[Win] Creating animation from a single photo is the end result of using Reallusion’s CrazyTalk 4.0 Media Studio. After importing a single digital photo, a wizard is used to fit photos, record or import audio, and turn the image into an animated actor. Animations can be exported as full-screen digital videos, Web-ready interactive online content, or as talking e-mail.
New to this generation of the product, the CrazyTalk Media Studio Timeline offers an editing interface designed to direct facial animation. Users can control the animation track sequence to sync audio with emotional expressions, and natural human motion with keyframed head, eye, and shoulder movements. The retail price of CrazyTalk Media Studio is $149.50.
Reallusion;
www.reallusion.com
3D MODELS
[Win • Mac • Linux • Irix] Zygote Media Group’s new Female Anatomy 3D Model Collection 3.0 allows artists, animators, and bioengineering designers to generate medical animation, illustrations, and other 3D scientific visualizations. New features of the Female Anatomy 3D Model Collection include an accurately detailed muscle system, deeper sulci and gyri of the cerebrum, and surface corrugation of the cerebellum, along with the major arteries and veins of the brain. The crown jewel of the collection is a heart derived from MRI and CT data. Textures captured from actual human specimens and cardiac cycle animation files are available separately. The collection is being introduced for $9995, with a standard retail price of $13,995.
Zygote Media Group;
www.3dscience.com
HARDWARE
STORAGE
[Win • Linux] Appro International’s new 3U XtremeServer for rendering and digital content creation features up to four single- or dual-core AMD Opteron processors and eight DIMM sockets per CPU for up to 128
gb of memory per server, 2.4
tb SATA or 876
gb SCSI hot-swappable drives, two PCI-X and PCI Express x16, and redundant power supplies and fans. Base pricing for the Appro 3U XtremeServer starts at $15,753.
Appro;
www.appro.com
VIDEO EDITING
[Mac] Digital Voodoo’s SD Spark video card, which is compatible with Panther OS X, Final Cut Pro HD, and the Apple Power Mac G5 series of workstations, is a multipurpose video card that features a number of SD-SDI, analog video, and audio I/O connections.
Targeted at boutique studios and video professionals, the SD Spark offers the ability to work with uncompressed video in 10/12 bit, SD-SDI I/O, 12-bit analog component, composite, S-video I/O, a built-in A/D and D/A converter.
SD Spark offers 10-bit RGB I/O and 10/12-bit single and dual-link SD-SDI I/O. For broadcast designers, fill and key outputs and an internal keyer for logo insertion are also included. Final Cut Pro compression codecs, including DV, DVC Pro, DVC Pro 50, and Photo JPEG I/O are supported for low bit-rate projects. Embedded audio and six channels of AES/EBU XLR digital audio connection I/O with built-in sample rate converters for 5.1 surround sound are standard features. SD Spark retails for $1,495.
Digital Voodoo;
www.digitalvoodoo.net
PROTOTYPING
[Win] Stratasys’ new Eden500V large-format PolyJet rapid prototyping system measures 19.7x5.7x7.9 inches (500x400x200 mm), allowing the construction of bigger models than did previous PolyJet systems. The large build envelope also allows multiple models to be produced simultaneously in a single run. The Eden500V uses four jumbo-sized material cartridges so that the machine can operate for a longer period of time while unattended. New speed and resolutions settings allow users to match these properties to specific projects. In high-speed mode, the speed effectively doubles that of previous PolyJet systems by reducing horizontal resolution to 30-microns (0.0011 inches), with a high-resolution setting of 16-micron (0.0006 inches) layers for more detail and surface smoothness. The Eden500V can use all of the available PolyJet materials, including the Translucent, Vero, and Tango material lines.
Stratasys;
www.stratasys.com