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VFXTalk.com - Blogs - Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/blogs/33659-Eschuey VFXTalk is a Online Community Dedicated to Digital Compositing, 3D Animation and Visual Effects! en Sat, 18 May 2013 22:48:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.vfxtalk.com/images/bluefox/misc/rss.jpg VFXTalk.com - Blogs - Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/blogs/33659-Eschuey Faceware Technologies Brings a New Face to the Asian Animation Market http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/50-Faceware-Technologies-Brings-a-New-Face-to-the-Asian-Animation-Market Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:52:22 GMT *Faceware Technologies signs two reseller agreements to aggressively target Japan and China with its Facial Motion Capture Technology* *Santa Monica, Calif. - Nov 13, 2012* - _Faceware Technologies_ (http://www.facewaretech.com/), a leading provider of 3D facial motion capture solutions for...

Faceware Technologies signs two reseller agreements to aggressively target Japan and China with its Facial Motion Capture Technology

Santa Monica, Calif. - Nov 13, 2012 - Faceware Technologies, a leading provider of 3D facial motion capture solutions for the video game, film, television and commercial industries, today announced that it has dramatically increased its foothold in the Asian market by signing two new resellers: Japan’s Crescent Inc,. the exclusive distributor of Vicon Motion Capture Systems to the Japanese entertainment market, and Beijing Ou-Lei Technology, Co, Ltd., a successful supplier of entertainment equipment & solutions in China.

Faceware Technologies, which spun off from the facial motion capture services company Image Metrics at the beginning of 2012, offers its technology to the video game, film, television, and commercial industries via direct sales. Earlier this year, Faceware announced the hiring of a business development director in Europe. Japan’s Crescent Inc. and Beijing Ou-Lei Technology are the first resellers Faceware has signed in the growing Asian animation market.

Faceware’s move is the result of increasing demand from that geographic region. While Japan has been historically strong in the video game and 2D animation space, with a continued need for more realistic facial animation, China is a more recent entrant onto the animation scene. In April of this year, Disney announced that it would join an initiative to develop China’s animation industry. That announcement came on the heels of DreamWorks Animation’s announcement of a joint venture with Shanghai Media Group, China’s second-largest media company. Together, the announcements point to a surge in the Asian market that Faceware has felt.

“We have been selling directly to those markets for a few years, but given the increasing demand and the time differences, it made more sense to partner with companies that know the market and offer complementary technologies to ours,” said Peter Busch, vice president of business development at Faceware Technologies. “In Crescent and Beijing Ou-Lei Technology, we’ve found two strong partners with deep ties to their countries’ entertainment markets.”

“Crescent is the exclusive distributor of the world-leading Vicon Motion Capture Systems to the entertainment market," said Hajime Kotani, founder of Crescent Inc. "Faceware's technology not only offers high-quality, markerless facial motion capture; its ability to work seamlessly with Vicon's systems allows us to offer animation studios a far more complete solution for performance capture.”

Adds Lei Xi, vice president at Beijing Ou-Lei Technology, Co, Ltd.: “Marker-based facial motion capture systems are not accurate and very difficult to use. That is the primary reason we decided to work with Faceware Technologies.”

The Faceware Professional Product Line consists of hardware (the optional Faceware Head-Mounted Camera) and software (Faceware Analyzer and Retargeter), which handle every step in the capture and production of high-quality facial animation: facial motion capture, performance analysis, and facial animation creation. Faceware’s Analyzer and Retargeter software are free of charge; however, studios and commercial clients must pay a processing fee for the analysis for the captured performance. The Faceware Head-Mounted Camera is available to rent or purchase.

For more information, visit www.facewaretech.com or contact info@facewaretech.com.

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About Faceware Technologies

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Faceware Technologies Inc. (FTI), which spun off from Image Metrics in 2012, is dedicated to meeting the needs of professional animators in the video game, film, television, and commercial industries. The company’s Faceware product line has been utilized in the production of more than 50 AAA video game titles, feature films, music videos, and stage plays, and is the leading facial animation solution provider for clients such as Double Negative, Digital Domain, Blur Studios, Activision-Blizzard, Rockstar Games, Microsoft, 2K Sports, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Sega, Sony, Bethesda, Motion Theory and Moving Picture Company. The Faceware Professional Product Line consists of the Faceware Head-Mounted Camera System (HMCS), the 5th generation facial performance capture hardware; Faceware Analyzer, which allows clients to analyze and process their own videos without IP or content going offsite; and Faceware Retargeter, which allows users to create facial animation at a much faster rate than traditional methods.

