ZBrush 3.12B for Mac released

Pixologic has released an update to the current version of its ZBrush for Mac sculpting tool

LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 27, 2009, Pixologic Inc., makers of the award-winning sculpting, texturing and 2.5D painting application ZBrush, today announced the release of ZBrush 3.12B Mac OS X, now available for Intel-based Macintosh computers.

With ZBrush 3.12B, Pixologic continues to demonstrate its commitment to meeting the demands of 3D production artists in film, television, games, pre-visualization as well as concept design. This important update contains many optimizations and feature enhancements for the previously released ZBrush 3.12. The update is a free download for all registered users of ZBrush for OS X.

“ZBrush does things you simply can‘t do with any other program.”
Rick Baker-Six time Academy Award winning artist

Optimizations and feature adjustments for ZBrush 3.12B include:

Displacement Mapping Enhancements

• Faster and more accurate map generation.

• DPSubPix and adaptive modes may be used together for higher quality maps.

• Seam prevention enhancements.

• Added export controls for 16 and 32 bits maps in Displacement Map SubPalette.

• Added scale factor for 32 bits maps in Displacement Map SubPalette.

• Mid value is used when generating maps. Also allows for positive-only or negative- only maps to be created.

Normal Mapping Enhancements

• Faster and more accurate maps generation.

• Seam prevention enhancements.

• Added Flip Controls in Normal Map SubPalette; Flip V, Flip R, Flip G, Flip B and Switch RG.

Document Enhancements

• Win Size feature matches canvas size to available screen space.

• Resize does not cause rendering artifacts.

Tablet Enhancements

• Several new ways to use pen pressure added to the Brush Palette.

UV Mapping Enhancements

• Improved PUVTiles.

Texture Enhancements

• Import of JPG file format.

Interface Enhancements

• Recorded macros are automatically placed in the Macros sub-Palette.

• Hot-key setting has been addressed.

• Floor Grid opacity setting has been added to the Draw Palette.

• Added Preferences option to turn off edit brush alignment to the surface normal.

Sculpting Enhancements

• Zsub respects backface masking, if active.

• Wrap Mode available.

• Advanced Geometry features (such as Edge Loop) are available regardless of number of SubTools.

• Transpose action line does not lock if all three circles are at the same position.

• Extract produces clean edges.

• Extract thickness can now be given a negative value to extract inward instead of outward from the surface.

• Project All enhanced with a blur/smooth control feature.

• Brush intensities have been equalized when LazyMouse is on or off.

• Intensity control added to the masking-by-ambient-occlusion function.

ZSpheres and Rigging Enhancements

• Skinning has been enhanced to closely match the size of the ZSpheres especially with xyz resolution set to 1.

• Posing the rigged mesh has been enhanced to also use ZSphere twisting/rotating.

General Enhancements

• Various code optimizations and update of existing functions.

These enhancements and additions are designed to maximize the artist‘s creativity and accelerate the concept-to-completion workflow.

Combining ZBrush‘s powerful 2D/2.5D painting, texturing in 2D or 3D, and 3D sculpting tools, artists can express themselves in ways never before possible.
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Pixologic, Learning Tools, ZClassroom
A variety of learning tools are available for ZBrush (Win/Mac). Ranging from introductory to advanced skill levels, there are 80 + video (with voice over) available to choose from free of charge. This constantly growing library of Video Tutorials is designed to get you up and running with ZBrush in no time. For additional details, please visit http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/

The ZBrush Win Demo can be downloaded from the Pixologic website by visiting:

http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/trial

The ZBrush Mac Demo will be available shortly.

>b>Pricing and Availability
Decimation master and 3D Print Exporter are now available as free plug-ins for ZBrush 3.1 Windows to all registered ZBrush users. The Macintosh versions of the plug-ins will be available for ZBrush 3.12B within 30 days.

ZBrush retails for USD $595.00 and can be purchased and downloaded online at Pixologic’s e-store. ZBrush is also available from Pixologic-authorized resellers for both Windows and Mac platforms.

Partly Cloudy hits iTunes

The short film Partly Cloudy that has accompanied UP in theaters is now available through iTunes USA for $1.99 but you will need a US account to download it! Well worth it! A brief synopsis!

Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the babies from? The answer lies up in the stratosphere, where cloud people sculpt babies from clouds and bring them to life. Gus, a lonely and insecure grey cloud, is a master at creating "Dangerous" Babies, Crocodiles, Porcupines, Rams and more – Gus’s beloved creation is a work of art, but more than a handful for his loyal delivery Stork partner, Peck. As Gus’s creations become more and more rambunctious, Peck’s job gets harder and harder. How will Peck manage to handle both his hazardous cargo and his friend’s fiery treatment?

