Tutorial: How to Make the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice Cube Event Bumpers Using Maxon Cinema 4D and Adobe After Effects: View/reference at greyscalegorilla.com

How to Make the Winter Olympics Ice Bumpers with Cinema 4D and After Effects from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.

"In this tutorial, I show you how to make the ice cube bumpers that have been popular on the NBC’s presentation of the olympics. I show you how to build an ice cube using material displacement, refraction, transparency, reflection, and specular highlights. I also cut out a photo of a snowboarder to add to the ice cube logo. Then, we animate the rotation of the ice cube and prepare it for After Effects where we will add the rest of the elements for the final piece."

Tutorial: How to Make the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice Cube Event Bumpers Part 2

How to Make the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice Cube Event Bumpers Part 2 from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.

Labels: After Effects, Maxon Cinema 4D, Tutorial

Create an Ultra-Realistic Image Using the new Boris Continuum Materials Unit in conjunction with Adobe After Effects and MAXON CINEMA 4D


Find more videos like this on MyToolfarm

In this Boris TV episode, Kevin P McAuliffe shows you how to create an ultra-realistic image using the new Boris Continuum Materials Unit in conjunction with Adobe After Effects and MAXON CINEMA 4D.

Learn More About Boris BCC Materials Unit | Download a Free Trial

Labels: After Effects, Boris, Boris Continuum Materials Unit, Maxon Cinema 4D

Mark Spencer shows you how to use Cinema 4D with Motion. Watch it here.

Labels: Apple, Maxon Cinema 4D, Motion

MAXON CINEMA 4D Users to Benefit from Added Functionality to the
Powerful and Accessible Python Programming Language

Friedrichsdorf, Germany, December 15, 2009 - MAXON Computer, a leading developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with Tuningchannel, the developers of Py4D. Py4D provides access to the Python programming language for MAXON's leading 3D application CINEMA 4D, giving users an easy way to further customize application functionality and optimize workflow.

Python is a powerful, open source programming language with a comparatively simple learning curve. Python's unique blend of simplicity and power excels in a wide range of software development tasks. Existing Python scripts and libraries can be utilized in any pipeline. Python also enables integration between software apps for the exchange of data and assets. Top production and engineering firms depend on Python every day.

Py4D is currently in open beta from Py4D and can access the majority of CINEMA 4D's functions. The goal of the strategic partnership between MAXON and Tuningchannel is to better integrate Py4D into CINEMA 4D and bring the level of stability and ease of use to which MAXON customers have grown accustomed.

"Python is easy to learn and provides similar access to CINEMA 4D functionality as the C++ SDK," commented Harald Schneider, CTO and co-founder of MAXON. "We want the CINEMA 4D community to know that we are supporting the development of Py4D so they can confidently invest resources in Python and Py4D to enhance their own production pipelines."

Tuningchannel's Sebastian Rath reiterates, "Py4D quickly brings countless capabilities to the CINEMA 4D community. We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with MAXON to bring Py4D from beta to final product as smoothly and quickly as possible."

Access to the latest Py4D beta, including documentation, is available free of charge at www.py4d.com. The web site also offers a user forum and other resources. Future development and integration into CINEMA 4D will be forthcoming.

About MAXON Computer

MAXON Computer is a developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions. Its award-winning CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D software products have been used extensively to help create everything from stunning visual effects in top feature films, TV shows and commercials, cutting-edge game cinematics for AAA games, as well for medical illustration, architectural and industrial design applications. MAXON has offices in Germany, USA, United Kingdom, France and Japan. MAXON products are available directly from the Website and its worldwide distribution channel. Specially priced learning editions of the company’s software solutions are also made available to educational institutions. For additional information on MAXON visit www.maxon.net.

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D

Maxon Cinema 4D r11.5 Platform: PC & Mac Description: 3D Pro level CG animation, modeling and effects MSRP: $995 (Core Edition), $395 (upgrade) Buy here Download Demo: Click Here Review Date: December 1, 2009 Reviewed By: Mark Bremmer Final Score: 9.9 Reprinted with permission from Microfilmmaker Magazine.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to not see the value in using Computer Generated art (CG), even for modest film productions. CG graphic and animation addition to any film is more accessible than ever and the convenience plus creative license provided the filmmaker are significant - and I'm not speaking of sci-fi special effects either, but ordinary enhancements to studio or location shots. With the release of Cinema 4D (C4D) revision 11.5 (r11.5), Maxon makes a solid step forward in arming the filmmaker with easy-to-use tools of the trade.

For this review, I'm only going to look at additions to 11.5. plus the features of the Broadcast Edition which includes a must-have tool called MoGraph. For a full scope of what C4D is, please check out my earlier reviews for both the Core Edition and Studio Bundle.

• Core Edition r11 review
• Studio Edition r11 review

C4D, especially the full Studio edition, is aimed squarely at the film and broadcast market. It's utility and capability will reward anybody that desires a CG solution that respects the needs of that market; like microfilmmakers for instance.

As an FYI, the C4D core edition, since the release of r11, now includes what is a cinematic industry standard for digital matte painting called BodyPaint. This tool makes it astonishingly easy to create photo-realistic mattes. So, if you buy C4D R11 and above, you now get BodyPaint.

Also as an FYI, C4D uses a module system, making its full range of tools available only as you need them. Not particularly inexpensive, C4D makes up for the expense very quickly in the studio by being extremely stable and user friendly.

MoGraph 2 is a hero at replicating "render instances" which creates a wide variety of objects without a large RAM usage - a blessing for 32 bit systems. However, while it's very easy to make beautiful abstractions, this ability to reproduce objects in organic or grid-like arrays has a different kind of benefit for filmmakers: Vast cities, forests or even just simple creation of castors or table legs from a single object.

Ease of Use

Sometimes the mundane is the most welcome. New to r11.5 is some really basic but highly useful features like Connect and Delete. When working with models with many parts and textures, Connect and Delete let's users combine/connect everything into a single object in one command yet it preserves all texture maps and selection tags - no work is destroyed. While it was possible to eventually end up with the same result via other processes, it was something that potentially take some time and busy work. It's this kind of common sense, user-centric refinement that proves C4D as a filmmaker's tool.

One of the things that I am growing to respect even more in this product is the outward looking sensibilities that Maxon has taken with C4D. (By that, I mean C4D is not developed in isolation regarding the workflow of filmmakers.) New to r11.5 is even better integration with After Effects and Final Cut Pro. Animated sequences intended for post production enhancement can use C4D's improved composite tagging with a special tag called Object. C4D will now include tidy 3d space and position information that AE or Motion can read and then apply replacement footage onto the designated objects in 3D. For example, If you use any software in your studio for motion tracking like Syntheyes, this means that you can do a moving crane shot of a person looking out a window, process it via Syntheyes into C4D and magically create the same camera move for a sky scraper fly-by. After rendering the animation, if you've tagged a window element
as the "Object", back in AE you can simply replace the window object with your crane shot footage yet still allow any architectural elements to naturally get "in the way" visually. Slick.

The MoGraph module, combined with the Broadcast Edition, engages the same real-world simple functionality that enables filmmakers to concentrate on the end result instead of figuring out how to get to the end result. The improved physics and replication is controlled by sliders and real-time updates eliminating guess work.

There are other, nuanced, ease-of-use improvements, as well. C4D has in improved rendering system with this release making it faster to get real-time rendered results. Key framing and getting visual queues to key frame status has been improved. Scene management now utilizes a distilled and more organized option set, eliminating the need to hop around the software and adjust settings in multiple locations. The picture/animation preview now lets users compare, adjust and save settings and post effects for consistent use.

A solution bigger than the software.

Finally, because of the ubiquity of C4D in the film and broadcast markets, rendering animation sequences isn't problematic for humble filmmakers. For example there is a free plug-in for a Render Farm called Rebus (http://www.rebusfarm.com/) This extremely affordable service let's you export your render to them from within C4D. Useful? You bet. I had a sequence that was going to take almost eight hours to render on my network in the studio. Instead, I sent it to Rebus via the C4D plug-in and it was completed in 15 minutes for a very modest fee. Nice.