For more information, please visit:
Website:www.facewaretech.com
Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/FacewareTech
Vimeo:http://vimeo.com/facewaretech
LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/company/2509306?trk=tyah

© 2012. Faceware Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. “Faceware” is a registered trademark of Faceware Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s).

]]> Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/50-Faceware-Technologies-Brings-a-New-Face-to-the-Asian-Animation-Market Geomerics Adds Mobile Support and Workflow Enhancements to Enlighten http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/46-Geomerics-Adds-Mobile-Support-and-Workflow-Enhancements-to-Enlighten Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:26:15 GMT Enlighten upgrade brings a simplified workflow, and support for iOS, Android and static lightmaps, to game developers *Cambridge, UK* – August 6, 2012 - Geomerics, a leading lighting technology company, today announced the release of a major upgrade to its award-winning Enlighten software. In... Enlighten upgrade brings a simplified workflow, and support for iOS, Android and static lightmaps, to game developers

Cambridge, UK – August 6, 2012 - Geomerics, a leading lighting technology company, today announced the release of a major upgrade to its award-winning Enlighten software. In addition to now reaching mobile developers with new iOS and Android runtime support, this release includes major enhancements to the product’s workflow and the addition of static lightmaps. Geomerics, whose Enlighten software just picked up the 2012 Develop Award for Technology Innovation, will be showing the new functionality in the ARM booth (550) at Siggraph 2012.
Increasingly the games industry is seeing mobile platforms, particularly tablets, become delivery devices for high-end gaming content. To address this change, Geomerics has extended the Enlighten runtime to both iOS and Android, allowing developers to run high-quality, yet lightweight lighting effects such as global illumination and area lights on iOS and Android devices. This functionality was first showcased on the ARM stand at GDC and will feature heavily in ARM’s showing at SIGGRAPH.
Dr. Chris Doran, founder of Geomerics, commented: “Sometimes we have to remind ourselves just how astonishing it is to see global illumination computed in real-time on a tablet or phone – it wasn’t that long ago that people were telling me this was impossible on high-end hardware!”
In addition to mobile support, Enlighten now offers full support for ‘baking’ its output into high-resolution lightmaps while retaining all of the benefits of a fully real-time authoring process. Developers can produce stunning effects that are lighter weight than dynamic effects for use in mobile games. And if developers choose to do so, they can blend static and dynamic effects together. The addition of baking functionality, and support for direct lights including real-time area lights, ensures that Enlighten is now a complete offering for all game developers.
Geomerics has also made improvements to the authoring workflow. The way geometry is handled has been simplified, and some tasks that used to required artist mark-up have been automated. Finally, a new viewport for Autodesk Maya has been added to Enlighten, saving artists the time-consuming hassle of having to import their assets into the game engine to see how their lighting effects will appear in-game.
“Authoring and productivity are massively important to us at Geomerics,” said CEO Gary Lewis. “We have all been working towards the goal of pushing as much of the creation process into the real-time engine, so that content creators are working with the game as it will finally appear. Enlighten is a big part of this story, providing fully dynamic updates to global illumination. Initially, it was only the large studios that could take advantage of this technology, but our work with Maya, and other improvements, now make it easier for all studios to use Enlighten.”
The work Geomerics has put into Enlighten over the last 5 years was recognised at the 2012 Develop Awards in Brighton, England. Enlighten picked up the 2012 Develop Award for Technical Innovation in a ceremony that also saw awards go to Battlefield 3 and Eve Online, titles that feature Enlighten’s technology.
For more information on Enlighten and its latest upgrade, visit: www.geomerics.com.
About Geomerics
Geomerics delivers cutting-edge graphics technology to customers in the games and entertainment industries. Geomerics' Enlighten technology is behind the lighting in best-selling titles including Battlefield 3, Need for Speed: The Run, Eve Online and Quantum Conundrum. Enlighten has been licensed by many of the top developers in the industry, including EA DICE, EA Bioware, THQ, Take 2 and Square Enix.
Geomerics has developed a reputation for the excellence of both its technology and its support. We work in partnership with many of the leading companies in the games industry and our global customer base includes America, Canada, Western and Eastern Europe, Japan and Korea. Visit www.geomerics.com for more information.
About Enlighten
Enlighten's revolutionary technology brings global illumination to real-time gaming. For the first time, all aspects of lighting can be updated in real time, in game, on today's consoles. Instant feedback opens up new worlds of creative possibilities for gamers and artists alike.
Enlighten offers enormous flexibility and we work in partnership with developers to ensure that the lighting in their game is tuned to the director’s creative vision.
The Enlighten runtime is available for Xbox 360™, PlayStation®3, Windows PC, PlayStation Vita®, Wii U™, Android™ and iOS. Our authoring and baking tools run on Windows PC and the results can be used in game on any platform.
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]]> Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/46-Geomerics-Adds-Mobile-Support-and-Workflow-Enhancements-to-Enlighten Southpaw Technology Launches Open Source TACTIC http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/45-Southpaw-Technology-Launches-Open-Source-TACTIC Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:23:42 GMT *One of the most proven asset management systems on the market is now available free of charge to digital content creators * *Siggraph 2012* – Aug 6, 2012 – _Southpaw Technology_ (http://www.southpawtech.com/), a leading developer of production asset management (PAM) technology for digital... One of the most proven asset management systems on the market is now available free of charge to digital content creators

