cg daily news

Creating a Creature Workflow: Part 1

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:38:06 PDT

This is the first part in a series of videos created by Kenichi Nishida, capturing his personal workflow in creating a creature sculpt using Maya and Mudbox 2011. Chapters covered are concept, creating base mesh, primary, secondary and tertiary form - the later three which focus on developing the overall shape and details of the creature.

CHECK HERE!

Related links:

area.autodesk.com

Autodesk Introduces Vehicle For Games

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:07:03 PDT

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., March 11, 2010 -Autodesk, Inc. (ADSK: NASDAQ), has introduced its "Vehicle for Games" curriculum for post-secondary students. The 16-week curriculum provides hands-on training for the entire game development pipeline, from concept art to creating an engine-ready asset. This free* web-based curriculum is designed to be used with Autodesk Maya modeling, animation, rendering and visual effects software, and Autodesk Mudbox digital sculpting and texture painting software. A six-month student trial version of Maya* and a 30-day student trial version of Mudbox* can be downloaded for use with the curriculum.

Autodesk developed the curriculum with professionals from leading game developers NCSoft and Double Helix, to mirror the requirements of real-world game development. Laguna College of Art & Design (LCAD) in California is piloting "Vehicle for Games". Sandy Appleoff, game art department chair at LCAD, said, "Autodesk is a company that cares about the paradigm shift in the way we educate our young people, providing us with resource tools that help embrace the future of education. With the 'Vehicle for Games' curriculum, Autodesk provides a valuable link between educators and the game industry, and helps make sure that our graduates' qualifications match industry needs. Having this masterful curriculum has allowed our students to move faster. By the end of the semester they will have produced game engine-ready assets and have them loaded and functioning in the game engine."

LCAD instructor Derek Sunshine is currently teaching the curriculum. Sunshine said, "The goals set for my class are aggressive. This curriculum complements what the students are trying to achieve at LCAD by going step-by-step through the process of creating AAA quality art for games. Both LCAD and Autodesk have a standard of quality that really helps push students into gaining the upper hand in this very competitive job market."

Intended for intermediate to advanced students, "Vehicle for Games" takes a unique approach to teaching 3D techniques by providing an art director's point of view for various steps of game development. The first lesson explores concepts based on a narrative, guiding students through the progression of an idea that starts with a simple poem and moves into a story-rich world with many visual possibilities. The lessons examine storytelling and how important it is to identify and remain aware of the world in which the vehicle asset will be placed.

Students go through the process of modeling and texturing a vehicle for a video game, learning industry techniques. "Vehicle for Games" also provides a taste of what it's like to be an asset modeler working in production. It includes video tutorials, models, textures, concept art, and orthographic drawings that students can follow or use as guides to create their own vehicles with their own concepts.

Access to the Curriculum

"Vehicle for Games" is available in English on the Autodesk Education Community, in the Level 4 content on the Industry Careers Framework micro site. Please note that the Autodesk Education Community is accessible only to faculty and students with a valid email address from a registered educational institution.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies - as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

*The curriculum terms and conditions are available at http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=legal.The software is subject to the terms and conditions of the end-user license agreement that accompanies the software.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Maya and Mudbox are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

Related links:

usa.autodesk.com

Next Generation Full HD 3D TVs

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:47:37 PDT

SANTA CLARA, California—March 15, 2010—NVIDIA today announced NVIDIA® 3DTV Play, its latest software solution that allows consumers to connect their GeForce® GPU-powered desktop or notebook computer to new 3D TVs, for the ultimate in big screen 3D gaming action. For the launch of 3DTV Play, NVIDIA is teaming up with Panasonic on its coast-to-coast 2010 “Panasonic Touch the Future Tour,” where consumers can test drive 3DTV Play-based PCs running on the new Panasonic® VIERA® Full HD 3D TVs, that just launched this month.

