3D DIRECT • March 13, 2000
The Ships Have Come In
by Abby Albrecht
Look Who's Talking
LIPSinc. is taking advance orders for Mimic 1.0 ($195) in response to strong customer feedback. Customers ordering Mimic for Windows before April 4 will receive a 25 percent discount. While they're waiting for their order, they can download a free copy of Mimic Beta 0.5, which expires on April 8.
Mimic works with MetaCreations Poser 3.0 (www.metacreations.com) and 4.0. The program takes a sound file and outputs the corresponding mouth, jaw, and lip positions in three dimensions. It converts output to morph targets for specific Poser characters, and generates precise keyframes. The Mac version will be available in Q2 2000. Mimic for Windows can be purchased directly from the LIPSinc. web site at www.lipsinc.com.
Fusing 2D and 3D
In more shipping news, Alias|Wavefront Maya Fusion 2.0 ($5,000) is now available. The Windows NT-based compositing and special-effects software offers digital-content creators more control over their work. Maya Fusion is based on eyeon Software Digital Fusion POST for Windows NT (www.eyeonline.com), a popular tool for professional film and episodic television production. Features include Maya TimeSlider, which allows simultaneous time-related viewing and editing; dynamic panning and zooming; quick access to UI tags; image streaming from system disks; and fringe color correction. Current users of Maya Fusion can upgrade free. www.aliaswavefront.com
High-Velocity Video Editing
Digital Processing Systems is shipping dpsVelocity 7.1, its Windows NT-based real-time editing solution for 2D and 3D video and animation. The system includes video/audio I/O and real-time 3D hardware controls. The software package provides advanced trim window controls, real-time rendering to achieve endless stacks of 2D and 3D effect layers, and network editing. The solution comes with Inscriber Technology Inscriber CG (www.inscriber.com), Sonic Foundry Sound Forge XP (www.sonicfoundry.com), and eyeon Software Digital Fusion DFX. Pricing starts at $2,999 for the 2D package, $4999 for the 3D package, and $5,999 for the 3D Deluxe package. Registered dpsVelocity 7.0 customers can upgrade free of charge. www.dps.com
It's Raining Linux
SupremeGS is shipping the MediaStorm II Linux server ($7,500) for streaming media over an intranet. MediaStorm II servers can be used to broadcast news, marketing, and other video and audio presentations across several intranet channels. The system includes Gigabit Ethernet, dual Pentium III CPUs, 16-bit audio, and 8MB 2X AGP video RAM. Future generations of MediaStorm II will provide the power to broadcast visual and audio creations on the Internet. The server uses Macmillan Software Deluxe Linux 6.5 (www.macmillansoftware.com) and Apple Darwin Streaming Server 2.0 (www.apple.com). The server is only available through the company's web site at www.supremegs.com.
Abby Albrecht is the web editor for 3Dgate.com. She can be reached at [email protected].
Send news about technologies, products, and projects to Matthew Hoover at [email protected]. |