All workspaces are customizable and there is always multiple ways to accomplish any given task depending on your personal preferences. If you like to use pull-down menus, just use them. If you like floating palettes, no problem. If you like using icons within the workspace, it's easy to do. More of a hot key or right-click contextual menu person? You can get there that way, too.

New physics capabilities makes for great fun breaking things like glass. But this capability can also be used for effects like the dropping of thousands of gumballs similar to Bedtime stories with Adam Sandler. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI4X95pCTEY)

Depth of Options

MoGraph 2 and the Broadcast Extension Kit

MoGraph 2 is a quantum shift in capabilities. It is available as an individual module, but it's also included with the Broadcast Extension Kit (BEK). (More on BEK later.) MoGraph, as its name implies, is for creating motion graphics. However, its prowess extends way beyond that. Included in this module is the ability to dramatically accelerate the building of "normal" everyday scenes by means of replicating objects as "render instances," saving substantial memory requirements on humble 32 bit systems. This feature can be used for anything from street lights to entire cities or forests - literally thousands of reproductions without killing the average laptop or desktop system.

But wait, there's more. Physical simulations, things like items breaking apart, realistic gravity interactions, and more are also part of MoGraph. And these are things you can see in realtime as you adjust the effects. Additionally, objects can be used as Tracer objects that make some astonishingly real-looking effects in 3D super easy to do. The new Spline functions and Fracture functions, especially when used in conjunction with the variety of effectors in C4D, means there are more options available than can be reasonably covered. However, seeing them in action (check out the samples online at www.maxon.net) will make you think, "Oh, wow." and then, "I wonder if I could...?" The answer to "I wonder if...?", at least in my experience has always been yes. And it can be done fairly easily.

Animation of position, scale and more can be linked to other objects or audio tracks - yes, that's right, audio tracks. It's tough to sum up the options in MoGraph easily. Essentially, you can create unbelievably sophisticated imagery or animation on, with, or connected to just about anything – and this is important: easily.

The new PolyFX capabilities mean that adding effectors to objects enables transformations down to the polygon level for very cool special effects capabilities.

Enter the Broadcast Extension Kit.

The BEK is a collection of 3D objects that have been amended to fully utilize MoGraph 2's capabilities. If you have ever seen pro sporting events on TV, you know that before commercials and right before football games, they use spinning graphics and super cool effects called, "bumpers." The BEK is designed to help you create things like this very easily. In fact C4D is a foundational software in TV studios for just that reason.

However, the BEK is much more than that. In addition to the object and material catalogs designed for use with MoGraph, it also comes with some incredible camera and lighting tools. By Camera tools, I mean slider controlled presets to mimic things like crane shots; Jiggle, realistic swing and much more, all adjustable in realtime preview. I've seen a couple of examples where these capabilities were used to "sell" the idea of funding an actual shoot because investors could see ( in this case, an ad agency) why the shot needed to be done a certain way. However, these tools can also be combined with digital mattes for super realistic work as well.

Performance

Maxon has implemented what is becoming a CG standard of Bucket Rendering, which is kinder to computer RAM and renders significantly faster. This is most excellent.

In my studio, like most studios that utilize CG software, I have multiple software solutions. While they are all very good at what they do, there are two primary qualifiers that make rating them easy:

1. Stability (Hardware), and
   
2. Ease-of-use/speed-of-production (Peopleware)

C4D is unbelievably stable. In talking to other shops that use it on both PC and Mac, this is uniformly echoed. Nothing drives up blood pressure like losing work due to a crash, especially on deadline. Maybe I'm lucky, but after two months of heavy r11.5 use, C4D hasn't hiccuped once. Still not good enough? You can set up the software to incrementally save back-ups as you work.

The ease-of-use/production can be more subjective. However, the integration of tools within C4D and to destination post workflows like AE, Motion, Shake, or Combustion leaves little to quibble about. It's pretty tidy. For those coming from a menu driven environment, one of the most unusual capabilities to get used to is the option to drag and drop elements within the various managers. For example, if you want a Random Effector to modify a MoGraph array of objects, just drag and drop it into the appropriate spot on the MoGraph attibutes window. This immediacy of workflow makes using C4D a smooth experience.

Very powerful for some digital slight of hand is the ability to add a composite tag within C4D defining an object for replacement within filmmakers compositing software. In this example the camera backs have images replaced in After Effects so as the camera falls, the images rotate as if on the cameras themselves. Other uses include replacing window elements on CG digital mattes like sky scrapers - get a passing crane shot of an actor, motion track with Syntheyes, bring the info into C4D and create an identical camera move past a sky scraper which will let users replace a window element with the crane footage.

Value

Working with C4D is like working with any well thought out professional equipment. The experience becomes invisible because things just work. If your budget allows and you desire pro level CG work that doesn't scream "I did it myself," you'll never regret working with this software.

Final Comments

C4D has a robust and apparently generous user community that regularly posts online tutorials to augment your usage of the software. There are multiple learning options out there including Maxon's own Cineversity that provides some excellent, detailed instructions on more advanced usages of C4D.

One absolutely killer feature is the fact that Maxon provides free tech support. Always. No 30 day period, no pay-as-you-go. Free. I suspect they offer it for free because there doesn't seem to be a need to call - everything works.

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D, MicroFilmmaker Magazine, reviews

Ko Maruyama, a longtime user of Maxon Cinema 4D, reviews the latest release.

• Read the review
• Download a free demo of Maxon Cinema 4D R11.5
• Mmore on Maxon Cinema 4D

Here's a quick summing up of the review:

While my review covers some of the major changes in the software, these are the most compelling reasons to consider the latest version. There are also some workflow changes that have been made to the application which animators will appreciate.

Although it is a brief examination of 3 elements of the upgrade - Mograph2, Rendering, 3D data export, they dramatically enhance the design, animation and production experience of any 3D animator, especially those who develop material inside the workflow of a Hollywood-style design shop.

This upgrade, cloaked in a dot-5 moniker, really deserves much more credit. This is a substantial reworking of the tools professionals use every day, those tools on which a successful job depends upon.

It is without hesitation that we recommend a MUST BUY rating for this software, especially for owners of previous versions and/or 3D artists in animation design.

Labels: Ko Maruyama, Maxon Cinema 4D, reviews

Designed Exclusively for Broadcast Design Professionals, New Product Bundle Delivers the Ultimate 3D Motion Graphics Toolkit

Friedrichsdorf, Germany (PRWEB) September 1, 2009 - MAXON Computer, a leading developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, today introduced CINEMA 4D Broadcast Edition, a comprehensive new bundle of its highly acclaimed 3D software suite. The new release leverages the core application CINEMA 4D - renowned for its ease of use, seamless integration into existing production pipelines, as well as a speedy and stable architecture - to deliver a powerful motion graphics toolset expressly designed to enhance the creative process for broadcast design professionals. The Broadcast Edition is based on the latest version of CINEMA 4D, Release 11.5*, which is loaded with dozens of new features for an unprecedented level of workflow productivity, including a major upgrade to its popular MoGraph module, MoGraph 2. This upgraded module offers an integrated Dynamics Engine and advanced capabilities that help artists quickly create spectacular, high-end 3D animations.

CINEMA 4D continues to be recognized worldwide as the 3D digital content creation software of choice by major broadcast networks, design and branding studios and visual production facilities because of its workflow efficiency, blazingly fast rendering speeds and seamless integration into leading compositing applications such as Adobe After Effects, Apple Motion and Final Cut Pro. The list of the broadcast industry's most widely recognized entities that rely on CINEMA 4D as a creative and technical tool to stay competitive and create groundbreaking graphics campaigns includes Fox, ESPN, NBC, CBS, ABC, BBC, The Discovery Channel, Turner Network Television, The Weather Channel, Perception, Capacity, Protokulture, Imaginary Forces, Troika Design Group, and many others.

According to Harald Egel, MAXON co-founder and CEO, today's motion graphics artists are under constant pressure to deliver content that enhances broadcast production value. "MAXON is proud of the pivotal role that CINEMA 4D continues to play in empowering design and broadcast designers with flexible, fast and reliable 3D motion graphics workflow solutions. Today's Broadcast Edition builds upon the company's motion graphics legacy by providing design professionals with a truly targeted and unparalleled motion graphics software toolset that can be easily integrated into any production pipeline and help create world-class entertainment content."

