It’s No Joke! Digital-Tutors Releases 14 New Courses Plus Dozens of Free Lessons

Hey everyone,

We know April Fool’s Day but this announcement is no joke!

We’re providing all monthly and semi-annual subscribers with access to our entire library including the 14 new courses we’re releasing today along with dozens of free lessons.

Get a free preview and find out more below.

Have a great weekend!

The Digital-Tutors Team


Maya
Shader Recipes: Brushed Metal Surfaces in Maya
Shader Recipes: Rendering Underwater Caustics in Maya


After Effects
Compositing 3D into Video in Maya and After Effects


Nuke
Introduction to Camera Tracking in Nuke
Composting Stereoscopic Images in Nuke
Advanced Stereo Workflows in Nuke: Disparity
Compositing 3D into Video in Maya and Nuke


FREE HDR Light Studio
Automotive Rendering with HDR Light Studio and Maya


Toxik
Compositing 3D into Video in Maya and Toxik


CINEMA 4D
Rendering Interiors in CINEMA 4D


3ds Max
Adding Facial Topology in 3ds Max


Visual Guide
3D Fundamentals: Normal Maps
3D Fundamentals: 3D Pipeline
3D Fundamentals: Texture Mapping
3D Fundamentals: Lattice Deformers


Illustrator
Designing a Logo in Illustrator: Mo! Television
Creating Ornate Logo Type in Illustrator
Integrating a Character Logo in Illustrator


FREE Illustrator and InDesign Lessons
Free Illustrator Lessons
Free InDesign Lessons

Have a subscription? Sign in: http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/my_account.php
Interested in a membership? Visit: http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/pricing.php
Learn more at: http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/training.php

PipelineFX releases support for Maxwell Render™

Next generation standalone renderer from Next Limit Technologies can now be managed with Qube!
Honolulu, HI – March 31, 2010 – PipelineFX, makers of Qube!™ – the leading render farm management software for digital media creation, announced today support for Next Limit Technologies Maxwell Render standalone renderer.

Maxwell Render features include:

– enables users to create accurate and extremely realistic images with global illumination
– easy to setup scenes for rendering
– physically correct and unbiased rendering technology
– includes a rendering engine, a material editor, an editing application, and a series of free plug-ins all in one

“Many of our large design and manufacturing customers use stand alone Maxwell Render extensively for the accurate representation of materials and product designs," said Scot Brew, PipelineFX Director of Technology. “Qube allows artists to distribute that rendering work across many machines to speed up design iterations and provide feedback critical to the design process."

Qube! 5.5.2 with support for Maxwell Render is now available to all PipelineFX customers under support, and can be downloaded at ftp://ftp.pipelinefx.com.

About Qube!:

Qube! is a robust and highly scalable render management solution that can be quickly integrated into any production workflow, and is backed by world-class technical support. Qube! can be easily tailored to any pipeline requirements and works with all leading content creation applications including Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk Maya®, NUKE™, SOFTIMAGE®|XSI®, Shake®, Adobe® AfterEffects®, Pixar’s RenderMan®, DNA Research’s 3Delight, and Eyeon® Digital Fusion™. Qube! is the only production proven solution that is certified IBM ServerProven®, and runs on Windows®, Linux®, and Mac OS®X operating systems.

About PipelineFX:

PipelineFX is the leading provider of renderfarm management solutions for digital content creation. PipelineFX has more than 350 customers worldwide including BBC, Digital Domain, Electronic Arts, Fisher Price, General Motors, Herman Miller, Imagemovers Digital, Laika Studios, Lockheed Martin, MTV, NBC, NHK, Rainmaker Entertainment Inc., Reel FX, Smoke & Mirrors, Sony Computer, Sony Pictures Imageworks, South Park Studios, Starz Entertainment, Technicolor and Telemundo. PipelineFX is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas.

For more information, please contact Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX: richard@pipelinefx.com, Phone: 808-685-7823, 1000 Bishop Street, Suite 509, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, USA.

Interview with AVATAR Animation Technical Director – Rob Powers

Avatar – With 9 Oscar Nominations and 3 Academy Wins for "Best Art Direction", "Best Cinematography", "Best Visual Effects" and a mind boggling Box Office Collections that broke all records, the world of Pandora has captured the imagination of moviegoers worldwide.

CGTantra Team recently caught up with Rob Powers, who originated the Virtual Art Department (VAD) for James Cameron on AVATAR. Rob recently joined NewTek as Director of Entertainment and Media Development, and tells us all about his start in the industry, working his way up to a successful career in 3D visual effects and working with James Cameron—and his latest new job at NewTek to participate in the future of LightWave 3D.

