Great news! After years in development, Terragen 2 Technology Preview will see its first public release in December 15, 2006. According to information posted at Planetside Software's pages, the Technology Preview will not contain the full set of features that will exist in the final Terragen 2 release. Also, the Technology Preview has not yet been optimized for speed so rendering times will not be optimal. A free version for personal non-commercial use will be available, and pricing and further details will be announced upon release.

After three years in the making, the animated short drama “Sam and Piccolo” has been completed by Australian studio Adam Walker Film. “Sam and Piccolo” combines high digital production standards, with a narrative fable of emotional and intellectual resonance. The film was created in 3DS Max, with character animation done with CAT. To watch the trailer and find out more about the film, visit the official website at www.samandpiccolo.com. Be sure not to miss the "Production" section of the site, which has some very interesting descriptions of the many production challenges encountered and how they were solved using Max and plugins, including the use of cloth for characters, Dreamscape for environment creation, skies, grass, leaf dynamics and much more. (more...)

Check out the impressive demo reel of Slovak artist Peter Sanitra.

A few changes have been made to the discussion forums and it's no doubt appreciated, but it would be good to see the pending ones that are keeping users from enjoying the forums resolved (pages are still slow, readability is still a problem at certain areas, etc.). Messages from Max users continue to surface discussing the subject.

Fred Galpern reviews Mudbox for VFXWorld: "... easy to learn, not to mention capable of producing stunning results." (Login required)

Create the most captivating and visually appealing sphere from a scene provided by the artists behind The Sphere Project, using your 3D program and renderer of choice. Richard Rosenman and Michael Kocurek would like to encourage everyone to participate and submit your renders. Some funny and creative images are already available at the site's gallery. Find out more at CGSphere.com.

3DM are running a new contest titled "The Lost World" which features more than $5500 worth in prizes. More info at 3DM3.com.

The latest short coming from Platige Image is a collaboration between the Warsaw-based studio and filmmaker Damian Nenow (The Great Escape). "Paths of Hate" is being created using a blend of comic book style animation and a pompous soundtrack that refers to classic film productions. The film is expected to be finished in northern hemisphere's spring 2007, check out the trailer at PathsOfHate.com. Also of note, Platige Image have worked on over two hours of video material which was used in the multimedia show during the production of Roger Waters' "Ça Ira".