Siggraph 2012 – Aug 6, 2012 – Southpaw Technology, a leading developer of production asset management (PAM) technology for digital content creators, announced today that it has released its technology under the Eclipse Public License, an OSI (Open Source Initiative) approved open source license. Effective immediately, any team, studio, department or enterprise creating digital content can download TACTIC for free and start using it to manage their assets, projects and creative workflow. The Company will continue to offer support packages, professional services and commercial licenses to entities who prefer or require such licenses. The open source version of TACTIC can be downloaded at: www.southpawtech.com/opensource.

“It’s time to re-think how companies approach asset management, project management and workflow,” said Gary Mundell, CEO of Southpaw Technology. “TACTIC is now being used across multiple industries, where every company has its own unique workflow, and needs a foundational product like ours to streamline that workflow. We are aware that removing the restrictive licensing fees is a win-win for everyone. Without upfront costs, customers can gain access to a very mature and very flexible production asset management solution that they can adapt to their internal toolset and processes, without any restrictions. And if those companies need assistance, they can come to the TACTIC experts, us.”

The open source code will initially be available from Southpaw Technology in a new product called TACTIC TEAM. Downloadable from Southpaw’s site, TACTIC TEAM is a desktop version of TACTIC that is ideal for smaller teams and for the evaluation of TACTIC’s core features. Once users get accustomed to TACTIC TEAM, they can upgrade to the more robust TACTIC ENTERPRISE with or without assistance from the Southpaw support staff.

Southpaw Technology has produced a handful of tutorial videos to get new users started, as well as launched a community forum where users can share information, code, add-ons, and insights. Southpaw will continue to offer commercial licenses to any company, educational institute and governmental agency who so desires them. In addition, Southpaw will maintain it’s Premium Support and Professional Services offerings for those companies that require assistance in customizing TACTIC to their specific environment.

To download the open source version of TACTIC TEAM, visit: www.southpawtech.com. For more information about TACTIC, please email contact@southpawtech.com.

About Southpaw Technology Inc.
Southpaw Technology provides production asset management solutions to the media & entertainment and enterprise markets. Available via commercial or open source licensing as a web-based solution for Mac OSX, Windows and Linux, TACTIC combines all the asset and production management functionality teams, departments and companies need to keep digital productions on track and on budget, including asset management, project management, workflow management and communication tools. Customers include Procter and Gamble, Lockheed Martin, Saatchi and Saatchi LA, Nissan North America, Astral Media, Legend3D, GENER8, 2G Digital, Inhance Digital, ToonBox Entertainment, and many more digital content creators. For more information, please visit www.southpawtech.com.