"CINEMA 4D has clearly emerged as the first choice for creating 3D motion graphics for broadcast design," said Chris Meyer and Trish Meyer, authors of 'Creating Motion Graphics for After Effects.' "The new Broadcast Edition - with the fantastic MoGraph module plus the addition of hundreds of presets - is perfect for both beginning and experienced motion graphics artists looking to add a powerful, flexible, targeted 3D program to their toolset."

Highlights of CINEMA 4D Broadcast Edition
The CINEMA 4D Broadcast Edition includes the CINEMA 4D R11.5 core application, the newly updated MoGraph 2 module and the Broadcast Extension Kit. Highlights of the release include:

Powerful New Motion Graphics Capabilities
The motion graphics module in CINEMA 4D, MoGraph, has been upgraded to version 2. MoGraph 2 delivers advanced motion graphics functionalities including:

• MoDynamics - an optimized physics simulation package allows for hundreds of objects to easily collide or be affected by such forces as gravity or friction and lets artists create exciting, abstract motion graphics and spectacular effects using only simple primitives
  
• PolyFX - provides artists the ability to create quick and easy explosion effects;
• MoSpline - facilitates the cloning of existing splines and animating them with forces and effectors
• Many additional features provide advanced capabilities for broadcast design professionals.

Broadcast Extension Kit

The CINEMA 4D Broadcast Edition bundle also includes the Broadcast Extension Kit, which contains hundreds of preset objects and scenes - some pre-animated and/or modifiable, with camera and lighting setups, royalty-free sound and background clips. These resources were specifically created for common on-air requirements so artists can create impactful motion graphics animations right out-of-the-box.

Pricing and Availability
The CINEMA 4D Broadcast Edition is available now from MAXON and its authorized dealers.

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D, Mograph

Comprehensive Upgrade Provides Powerful Image Quality, Rendering and Workflow Enhancements and Offers Updated Version of Popular Motion Graphics Module - MoGraph 2 - Jam-packed with New Functionality to Inspire Breathtaking 3D Animations

Friedrichsdorf, Germany (PRWEB) September 1, 2009 -- MAXON Computer, a leading developer of professional 3D software, today announced the immediate availability of CINEMA 4D Release 11.5, a comprehensive upgrade to its highly-acclaimed 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering software. Loaded with new features, CINEMA 4D R11.5 provides improved workflow and productivity, enabling professionals to create high-quality stills and animations quicker and easier than ever before. This release is the culmination of MAXON's leading-edge technology and development. It features a substantially re-tooled and accelerated render engine, an all-new Picture Viewer, enhanced interoperability with leading compositing applications, and a major upgrade to its popular MoGraph module, which features an integrated Dynamics Engine and a host of new additions. CINEMA 4D Release 11.5 also provides full support for the latest operating system offerings from Apple and Microsoft, including Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7, respectively.



"MAXON is committed to providing powerful enhancements to CINEMA 4D that dramatically improve the productivity of users across various disciplines, including film, broadcast, architecture, product visualization, games, multimedia and more," states Harald Egel, MAXON co-founder and CEO. "The many improvements in the new Release 11.5 will help all our customers gain even better results and save valuable time and resources."

"CINEMA 4D gives my design team the ability to make miracles happen within ridiculously tight deadlines," said John LePore, associate creative director for Perception NYC. "The new features and enhancements in Release 11.5, especially those in MoGraph 2, truly augment an already mind-blowing arsenal of creative tools."

Key Highlights of CINEMA 4D Release 11.5

• Superior Rendering Performance Including New Bucket Rendering
  Significant re-tooling of the render engine in R11.5 helps artists render more rapidly and efficiently. R11.5 takes advantage of state-of-the-art multi-core processors and adds new features such as render instancing and bucket rendering to provide users tremendous improvements in efficiency. Render-intensive tasks such as sub-polygon displacement have also been significantly accelerated. CINEMA 4D users can now create scenes of greater complexity and render billions of polygons even on modest hardware.
  
• Enhanced Picture Viewer
  
  The new Picture Viewer in R11.5 offers a vast set of creative tools for reviewing and editing images and animations, saving artists valuable time. Features include a render history with the ability to compare renderings, image filtering and adjustments, post filter effects, and improved layer management. The RAM player also enables users to playback animations with sound providing the ability to troubleshoot animations while the job is rendering.
  
• Improved Interoperability and Integration
  
  Users of Release 11.5 can now more easily integrate CINEMA 4D into existing production pipelines:
  
  • Numerous improvements have been made to CINEMA 4D's highly praised connectivity to Adobe® After Effects®, including support for additional object types.
  • Support for Apple® Motion now includes the export of 3D data.
  • Support for Autodesk® FBX® 2010.0 allows for quick and easy interchange between a variety of 3D applications.
• Powerful New Motion Graphics Capabilities
  
  The motion graphics module MoGraph - a staple with CINEMA 4D motion graphics artists due to its quick workflow, fast rendering and easy export to compositing applications - has been upgraded to version 2 and provides powerful new motion graphics functionality. New features in MoGraph 2 include: MoDynamics, an optimized physics simulation package with which hundreds of objects can easily be made to collide or be affected by such forces as gravity or friction; PolyFX for providing quick and easy explosion effects; MoSpline for cloning existing splines and animating them with forces and effectors; and many more exciting features for broadcast artists.
  
• Support For New Operating Systems
  
  MAXON continues to build upon its legacy of providing compatibility with the latest advanced operating system releases as follows:
  
  • Apple - R11.5 is fully compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, including access to up to 64GB of virtual memory.
    
  • Microsoft - R11.5 is fully compatible with Windows 7, including enhanced file dialog.

Pricing and Availability
CINEMA 4D R11.5 and the optional MoGraph 2 module are available now from MAXON and its authorized dealers.

Labels: Bodypaint, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Maxon Cinema 4D, Mograph

Offer ends at 2pm PST/5pm EST Friday July 31

Have you wanted to make the switch to Maxon Cinema 4D but haven't had the budget for it? Now is the time! Save half off SRP on all Competitive Upgrades through July 31st. Download a Free Demo on our downloads page to give Cinema 4D a try.

• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25
• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Studio Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $3,495.00 Now: $1,757.50
• Maxon Cinema 4D R 11 XL Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $1,995.00 Now: $1,187.50
• Maxon BodyPaint 3D R4 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25

PLUS: Get up and running quickly with your new Cinema 4D Software: you can add training to your purchase at an affordable price. Add live interactive training for an extra $60 for a limited time.

Labels: Bodypaint, Maxon Cinema 4D, Sale

We have several sales ending on Friday - and all are very good deals! Don't miss out!


Save a bundle on Wondertouch particleIllusion for Mac or Windows. Regularly $399, get it for just $289 Through Friday, July 31st.

particleIllusion is a standalone application that allows you to quickly and easily create amazing effects: explosions, smoke, fire, sparkles, motion graphics backgrounds, space effects, creatures, and abstract artistic effects -- literally hundreds of different types of effects.

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Get the special limited edition Trapcode presets & comp bundle for just $399! Save $185. The bundle includes:

• LME Trapcode Particular Presets & Comps - 100 Particular Presets and Matching Comps
• LME Trapcode Echospace Plug-in Comps and Projects - 101 EchoSpace Comps and projects.
• LME Trapcode3D Stroke Plug-in Presets & Comps - 105 3D Stroke Presets and Matching Comps
• LME Trapcode Form Presets and Comps - 112 Trapcode Form Projects, Comps and 99 Presets
• LME Trapcode Starglow Plug-in Presets & Comps
• LME Amazing Video & Lux Lights Template Bundle - 101 comps and over 137 precomps in the collection. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination.
  

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CoreMelt has announced the 2.2 version of the entire V2 range which includes 13 new plugins, and a 40% special deal on all upgrades from previous CoreMelt products. If you already own any previous CoreMelt products, you can upgrade to V2 2.2 for our special pricing until July 31st.

