Chaos Group's Aura, the upcoming fire-smoke-fluid simulation plugin, is available for internal testing. Anyone interested in participating in the testing phase can contact aura@chaosgroup.com. New sample animations posted.

"... at long last. Pixar Animation Studios late on Friday announced the release of RenderMan Pro Server 11.5.3 for Mac OS Xv10.3 'Panther.'" Full Story

Former members of the 3ds max San Francisco-based development team auction their services on eBay. Read on for the whole PR.

(Mar 31, 2004) - Update(cptvideo): This has been getting a lot of media attention (LA times, Wall St. Journal, etc.), and some members of the group appeard on TechTV yesterday - the TechTV segment is apparently supposed to air on CNN headline news at 3:45 pm PST (10 mins from now - don't know if it will repeat). We wish these guys luck :) It would be cool to see this work for them.   [ more... ]

MetinSeven.com has published a review of ScreenSaverMax (Pro) version 1.1 for 3ds Max.

SILO has posted a list of the new features that will soon be available in the 1.2 release of their modeling software. These include true iso line display and editing, fully customizable mouse, faster subdivisions, and more. Visit Nevercenter.com for more.

The GIMP developers have released version 2.0 of GIMP, a free software tool for image manipulation. Version 2 incorporates rewritten Text and Path tools, an enhanced user interface (skinnable icons and menus, dockable palettes), MNG support (animated PNG format), etc. The new release is available for many different OSs, including Windows.

Chaos Software's upcoming VRay release 1.5 will introduce a new global illumination technique called Light mapping.   [ more... ]

DOSCH 3D: ROADS is a comprehensive collection of 390 detailed and fully textured 3D-models of road elements.

DOSCH 3D: ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS V2 contains 200 essential objects for professional visualizations, including: garden furniture, mail boxes, park benches, lamps, balconies, columns, fences, umbrellas, escalators/elevators and more.   [ more... ]

Ballistic Publishing announced ‘Machine Phase: Booby Trap’, a graphic novel and behind-the-scenes look at Dean Fowler’s Machine Phase universe. In addition to the graphic novel, the book features the ‘Making of Machine Phase: Booby Trap’ which shows how Dean and a team of artists brought Machine Phase into existence along with the 3D tools and techniques they used.

New Zealand-based Character Animation Technologies announced the availability of CAT v1.2. New features include: Animated Footprints, Color Modes for revealing which layer is affecting which part of the rig, Expanded Rig Manipulation, Enhanced Animation Clip and Pose Loading and Save Multiple Animation Layers. Visit CAToolkit.com for more.

According to Gamasutra the funds will be used to start a master's degree program in videogame design at the University of Southern California. Visit Gamasutra.com for the details. (Login required.)

Check out this great animation by Xavier André and Guillaume Hérent, created with Max.

The second issue of RenderNode Magazine is out: the March release includes an article on car modeling techniques for 3ds max, advanced color correction tips for Photoshop and workshops on keying using Combustion and color correction using Flame, among others. More information at RenderNode.com.

CGChannel has posted an article interviewing George Hull, Senior VFX Art Director on "The Matrix - Reloaded" and "The Matrix - Revolutions". Also included is a bunch of his concept designs for the film. You can also visit his website here.

Here is a round-up of this weeks plugin news:

Discreet have updated their Game Export Interface to v1.122, which fixes a few bugs.
Marsel Khadiyev and Chris Thomas have released a new Alpha version (v0.1.4) of their Schematic Material Editor, adding a whole load of new functions and bugfixes.
3D Aliens have released glu3D v1.1.52 which fixes a bug for users of max 6.
The Seismics Team has recompiled Discreets old CopyMap plugin for max 6, as the previous recompile wasn't working.
u.m.i. has released a new improved version of the umi snap plugin, which enables object intersection snaps in max.

How to create realistic grass
Modeling the nose
Modeling the ear
Modeling the lips/mouth
Modeling a Goblin-like head   [ more... ]

Chaos Group have posted an announcement regarding the future version of V-Ray for Max and their plans to work on a Maya connection. Read on for more.   [ more... ]

Cuneyt Ozdas has released version 3.0.3.6 of his 3ds max color and map management tool ColorCorrect. Some bugs have been removed, the beta stage is over and the new version is only released for Max 6.