3DTV Play software lets you connect any compatible NVIDIA GeForce GPU-powered PC or notebook to 3D TVs for the ultimate, high-definition, big-screen, 3D entertainment experience. By leveraging the processing power of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, 3DTV Play software delivers the best the PC has to offer: play hundreds of standard PC games in stunning 3D environments such as World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King, Battlefield Bad Company 2, and James Cameron’s Avatar™: The Game. You can also watch upcoming Blu-ray 3D™ Hollywood blockbusters, view digital 3D photographs, and even watch streaming 3D movies for the ultimate viewing party. The active-shutter glasses bundled with each VIERA full HD 3D TV sold work seamlessly with NVIDIA GPUs and off-the-shelf PC gaming titles and other 3D entertainment content.

Facts about NVIDIA 3DTV Play:

Can be run on GeForce GPU-based desktop or notebook PCs equipped with an HDMI or DVI connector
Full support for all HDMI 1.4-compatible 3D TVs, including Panasonic VIERA Plasma full HD 3D TVs

Enables 1080p24, 720p60, and 720p50 3D formats

Advanced NVIDIA software and graphics drivers automatically convert more than 400 games to stereoscopic 3D in real time, without the need for special patches.
Enjoy full HD Blu-ray 3D playback with real-time GPU accelerated decoding and playback on GeForce GPUsⁱ
Watch streaming 3D movies
View 3D photographs directly on the 3D TV
NVIDIA 3DTV Play software will be available later this spring and sold separately with an anticipated U.S. MSRP of $39.99. It will also be available for free for current NVIDIA 3D Vision™ customers.

Quotes:
“NVIDIA is a premier choice for gamers, and 3DTV Play delivers an easy way for them to game on the big screen, for the ultimate, immersive experience," said Bob Perry, Senior Vice President, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "We're pleased that NVIDIA shares our commitment to providing awesome technology to savvy consumers, and we are happy to offer NVIDIA the opportunity to highlight their 3D solution as part of our nationwide road show.”

“NVIDIA is all about raising the bar of PC gaming, and gamers are going to love playing in 3D on one of the new Panasonic VIERA 50-inch full HD 3D TVs,” said Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision technology at NVIDIA. “This is truly one of those ‘must experience to believe it’ moments, and we are ecstatic that consumers will have the chance to try it for themselves on any of our 15 stops across the US.”

NVIDIA 3DTV Play lets you connect your GeForce-powered PC to new 3D HDTVs for big-screen gaming excitement!
Panasonic_Glasses
NVIDIA 3DTV Play is on a nationwide tour with the new Panasonic VIERA 3D HDTVs! Come by one of the 15 tour locations and check out the new 3D action using the Panasonic active-shutter glasses, which work in conjunction with NVIDIA GeForce GPUs and our software drivers.
3DV_TV_BoxWrap
3DTV Play will be available later this Spring for $39.99 USD and will be provided free of charge for current 3D Vision customers as well.

About the Panasonic Touch the Future Tour

The 2010 Panasonic Touch the Future Tour will give consumers the chance to experience hands-on demos of exciting new Panasonic products, including its first full HD 3D home theater system. The tour will spend three days at popular venues in 15 national markets between March 15-April 17, and one lucky sweepstakes winner in each market will receive a complete Panasonic full HD 3D home theater system—featuring a Panasonic VIERA® 50” full HD 3D TV, a Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc player, and a pair of Panasonic 3D Eyewear. Visit www.panasonic.com/future for tour locations and details.

Tour dates and locations are:

3/15 - 3/17	New York	Penn Pavilion	401 7th Ave at 33rd St
3/15 - 3/17	Chicago	Tribune 445	445 S. Michigan Avenue
3/15 - 3/17	Los Angeles	Hollywood and Highland	801 Hollywood Boulevard
3/20 - 3/22	Boston	Copley Place	2 Copley Place
3/22 - 3/24	Detroit	Detroit Opera House	1526 Broadway
3/22 - 3/24	Scottsdale	Fashion Square Mall	7014 East Camelback Road
3/25 - 3/27	Philadelphia	King of Prussia Mall	North Gulph Road
3/29 - 3/31	Minneapolis	IDS Tower	80 8th Street South
3/29 - 3/31	San Francisco	One Market Plaza	1 Market Street
3/31 - 4/2	Washington, DC	Union Station	50 Massachusetts Ave, NE
4/6 - 4/8	Dallas	Grapevine Mills Mall	3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway
4/6 - 4/8	Seattle	Top of the Market	93 Pike Street, Suite 307
4/7 - 4/9	Atlanta	595 North	595 North Ave, NW Atlanta
4/12 - 4/14	Houston	The Warehouse	4108 Dupont Street
4/15 - 4/17	Miami	Ice Palace	59 Northwest 14th Street