The discount pricing is as follows:

• ImageFlow FX V1 - ImageFlow FX V2 - $49
• PolyChrome Transitions V1 - PolyChrome Transitions V2 - $49
• Editing Pack - Editors Tools V2 - $49
• Motion Pack - Motion Graphics Box - $49

For users of CoreMelt V1 wanting to upgrade to CoreMelt Complete V2 2.2, there is also some special pricing:

• CoreMelt Complete V1 - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $89
• Any 4 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $89
• Any 3 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $109
• Any 2 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $119
• Any 1 previous product - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $169

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Have you wanted to make the switch to Maxon Cinema 4D but haven't had the budget for it? Now is the time! Save half off SRP on all Competitive Upgrades through July 31st. Download a Free Demo on our downloads page to give Cinema 4D a try.

• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25
• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Studio Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $3,495.00 Now: $1,757.50
• Maxon Cinema 4D R 11 XL Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $1,995.00 Now: $1,187.50
• Maxon BodyPaint 3D R4 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25

PLUS: Get up and running quickly with your new Cinema 4D Software: you can add training to your purchase at an affordable price. Add live interactive training for an extra $60 for a limited time.

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Through July 31st, purchase the Nik Software Sharpener Pro 3.0 and Dfine 2.0 Bundle for $149.95- That's 50% off if purchased individually!

Sharpener Pro v3.0: The Professional Choice for Image Sharpening for Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture

Sharpener Pro is the most advanced and powerful sharpening solution eliminating the guesswork typically required for achieving superior and consistent results. New adaptive sharpening algorithms and award-winning U Point technology for selective sharpening ensure desired sharpness or creative softening of details are easily accomplished. The Sharpening Soft Proof that lets you accurately inspect results before printing saving money in costly test prints, improved handling of new output devices, and new output presets provide repeatable, professional results.

Dfine v2.0: Redefining Noise Reduction for Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture

Virtually all digital cameras inherently create unwanted imperfections known as noise. The amount or type of noise in an image typically depends on the quality and type of imaging sensor with which it was created. Dfine gives you unprecedented control over exactly how much and where to apply noise reduction. This makes it ultra-easy to eliminate noise in your images while maintaining detail and sharpness, thus improving the quality of every digital photo you take.

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Nik Software Vivenza $120 Off through July 31st, 2009.

Vivenza: Color Control Revolutionized for Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture

Two of the most important factors in creating great photography are color and light. Mastering the art of selectively correcting or enhancing each of these is now possible for every photographer without the need for complicated masks or selections, or expert-level knowledge of Photoshop. Integrating award-winning U Point technology, Viveza is the most powerful and precise tool available to control light and color in photographic images.

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Save 15% on Imagineer Mocha or Mocha Shape for After Effects or Final Cut Pro!. Track in less time, with higher accuracy, giving you an unfair advantage over your competitors!

The sale runs through July 31st and is for the node-locked version only.

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Motion Designer's Toolkit is the ultimate customizable animated element library. Ready to use pre-rendered animations, the original After Effects projects, and the original Illustrator vector images.

33 Gigabytes on 8 DVDs - Eight jam-packed discs filled with animations, project files, and vector graphics.

25 Unique Categories - The hottest, freshest, newest looks and styles are all here.

1755 Quicktime Files - Ready-to-use high resolution (2000x2000) pre-rendered animations.

1755 After Effects Projects - Want to change or tweak the animations? No problem, all the original project files are included.

1755 Illustrator Vector Images - Every animation first starts as a beautiful high-quality vector image. Perfect for print and web too!

Special Introductory Pricing- Retails for $599.95, Purchase Now for Only $224.95! Visit our Store

Tim Johnson wrote a terrific review of Digital Juice Motion Designer's Toolkit. Read it here.

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IK Multimedia ARC System
(Advanced Room Correction System)
The first acoustic correction system in a plug-in

ARC System delivers the most advanced solution to acoustical problems for any DAW-based studio. Combining a professionally calibrated microphone, standalone software that captures sound information and calculates proper room correction, and a multi-platform plug-in: this technology will improve how your studio sounds forever.

Save $300 through July 31, 2009!
Regular price: $599.00
Toolfarm price: $299.00 Buy now!
IK MultiMedia ARC System with Final Cut Pro and Mainstage

Labels: CoreMelt, IK MultiMedia ARC System, Imagineer Systems, LME, Maxon Cinema 4D, particleIllusion, Templates, Trapcode, wondertouch

We have several sales ending on Friday - and all are very good deals! Don't miss out!


Save a bundle on Wondertouch particleIllusion for Mac or Windows. Regularly $399, get it for just $289 Through Friday, July 31st.

particleIllusion is a standalone application that allows you to quickly and easily create amazing effects: explosions, smoke, fire, sparkles, motion graphics backgrounds, space effects, creatures, and abstract artistic effects -- literally hundreds of different types of effects.

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Get the special limited edition Trapcode presets & comp bundle for just $399! Save $185. The bundle includes:

• LME Trapcode Particular Presets & Comps - 100 Particular Presets and Matching Comps
• LME Trapcode Echospace Plug-in Comps and Projects - 101 EchoSpace Comps and projects.
• LME Trapcode3D Stroke Plug-in Presets & Comps - 105 3D Stroke Presets and Matching Comps
• LME Trapcode Form Presets and Comps - 112 Trapcode Form Projects, Comps and 99 Presets
• LME Trapcode Starglow Plug-in Presets & Comps
• LME Amazing Video & Lux Lights Template Bundle - 101 comps and over 137 precomps in the collection. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination.
  

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CoreMelt has announced the 2.2 version of the entire V2 range which includes 13 new plugins, and a 40% special deal on all upgrades from previous CoreMelt products. If you already own any previous CoreMelt products, you can upgrade to V2 2.2 for our special pricing until July 31st.

The discount pricing is as follows:

• ImageFlow FX V1 - ImageFlow FX V2 - $49
• PolyChrome Transitions V1 - PolyChrome Transitions V2 - $49
• Editing Pack - Editors Tools V2 - $49
• Motion Pack - Motion Graphics Box - $49

For users of CoreMelt V1 wanting to upgrade to CoreMelt Complete V2 2.2, there is also some special pricing:

• CoreMelt Complete V1 - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $89
• Any 4 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $89
• Any 3 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $109
• Any 2 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $119
• Any 1 previous product - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $169

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Have you wanted to make the switch to Maxon Cinema 4D but haven't had the budget for it? Now is the time! Save half off SRP on all Competitive Upgrades through July 31st. Download a Free Demo on our downloads page to give Cinema 4D a try.

• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25
• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Studio Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $3,495.00 Now: $1,757.50
• Maxon Cinema 4D R 11 XL Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $1,995.00 Now: $1,187.50
• Maxon BodyPaint 3D R4 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25

PLUS: Get up and running quickly with your new Cinema 4D Software: you can add training to your purchase at an affordable price. Add live interactive training for an extra $60 for a limited time.

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Through July 31st, purchase the Nik Software Sharpener Pro 3.0 and Dfine 2.0 Bundle for $149.95- That's 50% off if purchased individually!

Sharpener Pro v3.0: The Professional Choice for Image Sharpening for Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture

Sharpener Pro is the most advanced and powerful sharpening solution eliminating the guesswork typically required for achieving superior and consistent results. New adaptive sharpening algorithms and award-winning U Point technology for selective sharpening ensure desired sharpness or creative softening of details are easily accomplished. The Sharpening Soft Proof that lets you accurately inspect results before printing saving money in costly test prints, improved handling of new output devices, and new output presets provide repeatable, professional results.

Dfine v2.0: Redefining Noise Reduction for Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture

Virtually all digital cameras inherently create unwanted imperfections known as noise. The amount or type of noise in an image typically depends on the quality and type of imaging sensor with which it was created. Dfine gives you unprecedented control over exactly how much and where to apply noise reduction. This makes it ultra-easy to eliminate noise in your images while maintaining detail and sharpness, thus improving the quality of every digital photo you take.

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Nik Software Vivenza $120 Off through July 31st, 2009.

