E-on software announced the availability of Vue 11.5 xStream and Infinite, the latest production-driven version of its professional solutions for the creation, animation and rendering of natural 3D environments. Specifically designed for graphics professionals, Vue xStream and Vue Infinite combine a multitude of cutting edge features that easily integrate into existing production pipelines. Vue Infinite operates as a standalone application while Vue xStream works seamlessly inside 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, LightWave and CINEMA 4D. Release 11.5 of Vue adds a number of new features including: EcoCollision, making EcoParticles collide with EcoSystem instances; Render Stack improvements merging render areas, reloading camera settings or setting stacks per scene; improved material management; a new Color Channel Editor available from the Post Render Options; and more. Vue 11.5 is available free of charge for all users under maintenance. Vue 11.5 xStream retails for $1,995 US (with one year maintenance), and upgrades from Vue 10 xStream are starting at $539. Vue 11 Infinite retails for $1,495 US (with one year maintenance), upgrades from version 10 are $459 US. [source]

Autodesk shipped new 2014 versions of its 3D animation software. New versions of Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Softimage, MotionBuilder, and Mudbox are available either stand-alone or as part of the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite 2014 editions, Standard ($5,775 US), Premium ($6,825 US) or Ultimate ($8,395 US). For information on new features, read our previous posts on 3ds Max 2014, Maya 2014, Softimage 2014, Mudbox 2014, and MotionBuilder 2014. [source]

Autodesk announced 2014 versions of its "Media & Entertainment" software, including 3ds Max, Softimage, Maya, Mudbox, MotionBuilder, Sketchbook Designer, and Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites. With three configurations, the Suites scale to meet the demands of any sized team, budget or project. The Standard edition includes industry-recognized 3D software and offers a choice of either Autodesk Maya 2014 or Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 with Autodesk MotionBuilder 2014, Autodesk Mudbox 2014 and Autodesk Sketchbook Designer 2014. The Premium edition offers all the software of the Standard Suite, but with the addition of Autodesk Softimage 2014 3D animation and visual effects software. With the Ultimate Suite, customers have access to the value of the Premium edition, with the added benefit of including both Maya 2014 and 3ds Max 2014 (compare editions; included software). License purchasing options are available at autodesk.com. For the full product details, visit the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite product page. [source]

Latest version of Softimage, the legendary 3D animation software from Autodesk, offers new Camera Sequencer toolset with the ability to cut between multiple cameras to edit clips, leaving the original animation data unchanged; directorial control over scenes; improved CrowdFX and ICE (Interactive Creative Environment) features that enable artists to use the concept of passes and partitions in any combination with any aspect of ICE. Softimage 2014 comes with an improved High-Quality Viewport delivering a higher fidelity interactive experience, and offers easier integration into existing pipelines through improved support for animation data exchange via the Autodesk FBX 2014 format. Visit this page to read more on new features. [source]

Autodesk Labs presented Project Pinocchio, leveraging Autodesk's powerful 3D design and animation tools to provide users with a web-based laboratory for the creation of fully-rigged custom 3D characters. Using a web browser and Project Pinocchio, users can create, customize, and download rigged 3D characters from a catalog of over 100 body types, outfits, hairstyles, and physical attributes in a few simple steps. Once they create a character, users can use it in a variety of Autodesk modeling tools to create imagery and movies. This technology preview is available until September 30, 2013 after which the web portal may come down. [source]

Autodesk's YouTube channel features new videos showing some of the features of the upcoming 2014 versions of 3ds Max, Maya, and Softimage applications. Watch the videos here: Maya Sneak Peek: Grease Pencil; Softimage Sneak Peek: Sequencer; and 3ds Max Sneak Peek: Nitrous part 1. More information will be announced during the upcoming Unfold event, in Montreal, March 27, 2013. [source]

Autodesk announced it will change the pricing of its Subscription prices, and its upgrade pricing. This article mentions the simplification of Autodesk's upgrade pricing model as of February 1, 2013. The upgrade offerings will be consolidated into a single "Upgrade from Previous Releases" option, which will be available to customers using products that are one to six releases immediately prior to the current release. The "Upgrade from Previous Releases" option will have an Autodesk SRP of approximately seventy percent of the current new License Autodesk SRP, regardless of which of the six previous releases is being upgraded. While this article talks about the change of Subscription pricing, which will take effect on 28 March 2013. Pricing details were not disclosed, yet. [source]

Digital-Tutors released several new video tutorials for Autodesk Maya (Creative Development: Lighting and Shading in V-Ray for Maya with Oasim Karmieh), Softimage (Linear Workflow Rendering Strategies in Softimage), 3ds Max (Linear Workflow Rendering Strategies in 3ds Max), Pixologic ZBrush (Creative Development: Sculpting Anatomy Using ZBrush Mannequins with Lee Magalhaes), The Foundry NUKE (New Features in NUKE 7.0), and more. See the full list of Digital-Tutors videos released this month here. [source]

PipelineFX announced the release of Qube! 6.4, new version of its render farm management software for digital media creation. Along with new tools for smart farming, system supervisors can now access Qube! via their smartphones (MobileView), set priority limits for non-privileged users, and control how much of their workstation will be available to the render farm. All with what often amounts to a single click of their mouse. Customers currently on subscription can download version 6.4 immediately from the PipelineFX ftp site. [source]

LuxRender, an unbiased rendering engine simulating the flow of light according to physical equations, has been released in v1.0. This stable release features networking fixes; GUI improvements; GPU rendering fixes; support for more IES files; Retina display support for Apple devices; and many more. LuxRender is an Open Source product compatible with Blender, Softimage. Poser, CINEMA 4D, 3ds Max, DAZ Studio, and SketchUp applications, it is also possible to run it stand-alone. Download it here. [source]