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© 2012. Southpaw Technology Inc. All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

]]> Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/45-Southpaw-Technology-Launches-Open-Source-TACTIC Fabric Engine Announces Creation Platform at SIGGRAPH 2012 http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/38-Fabric-Engine-Announces-Creation-Platform-at-SIGGRAPH-2012 Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:08:47 GMT *Creation Platform is the World’s First Dedicated Platform For Building High-Performance Graphics Applications* *MONTREAL, CANADA – July 31, 2012* – Fabric Engine Inc, a software company focused on high-performance 2D and 3D graphics solutions, announced today Creation Platform, a framework for... Creation Platform is the World’s First Dedicated Platform For Building High-Performance Graphics Applications

MONTREAL, CANADA – July 31, 2012 – Fabric Engine Inc, a software company focused on high-performance 2D and 3D graphics solutions, announced today Creation Platform, a framework for building custom, high-performance graphics applications. By providing the major building blocks for tool creation, Creation Platform allows developers to spend less time building back-end architectures, and more time building critical workflows and high-performance functionality into their tools. To see an overview of what’s possible, go to http://www.fabricengine.com.

Anyone interested in trying Creation Platform can join the private beta at: http://www.fabricengine.com/products/licensing/. The Fabric Engine team will be showcasing Creation Platform at SIGGRAPH 2012 in the AMD booth (#709) and presenting twice daily in the OptiTrack booth (Booth #610).

“High-end graphics is one of the most performance hungry domains in computing, but most applications are unable to keep pace with the requirements of exciting areas like simulation and virtual production,” said Fabric Engine’s CEO, Paul Doyle. “Studios want a development environment with tools that guarantee them the performance needed to fulfill their creative requirements. Unfortunately, current solutions don’t provide that performance, and are leaving studios with little choice but to build from scratch, forcing them to invest their time and resources in something that is not their core business. Creation Platform offers an alternative - a framework that gives them the performance they need, and a set of tools that allow them to take full advantage of it.”

Creation Platform:
Creation Platform is designed to give studios an easy way to build tools that not only match, but in many cases, surpass the performance of traditional DCC tools. Key benefits include:

• Performance: Creation is built on top of the Fabric Core Execution Engine, a multi-threading engine designed to get exceptional performance out of both CPUs and GPUs.
• Modularity: Creation provides a set of building blocks that can be connected together to build a wide range of different applications.
• Extensibility: Creation’s extension system enables developers to incorporate existing code libraries into their applications. This enables Creation to incorporate things like Bullet Physics and streaming of motion capture data, as well as allowing for support of custom file types like Alembic and LIDAR.
• Accessibility: The majority of Creation applications are built using Python and Qt. For the critical performance parts of an application, Creation uses a custom Kernel Language (KL), which a simple, high-level language. If a TD or developer is comfortable with Python, they will find KL easy to pick up.

Here’s What Beta Testers are Saying:
Mike Romey, Head of Pipeline, Zoic Studios: “I believe that Fabric's Creation Platform will change the way our facility and industry approaches custom tools development. The Creation Platform allows our developers to rapidly prototype and deploy complex tools quickly and efficiently. It simplifies the development process by wrapping leading edge technologies into easily accessible scripting libraries for python and pySide. This in turn allows us to reduce our development cycles and iterate tools quicker with more features and functionality. This improves our agility to respond to any and all production requests. The result generally is a highly sophisticated, well-groomed standalone or hosted application that is multi-threaded for speed. The Creation Platform and its developers are building a development tool that is truly a speed demon.”

Michel Murdock, Executive VP at Hybride: “We are very excited about the potential of Creation Platform and look forward to collaborating with their amazing team."

Daniel Gregoire, Owner of Halon Entertainment: "Creation Platform represents new life for Previs as it builds a powerful foundation that doesn't have a decade of legacy code encumbering us from doing the important work of tomorrow."

Grant Miller, Creative Director, Ingenuity Engine : “Proprietary solutions for visual effects used to be reserved for large studios with a dedicated programming team, but with Creation Platform that level of customization and innovation has been opened up to TDs and artists. The Creation toolset lays a great foundation to build on, handling things like Alembic I/O and Bullet Physics so you can focus on the creative aspects of tool creation instead of implementing libraries.”

