Review: VMware Fusion 3

Link via MacNN

VMware Fusion 3  Virtualization on the Mac has had to move forward rapidly in the past several months: where it was once enough to run basic tasks in Windows XP, users increasingly expect an experience much like what they would have in Boot Camp. That’s all the more true with the launch of Windows 7, where the visual effects are not only useful but often essential. Between this and the changes in the background brought about by Mac OS X Snow Leopard, VMware’s Fusion 3 has much ground to cover. We hope to find out in our review whether it’s an essential upgrade or simply nice to have.

VMware Fusion 3 is available at an education discount price of $39.

Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac arrives

Link via MacWorld

Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac In the “faster” category, Parallels Desktop 5 now includes full Aero support in Windows Vista and Windows 7, and an improved Parallels Transporter promises to speed up and ease the task of converting a standalone PC into a Parallels virtual machine. USB transfer speeds in Windows are faster than before, and Parallels Compressor runs in the background to optimize the size of the virtual machine for better performance.

“Smarter” features include a more Mac-like experience through a new Crystal view mode, which basically makes the Windows operating system disappear—Parallels’ icon vanishes from the Dock and application switcher, and it’s replaced with a Parallels icon in the menu bar. Click that icon to gain access to the Windows start menu, and a folder in the Dock provides access to Windows applications. There’s even an optional MacLook mode that attempts to make Windows’ windows look more like those in OS X—squared corners are rounded off, and the close/zoom buttons are replaced with the standard OS X colored versions.


Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac is available at an education discount price of $39.99

Nonprofit discounts for Adobe box products now available!

Adobe logoPreviously, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations had to purchase non-profit Adobe licensing in order to obtain discount pricing. Recently, Adobe changed their policies so that nonprofits may now obtain the same discount pricing on box products that’s available to educational institutions.

Adobe Box Products

In addition, nonprofits can now also take advantage of Adobe volume license discounts if they wish to purchase multiple copies of Adobe software:

Adobe Volume License Discounts

SolidWorks EDU products 2010-2011 academic year and Microsoft® Windows 7 operating system

1. SolidWorks EDU products 2010-2011 academic year (Education Edition, Student Edition, and Student Design Kit) will officially support the Microsoft® Windows 7 operating system. This new release is planned in the spring of 2010.

2. SolidWorks EDU products 2009-2010 are officially supported on Windows XP 32 and 64 bit and Vista 32 and 64 bit . While the SolidWorks EDU products 2009-2010 installation is not prevented on Windows 7, the products are not officially supported. This means that they have not been fully validated by QA and therefore the full scope of potential issues is not known. There will not be any SolidWorks product updates available for any Windows 7 specific issues. For an optimal experience with the SolidWorks EDU products 2009-2010, it is recommended that a user install on Windows XP or Vista.

3. Below is some general information of running SolidWorks EDU products 2009-2010 on Windows 7.

Since the graphics drivers included with Windows 7 do not support accelerated OpenGL, many SolidWorks features are not available. Running SolidWorks on Windows 7 requires a supported graphics driver for RealView graphics.

  • Since the graphics drivers included with Windows 7 do not support accelerated OpenGL, many SolidWorks features are not available. Running SolidWorks on Windows 7 requires a supported graphics driver for RealView graphics.
  • Running the 64-bit version of SolidWorks on the 64-bit version of Windows 7 requires Microsoft Office 2007 for full support of tables.
  • The 64-bit version of SolidWorks on the 64-bit version of Windows 7 does not display tables for SolidWorks files containing Microsoft Office 2003 components.
  • Certain SolidWorks dialogs may have missing information or buttons
  • Running SolidWorks in Windows 7 Compatibility Mode might help with some stability issues

Note: Running SolidWorks in Windows 7 Compatibility Mode:

  • Right mouse click on the SLDWORKS.exe file in the installation folder
  • Choose the Compatibility Tab and select “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” Windows Vista or XP


SolidWorks Student Edition 2009-2010 is available at a student discount price of $129.

Squeeze 6 and Squeeze 6 for Flash Now Shipping!

Squeeze 6Squeeze 6 and Squeeze 6 for Flash Now Shipping!

Sorenson Squeeze 6 is the first total video workflow solution, personalized for video professionals. With Squeeze 6 you get a seamless workflow, faster encoding and industry-winning quality.

Workflow

Integrated, intuitive and secure

Review & Approval workflow with email notifications and SMS text message alerts when encoding is complete.