Vivenza: Color Control Revolutionized for Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture

Two of the most important factors in creating great photography are color and light. Mastering the art of selectively correcting or enhancing each of these is now possible for every photographer without the need for complicated masks or selections, or expert-level knowledge of Photoshop. Integrating award-winning U Point technology, Viveza is the most powerful and precise tool available to control light and color in photographic images.

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Save 15% on Imagineer Mocha or Mocha Shape for After Effects or Final Cut Pro!. Track in less time, with higher accuracy, giving you an unfair advantage over your competitors!

The sale runs through July 31st and is for the node-locked version only.

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Motion Designer's Toolkit is the ultimate customizable animated element library. Ready to use pre-rendered animations, the original After Effects projects, and the original Illustrator vector images.

33 Gigabytes on 8 DVDs - Eight jam-packed discs filled with animations, project files, and vector graphics.

25 Unique Categories - The hottest, freshest, newest looks and styles are all here.

1755 Quicktime Files - Ready-to-use high resolution (2000x2000) pre-rendered animations.

1755 After Effects Projects - Want to change or tweak the animations? No problem, all the original project files are included.

1755 Illustrator Vector Images - Every animation first starts as a beautiful high-quality vector image. Perfect for print and web too!

Special Introductory Pricing- Retails for $599.95, Purchase Now for Only $224.95! Visit our Store

Tim Johnson wrote a terrific review of Digital Juice Motion Designer's Toolkit. Read it here.

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IK Multimedia ARC System
(Advanced Room Correction System)
The first acoustic correction system in a plug-in

ARC System delivers the most advanced solution to acoustical problems for any DAW-based studio. Combining a professionally calibrated microphone, standalone software that captures sound information and calculates proper room correction, and a multi-platform plug-in: this technology will improve how your studio sounds forever.

Save $300 through July 31, 2009!
Regular price: $599.00
Toolfarm price: $299.00 Buy now!
IK MultiMedia ARC System with Final Cut Pro and Mainstage

Labels: CoreMelt, IK MultiMedia ARC System, LME, Maxon Cinema 4D, Nik Software, particleIllusion, Sale, Templates, Trapcode, wondertouch

We have four sales ending on Friday- and all are very good deals! Don't miss out!


Save a bundle on Wondertouch particleIllusion for Mac or Windows. Regularly $399, get it for just $289 Through Friday, July 31st.

particleIllusion is a standalone application that allows you to quickly and easily create amazing effects: explosions, smoke, fire, sparkles, motion graphics backgrounds, space effects, creatures, and abstract artistic effects -- literally hundreds of different types of effects.

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Get the special limited edition Trapcode presets & comp bundle for just $399! Save $185. The bundle includes:

• LME Trapcode Particular Presets & Comps - 100 Particular Presets and Matching Comps
• LME Trapcode Echospace Plug-in Comps and Projects - 101 EchoSpace Comps and projects.
• LME Trapcode3D Stroke Plug-in Presets & Comps - 105 3D Stroke Presets and Matching Comps
• LME Trapcode Form Presets and Comps - 112 Trapcode Form Projects, Comps and 99 Presets
• LME Trapcode Starglow Plug-in Presets & Comps
• LME Amazing Video & Lux Lights Template Bundle - 101 comps and over 137 precomps in the collection. The possibilities are only limited to your imagination.
  

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CoreMelt has announced the 2.2 version of the entire V2 range which includes 13 new plugins, and a 40% special deal on all upgrades from previous CoreMelt products. If you already own any previous CoreMelt products, you can upgrade to V2 2.2 for our special pricing until July 31st.

The discount pricing is as follows:

• ImageFlow FX V1 - ImageFlow FX V2 - $49
• PolyChrome Transitions V1 - PolyChrome Transitions V2 - $49
• Editing Pack - Editors Tools V2 - $49
• Motion Pack - Motion Graphics Box - $49

For users of CoreMelt V1 wanting to upgrade to CoreMelt Complete V2 2.2, there is also some special pricing:

• CoreMelt Complete V1 - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $89
• Any 4 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $89
• Any 3 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $109
• Any 2 previous products - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $119
• Any 1 previous product - CoreMelt Complete V2 - $169

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Have you wanted to make the switch to Maxon Cinema 4D but haven't had the budget for it? Now is the time! Save half off SRP on all Competitive Upgrades through July 31st. Download a Free Demo on our downloads page to give Cinema 4D a try.

• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25
• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Studio Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $3,495.00 Now: $1,757.50
• Maxon Cinema 4D R 11 XL Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $1,995.00 Now: $1,187.50
• Maxon BodyPaint 3D R4 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25

PLUS: Get up and running quickly with your new Cinema 4D Software: you can add training to your purchase at an affordable price. Add live interactive training for an extra $60 for a limited time.

Labels: CoreMelt, LME, Maxon Cinema 4D, particleIllusion, Sale, wondertouch

New to our store, the Spatial View SVI Stereo 3D Plug-ins & PowerPlayer

• SVI Stereo 3D Editor for Adobe After Effects
• SVI Stereo 3D Exporter for Adobe Flash
• SVI Stereo 3D Editor for Maxon Cinema 4D
• SVI Stereo 3D Renderer for Autodesk 3DS Max
• SVI Stereo 3D Renderer for Autodesk Maya 2.2
• SVI PowerPlayer 3.0

Here's a screen shot of SVI Stereo 3D Editor for Adobe After Effects

Labels: 3dsMax, Adobe, After Effects, Flash, Maxon Cinema 4D, Maya, Spatial View, SVI Stereo 3D Plug-ins

MAXON Computer, developers of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, is excited to announce that its cornerstone application, CINEMA 4D, garnered the "Best Animation and 3D Product" award at the Macworld (UK) Awards; honoring the finest products of the past 12 months. This is the third award win in recent years for CINEMA 4D from the editorial team and readership at Macworld UK that stated, "Cinema 4D 11 is a brilliant upgrade, we doubt that there's an easier-to-use, better-integrated and feature-rich 3D toolset out there." [Please see press release issued from MAXON's UK office, below]

"Since MAXON's inception 20 years ago, CINEMA 4D, has been acclaimed for its advanced capabilities and has won numerous awards and accolades. We're extremely proud that the venerable Macworld (UK) editorial team and readership has again awarded CINEMA 4D with its 'Best Animation and 3D Product 2009,'" said Paul Babb, president, MAXON US. "MAXON remains committed to delivering technical achievements - many of them 3D application "firsts" - to the Mac platform to ensure 3D artists are equipped with the best possible toolset regardless of their platform choice."

Most notably, MAXON offered the first 3D application to be released for Mac OS X and to ship with 64-bit support, and is typically the first 3D software developer to be compliant with new releases. The company also was first to offer multiprocessing on a Mac, even before the Mac OS offered multiprocessing, and CINEMA 4D offers near-linear rendering performance on a multiprocessor Mac. In 2000 MAXON entered into a partnership with Apple and a free version of version of CINEMA 4D was bundled with Apple's Final Cut Pro (and the following three versions of the software) which garnered the company more than 10,000 new users and installations in over 5,000 schools that year. MAXON was again first to offer multi-pass rendering directly to Final Cut Pro and Motion.

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D

Have you wanted to make the switch to Maxon Cinema 4D but haven't had the budget for it? Now is the time! Save half off SRP on all Competitive Upgrades through July 31st. Download a Free Demo on our downloads page to give Cinema 4D a try.

• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25
• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Studio Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $3,495.00 Now: $1,757.50
• Maxon Cinema 4D R 11 XL Bundle Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $1,995.00 Now: $1,187.50
• Maxon BodyPaint 3D R4 Competitive Upgrade: Reg: $895.00 Now: $470.25

Just submit proof of ownership of products like 3Ds Max, Lightwave, Maya, Infini-D (and many more qualify) in the form of a manual cover, disk, splash screen, etc. along with your order.

PLUS: Get up and running quickly with your new Cinema 4D Software: you can add training to your purchase at an affordable price. Add live interactive training for an extra $60 for a limited time.

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D, Sale, upgrade

Upgrade Cinema 4D to R11 at the R10 upgrade price! Training option bundles also available. Choose from Cineversity: 12-months membership with purchase, or live interactive training with purchase.