Useful Links:
http://www.nvidia.com/3Dtv
http://www.panasonic.com/promos/touch-the-future-tour/

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from tablets and portable media players to notebooks and workstations. NVIDIA’s expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. The company holds more than 1,100 U.S. patents, including ones covering designs and insights which are fundamental to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

Related links:

REPLACE THE SOURCE LINK HERE

Create an Ivy Covered Tree Stump

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:22:23 PDT

In this quick and easy tutorial, we will use 3ds Max, VRay, and a free plugin called GW:Ivy to create a highly detailed ivy covered tree stump scene. For those of you who are beginners out there…don’t be intimidated! When you are finished you will say “I can’t believe how easy that was!”.

WATCH VIDEO TUTORIAL

Related links:

cg.tutsplus.com

Nuke Stereo Master Class Plus 6.1 Preview

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:08:23 PDT

The Foundry held its second Master Class in London on Friday, playing to packed house at the Vue theatre in Leicester Square. The event was standing-room only, having given away all the seats in only 24 hours when it was announced earlier this year.

The event focused on stereoscopic production and post…a timely program after the overwhelming success of Avatar at the box office. The Foundry actually went out and shot some stereoscopic scenes so that the entire process could be covered for their event. Throughout the day, a variety of speakers examined various issues regarding stereoscopic projects. fxguidetv will have coverage from the event in the next several weeks but in the meantime, click through for more about the event and a few details about the the upcoming Nuke 6.1 release.

From fxguide John Montgomery will brings us to the event HERE

Related links:

fxguide.com

60 Car Modeling Tutorials

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:42:37 PDT

3DExport posted cool collection of 60 car modeling tutorials, top-notch 3ds max, maya, cinema4d, softimage tutorials for you to check out. Hope you will find this post useful.

HERE YOU GO!

Related links:

3dexport.com

GrowFX 1.4.0

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:32:36 PDT

GrowFX is a plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max, allowing you to build plants and other objects, which grow in various directions.

Yesterday Exlevel has just released GrowFX 1.4.0 for 3ds Max 9, 2008, 2009, 2010.

* New direction modifier: Spline direction. The modifier allows the user to set the direction of a path along a spline. Moreover, this algorithm can be used to make smooth interpolation between splines. For example, low branches may have one shape while upper ones have another;
* New parameters for Instanced geometry:
* Current time - Sets time for animated objects, which is different from the current time of the animation. Users can influence and animate this parameter on their own. The parameter can be used in animation, as well as in creation of static models;
* Deform along Path - Deforms an object along path directions. The parameter allows the user to create custom geometric shapes by specifying the required direction for them;
* Use hierarchy - Allows using all objects from the hierarchy of a selected object;
* Generate MultiMaterial - Collects all information on object materials, creates a multimaterial and assigns it to itself;
* Display as bounding box - If Combine meshes is not used, objects in Viewport are displayed as boxes;
* One BBox for hierarchy - Displays the entire hierarchy as a single box;
For example, you can create an animated flower from several associated objects, assign different materials to them. Then, the flower grows on branches / stems at different times. A GrowFX object automatically assigns to itself a new multimaterial where all materials of source objects are collected;
* Improved interface:
* There is an opportunity to resize all lists by moving their bottom border;
* When the user clicks the right mouse button on the Graphics, Affects, Chaos Mat ID buttons, a context menu appears where one can find more control options;
* New option on the main panel called Show x-points on the paths. To make work with graphic parameters more visual, this option enables the mode that displays knot points of a graph as x-points on lines in Viewport;
* Some minor bugs are fixed.

