News » 3D Animation a Safe Harbor blog

Wacom Introduces New Cintiq 21UX Interactive Pen Display

Posted by Marc Leitner
March 2, 2010

Wacom® has introduced the much anticipated Cintiq®21UX, its newly-redesigned interactive pen display delivering state-of-the-art pen performance and innovative ergonomics in a color-accurate LCD display. Designed specifically to meet the demanding needs of professional photographers, designers, artists and animators, the new Cintiq 21UX offers unparalleled creative control, comfort and productivity.

The Cintiq 21UX experience starts with its amazing new pen performance, capable of capturing the slightest nuance of pen pressure against the LCD surface, as well as offering 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. Other innovative enhancements include rear-mounted Touch Strips that are ideally placed for fingertip access while working. Each Touch Strip has an accompanying thumb-controlled Touch Strip Toggle button that controls up to four different user-assigned functions per application such as zoom, scroll, brush size adjustment and canvas rotation. In addition, the overall design has been refined and updated in an all-black color scheme, providing a sophisticated and handsome look.

2048 Reasons to Work Directly On Screen
The Cintiq 21UX Grip Pen features Wacom’s new proprietary Tip Sensor technology, offering users near-zero (one gram) starting pressure for the most sensitive interactive pen display performance to date. "Now, pressure-sensitive support can start with an incredibly light touch, emulating the same organic feel, response and result derived from working with traditional brushes, markers and pens," said Don Varga, Senior Product Manager for Wacom Technology Corp. Additionally, the Cintiq pen delivers 2048 levels of pressure, doubling the resolution of the pen’s pressure curve and greatly improving the accuracy of pressure-sensitive effects such as controlling line weights or opacity adjustments. The Grip Pen also features a pressure-sensitive eraser and two customizable side switches that can be customized for commands such as double-click and right-click.

New Design Elements Improve Workflow
With a new ergonomic design and productivity features, the Cintiq 21UX is the ultimate tool for creative professionals. The customizable, application-specific ExpressKeys™, eight located on each side of the display’s bezel, are instrumental in helping improve workflow and boost productivity by placing commonly used commands at the fingertips. Pressing the top ExpressKey brings up an on-screen display showing the settings of all the ExpressKeys and Touch Strips. The close proximity of these tools to the actual work area is efficient and comfortable and helps save valuable time by minimizing dependence on the keyboard without taking focus away from the pen hand.

Also new to the Cintiq 21UX is the introduction of two user-defined, four-function Touch Strip Toggle buttons which control the function of their associated Touch Strip, located on the back of the bezel. The position of an illuminated LED located along the perimeter of the Toggle button indicates the current function of the Touch Strip. Fully application-specific, the Touch Strips can be used for up to four functions such as zoom, scroll, brush size adjustment and canvas rotation per application. This new ergonomic treatment is also extremely practical, allowing users to "toggle" with their thumbs while using their forefinger or middle finger to control Touch Strip speed and variation. "The four-function Toggle combined with the new location of the Touch Strips provides increased comfort and measurable increases in speed," says Varga. "Additionally, locating the Touch Strips on the back of the pen display rather the front helps prevent accidental contact with the pen hand when, for example, flowing brush strokes are employed and extend beyond the screen’s border."

Stand and Deliver
The Cintiq 21UX’s patented stand allows users to recline the pen display at any angle between 10 degrees and 65 degrees to match the users ideal working posture. In addition to reclining, the Cintiq 21UX can be rotated up to 180 degrees in either direction to take advantage of natural drawing movements or offer a different viewing angle. If desired, users can easily remove the Cintiq from the stand for use on a table top or to attach it to an articulating arm (not included) using the standard VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) mounts located on the back of the display.

A new weighted pen stand is not only a convenient pen holder, but doubles as a handy twist-off storage compartment for pen nibs and handy nib removal tool. Standard, felt and stroke nibs are provided, allowing users to simulate the feel of working with a variety of traditional art and design materials.

