Four students from Supinfocom Arles have worked for two years using Max to create this original short film (click on "voir le film"), which has reminiscences of Edwin Abbott's "Flatland". Much of the animation of the geometric objects was generated using Maxscript. Also of note, 3D-Station has an interview with two "Loop" team members (French).

Doug King reviews Vue 5 Infinite for Computer Graphics World: "Game designers, digital matte artists, architects, and digital artists would do well to investigate Vue 5 Infinite."

Version 2 of the film treatment suite adds GPU acceleration via NVIDIA graphics cards, new De-artifact tool to smooth out DV and HDV source media and 10 new Magic Bullet Looks to emulate movie looks and film treatments. Visit Red Giant Software for more.

With this technology from Vizrt, Adobe will have access to a paint engine for moving images, a roto-matte system and a range of features for wire and rig removal or content restoration. Read the whole PR. (Warning: Hype abounds)

The latest version of VICON's motion capture software sports new processing algorithms and real-time capture and grayscale processing for enhanced accuracy and automation. Read the whole PR. (Warning: Hype abounds)

CG Academy announced the first DVD in their their new modeling series. The first title is by accomplished modeler Dominic Qwek, and deals with the topic of Sub-D Creature Modeling at an advanced level.   [ more... ]

Metin Seven reviews Photozoom Pro: "... should be in the tool arsenal of any graphic designer who needs to enlarge images for purposes such as printed matter."

CG Academy has opened a number of region specifc Job Posting forums and one Resume/CV forum for employers and artists to post to. This hopefully will build to become a valuable resource for prospective Max employers and employees out there.

3ds Max 7.5 VIZ Extension Hot Fix Available for Download June 20, 2005.

3ds Max 7.5 VIZ Extension Hot Fix resolves specific problems associated with running the 3ds Max 7.5 VIZ Extension with the Cebas plug-in installed.

This Hot Fix is for the English-language version of 3ds Max 7.5 software only. Japanese, French, German, and Simplified Chinese versions of 3ds Max 7.5, planned for release later this year, will incorporate this fix before release.

For more information, see : http://www.discreet.com/support/max/download/download.php3#NEW! 3ds Max 7.5 Hot Fix - English

The 'Elite Cars' competiton at 3DM3 has received many entries and users can now vote for their favorite cars. Some fine images have been submitted. Voting will close in less than 10 days.

Neil Blevins has added 4 new scripts today, mirrorObjectAlongAxis, transformRandomizer, transformSelector, wireBundler, and updated his transformReset and sLib scripts. All available from Neilblevins.com.

Ballistic Publishing has started shipping the third edition of their EXPOSÉ digital art book. Find out more at BallisticPublishing.com.

Some of the new features to be available in CAT v2: extra bones (may be used as facial bones, stomach bones, weapon bones, etc.), animated bounce and stretch, new IK system, time warp curves (use a single spline curve to speed up, slow down or reverse a whole animation layer), edit rig mesh (save your perfect proxy meshes as rig presets). According to Character Animation Technologies' homepage, those who buy CAT v1.4 now will get the new version for free; existing users can upgrade to CAT v2 for $295. Visit CAToolkit.com for more.

Renderers originally developed for Max will soon see an increase in inflow of new users due to the interfaces being built for other software packages. Some early images have been posted, including VRay for Maya, Brazil for Maya and Rhino, and FinalRender Stage-2 for Maya.

Next Limit has released beta version 1.2 of its Maxwell renderer with many improvements and enhancements.   [ more... ]

From "MAXScript Secrets Revealed" to "Advanced Facial Rigging", check out the list of Autodesk Master Classes to be taught by seasoned Max experts at SIGGRAPH 2005.

Yes, more than a thousand Argentines take a break from playing football, eating beef, protesting against politicians and/or dancing Tango in order to share their enthusiasm for 3D CG at 3DPro.com.ar. (Disclaimer: not all Argentines dance Tango, and this posting was indeed written by an Argentine and is poking fun at clichés and stereotypes)

Josh Staub, Art Director of Myst: Riven and Uru at Cyan, has finished his animated short "The Mantis Parable", done entirely on his home PC using 3ds Max and VRay. The short was screened this weekend at the Winnipeg Film Festival in the Kids Animation category and looked great. http://www.themantisparable.com/   [ more... ]

Los Angeles ACM SIGGRAPH will be presenting Tuesday, June 14, an inside look at the 75 years of Disney. Recruiters from the animation studio will be present, so this is a chance to bring your resume and reel. Visit la.siggraph.org for more.

Check out the animations created by this Canadian artist, who has been working on VFX for short films (such as "The Beast Within") for a few years using Max. Don't miss his sparrow animation, which he made in just one day.

Read all about it at Autodesk's Showcase.

Jérôme Vocanson's website has finally resurfaced. (French)

New pics posted at 3D Artists gallery. Check 'em out!

Read the whole PR.

As the old Spanish saying goes, ill times we're living in when one feels the need to emphasize the obvious. Still, in this age of "personal marketing", inflated egos and shameless self-promotion, it's certainly refreshing to hear someone like Tomek speak with a more humble, human voice. It's a pleasure to present Tomek Baginski's interview on his latest short film, "Fallen Art" which will be screened at this year's SIGGRAPH, among many other festivals.

Subdivision body modelling
Subdivision hand modelling
Subdivision leg modelling
Subdivision foot modelling

Massive Software have released the latest version of their crowd behavioral animation system. More information available at DigitalProducer and MassiveSoftware.com.

From Digital Journal Online:  Santa Monica, June 1, 2005 - Today Vi Ly, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs for Art Institute of California - Los Angeles announced that: " We received some sad news yesterday morning regarding Sanford Kennedy's passing. Sanford was on the animation faculty at The Art Institute from 1999-2003. "

Sanford died of a heart attack this past Wednesday.His memorial service will be on June 11th at 2pm at 4121 Redwood Ave. in Marina Del Rey.   [ more... ]

Some great images have been posted at the Italian Treddi.com forums. Check 'em out!

Some of the photoreal digital environments used in "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" were created using Max and the Brazil renderer. More information and some words from John Knoll at VFX World.

Aidan Gibbons, intermediate Irish Red Cross officer and animation student at the University of Hertfordshire has posted online a beautiful short titled "The Piano", created with Max. An Irish look at life with music as a metaphor, presented with an almost theatrical staging. Check it out!

A forum for 3D modelers is being hosted at Bay Raitt's site. Membership is given to artists with "fluent digital sculpting abilities". Please read their rules carefully before participating.