You might not think Mudbox is an architectural design tool, but if Mark Gage has his way it could be. Check out his interested uses for the tool in this presentation at Autodesk University.
Hear Yale University Architecture professor Mark Gage describe how he is introducing his students to Autodesk Mudbox. Mark comments on the need for today’s architects to get exposure to what media and entertainment creation software can do for them. Recorded at Autodesk University 2010.
Autodesk has just pushed out their first Service Pack for MudBox2011 that fixes several outstanding issues for all versions (Windows 32-bit, Windows 64-bit, and Mac OSX). Fixes include:
Edge Bleed option in Preferences > Paint now controls the edge bleed distance for map extraction
Error using Eyedropper to pick color on mesh with no UVs. Mudbox now creates UVs automatically.
Incorrect GPU RAM detection causing warnings to pop up.
Brush resize down/up hotkeys not working on values larger than 100
Flatten to UV space using mesh with no UVs causes crash
Shift hotkey not working for temporary weight painting smooth
Painting using stencil crashes if stencil is 24bit/pixel .tga
As well as several fixes for their FBX translation format. Get it on their website.
Autodesk has released pretty much everything in the 2011 suite this week. We’ve already told you about Maya & 3dsMax, and now Mudbox, MotionBuilder, and Softimage have all seen updates. From Autodesk’s website, for Mudbox2011:
Autodesk® Mudbox® 2011 digital sculpting and texture painting software includes the following new and enhanced features:
Deform and pose models quickly and easily to change their design, access occluded regions, present them for approval, or prepare them for map extraction.
Selectively edit and manipulate existing paint and photo-based layers with new image adjustment brushes.
Transfer models and scene information between Mudbox 2011 and Maya 2011with a single click.
Extract maps using a new Vector Displacement method and represent displacements that do not simply follow the normal: for example, forms with appendages, undercuts, folds and bulges.
Import and export multiple layers in PSD files to leverage the Adobe® PhotoShop® toolset on more demanding projects.
Designorati’s Jeremy Schultz has a nice review up of the new Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2010, which includes Maya 2010, Mudbox 2010, MotionBuilder 2010, and more.
Maya 2010 is also the first Maya release that can serve as a start-to-finish computer graphics workflow. Maya Unlimited tools are included as described above, and so are Maya Composite (for compositing), Autodesk MatchMover (camera tracking) and Autodesk Backburner (a queue manager for multiple computers). Note that Maya Composite is available in a companion application based on Toxik technology, which will be familiar to experienced Maya users.
I have to agree with him in his comparison to Adobe: As Adobe keeps creating more and more “suites” to segment their products to individual markets, Autodesk is going the opposite direction by consolidating everything into a single product line. I too, think it’s a great move.
Someone identifying themselves as “Pantural” has posted a fantastic video on Youtube showing the result of his lonely effort taking 5 days of animation work, 110 days of rendering, and some incredible skill. Four cars and a helicopter pose for some great stills, then combine into one carnage-filled crash.
All animation working time: 5 days… Rendering time: 110 days… Used: 3ds max 2008 – Vray, Mudbox, AE, PS, Sound Forge, Vegas
EpochTimes has a great review of Autodesk’s Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2010 where they detail not only the new features available in Maya 2010, but also in MotionBuilder and Mudbox.
Replacing the Maya Live module, MatchMover 2010 allows users to better map 3-D imagery onto a scene, such as adding a 3-D image to a 2-D video. It can also generate a set of tracking points on an image to create a camera path as the video moves. This allows 3-D objects to blend in seamlessly to a 2-D video.
In addition to the 2010 updates, users also have access to all of Maya Unlimited 2009’s advanced simulation features, which are impressive to say the least. You could, for example, render water, pour it from a glass into a moving container, and watch as droplets splash out onto a surface below.
There are just a handful of other new features in Maya 2010. Among them are the ability to add constraints to an animation layer and the addition of five batch rendering nodes.
They continue on to discuss the improved support for the FBX format to allow smoother interoperations with 3ds Max and Softimage, the new ragdoll animation features, and the new Maya Hair tool. The entire suite is available for $4,995.
If you’re an Autodesk User and want to try the new 2010 versions, now’s your chance. Autodesk has released 30-day trial versions of some of the new apps for you to download and try out!
The trials are 30-days online, require a short registration, and seem to be fully featured. They offer versions for XP, Vista, and Mac OSX. Go get em !
Wayne Robson has just released “MudWalker”, a plugin for Mudbox 2010 that allows one-click transfer of textures, screenshots, and models to other applications.
MudWalker is a free Plug-in specially developed by Wayne Robson that allows you to easily send your model, textures or screenshots to other applications with a single click. MudWalker was beta tested at Pixar to assure it worked will in production pipelines
It’s free to all freelance artists and companies with less than 5 artists(of any type).
Hit their website for details and a demonstration video. The list of supported software is impressive and includes 3ds Max, SoftImage, Modo, Silo, After Effects, Photoshop, and more.
A new workshop has been announced over at CGSociety, Blend Shapes in Mudbox 2009. Led by Facial Modeler Bryan Silva, it’s an 8 week course exploring various theories of blend shape creation dealing with facial research and practical solutions.
This is not a class for beginners. Students should have a basic working knowledge of the required software for the class. Students will be supplied with a head mesh that they can use to create their own character head that will then be used for blend shape creation. Alternatively, students can create their own head meshes.
You might not think Mudbox is an architectural design tool, but if Mark Gage has his way it could be. Check out his interested uses for the tool in this presentation at Autodesk University.
Autodesk has just pushed out their first Service Pack for MudBox2011 that fixes several outstanding issues for all versions (Windows 32-bit, Windows 64-bit, and Mac OSX). Fixes include:
Autodesk® Softimage® 2011 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, rendering software includes the following new and enhanced features:
Autodesk® MotionBuilder® 2011 3D character animation software includes the following new and enhanced features:
Designorati’s Jeremy Schultz has a nice review up of the new Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2010, which includes Maya 2010, Mudbox 2010, MotionBuilder 2010, and more.
Someone identifying themselves as “Pantural” has posted a fantastic video on Youtube showing the result of his lonely effort taking 5 days of animation work, 110 days of rendering, and some incredible skill. Four cars and a helicopter pose for some great stills, then combine into one carnage-filled crash.
EpochTimes has a great review of Autodesk’s Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2010 where they detail not only the new features available in Maya 2010, but also in MotionBuilder and Mudbox.
If you’re an Autodesk User and want to try the new 2010 versions, now’s your chance. Autodesk has released 30-day trial versions of some of the new apps for you to download and try out!
Wayne Robson has just released “MudWalker”, a plugin for Mudbox 2010 that allows one-click transfer of textures, screenshots, and models to other applications.
VizWorld.com 
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