Included Software
To help users get started right out of the box, the Cintiq 21UX ships with valuable creative software from several of our software partners:

Corel® Painter™ Sketch Pad for recreating the natural feeling of sketching and painting by hand
Nik® Color Efex Pro™ 3.0 WE6 for selectively applying lighting and photo enhancements with the pen
Wacom Brushes 3.0 for 81 customized brushes for use with Adobe® Photoshop® CS + and Photoshop Elements 4 +

Additionally, Cintiq 21UX users will also benefit from Wacom’s powerful driver software, including radial menus for quick "pen-point" access to additional customized shortcuts.

Creative Accessories
Wacom has a line of accessories to complement the Cintiq 21UX that address the specific needs of individual users. The Art Pen, for example, supports the barrel rotation feature within such applications as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator® and Corel Painter 11, allowing users to create natural brush effects by rotating the pen, much like a calligraphy pen. The Art Pen is newly designed and features a round barrel with two nib options, standard and chisel-tip. The Airbrush pen offers users a digital airbrush that has a similar form and wheel-based control as a traditional airbrush. It provides creative, fun effects when combined with select applications. Cintiq 21UX accessories can be conveniently purchased at the direct.wacom.com Internet site.

About Wacom
Founded in 1983, Wacom’s vision to bring people and technology closer together through natural interface technologies has made it the world’s leading manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays and digital interface solutions. The advanced technology of Wacom’s intuitive input devices has been used to create some of the most exciting digital art, films, special effects, fashions and designs around the world and provides business and home users with the ability to explore digital content creation in a comfortable, natural way. Today, millions of customers use Wacom’s cordless, battery-free, pressure-sensitive pen technology to express their creativity.

New Collections Available from Electric Crayon Studio

Posted by Jeff Pulera
February 16, 2010

Waukesha, WI - February 16, 2010 – Safe Harbor Computers today announced the availability of two new collections from Electric Crayon Studio. Designed for users of the popular LightWave ® animation software, these sets include realistic planetary objects as well as ready-to-use scene files which can easily be modified to suit the user’s needs.

The single most requested graphical production element in either film or print is the planet earth. Whether an antique globe, a high-tech sphere, a moving map on the wall, or a hyper-realistic earth from space, representations of the earth are constantly part of the composition.

The GEM Collection (Globes - Earth and Moons) is designed to allow the creation of a stunning graphic quickly in LightWave ®. The globes include many styles such as paper, metal and wood, and some combinations as well. There are several earths depicting a surprising amount of variations, depending on cloud cover, atmospheric envelope, and nighttime cities. Also included are flat wall maps with built-in animations that loop, and the earth's moon as reconstructed from lunar satellites.

Scene files that cover many of the typical set ups that clients ask for, as well as scenes reminiscent of iconic movies, are included. Tutorial information on how to modify the scenes for specific needs and how to include other objects is also part of this package.

The Solar System Construction Set is used with LightWave ® to create quality animations and graphics of any planet in the solar system. All the planets, most of the major moons, and the sun are included in low, medium, and high-resolution objects and image maps.

The planets are textured starting with up-to-date NASA images with just a touch of artistic license. Cinematically constructed outer space depictions are waiting to be rendered. Training is included on how to change the timing and resolution of scenes, as well as adding additional objects to the scene. The Solar System Construction Set is the easiest way to add fantastic production value to any project, from web graphics to theatrical presentation.

Pricing and availability

Globes – Earth and Moons Set and Solar System Construction Set are available exclusively from Safe Harbor Computers, a leading reseller of editing and animation solutions for over 22 years. Priced at $49.99 each, or $89.98 as a bundle, the sets are delivered via electronic download. Available online at www.sharbor.com or by phone at (800) 544-6599

About the Creator

Electric Crayon Studio is an award-winning animation production facility, lead by its original founder Patrik Beck. Established in 1991, it is one of the longest standing computer animation companies in the world. Electric Crayon Studio produces animation and digital services for corporate and broadcast projects, as well as multimedia and direct to video productions.

