After Effects News

Vizpark, developers of Max plugins Mosaic and Walls & Tiles, have released HDRI Skydomes II, their second collection of panoramic 360° images in HDR and EXR-format. The exposure images were taken with a Canon MK5 camera at 7 stops for a dynamic range of approximately 12 EVs (Exposure Values). All 10 images in the collection were manually adjusted and corrected with dust removal, alignment and chromatic aberration correction. Each HDRI skydome has several backplates of the skies taken at the same time to be used as variations for the background. (more...)

A free AE script by Motion Boutique, developers of the Newton AE plugin, for using Photoshop's content aware fill with elements tracked in After Effects. More on Motion Boutique's website.

Character modeler Kaushik Saha has made available a free set of 11 wear and tear brushes. Download them from Dropbox and find out more on Polycount.

3D Scan Store has released 3 free HDRIs with 10,000x5,000 pixels and 7 exposure stops. More on 3DScanStore.com.

Adobe have released an update to Photoshop CC that enables users to print 3D models from directly within Photoshop. The new tool acts as a bridge between 3D modelling and 3D printing by preparing and refining models, automatically repairing any problems, creating support structures and creating previews of the final print. Initially, support is provided for a number of desktop printers but it also features the ability to send jobs directly to popular online printing services from within the tool. This update also features a new 3D perspective warp tool that allows you to create multi point perspective grids to help correct the viewing angle of 2d images, and linked smart objects that enables you to dynamically update files embedded within Photoshop projects. Read the full PR on adobe.com.

Alexander Lombardi has released his latest reel showcasing some of the work he has done using 3DS Max for various feature films including Man Of Steel, Ghost Rider 2, and Die Hard 5. You can watch the full video in HD on Alex's Vimeo Channel.

Dublin-based Screen Scene VFX created all the visual effects for BBC's Ripper Street TV series (season 2) as well as for Sky1's Moonfleet. Watch the VFX breakdowns and read some comments on Wayne Robson's blog.

Chaotica is a fractal art creation tool developed by Glare Technologies, the company behind the Indigo Renderer. It features a spline-based color palette editor with HDR capabilities and alpha channel export for use with external compositing applications. The upcoming 1.5 version will bring animation features. Chaotica is free to use for up to 1.23 megapixel images (e.g. 1280x960 resolution), and requires a low cost license to generate bigger images. More on Chaotica's website.