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If you use InDesign for your layouts & graphics work (popular in publication work), then Zevrix has a few new tools you may find interesting.

First off is the BatchOutput Server v4.9.8, which automates InDesign output by processing files from “hotfolders”.  Mark a folder for monitoring by the BatchOutput Server and it will automatically convert the files to PDF and PostScript, freeing your workstation for other use.  This version supports font auto-activation, updating modified links, variable output filenames, and custom e-mail notifications of the process.  If you work with lots of large InDesign files this seems like a must-have at $699.95, with a free trial to get you started.

Related is the BatchOutput plugin for InDesign, vastly improving the PDF Preflight process used normally.  With this new version of BatchOutput, v3.6.4, you can batch preflight hundreds of InDesign files overnight and get the results in the morning.  Supporting several of the features of BatchOutput Server, it is meant to run on a single machine.  Available for $119, with a free trial for new users.

Lastly is their File Courier application, now at version 1.1.2.  Another plugin for InDesign, it lets you trivially compress, password protect a PDF version of your document and then automatically send an email with all of the relevant information to your client.  It supports FTP uploads, network folders, and email attachment transfers, and several logging and tracking features.  Available for a mere $29.95.

More details on all three products in press releases after the break.

Read more…

Science adobe, indesign, plugin, zevrix

While ZBrush excels as soft body and organic modeling, unwrapping these models for UV Texturing can be tricky.  Pixologic acknowledges this and has just released a new free plugin called ‘UV Master’  that makes UV Unwrapping a 1-click affair.

With UV Master’s cutting-edge technology you can leave all the technical work to the computer. Because the UV maps generated by the plugin can be in one UV island you will be able to understand your modelís UVs in any 2D image editor and paint or edit them like you would do with manually unwrapped UVs. Amazingly, what needs mere minutes with UV Master could take hours in other dedicated solutions! Just load your model, click Unwrap and you’re done!

If the automatic process is just too convenient for you, you can use other new tools for more manual controls of seams.  Alltogether, a must-have addition to ZBrush.

via Pixologic :: ZBrush :: UV Master.

Graphics plugin, software, zbrush

The r|shaders pack from Core Zero brings some beautiful procedural shaders to 3ds Max, and has just enetered Beta 1.5.  In addition to this milestone, they are running a promotional 50% discount sale through February and March in preparation for release soon afterwards.

Currently 7 shaders are operational (ice, ocean, deep ocean, sand, snow, ice land, and snow land) with 2 more to come prior to release (magma and ground).  The results are amazing, and their website has detailed examples of both the UI and results for each shader.

Core Zero Home.

Graphics 3dsmax, plugin, procedural, shader

If you’re unhappy with the built-in hair capabilities of Autodesk’s 3ds Max, then you might want to check out “Hair Farm” from CyberRadiance.

Hair Farm is not just another tool for producing hair on virtual characters. It is a completely new design that combines state-of-the-art technologies with an artist-friendly user interface and a flexible workflow.

Some of the novel technologies in Hair Farm are the following:

• A whole new hair modeling pipeline combining the best ideas both the industry and the academia, including hair mesh modeling,
• An artist-friendly realistic hair material that can efficiently handle complicated light behavior like multiple scattering in hair volume to produce physically-based realism,
• A highly optimized high-quality ray tracer for hair that automatically handles anti-aliasing without the need to specify the number of samples,
• A whole new hair simulation technique that can robustly handle complicated models and advanced physical behavior like hair-hair interaction,
• Technologies in curve representations for modeling and rendering.

The results are impressive, as evidenced by their gallery. Available now for prices ranging from $70 (rendernode) to $1000 (professional).

Hair Farm™ – The Ultimate Hair Plug-in for 3ds Max.

Graphics 3dsmax, hairfarm, plugin, software

Users of Deep Exploration 6.0 have a new plugin to check out, HDRLightStudio Live.  The new plugin allows for real-lighting manipulation using theri HDR Lightmaps.

“As much as 80% of the rendering production process is spent on the creation and optimization of lighting,” said Right Hemisphere President and CTO Mark Thomas. “The real-time lighting creation and feedback loop this plug-in enables dramatically reduces the time it takes to create professional quality images that can truly replace traditional photography.”