Related links:

REPLACE THE SOURCE LINK HERE

GPU+CPU Rendering and Editing Arion released!

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:26:18 PDT

Random Control announced Arion has been released.
Arion is fully unbiased, and uses all avaiable CPUs and CUDA-GPUs to edit your Scene in Realtime (Light, Materials, etc.), and those changes can be saved within the scene. The Viewport is final render quality, providing physically-based Image Quality and best Antialiasing. More features to come!

It comes with Plug-Ins for Host-Apps like Max, Maya, Modo, Cinema 4D, Rhino, Lightwave, XSI, SketchUp and also an Obj-Importer.

Arion will be avaiable for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

More Info, Videos etc.: http://www.randomcontrol.com/arion

Related links:

randomcontrol.com

IDVN Design Visualization Challenge 2010

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:52:57 PDT

IDVN announced the Design Visualization Challenge 2010, In this challlenge, contestants are tasked to design and render an exterior scene of a Balinese villa, based on the massing model provided.

Check and join the Challenge HERE

Related links:

idvnetworks.org

Brink Cinematic

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:30:46 PDT

Check out the official trailer for Brink. For more information on the game, visit BrinkTheGame.com.

Brink is an upcoming first-person shooter video game developed by Splash Damage set to release in Q4 2010. It offers team-based multiplayer missions with authored narratives, persistent player characters and an approachable nature. It is also developer Splash Damage's first original title as past titles were part of franchises.

In Brink, two sides, "Resistance" and "Security", fight in the outskirts of a utopian city known as The Ark, a floating city surrounded by the waters of a flooded Earth. The Ark was designed as a prototype of a perfect city, with renewable resources and no pollution, large enough to support 5,000 residents. Its population has grown to 50,000 however, leading it to the brink (hence the name of the game) of a civil war.

Related links:

3dup.com
brinkthegame.com

3ds Max 2011 New Features

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:55:39 PDT

3ds Max Composite
Enhance rendered passes and incorporate them into live action footage with 3ds Max Composite: a fully-featured, high-performance, HDR-capable compositor, based on technology from Autodesk Toxik software. The 3ds Max Composite toolset incorporates keying, color correction, tracking, camera mapping, raster and vector paint, spline-based warping, motion blur, depth of field, and tools to support stereoscopic productions.

Object Paint
Accelerate modeling and texturing tasks with new tools that extend the Graphite modeling and Viewport Canvas toolsets: a revised toolset for 3D painting and editing textures within the viewport; the ability to paint with object brushes to create geometry within a scene; a new brush interface for editing UVW coordinates; and an interactive tool for extending edge loops.

User Interface Customization
Save time when modeling and maintain focus on the creative task at hand with a new in-context UI for polygon modeling tools that eliminates unnecessary mouse movement away from the model. Modelers can interactively manipulate properties, enter values directly at the point of interest in the viewport, and preview results prior to committing changes.

Slate Material Editor
Easily visualize and edit material component relationships with Slate, a new node-based material editor that helps significantly improve workflow and productivity for artists creating and editing complex material networks. The intuitive schematic framework is engineered to handle the vast numbers of materials required by today's demanding productions.

Viewport Canvas toolset
Accelerate modeling and texturing tasks with new tools that extend the Graphite modeling and Viewport Canvas toolsets: a revised toolset for 3D painting and editing textures within the viewport; the ability to paint with object brushes to create geometry within a scene; a new brush interface for editing UVW coordinates; and an interactive tool for extending edge loops.

Related links:

youtube.com

DELL G2410H 24"W Monitor with WLED

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:52:51 PST

Designed with outstanding energy efficiency, the G2410H 24"W Monitor with WLED offers great performance for office productivity.

