August 30, 2013
Autodesk Unveils Maya LT for indie and mobile game developers
SAN FRANCISCO–Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) has introduced Autodesk Maya LT 2014, a new 3D modeling and animation tool tailored for independent and mobile game developers. Available immediately and compatible with certain industry-standard game engines, Maya LT draws inspiration from award-winning Maya software to bring an intuitive, affordable new toolset for the creation of professional-grade 3D mobile, PC and web-based game assets.
“We see indie game developers as a key part of the industry, driving innovative new production techniques and gameplay,” said Chris Bradshaw, senior VP, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “The market is fiercely competitive, and Maya LT can provide indie developers and small studios with a powerful, yet simplified workflow for designing and animating remarkable 3D characters, environments and props–at a price that fits within even the most modest budget. It’s a practical solution that closely matches the needs of the mobile game development production cycle and helps developers rise above the noise and really shine.”
Smaller studios like Phyken Media, creators of the mobile game Wizardops, saw both the economic and workflow benefits of the new product.
“I jumped at the chance to try Maya LT, as the cost flexibility means we could grow the studio much more comfortably,” said Phyken Media President Kunal Patel. “With an option like Maya LT, our small team can accept bigger challenges and take on various new types of projects that may require more artists without having to worry much about any large upfront expenses. We even found operating expenses are much easier to determine.”
Maya LT debuts with an easy-to-navigate user interface (UI) and industry-renowned 3D modeling and animation tools that enable independent game developers to rapidly deliver 3D assets into game engines. The software integrates seamlessly into game development workflows with out-of-the box support for Unity 3D Engine and Unreal๏ฟฝ Engine(TM) through the FBX file format for primary data exchange, and the ability to import certain 3D asset formats [Maya (.ma, .mb), Maya LT (.mlt), OBJ, FBX, AI, EPS] and texture formats (BMP, PNG, DDS, EXR, TGA, TIFF), as well as export 3D assets in FBX and .mlt.
Woods Media Group buys three Pablo Rios from QuantelNEWBURY, UK–European media production company, Woods Media Group, has purchased three Quantel Pablo Rio color correction and finishing systems to boost its postproduction capabilities. Woods Media Group was formed in January 2013 following the merger of Woods TV and Lylo. Woods Media Group is a leading international supplier of multi-language program localization and postproduction services from its offices in Paris, Brussels and Los Angeles
Woods Media Group has purchased two Pablo Rio software systems and a third turnkey system with a Neo color panel. The systems provide postproduction services to theatrical releases, TV programs and commercials for prime time television, for clients including Discovery, Nickelodeon and France T๏ฟฝl๏ฟฝvisions.
Managing director at Woods Media Group, Gr๏ฟฝgoire Parcollet, said, “We are very excited to welcome Quantel Pablo Rio to Woods Media Group as we look to a successful future in postproduction. Pablo Rio gives us an all-in-one post package, with an intuitive and innovative workflow, producing high quality results at an incredible speed.”
Shotgun Software to unveil Shotgun for game developersLOS ANGELES–Pipeline tools developer Shotgun Software announced that its flagship production management tool, Shotgun, is now optimized for integration into game-specific workflows. Primed to tackle increasing challenges in the game industry, this launch is the result of over a year of collaboration with more than 30 top game studios including Avalanche, Microsoft Game Studios, and EA, and allows studios to seamlessly manage their art department’s and remote partner’s workflow, increasing studios’ creativity, productivity and cost-efficiency. Shotgun is unveiling Shotgun for Game Developers at the XDS (External Development Summit), September 3-5 in Vancouver, Canada, and will be providing an overview of the tools at the Shotgun Presentation, Tuesday September 3, from 1-2:30PM.
“Shotgun has proven to be an important tool for many of our AAA titles at Electronic Arts. With its powerful plug-ins and fully customizable UI, Shotgun allows our internal and external development teams to collaborate, plan and organize our work like no other tool,” said William Lee, development director at EA.
