“CINEMA 4D R13 is supercharged with numerous productivity enhancements that cater to the multi-collaboration challenges our customers face every day,” said Harald Egel, founder and CEO of Maxon. “Artists interested in expanding their capabilities will love the new character tools. And, of course, the physical renderer with stereoscopic functionality is incredibly important as the new way to deliver immersive entertainment.”

01 - Maxon CINEMA 4D Release 13. Features new stereoscopic rendering capabilities and a new physical rendering engine.

Major Highlights in CINEMA 4D R13

New and Enhanced Rendering Engine:

• Physically-accurate Rendering: – A new physical render engine is based on real camera properties (eg: blur, depth of field (DoF), lens distortion, focal length, aperture and shutter speed of camera)
• Efficient Subsurface Scattering: – Now users can efficiently create translucent materials such as milk, skin and wax with the subsurface scattering shader included with both the new Physical Render and CINEMA 4D’s standard render engines
• Shared Image Sampler: – Combine sampling effects and save tons of time on items like motion blur, area shadows, ambient occlusion, etc.
• New Anti-Aliasing Filters: – New Mitchell and Gauss algorithms

Stereoscopic 3D Workflow:

• Stereoscopic Camera Conversion: – Gives users control to easily convert any camera to a Parallel, On Axis, Off-Axis or Radial Stereoscopic Camera
• Stereo Image Workflow and Preview: – Stereo images can be previewed directly in the 3D editor
• Stereo Render Options: – Allows customers to easily render the merged stereoscopic image or separate images for each individual camera to create a true 3D experience
• Picture Viewer Support: – review animated stereo renders

New Suite of Character Animation Features:

• New Character Object: – This includes an auto-rigger and template support
• New CMotion System: – Apply parametric walk cycles based on cyclic motion; characters can be made to walk over terrain or on a spline
• New Muscle System: – Create custom shaped muscles and anchor them to multiple joints within a rig
• New Collision Deformer

02 - Maxon CINEMA 4D Release 13. New physical rendering engine provides stunning visual results.

Workflow, Modeling and Animation Improvements:

• Revamped Navigation System: – C4D R13 has a new cursor-based navigation system that greatly improves an already excellent ease-of-use system
• Sticky Keys: – Allows users to activate a tool only while its shortcut is pressed and immediately return to the previous tool
• New Spline Data User Interface:
• Location Indicator:
• Surface Manipulation: – Offers flexible options with infinite Axis mode
• Animation Enhancements: – Better curve handling, markers, including clamping, etc.

Operational Efficiency:

• Superior XRef Object: – Improves artist efficiency with fully embedded XRef (external reference) commands in R13 so referenced objects can be textured, animated, and included in expressions or simulations within the master file, greatly enhancing work in a collaborative environment
• Improved Scripting Language Support:
• File Format Support: – Multi-pass files can now be stored in multiple channels within a single OpenEXR file. FBX and COLLADA have been updated to latest versions
• After Effects Exchange: – Gives customers using R13 unparalleled integration with Adobe After Effects with the introduction of stage object support, timeline marker exports and support for 29.97fps

Other Comments

CINEMA 4D Release 13 also includes many new shaders and other assets. System requirements for the Mac are now OS X 10.5.8 or later running on Intel-based Macs and 1024 MB of RAM. Up to 256 threads now supported. Standard DVD installation can take up to 2.5 GB of disk space.

CINEMA 4D R13 and BodyPaint 3D R13 are schedule to ship in September through Maxon and its authorized dealers worldwide. Customers with an active Maxon Service Agreement (MSA) valid through September 2nd will automatically receive the upgrade.

There are four flavors of CINEMA 4D Release 13 designed for graphics professionals, visualization professionals, broadcast and 3D artists in large studios. To learn more visit Maxon online here.

Maxon reported an earnings increase of 23.3 percent in 2010 compared to 2009’s results, marking unprecedented growth and market penetration. The company is celebrating its 25 years in business.