Designed with high efficiency to enable minimal power consumption
Made with environmentally preferable materials
Designed and packaged with environmentally preferable materials
Height adjustable for ideal viewing comfort

At a Glance

Power-saving Features — Ambient Light Sensor, PowerNap, Dynamic Dimming and 3 Energy Modes

Efficient Design — An ultra efficient power supply unit and < 0.15W energy consumption in sleep mode using VGA input

Friendly Materials — Free of arsenic (glass only), mercury, polyvinyl chloride (packaging only), BFR and CFR

Highly Recyclable Package — Corrugated cardboard instead of foam

Bold Innovation for Dramatic Power Savings

Utilizing a high efficiency power supply unit and WLED backlight technology, this Energy Star compliant monitor delivers up to 60% less typical average power consumption than that of comparable Dell widescreen monitors¹.

Ambient Light Sensor adjusts brightness to help minimize power use, and increase user comfort.
Dynamic Dimming is designed to automatically decrease brightness when an image contains a high proportion of bright areas.
3 Energy Modes for a perfect blend of energy efficiency, display brightness and viewing comfort.
PowerNap can dim the monitor to minimum brightness level, or put it into Sleep mode, depending on user preference.
All of the above features can be turned on or off through the available Dell Client Manager^TM .
Less than 0.15W standby power when in sleep mode.

Slim Design, Environmentally Conscious Materials

To help reduce waste related to production and transportation, the G2410H was designed with up to a 20% ² slimmer panel and the amount of plastic packaging within the box was reduced³.

It uses recycled plastic in its chassis and packaging and environmentally preferable materials in many components.

External chassis uses more than 25% post-consumer recycled materials
Arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
No expanded polystyrene foam in packaging, instead utilizing highly recyclable corrugated cardboard

Excellent Performance for Office Productivity

The G2410H makes it easy to view two full web pages side by side – with plenty of room for menus and toolbars.

16:9 ratio and full HD 1920x1080 resolution
DVI-D Digital connector with High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection (HDCP)
Up to 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (typical)
Optional Dell Flat Panel attached multimedia Sound Bar

Rock-solid Service and Support

The G2410H 24”W Monitor with WLED is backed by a Dell 3-Year Limited Hardware Warranty⁴ with 3-Year Advance Exchange⁵ Service. Need technical support? You can call toll-free 24/7 within the U.S. for the duration of the warranty.

Check it out !

Related links:

accessories.us.dell.com

Autodesk Show Reel 2010

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:10:55 PST

This Autodesk Show Reel illustrates the company's leadership in 2D and 3D design technology by showcasing incredible customer work in the fields of architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, automotive, and media and entertainment. http://www.autodesk.com/

Related links:

autodesk.com

Poser Pro 2010

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:49:09 PST

Integrate animated 3D characters and gigabytes of Poser content with the tools in your production pipeline. Poser Pro 2010 saves time and resources for professional artists and production teams with ready-to-go, pre-rigged characters and a content library full of assets. Working inside Poser Pro generates dynamic images and video with its advanced lighting and powerful rendering technology.

Key Features

A new interface makes Poser Pro 2010 even easier to use!

Content Management: Find what you need in Poser's content library with keyword search, online search and metadata. Display previews, browse categories and drag and drop to scenes.
Professional Animation: Combine multiple layers of action into one fluid lifelike animation. Animate by keyframing pose to pose or import motion capture data. Automate walk and run cycles with natural gait and style with the WalkDesigner™.
Realistic 3D detail: Create photo real images with full ranges of intensity and color with High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) support. Add high resolution 3D detail to any mesh through the use of normal mapping.
Hosting with PoserFusion™: Use Poser Pro's pre-rigged characters inside applications such as Autodesk®'s 3ds Max® and Maya®, Maxon's CINEMA 4D® and NewTek’s LightWave®* with the included plug-ins. Import and export with COLLADA data exchange.
Improved Rendering: Leverage your network to render massive scenes and animation sequences using the network render queue and background rendering, built on a 64-bit render engine for incredible speed and quality!
Easy Saving & Sharing: Preview recent renders directly from your palette for quick image comparison or uploading to a Facebook gallery or StuffIt® Connect cloud storage service.

* PoserFusion plug-in for NewTek’s Lightwave will be freely available to all Poser Pro 2010 users following NewTek’s release of the CORE version of Lightwave.

