects compositions in Premiere Pro CC 2014 sequences has slowed down enormously. Kevin Monahan reveals how to avoid this.
Maxon User Meetings
Cinema 4D users can still attend two Maxon events in Düsseldorf and Munich this year.
Free Zombie
Sony Pictures Animation is making the rig of the zombie character from "Hotel Transylvania" available free of charge. It is compatible with Maya from version 2013 onwards.
Fruit Making-of
The French studio Unit Image has published a making-of clip about the campaign for the soft-drink brand Oasis, which is also nominated for an animago AWARD.
Andrew Kramer Live
Andrew Kramer had the honour of delivering the keynote at the After Effects World Conference.
Canadian Studios at the animago
For the first time, four Canadian studios are visiting the animago, an initiative of the Canadian Embassy and the CASO association (Computer Animation Studios of Ontario).
Strong programme at the animago
At this year's animago AWARD & CONFERENCE, visitors can look forward to two days full of themed highlights.
Ornatrix V3 for 3ds Max Released
Manufacturer Ephere follows up and improves its hair software in many areas.
Lightworks Version 12 Available
The jump to version 12 brings extensive new features for users. New "bins" make organisation easier. The "Smart Play Engine" has also been improved.
New GoPros
Yesterday, GoPro presented the new Hero4 series as well as an entry-level GoPro, the Hero. Here is all the information about the new product range.
Arnold for Houdini 1.0
Solid Angle has released the Arnold renderer for Houdini in version 1.0. The plug-in, known in short form as HtoA, is available to download for Arnold customers.
4K Footage from the AJA CION Camera
At the IBC, the company AJA showed completely unprocessed material from the AJA CION for the first time, which can also be downloaded from Vimeo.
Illustrating with Story Pop
For those without drawing skills: Story Pop is a library of animatable, hand-drawn whiteboard sketches for Final Cut Pro that can simply be dragged into the timeline.