The last version before Blender 2.5 has been released. Features include: node editing for textures, 3D painting improvements with projection painting, Etch-a-ton for rigging, JPEG2000 support, Game Engine-related improvements, etc. Read the details at Blender.org.

Ballistic publishing have announced the availability of Exposé 7, the latest edition of their flagship digital art book. Exposé 7 showcases 391 images created by 288 artists from 51 countries. More at Ballistic publishing's website.

New features in v7.5 include: color and alpha masks of single clouds and cloud layers in multi-pass renderer, "Camera Mapping" to cut animation render times, spherical and planetary procedural terrains with infinite level of detail, spherical cloudscapes, material painting and effect-driven material mapping in the Terrain Editor, enhanced multi-processor support, dynamic EcoSystems and panoramic rendering, EcoSystem populations that can evolve over time, support for V-Ray in Max (xStream), cloud layers that cast and receive shadows from other cloud layers and objects in the scene, etc. More at E-OnSoftware.com.

Hyperfocal Design has released the Very High Dynamic Range Skies collection. The panoramas in VHDRI Skies weigh in at a huge 14,000 x 7,000 pixels with super high dynamic range - up to 17 stops. Read on for more. (more...)

The list of technical papers to be presented at this year's SIGGRAPH is now available.

NormalMapper, a software designed for editing normal maps via tools that manipulate normals as 3D vectors, has been made available for free. More at NormalMapper.com.

Toon Boom Animation has released Animate Pro, a new version of their traditional and vector based animation software. Check out the feature list at ToonBoom.com.

Francesco Legrenzi's book "VRay: The Complete Guide" is being offered at 50% of its original price for a few weeks. We don't usually post news regarding sales of books or software, but many readers may find this one useful.