It's very unusual to see something like happiness being discussed in press releases and industry white papers. A paper published by the IGDA (International Game Developers Association), titled "Quality of Life in the Game Industry: Challenges and Best Practices", does just that. Some of the alarming findings from the survey include: 34.3% of developers expect to leave the industry within 5 years (and 51.2% within 10 years), crunch time is omnipresent, overtime is often uncompensated and spouses are likely to respond “You are always stressed out.” (43.5%). The IGDA paper not only diagnoses the current situation but gives some excellent advice on how to improve the quality of life in our work environments. A must read.   [ more... ]

Pixmart has released PatchMaker, a new 2D-motion tracking and footage stabilizing tool. The software uses all the color data present in an image rather than a few tracking points which results in motion computed with subpixel accuracy. PatchMaker supports a wide range of motion models and allows for the use of multiple motion types for different intervals in a single video sequence. PatchMaker runs as a standalone application but can also work with After Effects (or AE-compatible applications). Price is $256, a demo version is available for download.

Splutterfish has posted an article on San Francisco-based The Orphanage studio, and their use of Brazil r/s to create visual effects for the movie Hellboy.

An extension pack of materials and component maps has been released, which can be used with Darktree and the free Simbiont plugins for various 3D applications, including Max.   [ more... ]

Blur Studio's second animated short film is now online. Written and directed by Tim Miller, Rockfish has been created using Max, ClothFX (previously known as Stitch), Brazil r/s and Kaydara's Motionbuilder, among others, and has been shortlisted for an Academy Award. Check it out!

Jamie Field reviews BodyPaint v2 for InsideCG: "... the best 3d painting application on the market ..."

S. D. Katz reviews Max 6 for Millimeter magazine: "... yet another very good version of a software product that has launched a lot of careers."

Cuneyt Ozdas has written a plugin for WhereIsIt that lets the disk cataloging application extract information from 3ds max scene files (*.max). Visit CuneytOzdas.com for more.

Brendan Duncan has posted MAXShade, his RenderMan shading language-based interpreter for Max, as an open-source project on Sourceforge.net.

Panzar and AriOrH have updated their website with new pictures and more information. Check it out!

Ballistic Publishing will soon release the second edition of their EXPOSÉ art book. The EXPOSÉ 2 gallery is now online, featuring some amazing artwork. EXPOSÉ 2 can be pre-ordered from BallisticPublishing.com.

Japan-based PSoft announced the release of Liquid+, a non-photorealistic renderer that allows Max users to create images that have the look of hand-painted watercolors. Liquid+ can be used to render animations and is especially suited for combining with Pencil+ for additional effects. Liquid+ is being sold at a reduced price until May 31st, a demo version is available for download. Read on for more.   [ more... ]

Discreet has made available the File Link Extension, a software module that enables Max users to open their AutoCAD or Autodesk Architectural Desktop files in 3ds max 6 to link their AutoCAD or Architectural Desktop files with 3ds max 6.   [ more... ]

Soon after NVidia issued a press release on Gelato's capabilities, Mental Images announced the release of Mental Ray 3.3. This latest version of Mental Images' renderer can take advantage of the processing power of the new line of NVidia QuadroFX 4000 boards to reduce rendering times. It looks like this trend in GPU acceleration is just beginning. Read the whole PR at MentalImages.com.

Alias announced the next version of Maya. New features include a hair toolset integrated with the dynamics engine, enhancements to the non-linear editor wich allow for motion retargeting and redirection capabilities, improvements in cloth simulation and the ability to use Paint Effects on polygons, among others. Visit Alias.com for more.

SOFTIMAGE|XSI v4.0 features include advanced biped, quadruped, and hybrid rig systems, material libraries, a unified environment for rigid body dynamics, etc. In addition, the new version is available in an entry-level priced configuration labeled as XSI Foundation. Visit Softimage.com for more.