See a video demonstration of the plugin here.

via HDR Light Studio Live – real-time lighting for Deep Exploration 6.0.

Graphics deep exploration, hdr, plugin, software

Cinema4D users can try out a new fantastic fluid simulation system from JawSet called ‘Turbulence4D’.  Already in use at major studios in films like Surrogates, it’s from the same people who brought you Turbulence2D for AfterEffects. (…)

Graphics cfd, cinema4d, jawset, plugin, turbulence4d

The result of last month’s merger of GenArts and WonderTouch have just resulted in the first ever release of Particleillusion for AfterEffects, as an integrated plugin that brings the full functionality of Particleillusion into the popular compositing package. (…)

Graphics aftereffects, genarts, particleillusion, plugin, software, wondertouch

TeaCup is a free online asset sharing system for 3D Studio Max, allowing fully integrated sharing and browsing of textures and materials.  Currently meshes are unsupported (but coming soon), but you can browse a wide variety of textures and material settings directly within your Max install. (…)

Graphics 3dsmax, assets, plugin

Filter Forge is in the holiday mood and offering their popular Photoshop Plugin suite for an impressive 50% off! (…)

Graphics filterforge, photoshop, plugin, software

A new Cinema4D plugin has just entered public beta, and offers a true polygonal alternative to the built-in symmetry operation. (…)

Graphics cinema4d, plugin

CGDigest has compiled a great list of 14 plugins for 3dsMax that add a wide range of functionality.  Some of them you’ve definately heard of like Rayfire, Vray scatter, and RealFlow, but some you may not have. (…)

Graphics 3dsmax, list, plugin

Over on YouTube is a video showing a new Maya deformer called “fStretch” that offers real-time interactive manipulation and recomputation of surfaces. (…)

Graphics fstretch, maya, plugin, software

A new plugin called Timeline, from PixelNovel, combines the geek-centric revision control features of Subversion with the non-geekery of Photoshop, and presents it all as a fluid plugin that makes the entire process trivial. (…)

Graphics photoshop, pixelnovel, plugin, timeline

Fans of Filter Forge, the popular plugin suite for Photoshop, has finally hit version2.0 and released a free beta for everyone to download and check out.  Available for Mac and Windows, the beta is a fully-functional 30 day trial.  New features to check out include HDR support, gamma-aware workflow support, and several new components. (…)

Graphics filter forge, photoshop, plugin, software

If you have Adobe’s Pixel Bender, then you can go download the “4D Quaternion Julia Set Ray Tracer” plugin for Photoshop and After Effects. (…)

Graphics after effects, photoshop, plugin

The Foundry has released a new plug-in for AfterEffects and Nuke called “RollingShutter”, that claims to experience frame-distortions caused by poor CMOS sensors.  When using CMOS cameras there is a time-lag between the top and bottom of the frame which generates some weird skew and distortion effects. (…)

Graphics aftereffects, foundry, nuke, plugin, rollingshutter

Wayne Robson has just released “MudWalker”, a plugin for Mudbox 2010 that allows one-click transfer of textures, screenshots, and models to other applications. (…)

Graphics free, mudbox, plugin, software

Just got this in from the folks at MachStudio Pro, but if you head on over to the StudioGPU Downloads page you’ll see a few new free export plugins for Rhino 4 and SketchUp Pro7.  These export native MachStudio GXB formats, that can then be manipulated within MachStudio Pro as native objects. (…)

Graphics machstudio, plugin, rhino, sketchup, studiogpu

Visual Dynamics has just released VRayScatter 2.5.5 with a few new features, and most importantly 3ds Max 2010 support.  If you’ve never tried VRayScatter before:
VRayScatter lets VRay generate huge amounts of objects in an array. (…)

Graphics 3dsmax, plugin, software, vray, vrayscatter

Kickstand, makers of StretchMesh, have just announced v1.5.   Working with Autodesk Maya, it’s a completely new character deformation pipeline. (…)

Graphics kickstand, maya, plugin, software, stretchmesh