Pixar Reviews The Art of Up

We’re late, we’re late! Here’s our review for The Art of Up by Tim Hauser from Chronicle Books:

First off, I’d like to apologize about the tardiness in my review. Hopefully some of you are still pondering if you should get this book and I hope I can shed some light on your questions.

This has got to be, dare I say, the best book in Pixar’s Art of series! Yup, I said it. The Art of Up could possibly be the best, and that’s saying a lot! Author Tim Hauser handles it masterfully, it’s his second book with Chronicle/Pixar after all! I think his experience doing The Art of WALL•E really made Up’s counterpart the great "read" that it is. It’s safe to say that if you liked TAo WALL•E, you’ll love The Art of Up. Not in terms of the quality of the pieces contained in this 160 page coffee table book (which is amazing nonetheless), but because it blends rich text with over 250 gorgeous paintings, sketches, sculptures and more!

That’s one of the highlights of both books, they don’t flood you with text, but they give you enough so that you have insight on what’s on the page instead of just pictures of Carl, Russell, Dug and Kevin. Speaking of the main characters, the latest installment in the series gives you a good idea on how these personalities evolved and in what order/why they were created. Ricky Nierva calls the design ideology "simplexity", caricaturing the cast into simple shapes but retaining details like fur and texture. "Simplexity" works great in this world because, even though the events in Up are farfetched, the emotional "lift off" renders it believable.

Hauser goes in depth into Up’s production, featuring quotes from the Up team including director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson. Some cool facts you might not have known before picking up this book are that Muntz, in a previous incarnation of Up, was obsessed with fountain of youth like "snipe" eggs that would keep him young or that the original concept of what evolved into Up was a Muppet like story about two people living in a floating city! The best part is, there’s much, much more in there to enjoy and marvel at, for hours!

I would highly recommend this book if you haven’t already bought it. If you’ve just ordered it, you made a great investment! You can purchase the The Art of UP ($40.00 MSRP) from Chronicle Books or Amazon, among other retailers.

(Thanks goes out to Chronicle Books for allowing us to review yet another one of their magnificent coffee tale books. A big thanks also goes to Tim Hauser and Pixar for populating it with gorgeous details.)

P.S. I love the little touch they added when you remove the slip cover, it could be considered Pixar’s "My Adventure Book" for the last few years!

Free Chapter by Marcelo Eder Cunha from Digital Art Masters: V3 Book!

Download and read how Marcelo Eder Cunha created his image 'Homage to Sidonio Porto' in our latest Digital Art Masters: v3 Free Book Chapter Promotion:

E3 :: Event coverage

Hey there!

Check your buzzers! The Biggest Game show on the planet has started. Join in and give us some feedback on the coverage of the E3 show in Los Angeles. Click on the link here and muck in.

Truebones motions launches brand new website!

Truebones.com is proud to present a brand new website!

Key features of the new Truebones website:

A HUGE Variety of high quality Motions in BVH format
Free Motions in BVH and FREE animation software.
Informative monthly newsletter
Animation Video channel gallery.
Fast motion search and ordering system.
Online Store with instant downloads of products.
Full discussion and customer support forum.
Full previewing of for sale motions, Try before you buy!
(via FREE Animeeple Software)

Join today and you will receive Over 50 Free BVH Motions, In addition you will get a 50% discount coupon code for the New MonsterBones MegaMotions 2400 Pak just by signing up.(for a limited time)

Please feel free to Join Truebones today by registering at our brand new website today http://www.truebones.com/

At Truebones.com, High Quality, Wide Variety and Low Price = Great Value.

Thanks again and Cheers folks.

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OjO
(m)r.bones
http://www.truebones.com/

NYC SIGGRAPH Presents SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 Review/2009 Preview

On Thursday, June 11th, 2009, NYC ACM SIGGRAPH and the New York
Institute of Technology (NYIT) are proud to present "SIGGRAPH Asia
2008 Review / 2009 Preview". The event will run from 7:00PM
to 9:00PM at NYIT's Manhattan campus; specifically, the 11th Floor
Auditorium at 16 W. 61st Street (just aboveColumbus Circle).

The inaugural SIGGRAPH Asia Conference was held in December, 2008 in
Singapore. This was the first ACM SIGGRAPH Conference in Asia and it
was a great success! SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 will be held in Yokohama,
Japan from December 16 - December 19, 2009. For more details about
SIGGRAPH Asia 2009, please visit their web site at
www.siggraph.org/asia2009

We are very fortunate to have the chance to screen a special edition
of the SA2008 Electronic Theater at this event. We are also very happy
that the SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 Art Gallery Chair, Yuko Oda of NYIT, will
be with us to share a bit about what is planned for SA2009.

If you didn't make it to Singapore or are thinking about contributing
to / attending SIGGRAPH Asia 2009, you won't want to miss this event!

