C4Dome 2 is a plugin for Cinema 4D that offers a toolset for HDR lighting. It comes with a number of presets and also provides the ability to take HDR elements from the included library and combine them to create custom HDR images, as well as a special render preview feature that makes it easier to fine-tune scenes. C4Dome 2 also delivers flicker-free animations. More on the Renderking website.

FutureMag has an interesting report on CG techniques being used for capturing and digitally preserving historic works of art, as well as restoring and reproducing them. Watch the video on YouTube. (French)

Stanford professor Ron Fedkiw has updated his website with simulations of denting and bending of rigid bodies as well as of thin liquid sheets, long filaments and droplets. More on Stanford.edu.

Autodesk announced that it is making its software available for free to students, teachers and educational institutions around the world. According to the MaxStation blog and Autodesk's Shaan Hurley, the company previously offered free access in some countries, but not others, and the software was available free to students, but in many cases not to the schools themselves. These restrictions have now been lifted. More on the MaxStation blog, Shaan Hurley's blog and Autodesk's website.

Michael Buettner, author of the MBFeatherTools Softimage plugin, has released MBPlumage, an asset for Houdini that features styling, animation and simulation of bird feathers. More on Orbolt.com.

Adobe recently previewed a new character animation tool they're developing: a markerless real-time mocap software that allows to control a puppet in After Effects and record its motion using a webcam and microphone. Watch a demo video on YouTube and find out more on Adobe's AE blog.

Prices and a release date have been announced for Corona Renderer 1.0 for 3DS Max. A tentative date of November has been set for the release and prices will vary based on a choice of month-to-month subscription vs. a permanent license. Features in the 1.0 release include: (more...)

Video Copilot has released a preview video of the new and upcoming Element 3D V2. Scheduled to release in November, Element 3D V2 features a host of upgrades including faster rendering, real-time physical based shaders, UI refinements, and much more. To watch the full preview video, you can head over to the Video Copilot website.