Offer ends Today, June 15, 2009 and includes:

• Maxon Cinema 4D Studio Bundle R11 Upgrade from Studio R9.x
  Was: $1,895.00 Now: $1,295.00/ $600 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D Studio Bundle R11 Upgrade from Cinema 4D XL Bundle R9
  Was: $2,995.00 Now: $2,895.00/ $100 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D Studio Bundle 11 Upgrade from R9 Core Package
  Was: $3,195.00 Now: $2,995.00/ $200 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D XL Bundle R11 Upgrade from XL Bundle R9
  Was: $1,095.00 Now: $895.00/ $200 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D XL Bundle R11 Upgrade from Core Package R9
  Was: $2,295.00 Now: $2,195.00/ $100 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Upgrade from R9
  Was: $795.00 Now: $545.00/ $250 Off!
• Maxon BodyPaint 3D R4 Upgrade from R2.x
  Was: $795.00 Now: $545.00/ $250 Off!
• Maxon Advanced Render R3 for R11 Upgrade From AR R9
  Was: $495.00 Now: $350.00/ $145 Off!

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D, Sale, upgrade

e-on Vue 7 xStream environments seamlessly blend with your 3DS Max, Maya, XSI, LightWave or Cinema 4D scenes and animations. Access the power of the world's leading 3D scenery technology directly from within your favorite application!

Create complete, hyper-realistic 3D environments without leaving your favorite application. This includes (among others) the ability to create atmospheric effects, build procedural terrains, grow SolidGrowth trees or even populate entire forests.



You can use all standard tools of your application (such as alignment, scripting or even add fur to Vue elements), and you can make Vue elements interract dynamically with native objects (e.g. collision detection, etc).

Animation of Vue items can be done either through Vue (e.g. for wind effects), or using the host application's animation tools. Both types of animation are naturally combined seamlessly.

Vue 7.5 xStream for 3ds Max, XSI and Cinema4D will even let you paint EcoSystems interactively (on Vue objects or on native objects), directly through the host application's viewports.


Find more videos like this on MyToolfarm


Learn More/Puchase Vue in our Store | Download a Free Demo

You can create Vue environments directly in the host application, or you can load ready-made environments that were designed on a stand-alone version of Vue (Vue 7.5 Infinite, or Vue 7.5 xStream running in stand-alone mode - xStream can run either as a plug-in or as a stand-alone application).

Labels: 3dsMax, e-on Vue, LightWave, Maxon Cinema 4D, Softimage

The e-on Ozone 4.0 plug-in lets you create and render hyper-realistic skies and atmospheres in 3ds Max, Maya, XSI, Lightwave and Cinema4D.

Ozone 4.0 implements the cutting-edge technologies developed by e-on software for the simulation and rendering of atmospheric effects. Its atmospheres provide an accurately simulated environment that affects all elements of your scenes, and behaves according to nature's rules.



The atmospheres you build with Ozone 4.0 are part of a world- a world that extends far beyond your scene. A world with ambience, with haze and fog. A world with real clouds that have substance and cast shadows, that influence and interact with the other aspects of your scene. This is not just a backdrop picture of a sky. Best of all, you can modify every aspect of it!

Labels: 3dsMax, e-on Ozone, LightWave, Maxon Cinema 4D, Maya, Softimage

Maxon R9/Spring Bail Out Upgrade Promo has been extended thru June 15, 2009. Don't miss out!

Labels: Bodypaint, Maxon Cinema 4D

Nick Campbell of GrayscaleGorilla.com has a new video tutorial up for Cinema 4D: CS Tools - Daylight. CS Tools was created by Chris Smith, one of our Toolfarm Forum Expert.



Download the Daylight Scene Files here

Cinema 4D: CS Tools - Daylight from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.

Labels: CS Tools, Forum, Maxon Cinema 4D

Next Meeting & Door Prizes:

Next meeting: Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Time: 6:45 PM - 9:00 PM

The Place:

P.S. 41
116 West 11th St., NYC
(corner of 11th Street and 6th Ave.)

Thanks to our sponsors, the meeting is FREE. Our Lineup Includes:

Award-winning director, editor, & filmaker, Paul Del Vecchio, will show us how he uses After Effects in his films. If you are a fan of horror and thrillers, or want to get insight into using AE for that genre, don't miss this presentation!

Compositing and Photo Re-touching artist, Justin Paguia, will be showing how he takes his photography and compositing to the next level. If you want to up your Photoshop skill level, (and let's face it - we all use it in our work) this presentation is for you.

...Plus other cool stuff TBA.

 

Labels: Adobe, AENY, GridIron, Maxon Cinema 4D

Get it here.

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D

Coveted Award is a First for the World's Longest-Running Science Fiction Show

MAXON Computer, the developer of CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D, today announced that CINEMA 4D played a key role in helping The Mill, a world-leading visual effects company, win a visual effects award from the esteemed Visual Effects Society (VES) for its work on Doctor Who, the world's longest-running science fiction TV series. This is the first time the series has won an award for visual effects since the opening episode was broadcast by the BBC in 1963. The Mill was recognized with the coveted award for 'Outstanding Matte Paintings in a Broadcast Program or Commercial' associated with the Doctor Who episode entitled 'Silence in the Library', during the 7th Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards show in Los Angeles on February 23, 2009.

The centerpiece of The Mill's award-winning effects, a library the size of an entire planet, was created in CINEMA 4D, MAXON's 3D modeling, rendering and animation program. This element of the project proved particularly challenging due to its immense size and scale coupled with tight television production deadlines.

To achieve the realism required, The Mill turned to the new Global Illumination (GI) render engine in CINEMA 4D; which made short work of rendering scenes that could contain up to six million polygons; and resulted in the creation of superior, flicker-free animation in a fraction of the usual time. The studio also created full 3D environments for the atmospheric shots.

According to The Mill's Lead Matte Painter, Simon Wicker, CINEMA 4D and its Advanced Render 3 module played a vital role in the creation of the episode. "The results were amazing," said Wicker. " I could render a 175 frame camera animation at widescreen PAL resolution overnight on a Mac Pro without a trace of GI flicker. Without that, these shots would never have been completed on time. CINEMA 4D has always been bulletproof for my work."

The complete story and images outlining The Mill's extensive work on the award-winning Doctor Who episode, 'Silence in the Library', including details on CINEMA 4D's Advanced Render 3 module and GI render engine, is available online at www.maxon.net/frm/02602_02604.html.

Additional information on MAXON can be obtained on the Web at www.maxon.net.

Labels: Bodypaint, Maxon Cinema 4D

For a limited time, upgrade Cinema 4D to R11 at the R10 upgrade price! Training option bundles also available. Choose from Cineversity: 12-months membership with purchase, or live interactive training with purchase.

Offer ends May 31, 2009 and includes:

• Maxon Cinema 4D Studio Bundle R11 Upgrade from Studio R9.x
  Was: $1,895.00 Now: $1,295.00/ $600 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D Studio Bundle R11 Upgrade from Cinema 4D XL Bundle R9
  Was: $2,995.00 Now: $2,895.00/ $100 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D Studio Bundle 11 Upgrade from R9 Core Package
  Was: $3,195.00 Now: $2,995.00/ $200 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D XL Bundle R11 Upgrade from XL Bundle R9
  Was: $1,095.00 Now: $895.00/ $200 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D XL Bundle R11 Upgrade from Core Package R9
  Was: $2,295.00 Now: $2,195.00/ $100 Off!
• Maxon Cinema 4D R11 Upgrade from R9
  Was: $795.00 Now: $545.00/ $250 Off!
• Maxon BodyPaint 3D R4 Upgrade from R2.x
  Was: $795.00 Now: $545.00/ $250 Off!
• Maxon Advanced Render R3 for R11 Upgrade From AR R9
  Was: $495.00 Now: $350.00/ $145 Off!

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D, Sale, upgrade

A free serivce update to the Maxon NET Render R11.026 is now available for the network rendering module.

Download the free update from here. (This update is delivered the old fashioned way via an installer executable.)

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D

We have a few items that have gone on sale in the past few days.

• Red Giant Spring Looks Bundle - Buy Magic Bullet Looks and get the LooksPack: Indie Film FREE. Special Offer ends April 7th, 2009.
• PHYX Shake Plug-ins - 20% discount through April 30th, 2009!