Speed

Maximize your time. Up to 5x faster than before. Multiple encoding options set you free. Great for batch jobs too!

Integration

Squeeze 6 for Flash is now integrated with AVID, Final Cut Pro, iMovie and QuickTime Pro Applications.

Quality

Enhnaced industry winning H.264 quality, new professional pre-processing filters, and even more of the highest quality output formats.

Simplicity

Video encoding as easy as 1, 2, 3. Import your videos, apply intelligent presets and Squeeze it! All in a new streamlined UI.

Productivity

Seamlessly publish your videos to multiple destinations including Sorenson 360, YouTube, Twitter, Akamai, Limelight, FTP sites and more.

New in Squeeze 6

– Notifications via Email and Text Message (SMS). Squeeze 6 automatically notifies your clients, colleagues, friends-or even yourself-when encoded files are done and ready for review. Never wait around for encodes again!

– Review & Approval Workflow. Squeeze 6 automatically sends your clients secure, password-protected videos for immediate review & approval. Instant feedback via Web or Mobile makes your life easier!

– Publishing & Syndication. Squeeze 6 automatically publishes to Sorenson 360, YouTube, Twitter, Akamai, Limelight and many more.

– Redesigned User Interface. Constructed to simplify use and easily access the many powerful features of Squeeze.

– Complimentary Sorenson 360 Review & Approve 1 YR Account
Every purchase of Squeeze 6 includes a complementary annual account on the Sorenson 360 Video Delivery Network, making Squeeze the world’s first end-to-end encoding and hosting solution.

Seamless integration with Avid products, Apple Final Cut Pro, and iMovie. Easy DVD burning.

– Preset Exchange – an online repository of professional video encoding recipes or presets.

– Attractive Flash Player Templates.

Squeeze 6 is available at an education discount price of $684

Squeeze 6 for Flash is available at an education discount price of $427

Papercraft Halloween Head made with 3ds Max, Mudbox and Photoshop

Link via Art Portfolio for Eric Testroete

etestroete head

Red Giant Student Sale-Huge Savings on Visual Effects Plug-Ins $49 for individual products and $199 for bundles!

Red GiantRed Giant Student Sale-Huge Savings on Visual Effects Plug-Ins
$49 for individual products and $199 for bundles.
Save up to 75% off normal academic prices! Offer good through 11/10/2009 and available to students only.

Plug-In Suite 4.5 for Adobe Photoshop On sale for $299 with free upgrade to Plug-In Suite 5!

Plug-In Suite 4.5 for Adobe Photoshop Plug-In Suite 4.5 for Adobe Photoshop On sale for $299 with free upgrade to Plug-In Suite 5!
Normal academic price $399.
Offer good from 10/27/2009 through 11/30/2009.

Design It: Shelter Competition Winners

Link via guggenheim.org

CBS – Cork Block ShelterOver the course of the summer, Design It: Shelter Competition received submissions from people in 68 countries for a total of nearly 600 entries that met competition requirements. On the occasion of the Guggenheim Museum’s 50th Anniversary, we are pleased to announce the two winning entries: David Mares’s CBS – Cork Block Shelter, which won the People’s Prize after receiving 64,875 votes out of more than 100,000 votes submitted online by voters around the world; and David Eltang’s SeaShelter, which was selected by a jury of architecture and design experts for the Juried Prize. Prizes include airfare and two nights accommodation for two in New York City, behind-the-scenes tours of the Guggenheim Museum and Google offices, and Google SketchUp Pro licenses. Congratulations to both winners!

Google SketchUp Pro 7 is available at a student discount price of $49.

Google SketchUp Pro 7 is free for instructors.

Google SketchUp Pro 7 Lab licenses are available at a school discount price of $15.

MacWorld reviews Toon Boom Studio 5

Link via MacWorld

 Toon Boom Studio 5 So many artists today want to venture into the animation world but either don’t have the hand-drawing artistic capabilities or the time and resources to learn 3-D animation. Many of us have tried our hand at stop-motion with in-camera techniques or perhaps clever editing. Toon Boom Studio 5 however offers infinite possibilities with easy-to-use stop-motion, traditional paper, or digital animation, and even cut-out and rotoscoping. The cut-out feature is like grabbing various elements and compositing them together…

At first glance, Toon Boom Studio 5 looks like a simple, almost kid-like program. But don’t be fooled. The new stop-motion feature, annotation layers, and new export functions make this not just a fun program to use, but one rich in sophisticated features that any creative artist would want as part of their digital toolset.

Toon Boom Studio is available at an education discount price of $139.