Albert Cheng, Previs Supervisor, The Third Floor LA/London: “Creation Platform is the graphics app development framework I've been waiting for. With it's highly optimized core and native multithreading capabilities, it does most of the heavy lifting for me to ensure the fastest processing speeds, while allowing me to focus on building custom applications and tools for manipulating 3D. What makes it really great is that it interfaces through the popular Python language and QT gui framework to allow rapid development with minimal code, thus making it easily accessible to those like me working in film, animation and games.”

Creation Platform Examples:
The team at Fabric Engine has created a number of videos to showcase the power and diversity of Creation Platform. Those videos can be seen at:https://vimeo.com/groups/fabric

Creation Platform at SIGGRAPH 2012:
Creation Platform will be showcased at SIGGRAPH 2012. Specific locations include:
AMD Booth: #709
Optitrack Booth: #610

To meet with the Fabric Engine team at the show, please email sales@fabricengine.com.

How To Join the Beta:
Creation Platform is now available via private beta for anyone who wishes to try it out. To join, visit: http://www.fabricengine.com/products/licensing/

For more information about Fabric Engine, visit www.fabricengine.com or send questions via email to info@fabricengine.com.

About Fabric Engine, Inc.
Fabric Engine is a software engineering company founded in 2010 in Montreal, Canada by a group of well-known developers from Softimage and Autodesk. Known for their work on CAT and ICE, the team has a collective expertise in parallel computing, hardware optimization, software architecture, design, animation, rendering and production workflows. They are now applying their collective experience to Fabric Engine and its Creation Platform. Fabric Engine is funded by Real Ventures and is a strategic partner of AMD. For more information, visit: www.fabricengine.com. ]]> Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/38-Fabric-Engine-Announces-Creation-Platform-at-SIGGRAPH-2012 Render Rocket Brings Cloud-Based Graphics Rendering Power to Education http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/36-Render-Rocket-Brings-Cloud-Based-Graphics-Rendering-Power-to-Education Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:34:45 GMT *New Technology and Pricing Gives Students and Educational Institutions Greater Access to High-Powered, High-Priority Rendering * *LOS ANGELES *– July 11, 2012 – Render Rocket LLC (http://www.renderrocket.com/), an advanced cloud-based rendering services company, announced that it has enhanced... New Technology and Pricing Gives Students and Educational Institutions Greater Access to High-Powered, High-Priority Rendering

LOS ANGELES – July 11, 2012 – Render Rocket LLC, an advanced cloud-based rendering services company, announced that it has enhanced its offerings by adding new tools and pricing to its online rendering solution that are specifically designed to ease the rendering burden on students and educational institutions. In addition to a new Class Manager module built into the Mission Control Interface, the new educational offering provides educational institutions and students with high-priority rendering that is renewable on the monthly basis and pricing that starts at the lowest pricing available for Render Rocket’s service: 12.5 cents per credit, or 82% off standard rendering rates. The new educational package is available immediately to educational institutions via renderrocket.com.

“Students and the work they produce are our future, yet educational institutions around the world are struggling to keep up with the rendering needs of their classrooms,” said Ruben Perez, CEO of Render Rocket. “Typically, students working with large graphics files are forced to render projects on their personal computers, or to wait long hours to gain access to computer labs. Conversely, educators struggle with the lack of computing resources and the increasing demand for rendering on high-end graphics. We’ve changed our pricing and enhanced our technology for the sole purpose of meeting these growing challenges in education.”

With the new educational offering, Render Rocket’s Mission Control interface (from which rendering jobs are launched) has been enhanced with a new Class Manager module that allows instructors or program directors to invite and un-invite students to Render Rocket’s rendering services, and to assign them credits on a per month, per semester, or per quarter basis. The new module greatly simplifies an educator’s ability to assign and manage rendering access across any size of educational group. Conversely, students have the ability to choose whether to use program credits or personal rendering credits right from the Mission Control interface.

"Render Rocket is the ideal solution for any university with rendering needs," said Cathy DiBonaventura of uPenn Design. "It's very cost-effective, it's easy to administer and its support is superb. Render Rocket’s management tool allows me to quickly purchase and set up a bank of credits, and provides a quick snapshot of all of the student accounts, credits and rendering jobs completed. What's more, students no longer have to compete with other students for render machines or tie up their own systems with render jobs. They can kick off a render job from anywhere, which allows them to render faster and iterate more, both of which drive up the quality of their final designs."

