Autodesk Maya 2011 LayoutTools 2011 update

Steven Roselle discusses the latest update of Layout Tools 2011 for Maya 2011.  Bug fix #1 - re-docking a floating window would cause layout tools to relaunch.  Bugfix#2 - a crash when you renamed prefix.  Also, he goes over a couple of feature requests such as bookmarks and mental ray support.

http://bit.ly/doBHHo

Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs!

Maya, Max, Mudbox, and Softimage Customers on the Subscription Program are in for some treats at the end of the Month!

Autodesk 3ds Max

Autodesk Maya

Autodesk Mudbox

NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference!

The conference has started , but some of  us couldn't make it to the event.

We are glad that there is plenty of online Media to get a taste of the happenings at the GPU Technology Conference.

Links:

Tuesdays and Wednesdays Key note recording available.

NVIDIA GPU Tech Page

NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference – Day 1 Video Recap and blog

Phoenix Fluid Dynamics for 3ds Max Upgrade

Chaosgroup has just released the first official upgrade for their new Fluid Dynamics plugin Phoenix. 

You can download the upgrade here (must be logged in).




Here are some of the new features and fixes you can now enjoy in Phoenix FD 1.1:


New features:

• Ability to select which channels to be affected from the sources
  
• Conservative advection (for slow motion and big scale simulations)
  
• Support of Thinking Particles systems as sources

Modified features:

• Improved multithreading of the simulation
  
• FPS indicator of the GPU preview
  
• Ability to change the channels presence during the simulation

Bugs fixed:

• Memory leak when adaptive grid is used with smoke, UVW or fuel channel.
  
• Crash when non solid object is used in brush mode
  
• Artifacts when the light cache is combined with some GI settings. 
  
• The texture modulation does not work with explicit coordinates (uvw channel)

Bringing 3dsMax assets into the Infernal Engine (Game Engine)

From GDC Europe last month. Infernal shows off 3dsMax and Infernal Engine intergration.

Link for More information: Autodesk Area

Want to see more of  Infernal Engine?

Visit: Nvidia nZone Trenches

Deal of the Week - 500GB G-Drive Mobile only $125

The G-Tech G-Drive Mobile is a super stylish and sleek portable hard drive boasting 500GB of storage, high-speed FireWire™ 800, FireWire™ 400* and USB 2.0. Also, who wants to carry around an annoying power supply? Not me, and you don't have to with the  G-DRIVE since it is buspowered through the USB 2.0 or FireWire 800 ports. With up to 500GB of Hitachi disk drive storage space for your important documents, MP3s, digital video, and digital photo files, G-DRIVE mobile is perfect for carrying all your digital content. G-DRIVE mobile also features an all-aluminum base for ruggedness and heat dissipation without the need of a noisy fan. It is also Windows & Mac compatible.

Normally $149, the G-Drive Mobile 500GB hard drive is $125 for this week only. September 6-12th.

Take advantage of this amazing deal today!

Blackmagic Design Software Updates

Blackmagic has released a few software updates to coincide with Adobe's CS 5.0.2 release.  Available releases are for DeckLink, Multibridge, and USB 3.0 Desktop Video version 7.8.1 and Intensity version 3.8.1 for Mac and Windows.




Release highlights include:

• Full support for Premiere 5.0.2 on Mac and Windows
• Major stability improvements to the Mac plug ins
• Minor bug fixes on Windows
• Adobe have also addressed a lot bugs in this release as well as adding support for more CUDA cards for Windows such as the GTX 470

The Updates can be downloaded here - http://www.decklink.com/support/software/

Don't have Adobe CS5 yet? Get it here.

Check out our large selection of Blackmagic Design products.

mental ray® software options that are included with, or available for, Autodesk® Maya® 2011 software

We frequently have conversations with clients explaining the differences  between the various mental ray options available for Maya 2011.  Here is a simple outline that I think will help to at lesat get the basic breakdown of the different options.  Enjoy!  If you have more uestions, just contact us here at Motion Media.