Media Studio Graz Releases VoluMedic Version 2.0!

Posted by Marc Leitner
January 14, 2010

Studio Graz, a leading developer of custom LightWave plugins and 3D graphics software, today announced the release of VoluMedic, version 2.0. This is the first "dot zero" update to the world's first medical imaging software based on a commercial 3D application.

"This update marks a significant milestone in the ongoing development of VoluMedic", said Elmar Moelzer, the product developer of VoluMedic, Media Studio Graz, software division. "We are very proud to introduce a set of much sought after features in VoluMedic 2.0: measurement tools. It means the expansion of the product from the pure visualization to the evaluation of volume data. In addition to measurement tools, users will find our new "Selection Masks" for easier segmentation and the new Filters most helpful with their daily tasks. Another demonstration of our commitment to the wishes of our user base is the VoluMedic Wizard. It will allow new users as well as advanced users to achieve stunning results in even less time."

New Features in VoluMedic 2.0 Include:

Measurement Tools:
Measure volumes, distances and angles. Store the results in a Sqlite database and export them into a customizable CSV- table- file. CSV files are widely supported by applications such as Microsoft Office and the Open Office suite.

New Segmentation Tools, Selection Masks:

In addition to our patented Volume Painting tools, VoluMedic now also supports segmentation via a 3d "Magic Wand" like tool. Click on any voxel and select surrounding voxels of the same or similar Density. The resulting "Masks" can be used as 3d- Alpha Maps or Clip Maps for volume rendering as well as VoluMedics Surface Mesh Creation tools. They can also be used for measurement. Like any other data set, Masks can be edited with all the other editing tools available in VoluMedic. Masks can be painted and filtered. Like VoluMedic's Volume Painting tools, the selection tools have a non linear Undo History.

Filters:
VoluMedic 2.0 includes a couple of powerful, new preprocessing filters. The new Gaussian and Median Filters help cleaning up noisy data sets. They also help with softening the transitions in the new Selection Masks. The filters are also tied into VoluMedic's non linear Undo History.

VoluMedic Wizard:
The new VoluMedic Wizard makes creation of VoluMedic projects easier than ever before. Let the Wizard take you from a DICOM file to a finished Animation in a just a few easy steps.

Hounsfield Support:
VoluMedic now supports Hounsfield Units. Support for Hounsfield Units allowed the VoluMedic team to implement presets that are valid for most DICOM- CT data. You will find the new Presets in the Wizard and the Slice Editor.

Improved Import:
The Importer has, once again, been improved. Besides the new support for Hounsfield Units, data sets can now be imported in a much more memory efficient fashion. Particularly multi channel datasets can benefit from this. Users can also manually reduce the precision of the imported data, to further conserve system memory. The DICOM importer also has seen another update, providing better compatibility with certain vendors.

Improvements in Scalar Panel:
The Scalar Panel has seen some fine tuning and cleanups. A new popup has been added to house a Selection Mask for rendering.Shading Softness can now be controlled via a percentage slider instead of a simple two value popup. "Inverted" Opacity Ramps no longer require the use of "Use Opacity for Normals". This not only makes renderings look much better, it also allowed for the now obsolete option to be removed. New renderer optimizations made the "Preprocessing" optimization obsolete and this control has been removed as well.

Other Improvements:
DICOM information can optionally be "anonymized" when it is saved into a VoluMedic file. Painting information is no longer lost when the Slice Editor is closed. The Histogram is now in a Panel of its own. This improved the refresh rates in the Slice Editor. There are new scripts for the creation of Bounding Boxes and the Bounding Box Panel to the main UI. Another new script quickly creates a simple gradient backdrop.