Render Rocket has also launched the Renewable Credit Program, which provides educational institutions with ongoing access to a set number of high-priority rendering credits per month at the lowest rendering price available: 12.5 cents per credit. Every month, the rendering credits are automatically renewed for the length of the contract, simplifying the management and purchase of rendering time. More information on renewable credits can be found here: http://support.renderrocket.com/entr...ewable-credits.

Overall, the program provides students and educational institutions with a number of significance advantages, including:

Access to high-priority cloud rendering at the lowest possible cost
Removes the burden and cost of managing more rendering computers onsite
Easier management of rendering resources
Greater and easier student access to rendering power

The educational program comes with a dedicated Render Rocket Account Manager and full technical support 7 days a week. To find out, contact sales@renderrocket.com, or visit the Education Program page on Render Rocket’s site at http://support.renderrocket.com/entr...ms-and-pricing.

About Render Rocket
Render Rocket began selling remote rendering services to the media and entertainment industry in 2005 with a vision to deliver professional-level rendering power on-demand to any 2D and 3D production team, regardless of its size or location. Today Render Rocket is the leading cloud-based rendering solutions company and offers it's services to film, post production, visual effects, broadcast, universities, industrial design, automotive, architecture, game cinematics, and graphic design companies. It counts among its numerous customers companies such as Nike, Nokia, Superfad, Nickelodeon, Sony Imageworks, Lockheed Martin, THQ, The Antfarm, Picture Mill, NYU, Columbia University and Engine Room and many others. For more information, visit www.renderrocket.com or email contact@renderrocket.com.
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© 2012. Render Rocket, LLC. “Render Rocket” is a registered trademark of Render Rocket, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owner(s). ]]> Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/36-Render-Rocket-Brings-Cloud-Based-Graphics-Rendering-Power-to-Education <![CDATA[Korea's Dexter Digital is "Go" for TACTIC Production Asset Management]]> http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/35-Korea-s-Dexter-Digital-is-quot-Go-quot-for-TACTIC-Production-Asset-Management Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:37:06 GMT *### * *First Korean film to benefit from Southpaw’s web-based asset management system is Mr. Go 3D, one of the most ambitious and expensive South Korean films of all time* *Toronto, Canada* – June 25, 2012 – Southpaw Technology (http://www.southpawtech.com), a leading developer of...

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First Korean film to benefit from Southpaw’s web-based asset management system is Mr. Go 3D, one of the most ambitious and expensive South Korean films of all time

Toronto, Canada – June 25, 2012 – Southpaw Technology, a leading developer of production asset management (PAM) technology for digital content creation companies, announced today that it has signed a 100-seat licensing deal with the Korean visual effects studio, Dexter Digital. Southpaw’s production asset management system TACTIC will initially be used to support Dexter Digital on a 2,000-shot visual effects project for an ambitious, full-length stereoscopic 3D film called Mr. Go 3D.

Based on a popular Korean comic, Mr. Go 3D is a sports comedy that tells the story of a gorilla from a Chinese circus that is trained to play professional baseball in Korea. The ambitious live action film is being shot in stereoscopic 3D and will utilize a combination of motion capture performances and digital effects. Its $20 million budget makes it one of the most expensive South Korean films of all time. To speed the creation of the digital assets to be used in the film, Dexter Digital turned to Southpaw Technology and its production asset management system TACTIC.

”We evaluated a number of asset management systems over a 3-month period, and found TACTIC and the team at Southpaw to be exactly what we were looking for,” said Yun Geuk KANG, CG Supervisor for Dexter Digital. “Not only does TACTIC handle 2D and 3D assets perfectly; its built-in project management and time tracking functionality help us understand exactly where we are in the project, what we’re spending on shots, and how to bill on upcoming projects. Plus, Southpaw’s support has been extremely responsive, which has been a great help in getting our studio up to speed.”