READ INTERVIEW

PipelineFX Announces Integration with Tweak Software RVIO

Honolulu, HI – March 23, 2010 – PipelineFX, makers of Qube!™ – the leading render farm management software for digital media creation, announced today the integration of Tweak Software’s RVIO Sequence Converter. Qube! now exposes the rich set of options RVIO provides for manipulating images and movies.

This integration allows for the following within the Qube render queue framework:

 Automated post-rendering conversion from images to movie clips with audio on the renderfarm

 Distributed image manipulation including color correction, compositing, tiling, and letterboxing

 Scriptable slating, frame burn-ins, overlays, and much more

 Distributed conversion, transcoding, and resizing of images

“This scriptable cross platform image manipulation solution meshes well with the Qube render farm management platform," said Scot Brew, PipelineFX Director of Technology. “Now there is a single solution that is viable across Windows, Linux, and OSX for managing a queue of sequence conversions and distributing image manipulation across many machines.”

"The new integration of RVIO with Qube! offers the ability to speed up image processing and also add it as an automated post process after rendering," said Seth Rosenthal, President of Tweak Software. "It’s a great example of the flexibility of both Qube! and RV and is just the first step in integrating our products."

Qube! 5.5.2 is now available to all PipelineFX customers under support, and can be downloaded at ftp://ftp.pipelinefx.com.

About Tweak Software:

San Francisco, CA-based Tweak Software Is the maker of RV, the next generation image and sequence viewer for VFX and animation and RVIO the scriptable image converter and movie maker. Prior to founding Tweak, the Tweak partners, Jim Hourihan, Seth Rosenthal and Alan Trombla spent many years at Industrial Light and Magic where they developed many tools and techniques still in use at the facility today. Jim Hourihan is the recipient of two Sci-Tech Academy Awards and is best known for developing Dynamation, the first commercial particle system that was subsequently incorporated into Autodesk’s Maya software. For more information, visit www.tweaksoftware.com.

About Qube!:

Qube! is a robust and highly scalable render management solution that can be quickly integrated into any production workflow, and is backed by world-class technical support. Qube! can be easily tailored to any pipeline requirements and works with all leading content creation applications including Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk Maya®, NUKE™, SOFTIMAGE®|XSI®, Shake®, Adobe® After Effects®, Pixar’s RenderMan®, DNA Research’s 3Delight, and Eyeon® Digital Fusion™. Qube! is the only production proven solution that is certified IBM ServerProven®, and runs on Windows®, Linux®, and Mac OS®X operating systems.

About PipelineFX:

PipelineFX is the leading provider of renderfarm management solutions for digital content creation. PipelineFX has more than 400 customers worldwide including BBC, Digital Domain, Electronic Arts, Fisher Price, General Motors, Herman Miller, Imagemovers Digital, Laika Studios, Lockheed Martin, MTV, NBC, NHK, Rainmaker Entertainment Inc., Reel FX, Smoke & Mirrors, Sony Computer, Sony Pictures Imageworks, South Park Studios, Starz Entertainment, Technicolor and Telemundo. PipelineFX is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas.

For more information, please contact Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX: richard@pipelinefx.com, Phone: 808-685-7823, 1000 Bishop Street, Suite 509, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, USA.

Mechanism Digital and MSNBC’s Why Planes Crash: Breaking Point

New York, NY – Following the popular MSNBC special, Why Planes Crash: Brace for Impact, Peacock Productions introduces Why Planes Crash: Breaking Point, which premiers April 4, 2010 at 10pm EST. As with the original, Mechanism Digital produced the in-show animation and explanatory graphics. The first special focused on water ditchings, including Flight 1549’s landing on the Hudson River. The new special relies heavily on Mechanism’s visual explanations — profiling four cases of structural failure and the chain of events culminating in some of the worst airplane disasters in history.

Mechanism’s role was to recreate scenes for which there was little-to-no existing footage. Mechanism Producer Ted Keenan collaborated with Peacock Producer Caroline Sommers and consultant Captain John Cox to investigate specifically how the aircrafts became damaged and to recreate the mid-flight emergency landings and crashes. 3D models of the planes were constructed with exacting attention to detail — from interior skeletal framework to electrical, mechanical and pneumatic systems, to exterior paint schemes and decals. Stylized explanatory graphics were employed to illustrate what caused the catastrophic events. Then, dramatic 3D recreations were produced to chronicle the resulting disasters. These approaches were employed to both educate and entertain the audience.

Mechanism used a combination of live action and animation to illustrate the Aloha Flight 243 segment. In this case, the entire roof of the jet’s fuselage was ripped off during the assent, sucking a flight attendant out at 20,000 feet. All passengers remained buckled in their seats and the pilot was somehow able to descend, circle back to Honolulu and land without any further casualties. To recreate this scenario, VFX Supervisor Lucien Harriot shot live action talent on green screen, recording them individually in front of a high powered fan, with a Panasonic PV-GS90 camera.