About VoluMedic:

VoluMedic™ is an add-on for LightWave 3D™, the award-winning 3D software from NewTek, Inc. VoluMedic is so powerful and so well integrated into LightWave3D that it becomes a whole new piece of software for use in medical visualization, material science, forensic animation and even astronomy. VoluMedic is also a great tool for creating stunning visual effects. VoluMedic has been used in the production of the Emmy award winning documentary "Inside the Living Body" (Emmy for best visual effects in a documentary) by National Geographic Channel and in TV series such as "CSI:Crime Scene Investigators".

Pricing and Availability:

VoluMedic Plugin
This version of VoluMedic is meant for existing users of LightWave3D 9.6 who want to enhance LightWave’s toolset with the functionality of VoluMedic. The package includes VoluMedic installation CD, menu config files and printed manual. The suggested retail- price of VoluMedic: Plugin is $ 3,499 - USD excl. VAT.

VoluMedic Complete
VoluMedic: Complete includes one seat of VoluMedic: Plugin and one seat of LightWave3D in a single package. It is meant for users that do not own LightWave3D yet.

The Package includes VoluMedic installation CD, menu config files, manual and the full package of LightWave3D (installation CDs, content CDs, manual, dongle). The suggested retail- price of VoluMedic: Plugin is $ 4,189 - USD excl. VAT.

VoluMedic System
A complete turnkey system. The Package includes VoluMedic installation CD, menu config files, manual and the full package of LightWave3D (Installation CDs, content CDs, manual, dongle) all ready to go on a high end workstation.
Please contact our sales department for detailed hardware specs and pricing information.

For more information or to purchase, visit: www.volumedic.com.
North American customers, please visit Safe Harbor Computers at www.sharbor.com.
Customers from Japan please contact D- Storm, Inc. for more information http://www.dstorm.co.jp

VoluMedic 2.0 Upgrade
VoluMedic 2.0 Upgrade updates any previous version of VoluMedic (v. 1 or v. 1.5) to the VoluMedic 2.0. The suggested retail- price of VoluMedic: Plugin is $ 1,699 - USD excl. VAT.

About Media Studio Graz

Since the company's establishment in 2000, Media Studio Graz has been delivering high quality visualizations and custom software to clients around the globe. In these years the company expanded its business towards developing 3D- animation software. After working with NewTek on delivering updates to LightWave3D, Media Studio Graz focused on developing add ons for LightWave3D to bring this software- package to markets previously not covered by commercial 3D- software. Media Studio Graz's clients include companies like AVL- List GmbH, Pioneer Productions, Xvivo, Zizala Lichtsysteme GmbH and Zoic Studios and Pioneer Productions.
Website: http://www.volumedic.com

About NewTek

With headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, NewTek is a leading provider of full-featured video editing, live production, presentation and visual effects tools including TriCaster™, VT[5]™, SpeedEDIT™, 3D Arsenal™ and LightWave 3D™.
Website: http://www.newtek.com/

NewTek Unveils New 3D Technology

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
February 9, 2009

NewTek Inc. revealed LightWave® CORE™, its next-generation 3D application via a streamed live presentation on www.ustream.com to 3D artists around the world. LightWave CORE is a completely new system offering a unified environment that allows anything to be animated in any number of ways. LightWave CORE is a node-based, multi-processing, unified application, designed to be as future-proof as possible, with a concentration on capacity and performance.

"We debated, discussed and researched CORE for a long time before a line of code was even written. By designing a brand new architecture, we were able to create what I believe is a more flexible, bulletproof, forward-looking, high-capacity and performance-driven system than any 3D content creation environment currently on the market," said Jay Roth, president, 3D Division, NewTek Inc. "Longstanding LightWave artists will still be comfortable with the changes made and new users will delight in the flexibility offered by NewTek LightWave CORE."

LightWave CORE offers a flexible user interface design with general access to most of the UI components available via CSS, including fonts, placement of controls and widgets, down to pixel-level accuracy. Users can also take advantage of snapping palettes to rearrange their screen at will and use the desktop management system to store their preferred layout in a per context fashion: settings for modeling, surface, rigging, animating, rendering and so on, all set and stored separately.

