Lets Do Blogging

Q. Choose your Interest

Options were :

Modelling
Animation
Lighting
Texturing
Rigging

Now the result is....

Total Vote : 51

Duration : One Month

Modelliing 13 (25%)

Animation 11 (21%)

Lighting 17 (33%)

Texturing 5 (9%)

Rigging 5 (9%)

ZBrush 3.1 gives you access to unparalleled power and control previously unknown in digital art creation software. Controls enable sculptors to create with a stylus and a tablet as intuitively as if they were using their hands on a block of clay. ZBrush further extends the creation experience, harnessing technology and providing artists with a multitude of creation-enhancing tools.

New Features

• Transpose
  Posing your model is as simple as moving an action line. Create a mask to isolate an area, click and drag. It’s no more complicated than posing a clay model with your fingers
  
• MATCAP
  Matcap lets you apply real world texturing and lighting to your model. Sample a few points from your chosen photograph or texture; apply to your model, and seconds later you’ve got a model complete with texture and lighting
  
• Perspective Camera
  The perspective camera gives you the ability to apply perspective to your model, giving you the ability to adjust your focal length at will
  
• Speed
  Multithreaded support for up to 256 processors let ZBrush compute at the speed of your imagination
  
• Higher Poly Count
  Up to a billion polygons allow you to create objects with almost infinite detail.
  
• HD Geometry
  HD Geometry allows you to divide your model to 1 billion polygons, and your system will only process the polygons visible onscreen.
  
• Topology
  ZSpheres makes simple and fast work of creating a new topology. And the projection feature lets you shrink-wrap your topology to an existing model.
  
• Scripted Interface
  ZBrush’s integrated scripting lets you create an interface that suits your workflow and your needs. Move existing interface items as you like, or add entirely new buttons and palettes to your interface.
  
• User Defined Alpha and texture Start up
  Customize your environment with the alphas, textures, materials and plug-ins you use most.
  
• New Movie Palette
  Create, view or export ZBrush tutorials, movies, turntables, models, and even time-lapse videos of your sculpting process.
  
• 64 bit support
  ZBrush takes full advantage of your 64-bit system.
  
  
  
  
  

Sources : http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/corefeatures/

• Accelerated Performance
  The integration of new technology into the software’s Adaptive Degradation System improves
  interactive performance by automatically simplifying scene display to meet a user-defined target frame rate. You control how 3ds Max adjusts scene display—for example, whether the smallest objects are hidden or distant objects have less detail—and 3ds Max calculates how best to achieve it. When combined with the new Direct3D® mesh caching that groups objects by materials, the result is that tens of thousands of objects can be just as interactive as ten objects. In addition, loading, arrays, FBX® and OBJ export, and other areas of the software
  perform significantly faster.
  
  


• Scene Explorer Scene Management
  3ds Max 2008 delivers Scene Explorer, a robust new tool that provides a hierarchical view of scene data and fast scene analysis, as well as editing tools that facilitate working with even the most complex, object-heavy scenes. Scene Explorer gives you the ability to sort, filter, and search a scene by any object type or property (including metadata)—with stackable filtering, sorting, and searching criteria. This new tool also enables you to save and store multiple Explorer instances and to link, unlink, rename, hide, freeze, and delete objects, regardless of what objects are currently selected in the scene. You can also configure columns to display and edit any object property, and because this feature is scriptable and SDK extendable, you can use callbacks to add custom column definitions.
  
  


• Review Rendering
  This powerful new toolset gives you immediate feedback on various render settings, enabling you to iterate rapidly. This means you can now quickly hone in on your desired look without waiting for a software render—perfect for over-the-shoulder client/boss feedback sessions, and other iterative workflows. Based on the latest game engine technology, Review delivers interactive viewport previews of shadows (including self-shadowing and up to 64 lights simultaneously), the 3ds Max sun/sky system, and mental ray Architectural and Design material settings.
  
  


• MAXScript ProEditor
  3ds Max 2008 marks the debut of the new MAXScript ProEditor. This intuitive new interface for working with MAXScript includes multilevel undo functionality; fast, high-quality code colorization; rapid opening of large documents; line number display; regular expressions in search/replace; folding of sections of the script; support for user-customization; and many
  other features.
  
  


• Enhanced DWG Import
  3ds Max 2008 delivers faster, more accurate importing of DWG files. Significantly improved memory management enables you to import large, complex scenes with multiple objects in considerably less time. Improved support for material assignment and naming, solid object import, and normals management facilitate working with software products based on the Revit 2008 platform. Plus, a new Select Similar feature identifies all objects in an imported DWG scene that contain characteristics similar to those of a selected object. This capability lets you select and edit multiple imported objects simultaneously— dramatically streamlining DWG-based workflows.
  
  


• Artist-Friendly Modeling Options
  3ds Max 2008 gives you a more streamlined, artistfriendly modeling workflow through a collection of hands-on modeling options that let you focus on the creative process. These options include selection previewing and the ability to have existing modeling hotkeys and pivots become temporary overrides.
  
  


• Biped Enhancements
  This latest release provides new levels of flexibility with regard to your Biped rigs. A new Xtras tool lets you create and animate extraneous Biped features anywhere on your rig (for example, wings or additional facial bones) and save them as BIP files. These files are supported in Mixer and Motion Flow, as well as in layers where new layering functionality enables you to save BIP files as offsets from each layer to isolate character motion. As a result, you can save each layer as its own asset for export into a game.
  
  


• Expanded Platform Support
  3ds Max 2008 is the first full release of the software officially compatible with Microsoft® Windows Vista™ 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, and the DirectX 10 platform.
  