Related links:

poser.smithmicro.com

IFX Free workshop: Painting the Dragon Tamer

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:31:20 PST

To become a better artist you have to constantly challenge yourself, upgrade your skills, seek out and eliminate weaknesses in your technique. Sticking to painting only what you are good at will make you a very narrow minded artist.

Modern companies are looking for employees with a wide range of skills, so it’s important to do something new with every picture you create, and if you fail at first, keep coming back to it until you’re happy with the results.

Download the Tutorial

Related links:

imaginefx.com

Behind the Screenz with Thomas Varoux

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:29:44 PST

Thomas Varoux is French 3D artist currently living in Japan, working as freelancer for the overseas who has about 5 years of experience in the Game development industry. He has done work for multiple platforms like PC, Xbox, iPhone, Nintendo DS and others, on single or MMO games talks about his works .
Check it

Related links:

area.autodesk.com

3DAllusions is celebrating 10th birthday with Challenge#16 - House N

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:23:30 PST

This time 3DA brings you something different, something that is more focused on the inner realm of the house, inner, yet not inside, nor outside... So now we will have to play with white form, mass and void, light and air... touch of nature in the gentle trees and pebbles in the inner garden... So this is different, yet in a way this is good continuation of our previous challenges as this is also one unique house and we kind of keep the tradition, presenting the houses that touch the very essence of a house in a completely unique way, in different setting, culture, part of the world With House N in Tokyo, by architect Sou Fujimoto.

Join Now !

Related links:

3dallusions.com

The Art of UNCHARTED 2

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:31:10 PST

Ballistic announced new first book in their Art of the Game series called: The Art of UNCHARTED 2

The overwhelming choice for Game of the Year from 33 different outlets, Naughty Dog's instant classic on the PlayStation® 3 has set a new standard for games in visuals, story, performance and action.

Working directly with the Naughty Dog creative team to sift through the mountain of art used to create UNCHARTED 2, The Art of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves provides an amazing snapshot of the creation of the game. The book is Ballistic Publishing’s biggest book at 272 pages and reveals hundreds of pieces of unseen art not available outside of the Naughty Dog team.

The book starts with the concept art for both characters and environments, showing all of the main characters and levels in over 200 pages. Moving beyond a standard concept art book, we also feature the work of the character modeling team, the production art team, the motion-capture and cinematics team, and finally the effects team. Combined, all these chapters show how the entire team contribute to the final game.

See the whole book
The Art of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves can be viewed in its entirety using the Ballistic Book Previewer.

Exclusive concept art video walkthrough offer
The first 300 customers to pre-order The Art of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves softcover edition, and all Special and Limited Folio Edition customers will receive a free 15-minute walkthrough video of three concept pieces from UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. The video shows pieces by Naughty Dog Art Director Robh Ruppel and Concept Artist Andrew Kim. Pre-order your copy now to receive the walkthrough video.

Three great editions
The Art of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves is available in three editions. The softcover edition is available to pre-order today at USD65. The Art of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Special Edition features a suede leather-bound cover, with gold-embossed title and Nathan Drake tip-on artwork and is available to pre-order at USD129. Finally, for true art book lovers, a strictly limited book is available to the first 200 customers. The numbered Limited Folio Edition, features a black suede leather-bound cover, with gold-embossed cover art, and a matching hand-crafted presentation case with a ribbon to easily remove or place the Folio Edition. Completing this unique edition is an individually-numbered and hand-signed certificate by Naughty Dog Co-President Evan Wells, Creative Director Amy Hennig, and Art Directors Robh Ruppel and Erick Pangilinan. The Limited Folio Edition also includes specially-produced endpaper artwork featuring production environments and is available at USD300. Reserve your numbered copy.

CHECK HERE

Related links:

ballisticpublishing.com

Genetica 3.5 Released

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:23:15 PST

Genetica is the software can makes seamless textures from photographs
Spiral Graphics Inc. has released Genetica 3.5, a giant leap forward for its flagship seamless texture, animated texture, and HDRI environment map package. A free trial can be downloaded here.

