June 19 - 7:10pm EDT   Apple has been granted patents for 3D movie browser technology and responsive avatars. The first patent relates to three-dimensional movie browsing or editing, with a focus on Final Cut Pro. It also relates to other Apple technologies like the iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV and software like iTunes and QuickTime. The most common example of the 3D browser is Apple's Cover Flow. An interesting side note reveals the author, Kevin Quennesson, has since left Apple to help build the Cooliris 3D Wall. The report also notes a second patent report for what's commonly known as Apple's Magic Wand Patent, which relates to a 3D remote control for Apple TV. [full story]

June 19 - 7:10pm EDT   Luxology has launched modo 401 , the next generation of its 3D content creation software. The new update focuses on enhancing rendering and animation. Rendering enhancements include caustics, dispersion, blurry refraction, volumetric lighting and deep shadows. modo 401 adds instance replicators which allow dense amounts of surface detail like rivets, trees and barnacles to be rendered with trillion polygon detail. There is also light linking, stereoscopic rendering and support for multiple environments that provide precise control over scene lighting. Version 401 can render on up to 32 cores across a network of 50 workstations. [full story]

June 16 - 11:30pm EDT   DAZ 3D has released a new version of its flagship software, DAZ Studio 3. The application is used to design 3D models and features pre-rendered virtual animals, props, vehicles, people and environments. The application can also add lighting and shading to models. The update supports 64-bit systems, COLLADA import and export functions, figure mixing, and animation keyframe editing. [full story]

June 2 - 8:30pm EDT   Boris FX has released a new Boris Continuum unit, 3D Objects. The package is compatible with Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Final Cut Express, and consists of 5 filters that generate 3D animations for video and film. The unit includes Extruded Text that uses AE masks for defining custom bevels, extrusion, and text on path, as well as a Type-On-Text feature that animates 3D text. 3D Objects also features Extruded EPS for importing Adobe Illustrator layered vector logos and graphics, retaining the original file's 3D material presets. [full story]

June 2 - 7:00pm EDT   Spatial View has released a new program, Wazabee 3DeeInterlacer and the complementary Wazabee 3DeeInterlacing SDK. The program is designed to be used with Wazadee 3DeeShell for creating 3D games, applications, and videos for the iPhone. The 3DeeInterlacing SDK utilizes a runtime feature that allows games and application to run in 3D when using the 3DeeShell. The 3DeeInterlacer generates licenses and enables content to be exported to 3DeeShell-enabled iPhones. [full story]

February 10 - 8:55pm EST   Luxology is now previewing modo 401, the next major revision of its 3D software, at the SolidWorks World 2009 show in Orlando, FL (booth #1207). Along with the announced SolidWorks importer, initially a Windows-only feature, the software will also feature updated capabilities for modeling fur, volumetric lighting and replication. Fur technology allows users to build hair or fur from fiber models that can also be built as grass, roots or tinsel. Controls are provided for the texture, displacement and various attributes of the fibers. [full story]

February 5 - 5:55pm EST   AutoDesSys has released a free public beta of its NURBS modeling and drawing program, Bonzai 3D. The software is designed to allow users to quickly sketch ideas, while maintaining the capability to produce accurate and complex models that can be rendered, manufactured, or used in construction drawings. Classic modeling tools are provided, with real-time Booleans and NURBS curves and surfaces. Rendering of shadows, transparencies and textures is handled by OpenGL. [full story]

January 6 - 11:25pm EST   Punch Software (Booth No. 3526 N) has released Home and Landscape Design Studio for the Mac at the Macworld Expo . The software offers a QuickStart system to help users design a home quickly, a Going Green service with information to help build an energy efficient home, and a new object library for more realistic 3D modeling. The software is geared to help users save time and money when building a home. [full story]

January 6 - 11:20pm EST   Autodesk has released Mac OS X versions of its 2D and 3D design software Toxik, Mudbox and Autodesk ImageModeler. Company officials tell MacNN the Mac is making great gains in the creative community, spurring demand for more titles to complement its venerable 3D Modeling software Maya and photo-panorama creator Stitcher Unlimited. [full story]

November 18 - 4:25pm EST   The Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has developed a color electronic holography technology that can project captured images of moving subjects under normal lighting conditions and reproduce them. Instead of a laser or darkroom, the technology relies on a video camera with a fly-eye lens and a number of integrated microlenses. The same lens is used to later display the 3D images. [full story]

November 4 - 6:00pm EST   E-on software has released the latest additions to its Vue 7 line of software for 3D environment creation, Vue 7 xStream and Vue 7 Infinite. Vue 7 xStream is now fully integrated as a plug-in within a host application, allowing users to create and edit 3D environments without switching between programs. The single license permits owners to use the program in all of the compatible applications installed on the system, including 3ds Max, Maya, LightWave, Cinema4D and XSI. Vue 7 Infinite offers 3D animation and rendering tools in a standalone product. [full story]

September 24 - 4:35pm EDT   At the opening of the CEATEC show in Japan, Panasonic held demonstrations of its 3D HD system built around its 103-inch plasma display. The setup also relied on a standard Blu-ray disc player and battery-powered 3D glasses to produce three-dimensional moving images. Panasonic claims this is the first system using a plasma display and producing true-to-life 3D images, which, the company says, are on par in terms of image quality with Hollywood-produced 3D movies. [full story]

August 21 - 4:35pm EDT   In SIGGRAPH news, DAZ 3D has announced its ARENA Real-Time Mocap plug-in for DAZ Studio, bringing motion capture to the 3D animation tool. Also at SIGGRAPH, Andersson Technologies' camera tracking software SynthEyes 2008 has been upgraded for 8-core compatibility. [full story]

August 14 - 1:20pm EDT   Electric Rain has released a Universal Binary of Swift 3D 5.0 and also added performance gains to the 3D-rendering application. Swift 3D imports and renders Flash content and exports Flash 3D content via Papervision3D export. Version 5.0 adds low-level changes that triple rendering speeds for vector and raster renders on Intel chips. The update also speeds rendering and increases compatibility for Power PC chips. Swift 3D 5.0 adds new rendering textures, views and animations, while upgrading the user interface. It requires Mac OS X 10.2 an above, with minimum requirements of a 400MHz processor and 128MB RAM. Swift 3D 5.0 is available now for $250 with a 15-percent discount ... [full story]

August 12 - 4:50pm EDT   Maxon on Tuesday unveiled Cinema 4D Release 11, a major update to its 3D animation suite, introducing an enhanced lighting engine, animation tools, and improved render speeds, among other features. In addition to the aforementioned inclusions, Cinema 4D now offers enhanced compatibility with other industry software, such as the COLLADA file format, and the CineMan Renderman accompaniment. The updated sweet also comes with BodyPaint 3D Release 4, which now includes WACOM tablet support. [full story]