View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/04/17/apple.unveils.motion.2/

Sunday, Apr 17, 2005 7:50pm

Apple unveils Motion 2

Apple today also debuted Motion 2, the latest version of its realtime motion graphics software that allows editors to add motion graphics to projects in either DV, SD, HD or film formats. Apple says that Motion 2 is the world's first motion graphics software with GPU accelerated 32-bit float rendering for "true" film quality output. It also features Replicator, a unique new automated design tool to enable editors to easily animate any number of duplicated movies or graphics along user defined grids and patterns. Motion 2 also includes over 130 accelerated filters such as 3D rotation, vignette and caustics, and more than 50 new particle effects that automatically generate animations such as sparkles, bubbles and space clouds. Motion 2 will be available in May for $300 or as a $100 upgrade.

In addition, third-party developers can write their own effects with FxPlug, a professional plug-in format that takes full advantage of Motion 2's real-time GPU accelerated performance and 32-bit float rendering. New MIDI support allows Motion 2 to be “played” like a musical instrument with animation changes triggered by playing a keyboard or using faders or knobs on a MIDI controller.