The new version adds a suite of tools for the creation of seamless textures directly from photographs, allowing photorealistic results to be achieved in seconds. Genetica's versatile approach yields impressive results whether working with photos of organic materials like drying mud, or repeating patterns such as brick walls. Individual objects can even be isolated from source photographs and randomly bombed throughout a texture.

In addition to working with their own texture photos, artists can take advantage of over a thousand royalty-free texture photos that come included with Genetica. This time-saving collection includes photos taken from throughout the world, with subject matter as varied as tile floors, corroded metal, flower gardens, industrial materials, ancient mosaics, and desert sand.

Genetica has been used on countless projects including games, animation, television programs, mobile applications, virtual words, and architectural visualization. Spiral Graphics Inc. is a software development firm focused on creating innovative software tools for the computer graphics community.

Related links:

spiralgraphics.biz

Nvidia Fermi Octane Competition

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:18:17 PST

To inaugurate the launch of the Octane Render Commercial v1.00 beta 1, Refractive Software started a new competition with great prizes

Check HERE for more information and join

Related links:

refractivesoftware.com

CryEngine 3 Tech Trailer at GDC 10

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:24:41 PST

From the physics to the graphics and beyond, this trailer from GDC 2010 covers it all with footage from Crysis 2 using CryEngine 3.

Florida Times Union "Origami"

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:33:15 PST

The Pretty cool commercial video from Michael Wiehart : Florida Times Union "Origami"

Client: Florida Times Union
Agency: The Robin Shepherd Group
Title: Bursting with life - Origami Edition
Production Company: Visual Comforts
Director: Michael Wiehart

Interview with Daniel L. Smith, Stereoscopic Expert

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:23:43 PST

Daniel L. Smith is a VFX supervisor and 3D Stereoscopic expert. He has worked on feature films, television series, commercials, and special venue films.

Daniel has been very involved with Visual Effects and 3D stereoscopy for nearly 18 years. His diverse path has allowed him to work alongside some truly unique, talented, and visionary artists in the Visual FX industry. Daniel also got to work with Allen Hastings and Stuart Ferguson when implementing stereo rendering capabilities into LightWave 3D back in the late 90’s. Daniel has worked with Academy award winning supervisors and directors such as Joel Hynek (Predator, What Dreams May Come, Judge Dredd), John Gatea (The Matrix Trilogy, Speed Racer), and Will Vinton( Claymation, California Raisins.) Daniel has supervised stereoscopic projects for Busch Gardens, Radio City Music Hall, and Santa’s Village. He was also the stereoscopic supervisor on the most successful 3D movie of all time, Spy-Kids 3D (according to the 2007 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records).

Now you can pick up some Stereo secrets from an expert in the industry. Most of all this interview will be an open forum style, so we want your questions.

This is your chance to ask an expert!

What’s happening in the industry with 3-D? Where is Hollywood going with 3-D? What does all this mean for you and future jobs?

Spend a little time with Daniel Saturday and get the answers to some of the most important questions facing 3D artists today, STEREO!

PRICE / SPACE:
Space is limited to 900 people and this Interview is presented FREE

REGISTRATION:
Click register, and fill out needed information. Title: ILWUG - Interview with Daniel L. Smith, Stereoscopic Expert Date: Saturday, March 13, 2010 Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
Countdown to the Interview:

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000 Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/686038802

Related links:

REPLACE THE SOURCE LINK HERE

Autodesk releases 2011 Products

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:33:47 PST

Learn about the 2011 versions of some of Autodesk’s Digital Entertainment Creation tools. See them in action on AREA’s virtual GDC March 11 -13.

Autodesk^® Maya^® 2011 Entertainment Creation Suite

Maya 2011 - 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects software. MotionBuilder 2011 - A leading, real-time 3D character animation software. Mudbox 2011 - A highly intuitive 3D digital sculpting and texture painting solution.

More...

Autodesk^® 3ds Max^® 2011 Entertainment Creation Suite

Includes Autodesk^® MotionBuilder^® 2011 software for real-time character animation and Autodesk^® Mudbox™ 2011 software for digital sculpting and 3D painting together with either Autodesk^® Maya^® 2011 or Autodesk^® 3ds Max^® 2011 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software in one cost-effective package.