The SDK for CORE is C++-based and is the same for internal development as it is for external development. The architecture enforces full access to C++ SDK and scripting languages, featuring Python as the primary language, while remaining open to connection with a wide range of others through SWIG compliance. CORE is completely multi-threaded spawning as many threads as it needs. The system is both 64- and 32-bit compliant, and is capable of leveraging GPU power where applicable. It will be available on Windows, Macintosh OS X and Linux.

NewTek LightWave 3D combines a state-of-the-art renderer with intuitive and powerful modeling and animation tools. Tools that may cost extra in other professional 3D applications are part of the product package, including unlimited render nodes, hard- and soft-body dynamics, hair, fur, cloth simulation and more. LightWave is enjoyed worldwide as a complete 3D production solution for visual effects in television, film, broadcast graphics, games, visualization, print and Web.

Pricing and Availability – Introducing HardCORE
LightWave CORE can be purchased the traditional way at the time of each final product release or by taking advantage of NewTek's new HardCORE membership program. HardCORE members receive exclusive access to ongoing software builds, special pricing, copy of the shipping version of the LightWave CORE release scheduled for Q4, a private forum for discussions with the LightWave development team, exclusive information updates, training videos, VIP invitations to special events, personalized membership card and of course, their own custom t-shirt.

LightWave v9 owners gain access to LightWave CORE with their HardCORE membership for US$395 (charter price) through March 31, 2009. Beginning April 1, HardCORE annual memberships for LightWave v9 owners will increase to US$495.

LightWave owners using any previous version of LightWave may upgrade to LightWave v9 and gain access to LightWave CORE with an included HardCORE annual membership for US$495. For 3D artists using other applications, Companion Upgrades to LightWave v9 will be available through March 31, 2009 at a cost of US$595 and come with a one year membership to HardCORE.

New LightWave v9 purchases through March 31, 2009 are available for US$895 and come with a one year membership to HardCORE. LightWave CORE is slated for a Q4 2009 release. LightWave CORE will retail for US$1495, LightWave CORE upgrades will be US$695.

E-on Software ships Vue 7 xStream, Vue 7 Infinite

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
November 17, 2008

Vue 7 xStream and Vue 7 Infinite are the newest versions of the company's flagship solutions for the creation of natural 3D environments. Specifically designed for graphics professionals, Vue 7xStream and Vue 7 Infinite combine features that integrate into existing production pipelines. Both Vue 7 xStream and Vue 7 Infinite are available immediately.

Vue 7 xStream, e-on's flagship solution, represents a new paradigmin terms of integration and workflow. All Vue tools are integrated in the host application, providing direct access to advanced 3D environment creation technologies. Vue 7 xStream users can now create complete natural 3D environments directly inside their application, using standard application tools and manipulators. Digital content creators working with Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya, Softimage XSI, Maxon Cinema 4D, or Newtek LightWave will benefit from Vue 7 xStream's 3D "Digital Nature" creation power.

Vue 7 Infinite offers scenery creation, advanced rendering, and animation tools in a stand-alone package. Vue 7 Infinite is ideal for multimedia and entertainment professionals, architects, and graphics designers. Vue 7 is a fit for any production house and digital content creator needing to add professional digital environments to their production pipeline.

Vue 7 xStream will retail for $1,495, with upgrades from Vue 6 xStream available for $595. Until February 2, 2009, special introductory pricing is available, with the full version retailing at $1,195 and upgrades from Vue 6 xStream at $395. Annual subscriptions for Educational licenses of Vue 7 xStream are available for $149/year/seat.

Vue 7 Infinite retails for $895, with upgrades from Vue 6 Infinite available for $395. Annual subscriptions for Educational licenses of Vue 7 Infinite are available for$99/seat/year. Site licensing discounts are available for both products.