The passengers were then keyed and composited in Eyeon’s Digital Fusion, along with 3D models of the jet’s interior and exterior. The deliberate combination of filters and physics settings within the computer created a natural motion for the plane and escaping debris. The artists realized the necessity of pulling back on the realism because the viewer normally wouldn’t see much more than a blur, since a camera travelling at 600 miles per hour would shake excessively.

Although recreating the Flight 243 tragedy involved a combination of live action and digital production, the most complex digital reenactment was the story of Japan Airlines Flight 123 — the deadliest air crash in history, killing 520 people. Mechanism produced five shots for this segment, including explanatory graphics highlighting construction of the airship and pinpointing exactly how an old and forgotten incident — a tail strike 17 years ago followed by an imperfect repair of the rear bulkhead — proved deadly.

Mechanism’s challenge was to explain Flight 123’s story in a clear and logical progression. “For a viewer to understand how this plane failed, is to understand how all parts of a plane work together to maintain structural integrity,” said Lucien Harriot. To confront the task, Mechanism producers and artists utilized various techniques to tie the narrative together. To illustrate the physical components of the airplane, a sleek, stylized look for the bulkhead resembling a 3D blueprint was developed using Autodesk’s Maya and Fusion. Additional color coding highlighted the faulty rivet repair and patch which contributed to the plane’s failure.

Mechanism Digital and Peacock Productions continue to work together on upcoming “edutainment” specials. Their recent collaborative programming has aired on MSNBC and Syfy.

Contact:
Deborah Roth | (646) 230-0230 | Debbie@mechanismdigital.com | http://MechanismDigital.com

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name:	engineFire.jpg
Views:	N/A
Size:	29.3 KB
ID:	9455
 

Click image for larger version

Name:	engineOff.jpg
Views:	N/A
Size:	30.5 KB
ID:	9456
 

Click image for larger version

Name:	rivetRepair.jpg
Views:	N/A
Size:	46.7 KB
ID:	9457
 

Alice in Wonderland : Behind the Green Screen

Learn more about the making of Alice in Wonderland with this behind the scene article and videos.

Click to watch and read

PERCY JACKSON: Interview of Guillaume Rocheron, VFX Supervisor at MPC

Hi everyone,

New interview for PERCY JACKSON on THE ART OF VFX.

Guillaume Rocheron, VFX supervisor at The Moving Picture Company Vancouver, discuss with us about his work on PERCY JACKSON.

http://www.artofvfx.com/?p=264

PipelineFX to Exhibit at NAB 2010

Preview of next major release, integration with Shotgun and Tweak RVIO

Honolulu, HI – March 24, 2010 – PipelineFX, makers of Qube!™ software, the leading render farm management software for digital media creation, today announced they will exhibit at the annual National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2010 exhibition held April 12th through the 15th (stand #SL 9711) in Las Vegas Nevada.

Having completed an extensive customer validation process in the design of it’s next major release, PipelineFX will debut the beta version of Qube! 6.0 at NAB 2010, and introduce their “smart farming” concept for render management. “Smart farming” involves using the render manager’s intelligence and the current and historical statistics from the render pipeline to provide the information and automation required to truly understand what is happening throughout out the rendering process and to automate routine render wrangler tasks. Leveraging the power of the Qube! Supervisor, it’s built-in database and unique, event-driven queuing model, Qube! 6.0 will provide out-of-the-box features and functionality that has so far only been available to the largest visual effects studios. Further details on Qube! 6.0 will be announced during the NAB show.

In addition to new features and functionality demonstrations, PipelineFX will also be debuting integration with both Shotgun software and Tweak software products. Both products and the initial integration features will be demonstrated in the PipelineFX booth throughout the show.

We are excited to unveil the advanced functionality of Qube! 6.0 at NAB 2010,” said Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX. “I am also thrilled to demonstrate the integration and collaborative development we’ve done with both Shotgun Software and Tweak Software. Both are leading digital media infrastructure players and represent best-in-class products for digital media production pipelines. Integrating production management with render management and with image and sequence viewing makes a lot of sense and provides immediate value to any production pipeline. We are also hosting a QCA certification class in a 2-day format over the weekend prior to NAB as an opportunity to get trained and certified in Qube! while attending the exhibition.”

###

About Qube!:
Qube! is a robust and highly scalable render management solution that can be quickly integrated into any production workflow, and is backed by world-class technical support. Qube! can be easily tailored to any pipeline requirements and works with all leading content creation applications including Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk Maya®, NUKE™, SOFTIMAGE®|XSI®, Shake®, Adobe® AfterEffects®, Pixar’s RenderMan®, DNA Research’s 3Delight, and Eyeon® Digital Fusion™. Qube! is the only production proven solution that is certified IBM ServerProven®, and runs on Windows®, Linux®, and Mac OS®X operating systems.