  

Scott Farrar
(Visual Effects Supervisor)

• Foes (1977)
  Special Effects
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
  Camera Operator
• Back to the Future Part III (1990)
  Special Effects
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
  Special Effects
• Alive (1993)
  Special Effects
• Congo (1995)
  Supervisor/Manager
• Daylight (1996)
  Special Effects Supervisor
• Amistad (1997)
  Special Effects Supervisor
• Deep Impact (1998)
  Special Effects Supervisor
• Cowboys (2000)
  Visual Effects Supervisor
• Artificial Intelligence (2001)
  Visual Effects Supervisor
• Minority Report (2002)
  Visual Effects Supervisor
• Peter Pan (2003)
  Visual Effects Supervisor
• Rent (2005)
  Visual Effects Supervisor
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
  Visual Effects Supervisor
• Transformers (2007)
  Visual Effects Supervisor
  
  
  

• Normal
  The default mode, this option displays every pixel in the active layer normally, regardless of the colors in the underlying layers. When you use opacity values (whether Opacity or Fill) of less than 100 percent, the color of each pixel in the active layer is averaged with the composite pixel in the layers behind it. Normal mode is called Threshold when you're working with a bitmapped or indexed-color image.
  
  
• Dissolve
  This option specifically affects feathered or softened edges. If the active layer is entirely opaque with hard edges, Dissolve has no effect. But when the edges of the layer is fade the result color is a random replacement of the pixels with the base color or the blend color, depending on the opacity at any pixel location. However, when you drop the Opacity value below 100 percent, Dissolve will dithers all pixels.Note: Dissolve does not dither pixels in the drop shadow layer effects. Layer effects are governed by their own independent blend modes.
  
  
• Darken
  Darken applies colors in the active layer only if they are darker than the corresponding pixels below for each channel and pixel-by-pixel. Pixels in underlying layer that lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change. For example in one corresponding pixels, in blue channel in the active layer darker than the blue pixel of underlying composite pixel and the red and green components lighter. In this case, Photoshop assigns the blue component but not the red or green.
  
  
• Multiply
  Looks at the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the blend color. The result color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color with black produces black. Multiplying any color with white leaves the color unchanged. When you're painting with a color other than black or white, successive strokes with a painting tool produce progressively darker colors. The effect is similar to drawing on the image with multiple magic markers.
  
  
• Color Burn
  Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the contrast. Blending with white produces no change. Color Burn results in crisp, often colorful, toasted edges.
  
  
• Linear Burn
  Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the brightness. Blending with white produces no change. Linear Burn creates a smoother, less vibrant effect than Color Burn.
  
  
• Lighten
  Opposite with Darken mode, Lighten applies colors in the active layer only if they are lighter than the corresponding pixels in the underlying image. As with Darken, Photoshop compares the brightness levels of all channels in a full-color image. Pixels of underlying layer that darker than active layer are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change.
  
  
• Screen
  Screen is the opposite of Multiply. Rather than creating a darker image, you create a lighter image. Photoshop looks at each channel's color information and multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors. The result color is always a lighter color. Screening with black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white.Screen is useful for creating glows, retaining just the light colors in a gradient, and creating light noise effects such as snow and stars.
  
  
• Color Dodge
  Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by decreasing the contrast. Blending with black produces no change. When you apply the Color Dodge modes, each color in the layer becomes a brightness-value multiplier. Light colors such as white produce the greatest effect, and black drops away.
  
  
• Linear Dodge
  Create similar effect with Color Dodge. Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change. Linear Dodge creates similar but smoother effect than Color Dodge.
  
  
• Overlay
  Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color (underlying layer). Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color. The base color is not replaced but is mixed with the blend color to reflect the lightness or darkness of the original color.
  
  
• Soft Light
  Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a diffused spotlight on the image.If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened as if it were dodged. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened as if it were burned in. Painting with pure black or white produces a distinctly darker or lighter area but does not result in pure black or white.
  
  
• Hard Light
  Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a harsh spotlight on the image.If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful for adding highlights to an image. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened, as if it were multiplied. This is useful for adding shadows to an image. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or white.
  
  
• Vivid Light
  Burns or dodges the colors by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by decreasing the contrast. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by increasing the contrast.
  
  
• Linear Light
  Burns or dodges the colors by decreasing or increasing the brightness, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by increasing the brightness. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by decreasing the brightness.
  
  
• Pin Light
  Replaces the colors, depending on the blend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not change. This is useful for adding special effects to an image.
  
  
• Hard Mix
  The Hard Mix blend mode combines the pixels in your layers using the Vivid Light blend mode and then performs a color threshold operation on them. Hard Mix mixes two layers and pushes the colors to their absolute extreme. All in all, Hard Mixed pixels come in only eight colors: black, white, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow, the end result being quite similar to the Posterize command (Image » Adjustments » Posterize).
  
  
• Difference
  Difference inverts lower layers according to the brightness values in the active layer. White inverts the composite pixels absolutely, black inverts them not at all, and the other brightness values invert them to some degree in between. Blending with white inverts the base color values; blending with black produces no change.
  
  
• Exclusion
  Creates an effect similar to Difference Mode but lower in contrast often smoother effect. Blending with white inverts the base color values. Blending with black produces no change. Exclusion sends mid-tone to gray, much as Pin Light sends mid-tone to transparent.
  
  
• Hue
  Creates a result color with the luminance and saturation of the underlying layer color with the hue of the blend color in active layer or painted color.
  
  
• Saturation
  Creates a result color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color. Painting with this mode in an area with no saturation (gray) causes no change.
  
  
• Color
  Creates a result color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color. This preserves the gray levels in the image and is useful for coloring monochrome images and for tinting color images.
  
  
• Luminosity
  Creates a result color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color. This mode creates an inverse effect from that of the Color mode.