 

The following mental ray® software options are included with, or available for, Autodesk® Maya® 2011 software:

• mental ray for Maya renderer (1 license with each Maya 2011 license)


• mental ray Satellite for Maya (8 licenses with each Maya 2011 license)


• mental ray Batch for Maya (5 licenses with each Maya 2011 network license)


• mental ray Standalone for Maya (each license must be purchased separately)

mental ray for Maya renderer

The mental ray for Maya renderer license is required to use the mental ray software to render 3D scenes on the Maya 2011 host computer.  It is only licensed to run on the computer on which Maya is installed and will use all of that computer’s processors–including all multi-core processors such as those found in dual-core, dual quad-core, and quad quad-core workstations.  The mental ray for Maya renderer is one of four (4) different rendering options available with the Maya 2011 software.  The other three are the Maya native renderer, vector renderer and hardware renderer.  One (1) mental ray for Maya renderer license is provided with each Maya 2011 software license and it can only be used to render 3D scenes created in Maya. ( .ma or .mb scene files)

Advanced Planar Tracking and Roto in mocha Seminar

Motion Media and Imagineer Systems have teamed up to bring you an advanced Planar Tracking and Roto seminar live at Motion Media in Santa Monica.

Motion Media invites you to this advanced VFX training seminar presented by Imagineer Systems Product Specialist, Martin Brennand.

Martin will showing advanced techniques using mocha to solve the most difficult tracking and roto challenges found in post production. Learn how mocha's planar tracker tools work within compositing & finishing environments such as: After Effects, Nuke, and more to save time and money.

Additionally, Imagineer will be showcasing an exciting technology preview of their new product: mocha Pro.

About mocha:
mocha v2 is a stand alone tracking & roto utility designed to complement any compositing and finishing environment. mocha's planar tracker allows artists to easily track shots where point trackers fail.

As a rotoscoping station, mocha's ability to accurately track and render external mattes saves hours of manual labor for articulate matte creation. Create & render mattes with less keyframes!

mocha v2 supports export to: After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Flame, Smoke, Combustion, Avid|DS, Quantel, Shake, Digital Fusion and Nuke.

Click Here for Location, Times and to Sign Up.

MAXON Announces Immediate Availability of CINEMA 4D Release 12!

[caption id="attachment_1145" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Cinema 4D R12"][/caption]

New Version Extends Dynamics, Rendering, Scripting, Character Animation Capabilities and Company Introduces New Streamlined Product Offerings.

Friedrichsdorf, Germany, September 1, 2010 - MAXON Computer, a leading developer of professional 3D software, today announced the immediate availability of CINEMA 4D Release 12, the next generation of its highly-acclaimed professional 3D software application.

Key Highlights of CINEMA 4D Release 12 and More info.

Cineversity Live! Will be on the air twice a day this week - Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - to coincide with the launch of Release 12.

To view Cineversity Live visit http://live.cineversity.com/

Wednesday, Sept 1
11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET) - General Release Announcement
3 pm PDT (2200 GMT/ 0000 CET) - Rendering Features and Q&A
Thursday, Sept 2
11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET) - Dynamics
3 pm PDT (2200 GMT/ 0000 CET) - Release 12 Q&A
Friday, Sept 3
11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET) – New Character Tools and Deformers
3 pm PDT (2200 GMT/ 0000 CET) - Release 12 Q&A

Additionally, Cineversity Live! will be on the air every Wednesday for the rest of September:
Wednesday, Sept 8, 11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET)
Wednesday, Sept 15, 11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET)
Wednesday, Sept 22, 11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET)
Wednesday, Sept 29, 11 am PDT (1800 GMT/ 2000 CET)

Autodesk Announces AutoCAD for the Mac

Autodesk Announced yesterday that it will be releasing AutoCAD for Mac later this year.  This is an awesome development and we're really excited about this. 

If you’re a longtime AutoCAD® expert, you’ll feel at home with AutoCAD® for Mac® software—the commands and tools you use every day work here too. For those who haven’t used AutoCAD in years, the intuitive interface and context-sensitive help function in AutoCAD for Mac can help smooth out your learning curve.

AutoCAD® for Mac® software—it’s AutoCAD, for the Mac, bringing robust 3D free-form design tools and powerful drafting capabilities to your platform of choice. It takes full advantage of the Mac OS® X platform, with an intuitive, graphical user interface that makes it easy to bring your ideas to life. And because it’s AutoCAD, you’re working natively in DWG™ format, so you can easily share files with clients, suppliers, and partners around the world, regardless of platform.