"Each of the three studios mentioned here is using Linux in different ways (...) But what each has in common is the plan to move forward with the free and flexible operating system ..." CGW has the article.

David Duberman reviews Character Animation Toolkit for Creative-3D: "... It's not perfect, but for dedicated character animators, I doubt that there's anything better anywhere."

The Guinness Book of World Records has certified Toshiba's stamp-sized hard drives as the smallest in the world. The new 0.85-inch hard drives will hold up to 4Gb and are expected to be available by the end of 2004. Visit CNN.com for more.

Naturalmotion will present the latest version of its "Virtual Motion Capture Studio" at GDC 2004. Version 1.5 of Endorphin features multiple interacting characters, enhanced AI behaviors, dynamic posing and more. A sample movie is available at Naturalmotion.com.

Kelseus has posted more information on Antics, their behavioral animation software. Antics allows animators to direct and modify 3D animation scenes in real time: characters interact with objects and navigate their environment intelligently, providing very fast authoring of behavior for animation, pre-visualisation, cut scenes, secondary characters, etc. The software has been designed to provide full integration with Max. Check out Antics3D.com for more information and some sample animations.

Chris Ollis reviews Endorphin for 3D World: "... impressive, professional software." (Note: link leads to PDF file)

PePaKuRa is a piece of software that translates 3D data into printable paper models that can be asembled with a bit of cutting, folding and gluing. Check it out here.

3DQuakers.com has just released its first training CD, entitled Architectural Modeling & Rendering training for Max 6.

The 31st International SIGGRAPH Conference to be held 8-12 August at the Los Angeles Convention Center will be presenting tutorials, half-day sessions, and full-day sessions taught by experts. The 33 courses teach beginning, intermediate, and advanced skills on the hottest topics in computer graphics and interactive techniques. Topics include: interactive design, computer vision, computing hardware, display systems, real-time graphics, animation, modeling, rendering, and more. Complete courses information available at SIGGRAPH.org.

Here is a round-up of this weeks plugin news:

Laszlo Szebo / Martin Breidt have released a new freeware texture map called Chroma Texture for doing rough chromakeying.
cebas have released finalShaders for finalRender Stage-1. You can find the press release here.
Pandasoft have updated their freeware Panda DirectX Exporter.
Zap Andersson has recompiled his ChromeMap plugin for 3ds max 6.

Amiga veterans will recognize the name: Vista Pro, the 3D landscape generation program, is back in town. You can find more info about it here.

Pixologic has posted more information on the upcoming version of their modeling software. ZBrush 2 is scheduled for release on March 31, 2004.

Hitachi's Deskstar 7K400 will include a new feature designed to enhance streaming functionality in digital video applications. Read the whole PR at DigitalProducer.com.

Stephen Schleicher reviews Combustion 3 for DigitalProducer, from an AE user's perspective: "... I’ve noticed some serious learning curve problems (...) once you get over the interface learning curve, I think you will find that [it] is really deserving of your time and efforts."

Spiral Scratch, a start-up company in Liverpool, UK, is currently developing an affordable 3D scanner. Read the article here.

Developers at RebelThink have posted two new images on their forum, along with an interface screenshot of the beta version of their upcoming Natural:sand shader plugin. RebelThink is currently looking for professional Max users who'd be interested in taking part in the beta testing of their shader plugins. Visit RebelThink.com for more information.

Here is a round-up of the latest plugin news:

Boomer Labs have recompiled a number of their freeware plugins for 3ds max 6, and they have also released a new free plugin called Mirror Image.
John Burnett has updated his MAXScript extension fooLib.
Peter Watje has recompiled a few more of his plugins.
Turbo Squid has announced the release of Service Pack 2a for finalRender Stage-1. Read the press release here.

Discreet and Oregon 3d are hosting classes at the Game Developer's Conference in San José, California. This time there is a mix of free seminars and pay classes. Highlights include a free seminar of Max tips and tricks, a class on character rigging and TD work by Paul Neale, as well as classes on story telling and animation by Andrew Gordon and Mike Wellins. Visit Discreet.com for more.

Digimation announced the launch of Model Bank, an online marketplace dedicated to the 3D community. Model Bank brings together individuals and companies worldwide who have created 3D content (wireframe models, motion capture data, etc.) with those who need it.   [ more... ]