Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/74632
products HP's Z220 workstation MOTU unveils audio interface/mixer C PALO ALTO, CA — HP (www.hp.com) is offering the Z220 workstation, what the company described as an entry-level, no-com- promise workstation featuring next-gen Intel Core and Intel Xeon processors, the latest integrated and discrete pro graphics from Intel, Nvidia and AMD, along with integrat- ed USB 3.0 high- speed ports. The HP Z220 comes in a convert- ible mini-tower or compact footprints. The latter is 65 per- cent smaller. Other perfor- mance enhance- ments include up to 32GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory (ECC or non-ECC) and Intel Smart Response Technol- ogy, an easy to install disk caching technology that can significantly improve storage IO perfor- mance, for faster boot time and fre- quently accessed applications. Quad-core con- figurations of the HP Z220 workstation start at $699. AMBRIDGE, MA — MOTU has intro- duced Track16, a 16x14 desktop studio interface with mixing and effects. Track16 connects via FireWire or high-speed USB 2.0 to a Mac or PC. The Track16 base unit and included breakout cable provide a total of 16 inputs and 14 outputs, hybrid FireWire/ USB connectivity, optical digital I/O, MIDI I/O and SMPTE timecode sync. Advanced fea- tures include a 16-bus digital mixer (with reverb, EQ, and compression), audio analy- sis tools and an instrument tuner. Track16 can draw bus power from the FireWire port, which sup- plies enough to drive 48V phan- tom power for two indepen- dent mic pre- amps. Under bus power, users have the option of operating Track16 without the breakout cable, allowing them to record from the guitar input and listen on headphones with just their laptop computer. The top panel provides a large, multi-func- tion knob, 10 backlit buttons, and four pairs of seven-segment level meters. The front panel provides several connectors, including a hi-Z guitar input, eighth-inch stereo "mini" line input and two mirrored headphone jacks (on quarter- inch and eighth-inch connectors). The rear panel provides a DB25 connector for the break- out cable, a FireWire 400 connector, a standard USB 2.0 port and optical in/out jacks. Track16 will ship in the third quarter of this year, and will cost $595. Models via Cheetah3D 6.0 Faceware suite for facial animation S ANTA MONICA — Faceware Technologies (www.facewaretech.com) has launched the Faceware Professional Product Line, a low- cost, start-to-finish facial animation suite built to capture, analyze and create realistic facial performances three to 10 times faster than by hand-keying. This new Faceware line includes updated versions of the Faceware Head- Mounted Camera System (HMCS) and Face- ware Retargeter, as well as a new product called Faceware Analyzer. The HMCS consists of a helmet, bracing, camera mount and camera, and works with mocap suits to capture data-rich facial video with timecode. It's capable of capturing up to seven million pixels/second for precise perfor- mance. Analyzer allows users to analyze facial performances captured with the HMCS or other video capturing technology for a small fee. The animator trains Analyzer to learn the actor's specific appearance and performance, and the software uses that information to ana- lyze each frame of the video. All tracking is handled on site, so no assets or IP leave the studio. Once the shot is tracked, computer vision algorithms parameterize the data to examine every pixel of facial data in the per- formance and to create an IMPD file that can then be used in Retargeter, which is a free tool that takes the IMPD file created in Analyzer and transfers the data onto the 3D model. SnapCuts' new app for iPhone/iPad P ASADENA, CA — SnapCuts (www.snapcuts.com), a social video messaging company that allows users to "snap" together video clips, add text and share via social networks, is making its platform available in app form for Apple's iPhone. SnapCuts has a curated library that contains thousands of clips from modern and classic television, film and commer- cials, enabling users to create effective messages. The archive of footage ranges from classics such as The Three Stooges and films from acclaimed directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford. The SnapCuts app for iPhone/iPad is available as a free download via the iTunes App Store. www.postmagazine.com TAPFHEIM, GER- MANY — MW3D Solutions has released Cheetah3D 6.0 (www.chee- tah3d.com), a major update to its 3D modeling solution for Mac OS X. Devel- oped from the ground up using the latest Cocoa tech- nologies, Cheetah3D is a 3D modeling, rendering, and ani- mation package offering ease of use. Cheetah3D ($99) provides many of the most used fea- tures within a simple UI. Tools include subdivision surface modeling, joint- based character animation, UV unwrapping, texture painting, and global illumination renderer. The biggest update is the inte- gration of the Bullet physics engine for the simulation of rig- id-body and soft- body dynamics. Marbles spilling or simulating a flag waving in the wind is now easy to do. The feature set is further enhanced with the possibility to extend Cheetah3D with JavaScripts and support for common file formats, like FBX, 3DS or Collada. Post • July 2012 45