Creation Engine Blog

modo 401 Now Shipping!

Link via Creation Engine

With a focus on rendering and animation enhancements, modo 401 delivers a wealth of new features and innovative workflows, which enable users to easily model on top of existing geometry, see changes in their scene immediately from the radically improved Preview renderer and efficiently re-use assets throughout the content creation process. These new features benefit customers in a broad array of disciplines such as architectural visualization, product design, game development and advertising image production.

modo 401 Mac/Windows 1-year license (download version) is available at an education discount price of $139.

modo 401 Mac/Windows 1-year license (download version, lab floating license) is available at an education discount price of $169.

CINEMA 4D Wins 7th Macworld/MacUser Best 3D App Award

Link via MAXON

In handing CINEMA 4D a third Macworld award, the magazine drew attention to CINEMA 4D’s leading support for the Macintosh platform, full range of features, and arguably the app’s greatest weapon: its superior ease of use.

Macworld said: “CINEMA 4D is now a fully cocoa-native app and one of the few apps available that can take full advantage of Apple’s 64-bit operating system. This allows you to render hugely complicated scenes in a single pass and we must say that it works well without a hint of drama.”

“Not forgetting that CINEMA 4D still boasts the awesome MoGraph module, a feature-packed character animation toolset, and hair and cloth simulation, we doubt that there’s an easier-to-use, better-integrated and feature-rich 3D toolset out there.”

Cinema 4D R11 (includes BodyPaint 3D R4) is available at an academic discount price of $195.

10 impressive Adobe AIR apps

Link via CNET

Since Adobe Systems relaunched its AIR marketplace, I’ve been spending some considerable time there. There are so many great apps, it’s hard to pick just a handful worth talking about. But after taking some time to sift through all my apps, I’ve selected my favorites.

Adobe Media Player If you’re a Photoshop, Premiere, or Dreamweaver user, the Adobe Media Player will come in handy. The app lets you watch a slew of videos that train you how to use Adobe’s applications.

Although there are videos for advanced users, there are quite a few videos that help Photoshop novices find their way around the sophisticated program. You can also save your favorite videos and go step-by-step during instruction. It’s a great app for anyone who wants to be creative.

Don Reisinger also reviews 9 other apps including TweetDeck, Desktop iPhone, and DeskTube.

30% off special for all Red Giant products! Offer good through July 31, 2009.

30% off special for all Red Giant products!
Offer good through July 31, 2009.
Production-proven special effects tools for digital video & film professionals. Plug-ins for Adobe After Effects, Premiere, Avid, Final Cut Pro and more.

The Power Of Mind Mapping – Forbes.com

Link via Forbes.com

Mind maps solve all these problems. I can capture ideas from an interview or a design for a book in a mind map, and I don’t feel frustrated or fatigued. Going from a linear view to two-dimensional space allows me to move around quickly and put an idea in the right place in the hierarchy by sailing right there with my mouse, expanding and contracting the level of detail as needed. Because this is quick and easy, I capture more ideas and restructure them faster, meaning my mind map better reflects my understanding.

When I return to a mind map, the context of my latest thinking is quickly restored; nothing is missing or lost. I don’t get that feeling of dread. Mind maps can be large and complex, and to control the depth, you expand or contract branches. I often use mind maps to organize and analyze information stored somewhere else, like all of the opportunities I am working on in Salesforce.com.

I use MindJet MindManager, which has a shareable version of maps called MindJet Connect. Shareable mind maps can be viewed and changed by many people at once. It is a wonderful feeling to work quickly on a shareable space to capture ideas and trade thoughts. Free Mind is a popular open-source mind-mapping tool (a step down in usability from MindManager, but it will give you the idea), and many other commercial and open-source tools are available as well.

MindManager 8 for Windows is available at an education discount price of $149.

MindManager 7 for Macintosh is available at an education discount price of $99.

Wacom Intuos4 review – Blogcritics Sci/Tech

Link via blogcritics.org

The Pen, which is black like the tablet, is also much improved. I liked the old pen really well, but the new one is just so much better. The grip is rubberized and it is so much more comfortable than before. It really feels like you are holding a natural pen. The enhanced sensitivity really gives you the feel of control. The pen stand is also outstanding in its design and use ability.

The tablet itself is a big improvement. The surface has a better feel to it. It is almost like you are drawing on paper or canvas. The ergonomic design is more comfortable than drawing on a paper tablet, but without losing feel.

My only real complaints beyond the closely spaced ExpressKeys are that the black styling is a finger print magnet and a dust collector. It is to a lesser degree the same with the pen.

That said, if you are considering a graphics pen tablet, and are still on the fence, then let me give you a little push. For the price, the Wacom Intuos4 Medium is really a good deal. One thing to keep in mind that from the stand point of size, the medium is probably the largest that most people will need. It takes up a good bit of desk space, but is balanced with the size of the new monitors.

I had my last one for over four years and it has served me well. Once you get accustomed to using the pen tool, you will wonder how you could have survived without it. It is for that reason that I very highly recommend the Wacom Intuos4 Medium Tablet.