Yes, GPU-accelerated renderers are here. NVidia's acquisition of Exluna with the aim of "bringing cinematic rendering to the GPU world" is showing its results. NVidia announced today Gelato (Italian word for "frozen", commonly used for "icecream"), a GPU-accelerated renderer. Gelato licenses are currently priced at $2750. Visit NVidia.com for more information.

Rome-based RebelThink announced that the preliminary website for Natural:shaders vol. one is now online. More information, news, and new product announcements will soon be revealed. Read on for more.   [ more... ]

RenderNode takes a look at '3ds max 6 Animation : CG Filmmaking from Concept to Completion': "... the techniques covered and thought in this book go beyond ordinary training books ..."
Christian Immler, author of Max books since release 1, has published the new '3ds max 6 Kompendium' with DVD-ROM. (German)

Chimeric has announced that ScreenSaverMax v1.1 Professional and Standard for 3ds Max 4/5/6 are now available for a limited period for the low price of £100 exc VAT (~$180) and £25 (~$45) excl. VAT respectively.   [ more... ]

Digimation has begun shipping GestureMAX 1.0 for 3ds max 5.1 and 6.x. GestureMAX is a file import plug-in that enables users to import Poser models and optionally have skeletons, skinning, and rigging applied to those characters so they are ready to animate. Read on for more.   [ more... ]

The first public beta of a free rigging/animation tool for 3dsmax called PuppetShop has just been released.   [ more... ]

Michele Bousquet has written an article for RenderNode on what was new at this year's Game Developers Conference held in San José, California.

Kcirasoft has released ROACH V1.0, an integrated 2D Compositing solution. Read on for more.   [ more... ]

PaxRendus is a 3ds max plugin that lets users interface any RenderMan-compliant renderer to 3ds max. The plugin is currently in beta testing phase. If you'd like to become a beta tester visit Archonus.com.

DL3D is a French consulting company that offers custom plugin & script development for 3ds max (among others) along with training sessions on the same subjects.   [ more... ]

A great animated short by Derek Rozmes, not created with Max but definitely worth a look.

Los Angeles ACM SIGGRAPH April meeting will be presenting the VFX of “The Last Samurai”. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 at the Aratani/Japan American Theatre. Visit la.siggraph.org for more.

Di-O-Matic has announced the immediate availability of Hercules, the new musculature system for 3ds max.   [ more... ]

Developers at Kelseus have posted sample animations demonstrating the features of Antics, their behavioral animation software.

New great additions to the 3D Artists gallery. Check 'em out!

Sachform Technology announced a special easter offer with price drops for the HDRIbase collections.   [ more... ]

www.simplymax.com is now online, featuring about 4 hours of video training for 3ds Max.

"Did you miss the GDC? No problem. Join the GDC Reset event in San Franciso on April 7th. Guest speaker Andy Murdock."   [ more... ]

Lonnie Sargent reviews ZBrush 2.0 for CGNetworks: "... a joy to use."

RenderNode reviews REALVIZ Stitcher 4.0: "... If you have a computer, a digital camera and you like to have fun, go and get Stitcher!"

San Francisco, CA—April 1, 2004—After certifying a considerable number of third party solutions the DCP program mistakenly certified yesterday Worley Labs' FPrime, a plug-in that works as an interactive previewer and alternative renderer for NewTek's LightWave 3D. "The name resembles another 3ds max plugin we were testing, we could've sworn that this was a 3ds max plugin" stated Shamus Martin, Senior Certifier at the DCP program, "FPrime is a highly polished, quality plug-in, and had it been a 3ds max plug-in it would've certainly deserved certification."

RE:Vision Effects has released ReelSmart Motion Blur 3. The latest version of this plugin for AE compatible applications includes enhancements such as: motion blur can be applied using motion vectors from an external source (motion vectors from a 3D system), automatic scene change intelligence so that motion blur is not applied across a scene cut, etc. Read the whole PR.