This game industry initiative marks a natural evolution for Shotgun, already a go-to toolset used by hundreds of leading studios and facilities worldwide including Blue Sky Studios, Double Negative, Framestore, Method Studios, and Illumination-MacGuff. This games industry-tailored version of Shotgun integrates proven features such as production tracking and collaborative review and approval into game art workflows, and its familiar holistic approach provides useful tools for everyone in the studio. Managers can easily track, schedule and manage a project from start to finish with an integrated set of apps and Shotgun’s custom reporting. Shotgun has specifically designed tools for artists that provide simple and visual task views and tools to access important project information and collaborate with other artists and supervisors. Supervisors have tools to continuously review artist work, annotate images, and provide feedback to creative teams; the feedback loop is seamless even when project work is being managed across multiple facilities with teams distributed around the globe.
Key features include:
— Plan, track and manage all game art
— Iterate, review and collaborate with artists both in and outside your studio
— Web-based playback and annotation tools directly within Shotgun interface
— Integrates with other tools to build the most robust pipeline for your studio
— Shotgun Pipeline Toolkit seamlessly integrates with apps like Maya and Photoshop to automate and speed up artist tools and tasks
— Flexible options with easily customizable toolset
— Integrates with Perforce
— Integrates with key engineering tools via Open API
Shotgun co-founder and CEO Don Parker explained, “Game studios are dealing with the similar pain points as the entertainment business – shortened production schedules, tightened budgets, and the increased complexities of managing multiple teams and partners in various locations. Our mission is to help our clients and we’ve partnered with some of the most demanding players in game development to build out the Shotgun platform to solve real game production pipeline problems.”
Switzerland’s Canal9 Migrates to HD with Grass Valley solutionsSAN FRANCISCO–Canal9, based in Sierre, Switzerland, has selected several Grass Valley solutions to enable its transition from SD to HD services. Grass Valley has supplied a K2 Summit production client with a K2 SAN server configuration, the GV STRATUS๏ฟฝ application framework for nonlinear production including EDIUS๏ฟฝ editing capabilities, and GV Edge® integrated playout system. Canal9 has signed a 5-year agreement with Grass Valley.
“The move from SD to HD is of huge importance to Canal9 because we are absolutely committed to giving our viewers the best quality of service possible,” said St๏ฟฝphane Sassano, CTO, Canal9 Association. “Grass Valley’s solutions have made the transition simple. Their intuitiveness and ease-of-use has given us the time and freedom to be creative. We couldn’t be more pleased with our new HD system—it’s met all our requirements head-on.”
The strength of Canal9’s new Grass Valley system lies in its consistency, with a seamless integration from ingest through playout. Additionally, the open nature of the technology means that Canal9 has a large choice of formats to work with.
Magno Sound installs XPAND 3D Cinema System in two theatersNEW YORK–Magno Sound & Video, a New York-based post-production house, has upgraded Review 1 and Review 2 screening theaters to include XPAND 3D Cinema System. Together with the Christie Digital Cinema Projector and Dolby DCP Server, both theaters are equipped to accommodate all of the latest movie screenings.
“As 3D has gained popularity, we can now service our screening room clientele with the best 3D experience available. The XPAND 3D system utilizes extremely high quality active glasses that are comfortable and bright,” said Bob Friedman, president of Magno. “We’re offering the film studios and the independents screening services in our plush theaters, located in the heart of Times Square with capacity of 65 seats and 38 seats. Additionally our 5.1 audio installation has been supervised by Dolby Laboratories.”
Orad Marks IBC2013 with the release of Graphics Suite 7AMSTERDAM, Netherlands–Orad Hi-Tec Systems Ltd., specializing in video and graphic solutions for the broadcast market, will be showcasing at IBC2013 the new Suite 7 release of the company’s enterprise graphics solutions: 3Designer, Maestro and 3DPlay, and enhanced Render Engine. Orad Graphics Suite 7 provides the broadcast industry more robust graphic capabilities than before, including much more powerful rendering of graphic scenes, support for ultra HD, and high resolutions for video walls.
Feature highlights of the new Suite 7 product updates include 3Designer’s new physics and constraints, value triggers, new transformation modifier, countdown clock, preview window enhancements, animated text effects, and emoticons. The Maestro application adds many workflow features that increase usability and add control to new graphic and video functions, such as the new Graphic Media Asset Management with access rights management, metadata per type of asset, search capabilities, scene management, and more. Other improvements to Maestro include: 3D transitions for every graphic element, support for MOS 2.8.1, multiple preview channels, and more. The 3DPlay application now runs on Windows 7 x 64 bit and offers many new features, including a stronger editor control engine, new query tabs, and other capabilities that make the production process much more efficient.
