Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/863766
j u ly . a u g u s t 2 0 1 7 c g w 3 S P O T L I G H T AMD UNVEILS NEW GPUS AMD has introduced two brand-new professional GPUs — the Radeon Pro WX 2100 and WX 3100 — offering a high level of performance at the entry level. Starting at $199 for the Radeon Pro WX 3100 and $149 for the Radeon Pro WX 2100, both cards are certified and optimized for the most well known professional design, engineering, and modeling programs. The Radeon Pro WX 2100 and 3100 are available now. EPIC RELEASES UE 4.16 Epic Games has released Unreal Engine 4.16, which includes hundreds of updates, including new rendering and animation features, significant performance improvements for mobile and console platforms, and tons of quality-of-life enhancements designed to make it easier to create stunning environments and engaging experiences that run smoothly on a wider variety of platforms. The new Volumetric Fog feature allows users to enhance the mood of their environments. Characters can get new life thanks to new dynam- ic, lightweight rigid-body and low-level cloth-simulation tools. Also, UI rendering performance and UMG widget creation speed are vastly improved to let users create more compelling interfaces. And, the engine sup- ports Nintendo Switch. On the mobile side, the engine now supports the Android virtual keyboard. FACEWARE UPDATES REAL-TIME FACIAL MOCAP SOLUTION Faceware Technologies has released Version 2.5 of its real- time facial mocap and animation product, Faceware Live. Faceware Live produces facial animation in real time by automatically tracking a performer's face and instant- ly applying that performance to a facial model. Faceware Live requires just a single camera for tracking purposes. That camera can be an onboard computer video or Web- cam, or any other video-capture device. Updates include advancements to face-tracking tech- nology, a new animation tuning workflow, command line calibration, and animation preview characters. Faceware Live 2.5 is available free of charge to current Live customers. GAME CONSOLES MARKET POISED TO EXPLODE Jon Peddie Research (JPR) revealed that the TV-gaming market saw a slight dip in 2016 from 2015, but is poised to make a dramatic jump in 2017. The introduction of a 4 k PS4, a new Xbox-One (Scorpion), and the recently released Nintendo Switch promise to make 2017 the best year for gaming consoles in three years. Included in the mix are ARM-based devices, such as Nvidia's Shield and micro controllers from China. The enhanced PS4 and VR capability didn't give the kick Sony and others had hoped for, nor did the slimmed-down Xbox-One. Nintendo's Switch arrived late but demonstrated a pent-up demand by getting off to a good start, adding 2.7 million units to the market in the first quarter of this year.