Award Winning CINEMA 4D Package Leads Results

A major factor impacting Maxon’s strong results was the reorganization of the company’s award-winning, professional 3D software application, CINEMA 4D. The new product portfolio makes it easier for re-sellers and customers to select the best product suited for their industry needs. Maxon has also done exceptionally well increasing the number of Maxon Service Agreements (MSA) among its user base, with nearly a third of all customers electing for annual licensing, which includes all updates at no charge.

01 - An image from Maxon's Architectural Reel

Uwe Bärtels, Managing Director and co-founder of MAXON, noted, “The standout results are even more significant given that MAXON’s price structure remained practically unchanged last year. MAXON continues to view our customers as partners and strives to assess and anticipate their digital creative experiences. Delivering top-quality products and excellent service at a fair price is a winning combination that is favorably fueling our growth from a product and financial standpoint as we continue into 2011.”

Hollywood Loves Maxon

Over the past 25 years Maxon has evolved into a major software developer serving film and special effects studios around the world. Hollywood’s biggest names–like Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney ABC Studios, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, MTV and Pixar Animation Studios, to name a few–all rely on CINEMA 4D in their production pipelines.

Maxon sells CINEMA 4D and its related products through resellers in over 80 countries, from its headquarters in Germany. In 2011 Maxon will be opening its 5th international office, this time in Singapore, Asia. It will join the ranks of Maxon’s other international offices in the USA, Great Britain, Japan and France.

Maxon’s parent company, Nemetschek AG, of Germany–the same parent company of Graphisoft Inc. and Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc.–is pleased with Maxon’s 2010 results. Ernst Homolka, CEO, Nemetschek AG commented, “Maxon’s record turnover in 2010 is a strong indication that the company’s strategy and groundbreaking technologies will continue to track towards profitability, reflecting positively on Nemetschek’s planned growth for 2011.”

To learn more visit them here.

Nemetschek and PanzerCAD announced this week that PanzerCAD has upgraded its CameraMatch plugin software to be compatible with Vectorworks 2010 line of design software products. This tool allows Vectorworks users to quickly and accurately align a 3D view to an existing photograph.

“In CameraMatch 201 the control line interface has been reworked to give greater flexibility and feedback,” explains Matt Panzer, president of PanzerCAD Services, Inc. Other new features include a streamlined Tune View dialog with the addition of a “live slider” which allows view tuning in real time. The user will be able to tune faster and more intuitively.

CameraMatch 2010’s mask object command has been improved to accept surface commands such as “Add Surface”, “Substract Surface,” and “Intersect Surface.”

CameraMatch 2010 can be purchased from PanzerCAD’s website for 100.USD and 40.USD for an upgrade from the 2009 version of the plugin. CameraMatch 2010 is also free for students and teachers using the 2010 educational version of the software.

Maxwell Render version 2 Released

Next Limit Technologies has announced the general release of version 2.0 of Maxwell Render. For the past two weeks version 2 has only been available for existing clients via an upgrade path and the upgrade rate has been excellent. Now the company has opened up Maxwell Render 2.0 to new clients.

Major new features in Maxwell Render 2.0 include items such as improvements in speed and noise reduction in the renders, as well as optimizations in caustics and emitters. A powerful new feature is Stacked Layers where materials can be applied in layers much like in photo editing programs.

Thin SSS or subsurface scattering in version 2.0 now has a special mode which can handle singled-sided geometry. This mode is very useful for such things as lamp shades for example. Besides overall quality improvements and support for IES and EULUMDAT files, Maxwell Render 2.0 now has support for a new modo plugin and built-in compatibility with RealFlow.

To learn more visit them here: www.maxwellrender.com

Houdini Plugin for RealFlow

In more news regarding Next Limit, the company also recently announced a new Houdini plugin for the company’s Oscar-winning RealFlow application. They also last month updated a plugin for Cinema 4D and this month updated a plugin for Maya.