More...

Autodesk^® Maya^® 2011

3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects software offers artists an end-to-end creative workflow.

More...

Autodesk^® 3ds Max^® 2011

An industry-standard 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects solution used to produce award-winning games, film, and video content.

More...

Autodesk^® Motionbuilder^® 2011

A leading, real-time 3D character animation software for high-volume game animation pipelines, director-driven virtual cinematography, and real-time character simulations.

More...

Autodesk^® Mudbox^® 2011

A highly intuitive 3D digital sculpting and texture painting solution designed by industry professionals who understand how you work.

More...

Autodesk^® Softimage^® 2011

A comprehensive 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing solution optimized for artist efficiency.

More...

Autodesk^® FBX^® 2011

Open framework for 3D data transfer that creates a high level of interoperability among Autodesk products and third-party applications.

More...

Autodesk^® Kynapse^® 7

Artificial intelligence middleware for game development and real-time simulations—adopted for more than 80 AAA titles.

More...

Autodesk^® HumanIK^® 4.5

Animation middleware for creating believable, interactive animation that enables game characters to interact with and adapt to environments.

More...

Autodesk^® Smoke^®

Autodesk® Smoke® software is a leader in editorial finishing for high-quality commercial and broadcast projects.

More...

Autodesk^® Flame^®

Autodesk® Flame® software brings 3D design and visual effects together in an interactive compositing application for finishing

More...

Related links:

area.autodesk.com

Survey for DigitalVision

cgrecord.us@gmail.com — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:38:40 PST

Please take a few moments to answer this brief, 8 question survey about your experience at the event. Your feedback will be used to help Them improve the program and virtual event model for DigitalVision 2010 Summer, scheduled for June 23

Here you go!

Related links:

zoomerang.com

cg daily news

Creating a Creature Workflow: Part 1

Autodesk Introduces Vehicle For Games

Next Generation Full HD 3D TVs

Create an Ivy Covered Tree Stump

Nuke Stereo Master Class Plus 6.1 Preview

60 Car Modeling Tutorials

GrowFX 1.4.0

GPU+CPU Rendering and Editing Arion released!

IDVN Design Visualization Challenge 2010

Brink Cinematic

3ds Max 2011 New Features

DELL G2410H 24"W Monitor with WLED

At a Glance

Bold Innovation for Dramatic Power Savings

Slim Design, Environmentally Conscious Materials

Excellent Performance for Office Productivity

Rock-solid Service and Support

Autodesk Show Reel 2010

Poser Pro 2010

Key Features

IFX Free workshop: Painting the Dragon Tamer

Behind the Screenz with Thomas Varoux

3DAllusions is celebrating 10th birthday with Challenge#16 - House N

The Art of UNCHARTED 2

Genetica 3.5 Released

Nvidia Fermi Octane Competition

CryEngine 3 Tech Trailer at GDC 10

Florida Times Union "Origami"

Interview with Daniel L. Smith, Stereoscopic Expert

Autodesk releases 2011 Products

Autodesk® Maya® 2011 Entertainment Creation Suite

Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2011 Entertainment Creation Suite

Autodesk® Maya® 2011

Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2011

Autodesk® Motionbuilder® 2011

Autodesk® Mudbox® 2011

Autodesk® Softimage® 2011

Autodesk® FBX® 2011

Autodesk® Kynapse® 7

Autodesk® HumanIK® 4.5

Autodesk® Smoke®

Autodesk® Flame®

Survey for DigitalVision

Autodesk^® Maya^® 2011 Entertainment Creation Suite

Autodesk^® 3ds Max^® 2011 Entertainment Creation Suite

Autodesk^® Maya^® 2011

Autodesk^® 3ds Max^® 2011

Autodesk^® Motionbuilder^® 2011

Autodesk^® Mudbox^® 2011

Autodesk^® Softimage^® 2011

Autodesk^® FBX^® 2011

Autodesk^® Kynapse^® 7

Autodesk^® HumanIK^® 4.5

Autodesk^® Smoke^®

Autodesk^® Flame^®