Di-O-Matic released a number of updates to its line of 3ds Max plug-ins, adding 3ds Max 2014 support: Character Pack 1.8, Morph-O-Matic 2.7, Voice-O-Matic 3.5, Morph ToolKit 1.8, Cluster-O-Matic 1.8, Facial Studio 2.5, and Hercules 1.7. Users who purchased their plug-ins within the last year or are subscribed to one of Di-O-Matic support packages, only need to fill in the update request form to receive the latest update. [source]

Todd Kopriva's After Effects blog features an article detailing the much discussed CINEMA 4D and After Effects integration. It describes the included CINEMA 4D Lite R14, and the overall workflow between both applications. [source]

Boris FX unveiled a new VFX Browser for its flagship Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) plug-in collection. Available as a free download, the new BCC Effects Library Browser plug-in allows editors and motion graphics artists to instantly preview thousands of BCC presets via animations that integrate timeline video. The free plug-in can be used on any system with a BCC-compatible host application - even if BCC is not installed. The Boris Continuum Complete Effects Library Browser plug-in will be available as a free download during Q2 2013. [source]

RE:Vision Effects' intuitive color and texture matching tool RE:Match has been released in version 1.2 for both Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro applications. The update adds a new Luminance-only mode to RE:Match Color, fixes a problem in both plug-ins where bad frames could result in the cache while scrubbing etc. [source]

Voice-O-Matic - a powerful, easy-to-use plug-in which automates the lip synchronization process directly in Autodesk Maya - has been updated to version 2.2, compatible with the newly released Maya 2014. Voice-O-Matic 2.x users on subscription can request the update by filling this form. Version 1.x users must upgrade to version 2.x by subscribing to the Premium+ support package or upgrade to Voice-O-Matic Pro v2 for $449 US. [source]

Popular drum sampler Groove Agent ONE, included with Cubase, Sequel and Nuendo NEK software, gets a new expansion. Allen Morgan's Signature Drums Vol. 1 pump energy into the Groove Agent ONE drum library with 30 excellently produced drum kits and 150 MIDI loops for acoustic and electronic drum styles. Faithfully recorded and pre-processed by US producer Allen Morgan (Nine Inch Nails, Taylor Swift and many more), this powerful package comes with more than 900 drum and effect samples. Allen Morgan Signature Drums Vol. 1 is exclusively available as download through the Steinberg Online Shop. [source]

Imagineer Systems, creators of the Academy Award-winning mocha planar tracking technology, and CoreMelt announced a new Final Cut Pro X masking plug-in, SliceX. The plug-in lets you create instant shape masks to cut out layers or isolate effects directly in Final Cut Pro X without having to go into Motion or create the masks with an external program. This new version of SliceX comes as a result of a strategic partnership between Imagineer Systems and CoreMelt, resulting in the integration of Imagineer's planar tracker into CoreMelt's shape masking tool. MSRP list price will be $149 US per seat. [source]

Fnord software released an updated version of its ProEXR and OpenEXR plug-ins for Adobe's Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro applications. The free OpenEXR is an open source EXR plug-in for After Effects, while the ProEXR edition enables to access all the capabilities of the OpenEXR format from within Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. Version 1.8 adds faster loading of EXR files with many channels, and a "year's worth of minor bug fixes, optimizations, and other improvements to all the plug-ins in ProEXR." [source]

French developer Golaem announced the release of the Golaem Crowd Character Pack, a set of free ready-to-use characters and motions enabling faster crowd shots creation. It is available free of charge for all users of Golaem Crowd, a crowd animation solution for Autodesk Maya on Linux and Windows systems. The Golaem Crowd Characters Pack includes ready-to-use character with a hundred props, texture variations for each prop, and 14 motions. Golaem Crowd has also been updated to version 2.3 introducing the Geometry Behavior as well as the Character Maker, a revamped tool for converting and editing character skeletons or motions. [source]

Boris FX announced Boris Continuum Complete version 8.2. The new v8.2 release features up to 100% improvement in render time for OpenGL-accelerated filters. In addition, nearly all BCC AVX for Avid filters can now be rendered in real-time. BCC v8.2 FxPlug for Apple Final Cut Pro and Motion is available now as a free download for v8.x users. BCC v8.2 AE for Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, v8.2 AVX for Avid, and v8.2 for Sony Vegas Pro will be available as free downloads during Q2 2013. [source]