• Power Composite Sketch The Composite Sketch object composes existing curves and edges into a sketching environment, while adding tangency control. • Power Edit Sketch Collapses 3ds max shapes and other Sketches into an Editable Sketch object which has control point editing of curves. • Power NURBS Allows the user to apply display and render settings to multiple selected nPower objects (including Body Objects). Also provides access to the Power Navigator tool. • Power UVW Unwrap Perfect for applying textures, this feature allows you to unwrap the Body Objects into a 2D working environment to apply textures. • Power Navigator Provides a hierarchical view of the model, and facilitates editing of subobjects.
Power Body Object Toolkit includes the following features:
• Export to STL Export to STL format for rapid prototyping. We produce a water tight mesh that is well suited for rapid prototyping machines. • Export to SAT, STEP Transfer Body Objects to various CAD systems by converting them to standard, CAD compliant formats (STEP, SAT). • Power Join Excellent tool for sewing together surfaces where seams are left in the translation process. • Power Detailer This powerful tool allows you to apply features such as labels, text, logos, bosses, holes, etc. Those applied details can even have fillets applied to them. • Power Edit NURBS Provides direct editing of NURBS objects similar to Max’s Editable Mesh tool. It includes: Hide, UnHide, Delete, Faces, Flip Normals, Unify Normals, Intersection, Attach, Detach, etc.. • Power Blend Curve Construct a 3D blend curve tangent to existing curves or surfaces • Power Blend Creates a blended surface between multiple curves and surface edges. • Power Corner Blend Creates a corner blend or n-sided blend between multiple curves or edges.
Can you travel at warp speed? Hear a scream in space? Rocket to the future? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will explore the physical realities of science fiction movies in the three-evening series “Out of This World: The Science of Space Movies” beginning on Thursday, August 5. “Out of This World” will continue on Friday, August 6, with a presentation of Fritz Lang’s 1929 silent classic “Woman in the Moon” and conclude on Saturday, August 7, with screenings of “Project Apollo” (1968) and “For All Mankind” (1989), documentaries that focus on NASA’s Apollo program.
All three evenings are being presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council. The following is information for each night:
“Out of This World: The Science of Space Movies” Thursday, August 5, 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Beverly Hills
Hosted by Adam Weiner, the program will examine the physics principles behind many science fiction movies and explore how the fictional world of Hollywood can often provide an effective springboard into investigating real science.
In an interactive presentation, Weiner will lead a physics-based analysis of famous scenes from such movies as “Planet of the Apes” (1968), “Superman” (1978), “Apollo 13” (1995), “Contact” (1997), “Event Horizon” (1997), “October Sky” (1999) and “Star Trek” (2009).
Joining Weiner onstage will be writer Ann Druyan (“Contact”), writer Philip Eisner (“Event Horizon”) and former NASA flight director Gerry Griffin, who served as a technical advisor on “Apollo 13” and “Contact.” The program also will feature the films’ technical teams who will explain how scenes were created, as well as discussion with experts on space travel.
Weiner is the author of Don’t Try This at Home! The Physics of Hollywood Movies. He currently teaches physics at The Bishop’s School, a private high school in La Jolla, California.
“Woman in the Moon” (1929) Friday, August 6, 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater, Hollywood
Considered to be one of the most influential science fiction films of its time, this Lang classic, based on Thea von Harbou’s novel “Frau im Mond,” tells the story of a group of scientists and adventurers who take a rocket trip to the moon. The film stars Klaus Pohl, Willy Fritsch, Fritz Rasp and Gerda Maurus. The film was directed and produced by Lang and written by von Harbou.
This evening also will be hosted by Weiner.
“Project Apollo” (1968) and “For All Mankind” (1989) Saturday, August 7, 7 p.m. at The Silent Movie Theatre, Los Angeles
In collaboration with The Cinefamily, “Out of This World” continues with screenings of “Project Apollo” and “For All Mankind.”
Using fluid camera work and no narration, experimental filmmaker Ed Emshwiller’s “Project Apollo” was made for the United States Information Agency and gives a fascinating portrait of NASA’s Apollo project a full year before the actual moon landing.
“For All Mankind” is an Academy Award®-nominated documentary chronicling NASA’s Apollo missions from the 1960s and ‘70s. It features original mission footage, and interviews with the astronauts and excerpts from actual mission recordings. The documentary was directed by Al Reinert, and produced by Reinert and Betsy Broyles Breier.
Tickets for “Out of This World: The Science of Space Movies” on August 5 and 6 are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office (8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open one hour prior to each event. All seating is unreserved.
The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at the 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills
Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec’s 2008 film Escale is finally available online, after being selected in 2009 for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The painterly 2D animated short follows a lovelorn sailor and his passion for a port-of-call prostitute. The film was produced by Nostromo. Enjoy!
Related links: http://www.nostromoproduction.fr/
Murdoc, the bassist in the world’s coolest virtual band Gorillaz, is apparently up to the devil’s business in their upcoming animated music video. You can watch a 30 second teaser for the album, Plastic Beach, which drops on March 9th in the US. Enjoy!
