The LightWave 3D Group, a division of NewTek, Inc., announced LightWave 11.5, the newest version of its award-winning 3D modeling, animation and rendering software for artists and designers. Some of the many new features in LightWave 11.5 include the Genoma character rigging system with modular presets, predator and prey Flocking capabilities, per-object Instancing control, and soft-body Bullet Dynamics with support for FiberFX. Also included are Interchange Tools supporting Adobe After Effects cameras and Pixologic's Zbrush, stereoscopic and depth-of-field motion blur in the Viewport Preview Renderer (VPR), major workflow enhancements, and more. LightWave 11.5 now available and priced at $1495 US. Registered LightWave 11 customers can upgrade to LightWave 11.5 free of charge; upgrade pricing from LightWave 10 or earlier is $695 US. Educational pricing is also available. Download a free 60-day full-feature trial of LightWave 11.5 at lightwave3d.com/try. [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]

Pixologic announced the release of ZBrush 4R5 for both Windows and Mac OS, the latest version of its popular 3D painting and modeling application. ZBrush 4R5 continues to expand on creative freedom with new features for sculpting, rendering and overall user comfort. New is the Auto Save functionality, transparent interface, dynamic brush size, and more. For infromation on updating or upgrading your version, read this post. [source]

Pixologic announced the release of ZBrush 4R4 for both Windows and Mac OS X platforms, new version of its acclaimed 3D painting and sculpting application. ZBrush 4R4 continues expanding on creative freedom with a focus on model topology and detail creation. Among the major new features are Insert Multi Mesh Brushes that combine entire libraries of objects into a single brush; the new QRemesher Alpha designed to automatically or semi-automatically clean up your mesh topology; the new Topology Brush providing manual control over topology creation; UndoHistory with over 10,000 available steps for virtually unlimited Undo capabilities; and more. The update for both Windows and Mac OS can be found here. New licenses are $699 US. [source]

Pixologic, Inc. released a new version of ZBrush, its flagship 3D painting and modeling application for Windows and Mac OS X. The new 4R3 version, released shortly after the introduction of 4R2b, adds several new and enhanced features, including advancements to FiberMesh and NoiseMaker modules, 16-bit or 32-bit Vector Displacement Map export using TIFF and OpenEXR formats, Convert BPR to Geo feature that turns the Fibers and MicroMesh objects into real geometry, the ability to organize sub-palettes with the new UI Groups, and more. ZBrush 4R3 is a free update for all registered users. For anyone who already has ZBrush 4R2 or 4R2b installed, an Updater is now available at the Pixologic Download Center. Pixologic has also announced its developers are now working on the next update to ZBrush which will include the 'QRemesher'. [source]

NewTek is now shipping LightWave 11, the latest version of its Emmy award-winning, professional 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software. LightWave 11 incorporates many new features, such as instancing, flocking and fracturing tools, flexible Bullet Dynamics, support for new controller types, including the Sony Playstation Move, Pixologic ZBrush support via GoZ technology, and much more. For more information on features, watch the Live Demo Video, or download a trial version. LightWave 11 is now available for 32- and 64-bit Windows and Mac OS X-based workstations. The retail price is $1,495 US, upgrade pricing from earlier versions of LightWave is $695 US. Educational pricing is also available. [source]

Just under a month ago, Pixologic released the new ZBrush 4R2b. In addition to enhancing the BPR capabilities of ZBrush, this new version also added innovative features such as FiberMesh and MicroMesh. Today, Pixologic is announcing the upcoming release of ZBrush 4R3, with advancements to FiberMesh, the ability to export both 16-bit and 32-bit Vector Displacement maps, the NoiseMaker plug-in with over 25 parametric generators, interface enhancements, automatic updating functionality, and more. ZBrush 4R3 is scheduled for release on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 as a free update for all registered users. [source]

Pixologic, Inc. released an updated version of ZBrush, their 3D painting and sculpting software for Windows and Mac OS X systems. I addition to fixes, the 4R2b version introduces several new features, including FiberMesh to create true 3D fibers, fur and hair (which may be sculpted, painted, UV mapped and even exported to other applications), new set of BPR filters and operators to greatly improve your final ZBrush renders, BPR Global Shadow and Ambient Occlusion settings which simplify shadow management, new Cavity Mixer to define different material shaders based on the mesh cavities, improved small details creation through Alphas and Masks, new JPEG Exporter with Crop, Preview and adjustment settings, and more. ZBrush4 R2b is a free update for all registered ZBrush users, new licenses are $699 US. [source]

Pixologic, Inc. announced an upcoming update for its popular 3D painting and sculpting software ZBrush 4R2. Version 4R2b is scheduled for release in January 23th, 2012 as a free update for all registered users. In addition to fixes, the new version will also introduce FiberMesh, a tool designed to quickly create hair and other fibers. FiberMesh will create a fully sculptable PolyMesh 3D object with the possibility to export or render it using the Best-Preview-Render renderer. See this post for more information and a video showing the FiberMesh feature. [source]

NewTek announced LightWave 11, a powerful new version of its Emmy Award-winning, professional 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software for Windows and Mac OS X systems. LightWave 11 offers support for Autodesk Geometry Cache and FBX, including pixel-perfect camera matching with Autodesk Maya cameras; also supports the Unity game engine and Pixologic GoZ ZBrush workflow; features new instancing functionality; flocking animation technology for realistic motion of grouped objects; a specialized tool for fracturing geometry and Bullet Dynamic physics simulation system; support for new controller types, including the Sony PlayStation Move; and more. LightWave 11 is expected to ship Q4 2011 for a suggested retail price of $1495 US. Upgrade pricing from earlier versions of LightWave will be $695 US, educational pricing is also available (learn more in the LightWave 11 FAQ). [source]