We have a few sales that are coming to a close in the next few days.

• Total Training Adobe CS4 Titles 25% Off - Through March 31
• Imagineer mocha for After Effects v2 and mocha shapes Bundle Upgrade $149 - Through March 31
• NVIDIA/Adobe CS4 Bundles. Save $300 or more! - Through March 30

There are also a couple of upgrade specials that can expire any time now, as soon as the products are released.

• Purchase modo 302 now receive a free upgrade to modo 401
• Purchase a Coremelt plug-in and receive a free upgrade to v2 on release

And a couple that run through the end of April.

• Adobe Path 2 Upgrade Special Extended! - Through April 30
• Save 25% on autodesys formZ v6.6 and RenderZone v6.6 - Through April 30

One more....

• Maxon Cinema 4D Free Training with Purchase - Offer Extended

Keep an eye on our Current Specials for more information

Labels: Adobe CS4, CoreMelt, formz, Imagineer Systems, Luxology Modo, Magic Bullet Looks, Maxon Cinema 4D, mocha, NVIDIA, PHYX, Red Giant, Sale, Total Training

Maxon has released an update to the Vectorworks 2009 Exchange Plugin for CINEMA 4D R11, now with MAC OS X Leopard support and compatible with the latest Vectorworks 2009 and Cinema 4D R11. The plug-in allows for seamless file transfers from the Vectorworks CAD program to Cinema 4D.

Get the free update here.

Labels: Maxon Cinema 4D

Friday is the last day! Save 50% on Select Class On Demand Titles

With the economy in a slump, now is a great time to brush up on your skills and keep a competitive edge! With training titles for Adobe CS4 Production Premium, Final Cut Studio, Premiere Elements and Trapcode Particular Half off, you can do so inexpensively too.

Total Training for Adobe CS4 Titles are 25% Off through March 31!

All CS4 products are included - From After Effects to
Premiere to bringing it all together with Design Workflow in CS4.

Free Training from Maxon with Purchase of Maxon Cinema 4D.

Get up and running quickly with Cinema 4D. Choose from Cineversity: 12-months membership with purchase - $295 value or free interactive training with purchase - $180 value!

Labels: Class on Demand, Maxon Cinema 4D, Sale, Total Training, Training

GridIron Flow is a whole new way to see and manage all your project files, versions and information in one simple, elegant interface. We'll be updating our Plug-in Finder tomorrow with the latest information about Flow and we'll keep you up-to-date about the release on our news blog.

Based on the feedback, GridIron are currently in production for full Flow support of the following applications:

• Maxon Cinema 4D (10, 11)
• Adobe Encore (CS3, CS4)
• DigiDesign Pro Tools 7.4 & 8 (M, LE, HD)
• The Foundry Nuke
• iWork '09

Steve Forde, President of GridIron Software said the following about application support for Flow

The list is long after that - but these are the apps you can expect before any others. As an aside - we have a team dedicated to continuously adding more applications. There is also an SDK coming that other developers may use to ensure Flow support of their application.

Labels: Encore, GridIron Flow, Maxon Cinema 4D, Nuke, ProTools

Shorty, a free tool for saving and switching between sets of keyboard shortcuts is available for download here. Shorty was created by Bobtronic (Matthias Bober). There are shortcut sets for Mac OS X, Windows, Cinema 4D, and more. More information.

Labels: Free, Maxon Cinema 4D

So, let’s be clear on what is covered in this review. I’m going to take a look specifically at the CINEMA 4D (C4D) R11 Core edition. What’s the “Core” edition? It’s the fundamental, base component of C4D. I make the distinction because elsewhere in this magazine I review the full C4D Studio edition which includes many extra advanced modules that may or may not be useful to a typical Micro Filmmaker. If you’d like to see what’s included in the full studio version, click here.

The C4D core provides a full set of modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering and animating functionality in a tight and elegant package. It costs some coin - $995 for a new edition and $395 for an upgrade the 10.5 Core edition. But, like all things of quality, you get what you pay for in C4D.

Studio shots or full outdoor set extensions are made easier with the revised workflow and interface.

While C4D is probably better known in broadcasting circles than cinematic studios, due in large part to it's excellent motion graphics capabilities (a module called MoGraph - not included with the Core edition), Maxon obviously shares a very close relationship with Sony's Imageworks. C4D has been used in Hancock, Speed Racer, Beowulf, Surf's Up and more. In fact, Projection Man, a new integration into C4D of a technique called Camera Mapping, has been used on everything from Sea Biscuit to Spider-Man 3 to Beowulf. That relationship brings some powerful but astonishingly easy-to-use feature sets to the mere mortal and Microfilmmaker alike. With 'no-duh' workflows, a Master's degree in mathematics isn't required to get stellar results.

There is a ton of new, friendly features. I'll talk about what each mean to small studios and how they might benefit you in more depth later:

• Non-Linear Timeline Animation and Motion layers (create animations within animation, save, modify and reuse them)
• Onion Skinning (super friendly tool to intelligently create animation motion with visual queues over time - this is essentially digital tracing paper)
• Collada Import/Export (Less useful to filmmakers - unless you're making game characters from your film characters!)
• Online Updater (I adore this - it updates and installs the latest updates for you)
• Doodle (If your project has a couple of folks or more working on it, you can leave notes on the digital work itself - cool.)

Ease of Use

Don’t be scared. The crew at Maxon has done an excellent job of hiding C4D’s power under a user friendly interface. This is very, very good for you as a user. While some software in the same marketspace *cough, Maya, cough* are excellent, those other software solutions also usually have sentences associated with them like this, “Technical understanding of modeling mathematics required” when used in connection with the pro or filmmaking needs. Maxon makes no such requirements by virtue of how they’ve made their program operate.

Maxon, instead of immersing you in a workspace with fields of numbers to create and control your work, provides a smart, graphical interface that assumes use of today’s larger monitors. (Yes, having a big monitor is a requirement) Drag and drop simplicity is used for applying textures and other functions to your 3D world. Clicking on any one of the tool windows or scene objects converts other windows simultaneously to show relevant additional controls. It’s little things that make software cross the line from only being good to being great. This type of interaction, appropriate information revealed appropriately, permeates the C4D experience.

Sounds great but how easy is easy?
When I had a chance to speak during SIGGRAPH 2008 with Sony Imagworks’ lead digital matte painter, Steve Matson (his team was responsible for the huge vistas, massive castles and deep canyons in Beowulf), he indicated that C4D’s Projection Man was so easy to use he was comfortable handing off scene building 3D production work to Photoshop texture guys with limited 3D experience, letting them build and texture these large detailed scenes. When they were done, his crew simply “touched up” the 3D scene when they were done. Wow.

Cineversity is a paid-for option for quickly learning the ins and outs of the program. With R11 there are special tutorials covering the new features, but also useful tutorials showing the full use of individual tools by one of the Maxon designers.

Caveat: 3D can be made “easier” but it is never "fall-down" easy. Actual learning is involved. For both new or experienced users transitioning into C4D, Maxon also has an excellent learning option called the Cineversity. It’s largely made up of online video tutorials that are paid for by a subscription service that covers a massive array of needs for all of the constituent modules that make up C4D Studio. For us visual types, this is well worth the subscription fee. (Plus, if money is tight after buying C4D R11, there're currently over 200 free courses at Cineversity to get you started!)

Like other CG packages in the same market, C4D uses a “Tag” method of connecting behaviors and functions. It’s smart, fast and visual.

Modeling is very straight forward and easy to do, as is animation. Specialty animation with the modules of Thinking Particles and MoGraph do require familiarization, but are a snap to pick up.

Texturing is robust. However, I really wish (not to offend the C4D faithful) that some of the names for Shader schemes created by a legacy company (such as “bhodiNUT”) would be renamed. You’ll probably bristle at this if you’ve come to learn the secret language of the shader types like Cheen, Danel, Banzi and Banji but this naming convention flies in the face of the other common sense aspects of C4D. While well documented so it can be learned, reclassifying Banzi to “Wood Shaders” etc. just seems like a smart thing to do.