Related links: http://www.gorillaz.com/
Client: SEGA, Platinum Games, made by American studio Los Angeles based, Logan Enjoy!
Related links: http://www.logan.tv
Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up? A beautiful ad for the Nike brand made by Market Farmhouse studio, Produced by Wieden agency + Kennedy. Enjoy!
Related links: http://www.massmarket.tv/
Here is an interesting letter from Lee Stranahan concerning the unfair treatment and working conditions of visual effects artists around the world which we have no choice but to agree. To James Cameron,
I’m addressing this letter to you because you and your films have been such an inspiration to so many who either watch or work in the movies. I’m asking for your help in addressing a problem that few in your audience have probably ever given a thought to — the unfair treatment and working conditions of visual effects artists around the world. Visual effects films were dominant commercial forces in 2009. Films like Avatar, District 9 and Star Trek all succeeded because they brought together visual effects with great writing, acting, directing and other cinematic elements. There are other films for which the visual effects seem to be the primary audience motivator. Without any slight, the reality is that people did not go to see recent commercially successful films like G.I. Joe or the Transformers movies for the script, music or the acting. They went in droves to see the spectacular visual effects – the “thrill ride”.
For all of these films that rely heavily on visual effects, the studios and theater owners made hundreds of millions of dollars. The writers, composers and actors all will receive well-deserved residual payments for decades to come. But the visual effects artists don’t receive royalties and residuals. And as one visual effects artist told me, “even in the credits, we’re listed after craft services.”
Like most people who work in the film, television and video game industries, visual effects artists love their jobs. They enjoy both the work itself and the ability to work on a daily basis with so many smart, creative and talented people. However, visual effects houses can be the best, most fun and high-tech sweatshops on earth. Visual effects artists typically work with no contract, no paid vacation, no benefits, and often no paid overtime. And because of the nature of the work health problems such as obesity, tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome are common.
The thing needed is recognition of the problem and the value of these artists. When I say “value”, I’m not using that term abstractly -I mean the bottom line, practical dollars and cents value of visual effects to the film, television and video game industries. Just take a look at a list of the world’s top grossing films of all time – of the top 30 films, every single one of them is a visual effects driven or animated film. Visual effects have meant multi-billion dollar business for the studios.
Unlike every other craft in the film industry, there is no union for visual effects artists. This seems to be a matter of timing as much as anything. Modern visual effects techniques are only a few decades old, and the digital side of the visual effects arts really only has about 20 years of history as a popular filmmaking tool. The other filmmaking disciplines such as acting, directing and music composition date back to the very beginnings of the film industry.
This newness has left digital visual effects artists with absolutely no collective bargaining power whatsoever. In this age of weakened unions, many of these artists are understandably leery of the idea of unionization. Additionally, visual effects artist currently work under constant threat from producers of having their work sent off to India or China. (The irony of sending creative work to a country like China that routinely censors communications — including the announcement of this year’s Oscar® nominations — doesn’t seem to bother these bottom-line seeking producers.)
Perhaps some sort of “Union 2.0” structure is needed; a more flexible, modern institution that takes the realities of today’s production environment into account , while still giving these artists some of the same basic protections and benefits that other crafts currently receive. But whatever the solution, it’s important people become aware of the problem.
Mr. Cameron, you are in a unique position this Academy Awards® season. Your film Avatar has been nominated for nine Oscars®. Odds are high that at some point, you’ll be up on stage accepting a well desrved award. Just as you took time recently to speak out on behalf of NASA, I’m asking you to consider taking a moment to speak out on behalf of visual effects artists and how they are being treated unfairly.
Even a small statement by you will cause industry and press attention to focus on this issue. The Visual Effects Society is awarding you a well-deserved lifetime achievement award later this month. There’s no question that your groundbreaking films such as Titanic, Terminator 2, and now Avatar have all fused visual effects and storytelling into movies that have succeeded both commercially and artistically.
For the sake of all the artists who have both worked for you and been inspired by your work, please allow whatever victories you have on Oscar® night to be beginning of meaningful discussion in Hollywood about fairness for the thousands of artists who create visual effects. Read the original. Here
Coming off of an amazing 2009, with his Philip’s Carousel piece, Adam Berg continues to deliver aggressively cinematic narratives with Jordan Brand’s “Nightmare”. Similar to Carousel, this piece feels more like a dramatic climax ripped, straight from the edit of thriller feature, than a spot. Dwayne Wade plays the role of apocalyptic reaper as he pulls from an anthology of film vernacular to strike fear into his foes. Enjoy the video!
Related links: http://smugglersite.com/ http://beta.stinkdigital.tv/work/carousel/
Up-and-coming A White Label Product director, Ben Steiger Levine, delivers his first major commercial undertaking via Sprite. The moment of creative inspiration is visualized by an exploded Drake and an ensuing journey through the inner-workings that fuel him. read the story and watch the video Here.
Related links: http://www.awhitelabelproduct.com/ http://motionographer.com