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For additional product news and information, visit CGW.com SOFTWARE ANIMATION Strike a Pose Smith Micro Software has released Poser 9 and Poser Pro 2012, marking the first time the company has issued simulta- neous releases of the animation tool. Both soft- ware applica- tions now offer vertex weight- map rigging support and subsurface scat- tering capabili- ties, along with a simple-to-use user interface that has evolved from past releases, yet maintains a familiarity that existing users will appreciate. The releases also include more than 3GB of ready-to-use content, including figures (humans, skeletons, etc.) and architectural elements. Full scenes also have been put together, including office and crime lab settings, helping to save users time in building their own environ- ments. Poser 9 is a 32-bit application that's priced at $249 and offers full-level rendering control. Poser Pro 2010 is a 64-bit application and includes updated PoserFusion plug-ins and Collada support for professionals who may want to export animations into programs such as Maya, Softimage, Cinema 4D, and LightWave. The 64-bit application also includes the FireFly Render Engine and a vertex weight- map editing tool suite. Smith Micro Software; www.smithmicro.com/poser WIN MAC MIDDLEWARE Sim Solution AI.implant, Presagis' multi-platform artificial intelligence (AI) authoring and runtime software solution, has been upgraded to Version 5.7. AI.Implant is designed for simulation and analysis projects requiring realistic and dynamic urban environments, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and helicopter training, air traffic control applications, and driving simulation. The updated release improves attributes asso- ciated with traffic and human interactions, and enables users to build complex and realistic scenarios faster. As a COTS middleware product, AI.implant seam- lessly integrates into existing pipelines and simulation engines. The new release improves realism of road traffic and pedestrian interactions. Vehicles can now pass other vehicles using slower or oncoming lanes. Traffic lights can be customized to suit the simu- lation, or they can also run in automatic mode. The TrafficSolver manages the advancement through the traffic light cycle as the simulation runs. And a vehicle that is not in the correct lane when approaching an intersection will reset its path. Presagis; www.presagis.com LIGHTING KeyShot Tool Kit Lightmap has launched the HDR Light Studio Live plug-in for Luxion KeyShot renderer, which brings a professional real-time HDRI lighting tool kit directly into KeyShot real-time visualization software. The plug-in allows users to improve the quality of the renders with custom lighting designs for each shot, all via a simple- to-use interface. Existing HDR environ- ments can be augmented to improve the quality of their renders, with more control over lighting and reflections. Lighting adjustments take place in real time in the KeyShot viewport. HDR Light Studio Live for KeyShot is included with the HDR Light Studio 2.0 Pro edition. Lightmap; www.hdrlightstudio.com WIN HARDWARE GPU Follow the Link AMD unveiled the FirePro SDI-Link, which helps bring real-time, GPU-accel- erated performance to pipelines requiring Serial Digital Interface (SDI) input and output. The FirePro SDI-Link is receiving support from manufacturers, such as AJA, Bluefish444, Blackmagic Design, Deltacast, DVS, and Matrox, as it allows for the design of fully featured SDI- and GPU-based solutions with ultra-low laten- cy between select AMD pro graphics cards and third-party SDI input/output products. AMD also showed the FirePro V7900 SDI, a new graphics card that is the first to support AMD FirePro SDI-Link. The V7900 SDI will be certified as compat- ible with all five manufacturers providing PCIe cards offering advanced SDI video signal I/O capabilities. The V7900 SDI is designed specifically for broadcast graphics pipelines. The unit is the first to leverage AMD's DirectGMA technology to help ensure system-level, low-latency synchronized data transfer between the AMD FirePro professional graphics and third-party devices over the PCIe bus. AMD began delivering the FirePro V7900 SDI in October for $2499. AMD; www.amd.com WIN LINUX December 2011/January 2012, Volume 34, Number 8: COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD (USPS 665-250) (ISSN-0271-4159) is published bimonthly (6 issues annually) by COP Communications, Inc. Corporate 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. 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