Depth of Options

Let’s get this out of the way up front for you tech types. C4D R11 now supports 64-bit systems on both Mac and PC platforms. If you don’t know what that means. Don’t worry. If you do and you work with massive data sets, I’m sure you’re smiling right now. In a nut shell, C4D can access all the memory capabilities of the most modern computer systems while not giving up anything on “legacy” systems. This doesn't necessarily mean that things will be faster for most artists, but you'll have the ability to handle more information and RAM. That also means very robust “option” sets.

In CG, options equals power. C4D, like its other cinematic brethren, does provide very specific numeric control over any and everything. You can get to that level of specificity if you want to, it’s just not the first and only option you are presented with. (Just because pure numeric control is the standard for some other CG software, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good standard)

Non-linear Animation (animation layers)

The creation of layered Motion Clips brings a new, non-destructive editing capability to movement. Not only for Character animation, but significant gains can be realized for inorganic object animation too.

Let’s take a look at the new features/options of C4D R11. For starters, the non-linear animation is a major time saver. Since most, if not all, of MFM readers are accustomed to working with video/film editing applications, the idea of layers and nested layers in nothing new. C4D animation layers allow you to build complex movement from individual layers, in a non-destructive workflow, which means no lost time in production. In addition to the layer functionality, you can create motion clips which function like a collapsed, key framed layer--letting you drag the animation around your time line with impunity. Drag it, trim it, combine it with others, layer it, and loop it. Fine tuning motion has never been so easy. I personally use multiple CG packages and C4D has the non-linear animation needs nailed. The best part is the plethora of little nuances in the interface that simply make your life easier by preventing unnecessary clicking.

In addition to non-linear animation, there are Motion Layers and Motion Clips. Like Animation Layers, Motion layers allow for non-destructive editing. The Motion Clips themselves contain no animation data but “subscribe” to an animation clip. This is useful because you can have a single animation clip but reuse that animation data several times by invoking the Motion Clips and subscribing to the animation. Change one animation file and all of the motion clips update automatically.

As a microfilmmaker, you may not have your sights set on an animated feature where capabilities like this really earn their keep. However, you could be surprised where it comes in handy for things like camera animation through a static scene.

Projection Man (Camera Mapping)

Projection Man lets users rapidly create 3D scenes with actual geometry that are textured by a projected photographs of a scenes or matte paintings.

This feature allows users to project a texture from a camera view onto simple geometry to quickly and easily create complex set extensions or full 3D digital mattes that allow for CG camera moves. (You've seen C4D's Projection man in movies like Sony's Beowulf, Polar Express and Open Season and are likely familiar with a fairly simple version of this concept that came out with the Vanishing Point exchange that came out in Adobe's Photoshop/After Effects CS3 release.) While it's been in C4D for some time, it now has it's own tool/workflow window that opens in your main scene, allowing you to quickly patch scenes when the camera moves far enough to reveal texture 'holes', smears or tears that can be fixed with either Photoshop or BodyPaint. You can either simply paint on geometry, or--this is the coolest feature--drop in an existing photo or matte painting, screen it back and build you low res geometry underneath it. Then you simply project the photo or matte painting in, select any layer elements in Photoshop that you want included, and, presto, your geometry has been texturized. This can be done for each piece of geometry with drag-and-drop simplicity using the same piece of source art.

Modeling
C4D has a very robust set of modeling tools that cover typical polygonal modeling but also include HyperNURBS (BTW, NURBS stands for Non-Rational B-Splines - math lingo that has no place in normal people's vocabulary) which is an incredible modeling time saver because it allows for easy, non-destructive editing of complex curved shapes. The modeling in C4D is simple, straight forward, and easy to manage, thanks to the ability of working in both layers and groups - two different schemes that give maximum flexibility.

BodyPaint 3D R4

BodyPaint 3D R4 allows real-time texture modification without leaving C4D. This sample from the movie, The Incredible Hulk [™ © Marvel Comics], shows the results of painting on organic models by magicians, Rythm and Hues.

BodyPaint, now included with C4D instead of being a separate program, is a painting and UV tool (texture map coordinates for your objects). It’s interface/tool window has been updated to align with workflows in Photoshop. Additionally, BodyPaint supports Photoshop layer functions, blending modes and alpha masks. New to version 4 is the ability also to import paths and adjustment layers. BodyPaint doesn’t allow you to use the paths and adjustment layers, but their information is retained if you find yourself moving between the two programs for various needs. Also, you can now paint/apply blur, sharpen and colorize. A nice little nuance is that each tool you use in BodyPaint retains its own individual settings. There are new options for Jitter and Airbrush which behave in the same fashion as their Photoshop counterparts.

Oh, do you have some favorite Photoshop brushes in the .abr format? No problem, BodyPaint can use them. But it doesn’t stop there. Wacom Tablet support respects the typical parameters of the tablet but also the pen rotation feature of the 6D pen. Still not enough? You can now sample a texture, load in a brush profile, enable the rotation feature and create complex painting capabilities difficult to achieve any other way. Just as important as using a custom brush is saving it. New Save options now provide control over how and where you’d like the info to be saved. Nice.

Performance

In past editions, C4D had fallen behind the curve in time-to-render as compared to some of it’s competitors. Thankfully, this has been remedied in C4D R11. For socialites, you can never be too rich or too thin. In the CG world, you can never render too fast or too realistically. The new capabilities offered by R11 really mandated an upgrade fulfilled by a render engine code re-write. In speaking with some Pros that have a long history with C4D, this enhancement was welcomed as much as the new features were.

Important to note is that the C4D core edition does not do Global Illumination. GI is that photo realistic rendering where the program automatically calculates how light bounces around a scene. If you need that level of realism, there is a module you can add to the Core edition called “Advanced Renderer”. However, very realistic rendering can still be achieved with the C4D Core package by intelligent lighting placement and creating lighting arrays. This technique is very common in CG production anyway, because true Global Illumination is very expensive in render time. Creating pseudo Global illumination with the Core edition is a snap.

On my Mac system, C4D was very, very stable and that experience has been echoed by other users on both Mac and PC platforms that I talk to. During the review and testing for this article I was able to get C4D to occasionally misbehave, crashing a couple of times. But I can do that with every 3D package I own. Certain 3D software are know to be, um, quirky. This is not one of them, for which I am very grateful. You won’t spend your time wondering what Q&A was thinking while cursing under your breath at 1 a.m.

Value

C4D is in a kind of funny spot for the MicroFilmmaker that requires some CG capabilities and happens to be working with a modest to smallish budget. There are other options for less (Carrara, modo 302) that offer much of what C4D does for less money. Where C4D's strengths lay is in it’s completeness of capabilities and quality of renders. For animation's needs, C4D is better than modo 302 although the rendering quality is very similar. Carrara certainly costs less than either modo or C4D and is has more options than modo but Carrara’s renders are slower and not quite as refined as C4D’s or modo’s.

C4D simply does a lot of things, very well and is extensible so you can expand it to other needs later if required. The target audience is TV and Film studios, so this software is no slouch. Its user experience and capabilities are top notch. You do get what you pay for.

Final Comments

To be frank, C4D is not a good fit for a studio on a super slim budget. It is possible to disguise the CG-ness of lesser software by virtue of post production filtering and other tricks. However, if your CG requirements are significant in your film, and you want them to look pro-studio quality, you can’t go wrong with C4D both in terms of results and ease of use.

The thing I actually appreciate most about this release is the improved interface design and dynamic tool/feature integration - that automatic ability that updates your interface when you choose a new tool. There is now a very friendly face on a very powerful CG software - and that is the exception to the rule.

About the reviewer: Mark Bremmer has operated his own commercial studio for 15 years. He's been fortunate enough to work for clients like Caterpillar, Amana, Hormel Foods, Universal Studios Florida, and The History Channel; producing stills, digital mattes and animations. Mark contracts regularly as an art mercenary with production houses that shall remain nameless by written agreements. His production pipeline is Mac-based, with the FCP Studio2 workflow. He loves Shake and Motion. And his family.

Labels: Bodypaint, Maxon Cinema 4D, MicroFilmmaker Magazine, reviews