Customers who purchased Vue 6 xStream or Vue 6 Infinite after October 1, 2008 are eligible for a Late Buyers special discount on their upgrade. Temporarily, users of Vue 6 Esprit and Vue 6 Pro Studio will be able to Sidegrade to either Vue 7xStream or Vue 7 Infinite. All special offers and time limited upgrades will end on February 2, 2009.

Vue 7 xStream is available in English for Windows XP32/64 and Vista 32/64,and on Mac OSX 10.4+ as a 32-bit application (Universal Binary). Vue 7 xStream is compatible with the following renderers: Mental Ray for 3ds Max, Maya, and XSI (integrated and MR satellites), Maya Software, Cinema 4D Software, and LightWave Software. Other renderers are under consideration.

Vue 7 Infinite is available in English for Windows 2000/XP/Vista for 32- and 64-bits OS, and for MacOSX 10.4+ platforms (Universal Binary) as a 32-bit application.

Adobe Introduces Creative Suite 4 Product Family

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
September 23, 2008

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 product family, a milestone release of the industry-leading design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. Delivering radical workflow breakthroughs that bring down the walls between designers and developers — and packed with hundreds of feature innovations—the new Creative Suite 4 product line advances the creative process across print, Web, mobile, interactive, film and video production. With new levels of integration and expressiveness for Flash technology across the entire product line, Adobe’s biggest software release to date includes Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design editions, Creative Suite 4 Web editions, Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Creative Suite 4 Master Collection, as well as 13 point products, 14 integrated technologies and seven services.

Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection CS4 combines virtually all of Adobe's new design and development applications, technologies and services in a single box — the most comprehensive creative environment ever delivered.

"Designers and developers are shaping the way that people consume information, share ideas, sell products, tell stories and create memorable experiences — in print, online and via mobile handsets," said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer at Adobe. "Whether you’re creating a rich Internet application, a video or a best-selling magazine, Adobe Creative Suite 4 delivers powerful cross-media technologies that have the ability to elevate products, brands and ideas above the clutter."

Adobe Creative Suite 4 offers unprecedented choice among editions and stand-alone products, with comprehensive support for the most cutting-edge workflows for virtually any design discipline. Customers can choose from six suites or full version upgrades of 13 stand-alone applications, including Photoshop® CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, InDesign® CS4 (see separate releases), Illustrator® CS4, Flash® CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver® CS4, After Effects® CS4, and Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4.

A simplified workflow in Adobe Creative Suite 4 enables users to design across media more efficiently by making it easier to complete common tasks and switch between mediums without leaving a project. InDesign CS4 includes a new Live Preflight tool that allows designers to catch production errors and a newly customizable Links panel to place files more efficiently. The revolutionary new Content-Aware Scaling tool in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended automatically recomposes an image as it is resized, preserving vital areas as it adapts to new dimensions. An expanded version of Dynamic Link in CS4 Production Premium enables users to move content between After Effects CS4, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, Soundbooth® CS4, and Encore® CS4, so updates can be seen instantly without rendering.

Designers using the Adobe Creative Suite 4 product family will be able to gain unprecedented creative control using the new expressive features and visual performance improvements in Adobe Flash Player 10 to deliver breakthrough Web experiences across multiple browsers and operating systems.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 brings 3D center-stage providing the ability to paint, composite, and animate 3D models using familiar tools. Flash CS4 Professional now offers the ability to apply tweens to objects instead of keyframes, providing greater control over animation attributes. Also in Flash, the new Bones tool helps create more realistic animations between linked objects. With a searchable library of more than 450 dynamically updated device profiles from leading manufacturers, Adobe Device Central CS4 (see separate release) enables users to easily test mobile content designed using many of the Creative Suite 4 products.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 significantly expands access to services* available to creative professionals and developers who want to collaborate online. Adobe ConnectNow, a service of Acrobat.com, can be accessed from InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks® CS4, and Acrobat® 9 Pro, allowing real-time collaboration with two colleagues or clients. Designers can also share color harmonies with Adobe Kuler™, which is now accessible from within InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 and Fireworks CS4. Other online resources include: Adobe Community Help for technical questions; Resource Central for accessing video and audio product-related news and tutorials, as well as Soundbooth scores, sound effects, and other stock media; and Adobe Bridge Home, a customizable resource for tips, tutorials, news and inspirational content.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 and its associated point products are scheduled to ship in October 2008 with availability through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/go/gn_store . Estimated street price for the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium will be US$1799, US$1699 for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium, US$1699 for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, and US$2499 for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection. Adobe plans to offer tiered upgrade pricing from previous versions. For a limited time, validly licensed customers of eligible versions of Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Production Studio and Macromedia Studio will be able to upgrade to Creative Suite 4 for the CS3 upgrade price. For more detailed information about features, upgrade policies, pricing, and international versions please visit: www.adobe.com/creativesuite.

