The
Dogwaffler of the Moment
newsletter #10 - May 2007
http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/newsletter/10
newsletter #10 - May 2007
http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/newsletter/10
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The last day of May is pretty much over. School is almost over, summer break is just about here, and we have a new spelling bee champion. Life is good.
Here's what's new with Project Dogwaffle:
- Updates &
Patches : HOT! PD Pro 4.1 is
here!
- New Tutorials
: how to use the new 4.1 features
- OS news : HOT! a Bundle offer with Parallels for Mac(!)
- New Pricing
for Upgrades : upcoming
increase
- 3rd party news: XenoDream 2 supports animations(!)
Thanks for waffling!
|
|
PD Pro 4.1 is here!
This is a rather significant new release for PD Pro 4: version 4.1 has numerous new features especially made for animators and video artists, but also new filters for still image artists, as well as a great new feature in the Optipustics particle brush system: age decrementing.
They used to
say: "The sky is the limit".
Well, no longer, thanks to PD Pro 4.1!
Well, no longer, thanks to PD Pro 4.1!
The main focus of this release is animation with video FX. There is a plethora of new tools in the animation Timeline. There are also new filters and enhancements to prior ones, for example adding animation to such things as the Sky filter in the menu: Filter>Render>Sky...
Major new features include:
- animated clouds in the Sky filter, plus fading
in or out, and changing shapes by 'slicing' through Z space in the
fractal cloud's noise. When using a clever color gradient such as a
sudden 'step' function going from white to black, rather
convincingly realistic clouds with silver lining can appear to move and
change shapes. This is a great feature when you quickly need a new
backdrop for your next presentation's slideshow.
- animated weaving of brush images, such as tall
grass in the gentle breeze. Use particle brushes to quickly draw a
bush, then pick that up as a static custom brush, then make it sway
left to right in the wind. Use different speeds, strengths and
frequences for different instances of the bush.
- animated lens flares: enhance your 3D CGI rendering of skies with realistic lighting effects. Now with accurate out-of-focus reflections. For example, use the Stroke player to create the appearance of a hand-written 'Z' that leaves a mark, with the Hancock mode. Then keyframe the lens flares at the tip of the Z stroke, to make it look like a burning bright laser is carving that shape.
- animated swap buffer can make animated
displacement maps or combine with other animations in many ways. Use it
to transform
one video clip by another, e.g. to add distortions like rising bubbles.
- The Woodcut filter: this new tool quickly turns your
digital photos
into new works of art, as if printed from a woodcut or etched metal
surface. Add some aging effects like Tarnish or a hint of wet paint
dripping down as well as slight embossing, and of course paper texture
with different levels of embossing in bright vs. dark areas of your
lithography, and you'll think you're looking at a photograph of the
real thing.
- the dark side of Mystic vision: Shadow Vision
can simulate effects like volumetric shadows cast under dark, animated
clouds. It casts rays of
darkness from the dark regions of the image or animation frames.
- dark diffusion, the counterpart to light
diffusion, is a photographic effect filter. It spreads dark
pixels into the neighboring brighter regions of the image.
- Particle brushes: Age-decrementing for more
realistic
branches to twigs, thinning roots, funky hair and fur, etc... by
reducing their lifespan and sizes while you paint. Awesome. Simply
Awesome!
This release makes PD Pro a very powerful animation system for video, post work on 3D CGI, special effects for games or traditional animation and animated digital painting especially when used together with the many other tools, brush techniques and filters.
| now
just $79! XTIVITY the easy, powerful, complete Flash authoring tool:  by TIVITY Software see what you've been missing! |
age decrementing particles
the woodcut filter
| Bryce
5 boxed version only $25 (!)  get it & Upgrade to Save! |
On Monday, June 25, the price of the upgrade from PD Pro 3 to version 4 will be raised from the current $35 USD up to $49
Upgrades from Project Dogwaffle 2 will also be adjusted on the upside.
If you've been thinking about upgrading to version 4, this is a good time to take advantage of the low upgrade price and start enjoying the new features and power of PD Pro 4.
| into 3D: draw
a shape, and see it automatically turn it into 3D Archipelis Designer  |
A few lucky Dogwafflers already have discovered this little known Gem of an art creation tool based on fractals:
XenoDream
It's a great tool for creating fantasy art, backgrounds, textures, trees and much more. The latest version also incorporates animation, which can render to an image sequence. XenoDream (XD) thus has become an even more interesting tool for working as a companion to Project Dogwaffle, especially when you're looking for more cool ways to create new types of animated brushes, backgrounds, displacement maps and material to use for compositing. You can use XD to create these, and then paint with them in PD Pro. This is a great combination for music video artists too.
Game Developers and 3D animators should equally be interested in how they can use XD to make amazing new trees and bushes. Imagine combining this with tall grass and shrubbery from our particle brush system!
It also makes great textures, again for use in 3D rendering too.
Plus, you're working in a dimension that includes 3D shapes, and thus you can save meshes out for use in other 3D programs!
For more information on XenoDream please visit Xeno Dream Software's Website - chances are you'll be amazed>
Note: it runs well on Mac with various migration solutions including Parallels desktop for Mac.
| New
v1.5 Fast 3D sketching, colormap, bumpmap and displacement map painting and digital & sculpting: Curvy 3D the fun & intuitive way to sculpt!  Special discount coupons available for users of Project Dogwaffle! (ask us) |
Check the newest features from PD Pro 4.1 - there are several mini-tutorials and explanations of how to use the new effects.
See it in > what's cool
Some examples right here:
More will be added over time here and here - so be sure to bookmark the tutorials sections of our website and back often.
| Inventory liquidation sale! Poser 5
|
today's waffler of the moment is... you!Here's to you, the inner artist, the dreamer, the waffler, graphic designer, dabbler, art enthusiast, mural painter, sculptor, retiree, student, video artist, animator, 3D modeler, sculptor, father, mother, little bother, big sister, art teacher, cartoonist, anime-lover, carricaturist, sculptor, scrap-booking grandma, glass blower, jewelry designer, wood cutter, stained glass artist....
Happy waffling!
| parallels
desktop for Mac: Run Windows-only applications on your Mac/Intel:   |
Project Dogwaffle (PD Particles, PD ARtist, PD Pro, the freeware version too) is a Windows-based application running as an activeX server. It typically needs a Windows environment to run.
If you're using a Mac, and we mean one of those newer Intel-based Macs, perhaps even the 8-core monster system recently announced (with two quad core processors!), then you have a way to run Project Dogwaffle: run Windows within a Parallels Desktop for Mac.
Windows Vista on a Mac
Unlike rebooting through Apple's boot camp dual-boot configuration, your MacOS environment doesn't have to disappear - it stays and keeps running at the same time as your Windows CD starts in its own window. You can even run several Windows versions at the same time.
But you already knew that. What you didn't know, is that there's a bundle offer, to help you get Parallels desktop for Mac, and PD Pro 3.5, both together, at a great discount. See the offer here:
PD Pro 3.5
also available by itself:
