After Effects News

New features in the latest version of Superluminal's node-based, modular 3D particle system for After Effects include: ability to render 3D Models from OBJ files and create primitives as particle instances, image-based lighting, physical materials, ambient occlusion, extrude Text and Masks to create 3D models, GPU-powered, etc. The new is a free update to current owners of the plugin, and is available for OS X, a Windows version will follow in October. Stardust is priced at $249. More on the AEScripts + AEPlugins website.

Adobe has previewed several features expected in the next release of After Effects CC. Perhaps most significantly, the new version will add tools for for 360/VR editing allowing users to undistort and edit stitched videos, apply effects, and add titles and other elements to 360 degree projects. Also of note are new tools for creating data driven animations by importing JSON data files as footage, expressions access to mask and shape points, the inclusion of Cinema 4D Lite R19, a visual map for keyboard shortcuts, performance enhancements and more. Read about the new features on Adobe's blog.

Blackmagic Design has announced Ultimatte 12, a real-time hardware compositing solution for broadcast quality keying, virtual sets and AR.  New features of  Ultimatte 12 include: one-touch keying, support for Ultra HD output, improved image processing algorithms for better edge handling, color separation, color fidelity, and spill suppression. Ultimatte 12 costs $9,995. Find our more on Blackmagic Design's website.

Otoy has announced After Effects and Nuke plugins for OctaneVR, a version of Octane Render designed specifically for the creation of  VR and AR experiences. The two new versions are free to rental users, who currently pay a minimum of $20 per month for the engine plus one commercial connectivity plugin. Read more about the announcement on the Otoy forum.

New features in Imagineer Systems' planar tracking, masking, object removal and image stabilization software include: OFX support for VEGAS Pro, multi-core CPU support, memory improvements, new Python API, Mocha VR now supports non 2:1 lat/long aspect, Mocha VR Reorient Module is now faster, plus bug fixes and general improvements. More on Imagineer Systems' website.

Red Giant Software announced the release of v14 of its collection of After Effects plugins for motion graphics and VFX. Updates brought by this latest version include Particular 3, Form 3 and an improved version of Tao. (more...)

Foundry has released the latest versions of Nuke, NukeX, and Nuke Studio. New features include:  (more...)

Adobe announced the acquisition of the Mettle Skybox Suite of 360/VR production tools, which will be available as part of the Creative Cloud through native integration with Premiere Pro and After Effects. Adobe is targeting to release the integrated functionality before the end of the year. More on Adobe's and Mettle's websites.