Adobe Flash Player 10 is currently available in beta as a free download from Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/astro with general availability expected by the end of the year. Adoption of the previous update to Adobe Flash Player 9 set all-time records by achieving over 80 percent reach on Internet enabled desktops in less than six months and Flash Player 10 is expected to achieve a similar adoption rate.

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

LWCAD 3 Released

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
September 16, 2008

Real-time curve booleans and real-time polygon drilling are just two of the unique features found in the latest version of LW CAD! Enter a new modeling dimension...

New archviz tools allows you to create a complex building in minutes
New Universal Coordinate System (UCS) applied globally to all tools allows you to work in custom defined planes
New realtime 3D booleans work with all 3D primitive tools
Compatible with LightWave 3D 9.5 and Windows Vista

Get more in depth information and order here.

NewTek Announces Free LightWave® 3D Trial Edition Available for Download

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
May 16, 2008

NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, today announced award-winning LightWave® 9.3.1 is now available as a free 30-day trial for Mac OS X and both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows immediately from here.

The software is fully functional with no restrictions or watermarks for a full 30-day period and has 24 hours of video training on many topics to enable quick use of LightWave's powerful tools. In addition, the complete manuals in PDF format are available for download, allowing users to reference tools and features. 130 MB of royalty-free content is also provided, which can continue to be loaded and studied even after the 30-day trial period is over.

"LightWave has always provided a stunning amount of bang for the buck - there's nothing out there as fast for me to get the results I want." says Andrew Bishop, director of Darkside Animation currently working on The Kitchen Games, a CG-animated theatrical feature film. "Now that the trial edition is available a whole new generation of 3D artists can try it out and experience what we do here at Darkside Animation."

In a television environment where speed and budget are mission critical, LightWave is the leader, resulting in more Emmy® Awards for artists than any other 3D application. Primetime shows such as CSI, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Lost, 24 and Battlestar Galactica all use LightWave for its speed and reliability. Hollywood also relies on LightWave for high-end feature film work with credits for Iron Man, Nim's Island and Hancock being the most recent entries.

NewTek Announces Fourth Major Update to LightWave 3D® v9

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
February 20, 2008

NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading video and 3D animation products, today announced the release of LightWave® v9.5, a major update to its award-winning 3D application, LightWave 3D®. LightWave® v9.5 new capabilities include a complete hair and fur solution, new lighting system and many improvements to animation, global illumination, rendering and workflow. The update will be available to registered owners of the LightWave v9 series at no charge. The LightWave v9.5 Open Beta program is scheduled to begin early March; LightWave v9 owners who wish to participate may register now by visiting: http://register.newtek.com/.

"As promised with the LightWave v9 series we’ve added major capabilities with each of the updates we’ve delivered so far and LightWave v9.5 is certainly no exception," said Jay Roth, president, NewTek 3D Division. "With the addition of a complete hair and fur solution, all new real-world lighting system and GI that is significantly faster with even more beautiful results, LightWave v9.5 has something to offer the 3D community regardless of the specialty - from game developers to character animation to architectural visualization."