TACTIC is ideally suited to manage large VFX production workflows. As one of the only solutions capable of securely storing digital assets, and then tying those assets to production notes, status updates, tasks, and resources, TACTIC enables vast teams of digital artists to know what they are supposed to be doing when. And because each artist can also track the time they are spending on a given task, TACTIC is the only system that provides a real-time financial view of what assets and shots cost to create. This ultimately drives more efficiency into the process and helps studios complete even the most complex jobs on time and on budget.
“Though young, Dexter Digital is a very ambitious studio, with a state-of-the-art production pipeline, a talented staff and three massive projects already underway, one of which is arguably South Korea’s biggest CG production ever,” said Gary Mundell, CEO of Southpaw Technology. “Their use of TACTIC across their facility is a testament to the faith they place on our technology and our support. We look forward to many years of close collaboration and to the amazing content they will undoubtedly produce.”

For more information about TACTIC, please email contact@southpawtech.com or visit www.southpawtech.com.

About Southpaw Technology Inc.
Southpaw Technology provides production asset management solutions to the media & entertainment and enterprise markets. Available as a web-based solution for Mac OSX, Windows and Linux, TACTIC combines all the asset and production management functionality teams, departments and companies need to keep digital productions on track and on budget, including asset management, project management, workflow management and communication tools. Customers include Proctor and Gamble, Lockheed Martin, Saatchi and Saatchi, Nissan North America, Legend3D, GENER8, 2G Digital, Inhance Digital, ToonBox Entertainment, and many digital content creators. For more information, please visit www.southpawtech.com.

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© 2012. Southpaw Technology Inc. All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. ]]> Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/35-Korea-s-Dexter-Digital-is-quot-Go-quot-for-TACTIC-Production-Asset-Management Trion Worlds Licenses Shroud for Cloth Physics http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/34-Trion-Worlds-Licenses-Shroud-for-Cloth-Physics Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:56:56 GMT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ### *Trion Worlds Licenses Shroud for Cloth Physics* CloakWorks’ Advanced Cloth Simulation Tech Brings New Level of Realism to RIFT™ *Inverness, IL – June 13, 2012* CloakWorks™ announced today that its advanced cloth simulation technology, Shroud™, has been... FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
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Trion Worlds Licenses Shroud for Cloth Physics
CloakWorks’ Advanced Cloth Simulation Tech Brings New Level of Realism to RIFT™

Inverness, IL – June 13, 2012

CloakWorks™ announced today that its advanced cloth simulation technology, Shroud™, has been licensed by Trion Worlds for their popular massively multiplayer online game, RIFT™. Released on PC in March 2011, RIFT will use Shroud to add real-time dynamic interactive clothing and soft-body physics effects.

“Ever since RIFT’s launch, one of the most requested visual features we get from our players is for capes. CloakWorks is the go-to source for this technology,” said Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer, “It was even easier to use than we had hoped and we’re very happy with the result.”

“RIFT features innovative gameplay and stunning art direction that make it stand out among MMO games,” said Joe van den Heuvel, founder and President of CloakWorks. “Shroud will help the team take its vision for Rift even further by giving adding new level of realism to its dramatic characters and environments.”

Trion Worlds will be using the recently released version 2.0 of Shroud, which adds numerous new features including support for multiple cloth simulation rigs to animate different parts of the same mesh. Shroud 2.0 is more powerful, flexible and easy to use, and adds support for iOS and Mac OS X in addition to existing support for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

About CloakWorks

Located just outside Chicago, IL, CloakWorks is the developer of the Shroud Cloth Simulation Engine. Shroud couples powerful custom tools with unprecedented performance on PC, Mac, consoles, and mobile devices, making widespread use of high-quality interactive cloth physics practical on every platform. For more information please visit www.cloak-works.com

Trion, Trion Worlds and RIFT are trademarks or registered trademarks of Trion Worlds, Inc. CLOAKWORKS and SHROUD are trademarks of CloakWorks Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Press Contact:

Joe van den Heuvel | President
CloakWorks Inc. | www.cloak-works.com
Email: info@cloak-works.com

Chris Schmidt | Senior PR Manager
Trion Worlds, Inc. | www.trionworlds.com
Email: cschmidt@trionworlds.com ]]> Eschuey http://www.vfxtalk.com/entries/34-Trion-Worlds-Licenses-Shroud-for-Cloth-Physics