To learn more visit: www.realflow.com

iDevGames.com has a good review of Maxon’s Cinema 4D R11 software. The review is written by a long-time C4D user and veteran 3D user who makes some interesting comments about 3D applications that compete with C4D and the early days of 3D and game development.  To read the full review go here.

AC3D 6.5 is now out!

Inivis has announced this week that the latest AC3D 6.5 is now out and available for download. The program features several areas of improvement including but not limited to:

• Extrude by normal now enhanced
• Faster selection
• Ogre export plugin
• TCE improvements
• Speed optimizations (Windows only)
• Improved compatibility (Vista)

Inivis also has an AC3D iPhone Development Library. If you want amazing iPhone apps with 3D graphics look no further than the AC3D iPhone Development Library. With Memention’s AC3D reader lib you can easily output 3D models created in AC3D into iPhone apps in just a few minutes. For more information on this read on here.

Nemetschek News – Improved Knowledgebase and More

Nemetschek North America is improving things on its main website in an effort to better serve its customers and has announced that their Knowledgebase has been updated to better consolidate helpful information no matter what media format it has been produced in. Additionally, a new RSS feed is available for users to track the latest articles and items coming out by the company. 

Recently the company announced that Swiss architect and 2009 Pritzker Architectural Prize Laureate, Peter Zumthor is a longtime Vectorworks user on the Mac platform. He joins the ranks of the leading architects worldwide who have won the profession’s highest honor. 

Finally, the company featured one of its partners in its latest newsletter, AnimationWorks, a Vectorworks 10, 11, 12, 2008 and 2009 add-on application that allows the creation of complex camera or object animation entirely within Vectorworks. These animations are then saved as QuickTime movies. To learn more visit AnimationWorks 1.2 .

Ozone 4.0 Atmospheric Plugin

This plugin works with leading 3D software suites like Autodesk 3DS Max, Maxon’s Cinema4D, NewTek’s LightWave, Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Softimage XSI. 

Ozone 4.0 implements Spectral 2 cutting-edge technologies that provide accurate simulation and rendering of atmospheric effects. New features include:

• Breakthrough Spectral 2 and Volumetric atmosphere models – based entirely on real-world atmosheric behavior including volumetric clouds, accurate light dispersion, and natural phenomena such as Godrays. 
• Real 3D Clouds – high optimized volumetric cloud layers that you can fly through or easily simulate realistic low-lying fog.
• Super-fast rendering technology – highly optimized rendering technology to power through complex effects.
• Animated Clouds and Sunsets
• Extensive Library – Over 150 predefined atmospheres

Open Beta

The production series was fined tuned to meet the needs of visual artists at various skill levels. All seven videos are available today at thecmiVFX store.

MAXON has updated their VectorWorks 2008 Exchange Plugin forCINEMA 4D (C4D) R10.5. You can download here. Recent MAXON news included the announcement that the popular Spanish online C4D magazine, C4Des, is now available in an English language version.

LightWork Design and ACA Espana announce partnership

LightWork Design, the developers of the LightWorks rendering engine technology used worldwide by leading CAD and 3D developers, has announced a partnership with ACA Espana.

ACA Espana is a leading supplier of furniture configuration software within Spain with their DecoDesign product. ACA Espana has integrated new rendering functionality into their DecoDesign product in record time.

Pilar Horna, CEO of ACA commented, “The use of LightWorks in our products allows our customer to see high quality images of their designs, which is something that they could only do before by transferring the model to a separate 3rd party application.”

“The speed with which we integrated LightWorks into our products was amazing and we are now shipping this functionality to our customers only a few months after we had made the decision to partner with LightWork Design.” You can learn more here.

Presenters will showcase the Production Suite on the Mac as they demonstrate how to use Adobe and MAXON tools together culminating in a stunning television newscast opening. Motion graphics, 3D integration between MAXON’s C4D and Adobe’s suite of tools will be highlighted.

The seminar is free and there are over 60,000.USD in door prizes to be given away.

Event Details:

Boston, March, 25, 2008. For further details and to signup go here.

http://tour.maxon3d.com/