LightWave v9.5 Updates Include:

Character Animation Enhancements
- New Hair and Fur System
- Enhanced IK and Animation Systems
  - New Collada, FBX and OBJ I/O
  - New IK Calculation Options for Faster Performance
  - New Bone Type - Joints
  - New Objective Options for IK
  - IK/FK blending
  - Multi-threaded Mesh Deformation Evaluation
- Modeler
  - UV Unwrap/UV Relax
  - Symmetry Tolerance
Lighting,Rendering and Surfacing Enhancements
- All New Lighting System
  - New Light API
  - IES Lights
  - New Spherical Light
  - Area and Linear Lights Enhanced
- Renderer
  - Faster Sampling System for GI
  - Improved GI
  - New GI Controls to Customize the Render
  - Disk-Based GI Cache
- Node Editor Enhancements
  - Interpolated Soft Rlections/Refractions
  - Support for new Light API Functions
  - Oren-Nayar Shading Option for Many Materials
  - Optimizations for Materials and Shaders
SDK and LScript Improvements
- New Light Plug-in Class for third Party Lights and Light Plug-ins
- SDK Support for New GI Functions and Disk Cache
- SDK Support for New IK and Animation Capabilities
- Set surface properties through the Surface Global
UI and Workflow Enhancements
- Enhanced Scene Limits
- Updated Scene File Format
- EXIF Metadata Support
- OpenGL GLSL Enhanced for New Lighting System
- Image Viewer Consolidation

In addition to the new capabilities in LightWave v9.5, the LightWave v9 series has delivered enhanced performance in a number of areas including improved global illumination with higher quality and faster rendering, expanded OpenGL capabilities with new depth of field preview, advancements in the new camera tools and the node and materials editing system. Further, there are now over 24 hours of free LightWave training available online at www.lightwave3d.com.

Visual effects artists who used LightWave's world-class rendering system and other capabilities in recent major projects such as The Jumper, The Ruins, 300, The Guardian, VFX Emmy®-winning Battlestar Galactica and other hit series, such as The Sarah Connor Chronicles, CSI, CSI Miami, The History Channel’s Dogfights and the up and coming high definition game, WarDevil, depend on LightWave to produce state of the art visual effects on time and on budget.

Pricing and Availability
LightWave® v9 is available now at suggested retail price of $895US. LightWave v9.5 will be available as a free update to registered LightWave v9 owners. Registered owners of LightWave 3D® [8] or earlier are eligible to purchase an upgrade to LightWave v9 for $395US.

NewTek Offers More than 10 Hours of Free LightWave Training

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
December 21, 2007

NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, today announced the availability of over 10 hours of free online training. These tutorial videos provide practical steps to accomplish a broad range of 3D projects including: general modeling, hard surface modeling, organic modeling, surfacing, texturing, animation, particles, dynamics, lighting, rendering and compositing. The tutorials created by William Vaughan, DAVE School instructor and LightWave® evangelist are freely available at: www.newtek.com/3dtutorials.

These tutorials represent the first 10 hours of an extensive series. Throughout 2008 additional tutorials will be added that cover other aspects of 3D artistry and will include tutorials specifically requested by users. "The goal is to make 3D accessible to everyone," comments William Vaughan. "There are so many amazing things you can do with LightWave, but the learning process can be a bit daunting. With these tutorials we keep it simple, direct and you can always return to them for reference."

"Truly these are all outstanding techniques. I just watched the cloth video with the shirt and the buttons and tried a few things and had great results... but all the others I've watched have been tremendously helpful as well," said Michael James, LightWave user and NewTek forum member. "And I love the way you've kept them straight to the point, my knowledge of LightWave has more than doubled since watching the tutorials. And each one of those videos has opened a world of possibilities I really never knew could be so straightforward and simple."

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Safe Harbor's video and post production news blog offers you the latest announcements and updates from the industry.