About PipelineFX:
PipelineFX is the leading provider of renderfarm management solutions for digital content creation. PipelineFX has more than 400 customers worldwide including BBC, Digital Domain, Electronic Arts, Fisher Price, General Motors, Herman Miller, Imagemovers Digital, Laika Studios, Lockheed Martin, MTV, NBC, NHK, Rainmaker Entertainment Inc., Reel FX, Smoke & Mirrors, Sony Computer, Sony Pictures Imageworks, South Park Studios, Starz Entertainment, Technicolor and Telemundo. PipelineFX is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas.
For more information, please contact Richard Lewis, VP of Sales of PipelineFX: richard@pipelinefx.com, Phone: 808-685-7823, 1000 Bishop Street, Suite 509, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, USA.

Digital Storytelling 2010 – seminar on VFX in film and TV – April 14, Oslo, Norway

Digital Storytelling 2010 : Visual Effects – Into New Dimensions will be the fifth annual seminar on the creative use of technology in film and television, focusing on visual effects and digital set design in feature film and television. Speakers from the Norwegian, Scandinavian and International film community will gather in Oslo to present their work.

Digital Storytelling and The Norwegian Film Institute invite VFX artists, producers, directors and writers to this year’s seminar and workshop on the use of visual effects in film and television.

The impact of the blockbuster movie “Avatar” on the filmmaking process and the movie-going experience can hardly go unnoticed or un-addressed. In order to keep pace with the cutting edge developments of the industry, the focus of this year’s seminar and workshop is the phenomen of stereoscopic 3D film.

Keynote Speaker, Oscar winner and Co-Production Designer on Avatar, Robert Stromberg sets the stage for a journey into this new and exciting universe. We remain on Pandora with presentations by Theodor Groeneboom (Framestore, London) and Canadian Colin Doncaster (Weta, New Zealand and Storm Studios, Norway) both having contributed their VFX talents to “Avatar”. Swedish director Ted Kjellsson challenges conventional filmmaking with his new film project “Tompta” (produced by ZentropeRamBuk, Denmark). 3-D Cinematographer & Filmmaker Kasimir Lehto (Los Angeles) will talk on how 3-D should be treated and used in a narrative context to support the storytelling and cinematic expression.

This year’s Norwegian VFX Omelette is made up a larger part of Norway’s 3D and VFX studios and talents – Bug, Gimpville, DoP Morten Skallerud, Placebo Effects, Storm Studios, and Storyline Studios – who will present their latest work, many of them already creating stereoscopic 3D commercials and film projects.

And finally the scene is set for a panel discussion on stereoscopic 3D, digital characters and environments; Do completely digital images with synthetic (CG) characters mean the end of film as we know it, or does it represent the next natural step in the enhancement of our experience of film as a medium? Our panel consist of a producer, movie theater director, VFX artist, film director and journalist with strong and opposing opinions on the subject.

Since our first seminar in 2006, Digital Storytelling has been an arena for filmmakers, vfx artists and designers with an interest in how visual effects can strengthen storytelling. Our speakers and panel will also address themselves to directors, producers, writers, production designers, cinematographers, as well as VFX artists and designers.

We invite you to come to Oslo for an exciting seminar day on Wednesday April 14th.

Kim Baumann Larsen, Eric Hanson and Angela Amoroso, Founders and Directors
Norwegian filminstitute

www.digistorytelling.com


Photo/copyright: 20th Century Fox

New Highly-Requested Training Now Available!

Hi everyone,

We just released two new courses, ‘Automotive Modeling in Cinema 4D’ and ‘12 Principles of Animation in Maya,’ as well as four new 3D and visual effects lessons in our Visual Guide series.

So stop by and check out the free previews or watch the entire course. And, stay tuned in over the next couple weeks for more new training!

Have a great weekend,

The Digital-Tutors Team

Automotive Modeling in Cinema 4D

– Quickly and effectively build hard surface models
– Add resolution and details with time-saving tips and tricks
– Utilize valuable tools to efficiently create complex models
– Create stunning renders with additional materials and textures

Watch a Preview!

12 Principles of Animation in Maya

– Easily strengthen your poses with Squash and Stretch gestures
– Bring your characters to life with exaggeration, anticipation and appeal
– Utilize arcs for paths of action and more subtle animations
– Make your movements more convincing with Ease In and Ease Out
– Learn how to add weight and balance as well as make a crystal clear action

Watch a Preview!

Visual Guide Lessons

– 3D Fundamentals – Parametric Objects
– VFX Fundamentals – Chroma Keying
– VFX Fundamentals – Layer-Based Compositing
– VFX Fundamentals – Node-Based Compositing

Learn More!

Available for Annual Members: Immediately

Available for Monthly and Semi-annual Members: April 17, 2010

http://www.digitaltutors.com/09/pricing.php