June 25 - 7:40pm EDT   Toon Boom Animation has released Toon Boom Studio 5. The application is used to create video animations in a variety of styles including traditional, digital, cut-out, rotoscoping, or a combination of styles. The update features stop-motion capabilities and time-lapse Imagery that is used to edit the speed of video frames. Toon Boom 5 also boasts a new interface and Chroma Key tools enabling users to replace the background in a video. User's can also position elements of their project more accurately using Onion Skinning. [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]

May 3 - 11:10pm EDT   Toon Boom Animation has announced Toon Boom Studio 5, an update to its software that allows animators to create, animate and publish projects. Version 5 adds stop-motion animation, improved image-playback optimization and the ability to review a series of pictures using time-lapse imagery. Also new is a "chroma key screens" function that enables users to change the background screens, while a preview window displays live feeds and provides customization options for the subject, focus and brightness. [full story]

December 16 - 12:25pm EST   aLunch 3.6 (free) is an application launcher that is accessed from the menubar. The applications contained within it can be organized to make finding items quick and logical. In version 3.6 when a folder is registered into the launcher widow, the function which displays a hierarchical menu by right-clicking is added. The new version also has received slight performance optimizations. [Download - 1.1MB] [full story]

November 11 - 12:00am EST   Toon Boom has released its latest vector-based animation software, Toon Boom Animate, that includes a variety of tools for content creation, animation, and delivery to audiences. Users can create tradigital and bitmap animations, or combine elements of both. Multiple brush tools, textures, and gradients can be used to further develop particular styles. The software also offers morphing, inverse kinematics, and a set of common special effects for advanced projects. [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]

October 17 - 3:10pm EDT   CoreMelt has launched ImageFlow 1.5, adding rendering quality improvements and new filters to its photo animation plug-ins package. The plug-ins allow users to generate image montage animations in mainstream video editing applications. The rendering enhancements in v1.5 include a multisampling option that reduces jagged-edges and sparkling artifacts, higher supersampling levels for better final output (at the cost of more rendering time), and improved sub-pixel filtering when downscaling images. Version 1.5 also includes bug fixes and other improvements. [full story]

September 3 - 9:55am EDT   iPresentee has released Keynote Animations 2.0, an expansion on to its existing line of animations; the set keeps 50 animations from the previous release and adds 30 new animations -- all of which support transparency allowing them to be used on any background. The animations can be resized, rotated, increased or decreased in opacity or overlapped to create new effects. Adding animations has been made as simple as possible, a user must only select the desired animation and then drag it into the appropriate location on a slide. [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 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]

July 25 - 6:40pm EDT   On Friday, Toon Boom Animation announced the upcoming release of Toon Boom Studio 4.5, and the immediate release of Flip Book Classic. Toon Boom Studio 4.5 has been updated to offer extended ease of use, more export options, and better integration with various flies. Users can now import multi-layer Photoshop files for more detailed multi-plane effects, characters and backgrounds. They can also import photos and build a library of key poses, which can then be animated using various cut-out techniques. The update further looks to streamline the animation process by integrating drag-and-drop functionality with templates, movies and photos. This allows a user to quickly ... [full story]

June 23 - 2:20pm EDT   Aquafados says the new version of its PulpMotion Advanced slideshow software comes with a new animation theme. The “Pulse” theme includes “punchy animation,” lots of images and ”sophisticated transitions,” according to the company. Equipped with several presets, Pulse allows users to adjust the timing of each shot and to create “zones of interest” to focus viewer attention. The update is available immediately. [full story]

June 23 - 1:55pm EDT   Kinemac has announced Kinemac 1.6.6 , a bug-fix release of its 3D real-time animation software for Mac OS X. The company says anyone can create professional-level 3-D animations using its software. Kinemac plays animations in real-time in full screen mode, and can export to QuickTime or to a series of still images. The software is designed with TV advertising, movie trailers, video clips and scrolling messages in mind, and retails for $300. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.9 or higher and a graphic card with 128MB VRAM or better. [full story]

June 12 - 4:00pm EDT   Side Effects Software has released a public beta of Houdini 9.5, its node-based 3D animation software that allows artists to collaborate from different platforms. Houdini has been used in the production of a number of major Hollywood films, including The Chronicles of Narnia, and all three Spider-Man movies, but until now was only available for Windows and Linux. The Mac version requires a 64-bit Intel Mac running Leopard, and is set for final release on July 15. [full story]