Computer Graphics World

customizable user experience, enables u s e r s t o f i n d a n d share content faster and easier, and offers compatibility with all standard browsers running on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operating systems. Artists using Autodesk media and entertainment or design visualiza- tion products can join the more than 270,000 Area members and now customize their home page, browse the new image gallery, use the improved search engine, take part in forums with enhanced Network News Trans- fer Protocol (NNTP), and upload images and files with thumbnail images. Autodesk; www.autodesk.com, http:/ /area.autodesk.com AnimAtion Anime Studio Pro 6 Smith Micro Software's Productivity and Graphics Group has introduced Anime Studio Pro 6, professional animation soft- ware for artists working on HD movies, cartoon animation, digital shorts, cutouts, and full-length film or video. Designed to speed production, Anime Studio Pro 6 features motion tracking, built-in lip syncing, vector-based drawing tools, bone rigging, and the importation of scanned drawings and images. Version 6 also provides a library of ready-to-use content, including rigged characters, props, action words, stock video, images, and sound effects. Its HD video support enables users to import and export high-definition video files, and then add characters, props, audio, and special effects. Users can also output videos and animations of unlimited length to a variety of formats, including NTSC/PAL D1/DV standard and widescreen, HDV and HDTV 780p and 1080p, and AVI, MOV, and Flash. Now available, Anime Studio Pro 6 is priced at $200, with upgrades from previous versions priced at $130. Smith Micro Software; www.smithmicro.com Web Design BrowserLab Preview Adobe has unveiled a free preview of Adobe BrowserLab, a hosted service for Web designers to test Web sites on a variety of browsers and operating systems. In addi- tion to screenshots of browser renderings, BrowserLab provides multiple viewing and diagnostic tools to aid designers in finding compatibility issues that compromise the design and layout of a Web site or page. The new Adobe solution uses virtualization technology, hosted through a cloud-based application, to eliminate the need to have browsers installed on a system before test- ing a site. Users can customize and save testing preferences, zoom in on poten- tial bugs, view screenshots from different browsers side by side, or use "onion skin mode" to overlay screenshots of varying opacity on top of one another. Adobe; www.adobe.com, http:/ /browserlab.adobe.com Plug-in Warping in After Effects Digieffects, a developer of visual effects soft- ware plug-ins, has released FreeForm AE. A plug-in for Adobe After Effects, the FreeForm AE warping tool enables users to manipulate a flat object into virtually any shape using a mesh in 3D space. FreeForm AE is designed to bring greater 3D functionality, including a full 3D rendering engine, manipulation controls, and displacement mapping, inside After Effects. Users can employ dozens of included presets, and also bend, twist, distort, and shape layers in the After Effects comp window. FreeForm AE is now available for $299. FreeForm AE is compatible with Adobe After Effects CS3 and CS4, and runs on Mac PPC, Mac Intel, Windows XP, and Windows Vista operating systems. Digieffects; www.digieffects.com ViDeo Waveform Monitoring Blackmagic Design has introduced Ultra- Scope for monitoring, editing, and color- correcting video. Users plug the UltraScope PCI Express card into a compatible Windows PC with a 24-inch monitor, gaining access to six live HD or SD scope views simultane- ously. With 3gb/sec SDI and optical-fiber SDI connections, UltraScope is an accurate, broadcast-quality set of scopes able to auto- matically detect SD, HD, and 3gb/sec SDI inputs. UltraScope waveform monitoring provides a complete overview of a project, enabling users to spot problems and deliver the technical accuracy demanded by broad- cast engineers. UltraScope costs $695. Blackmagic Design; www.blackmagic-design.com July 2009, Volume 32, Number 7: COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD (USPS 665-250) (ISSN-0271-4159) is published monthly (12 issues) by COP Communications, Inc. Corpo- rate offices: 620 West Elk Avenue, Glendale, CA 91204, Tel: 818-291-1100; FAX: 818-291-1190; Web Address: info@copprints.com. Periodicals postage paid at Glendale, CA, 91205 & additional mailing offices. COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD is distributed worldwide. Annual subscription prices are $72, USA; $98, Canada & Mexico; $150 International airfreight. To order subscriptions, call 847-559-7310. © 2009 CGW by COP Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without permission. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or per- sonal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by Computer Graphics World, ISSN-0271-4159, provided that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 USA 508-750-8400. Prior to photocopying items for educational classroom use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 USA 508-750-8400. For further information check Copyright Clearance Center Inc. online at: www.copyright.com. The COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD fee code for users of the Transactional Reporting Services is 0271-4159/96 $1.00 + .35. 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