Admission for this event is free to our members and the general
public. However, this event does have limited seating and therefore
requires that you RSVP to reserve a seat. This can be done by sending
an e-mail to Pui Choi Lam at plam@nyit.edu. Please put "SIGGRAPH Asia
2008 Review / 2009 Preview RSVP" in the subject bar. You MUST include
your name and an e-mail address which you check regularly. If you do
not include these items in your e-mail, your reservation CANNOT be
guaranteed.

Each person must send an RSVP for themselves; one person = one RSVP
e-mail. E-mails that request more than one seat or list a class will
NOT be acknowledged. We will be maintaining a waiting list to fill
unclaimed seats the night of the event.

This event is being organized by Scott Lang of NYC ACM SIGGRAPH and
Yuko Oda of SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 and NYIT. We would like to thank NYIT
for their generous support of this event.

For more information about this event and all of our other activities,
please visit our web site at nyc.siggraph.org.

Thank you for your continued support of NYC ACM SIGGRAPH. We look
forward to seeing you at our events.

Special Pixar issue of 3D World on sale in the UK

In issue 118: Three exclusive Pixar covers to collect to celebrate our feature on the making of Pixar's UP - plus software and resources worth $458 on the CD


Click the thumbnail to order your copy online

IN THE MAGAZINE



The making of UP
We go behind the scenes to find out what new challenges Pixar‘s latest film posed for the studio



Create a killer showreel
Craft the perfect demo reel, armed with advice from the industry experts. We ask leading recruiters in film, games and arch-viz to find what employers want and what they don‘t

Unions in the 3D industry
Are you feeling exploited and overworked or creatively young, happy and free? We take a look at why there is little union representation for 3D artists

Your technical questions answered
Applications covered this issue include: Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Softimage, After Effects, Cinema 4D, Fusion, Lightwave 3D, Photoshop, SketchUp

Expanded Projects section
More pages of brilliant commercial work to inspire you

Portfolio
The best new artwork from around the world

On test this issue
Houdini 10, Unity 2.5, Quidam 3, Craft Director Tools 8.1, Workstation specialists WSM114

ON THE CD
Software, models, textures and video training worth $458

Hexagon 2.2 (Windows)
Full 3D polygon-modelling software
As sold for $149

3d02.com models
A family car (3ds, C4D), a racing car (MAX 9.0), a contemporary sideboard (3DS, FBX, LWO, MAX, MB, OBJ, XSI) and a hydraulic excavator (C4D) – combined value $274

De Espona elephant model
MAX format
As sold for $35

12 Environmental Textures seamless textures
JPEG format

Character texture tracking
34 minutes of expert tuition from The Gnomon Workshop DVD Character Texturing for Productions: Material and Texturing Techniques with Ian Joyner
The Gnomon Workshop video training
The art of matchmoving. 18 minutes of expert tuition

More Up Products + An iPhone Commercial

The Wall Street naysayers thought Up wouldn’t sell but (as usual) they were wrong and now we have a $68 million sure-to-be blockbuster on our hands, the 10th in a row from Pixar!

So naturally merchandise is coming in slowly and in small amounts, but I think stores are picking Up. It’s sad because Up is not only an amazing movie, but great property!

The fantastic Disney blog Stitch Kingdom was in New York City recently and took pictures of some awesome Up-themed merch. you’ll find there. Fine toy retailer FAO Schwarz is carrying exclusive Up plushes of Dug and Kevin, FAO toys tend to be expensive. For an easier to find and cheaper alternative, you could always try the Disney Store which already has talking Dug and the Pack plushes and will have Kevin in stock very soon. Speaking of new products, I’ve never seen these Carl caps before. Anyhow, the Up display at New York’s The World of Disney Store and FAO Schwarz looks great too!

Since this was also on Stitch Kingdom, and relates to products, I’d like to point you to this interesting iPhone commercial featuring Up!

Check out more products here, happy shopping! Images by Stitch Kingdom.

In-Jokes in Up + Opening Weekend Surprise

SlashFilm took the time to collect a list of inside jokes cleverly hidden in Up by Pixar. Of course, clicking on the links leads to possible spoilers such as key locations and events!

If you’ve been checking the boards and/or saw the movie, I’d expect you found the main in-jokes, but here they are anyhow. Did you find A113, How about the Pizza Planet Truck? Spoiler warning: A113 is next to the courtroom door and the Pizza Planet truck can be seen twice, first during Carl’s flight through the city and later at the very end of the movie wile Carl and Russell eat ice cream.

There’s a ton more to find but here are some of my favorites: Lotso from Toy Story 3, the Luxo ball from Luxo Jr. and the Burger cake. You can see the rest in this fantastic post by Peter Sciretta of Slash Film.
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Speaking of hidden in-jokes, Jonas Rivera is back at Disney.com/Surprise to reveal the main in-jokes in Up. The site says you have the chance to win the entire Pixar library (on DVD?) if you text BALLOON to 347639. Good luck!