The Oscars and Autodesk

Digital artists devoted days and years behind the scenes to help create the movie magic seen in many of this year's Academy Award-nominated films. In the categories for Best Visual Effects and Best Animated Film (Feature and Short) in particular many artists relied on the same set of tools digital entertainment creation software from Autodesk. Great films depend on great storytelling and our technology is designed to enable artistic vision says Marc Petit senior vice president Autodesk Media & Entertainment. We congratulate the multitalented teams of artists from North America New Zealand Europe and Asia and we are proud of Autodesk software's role in helping them create these extraordinary movies. Here are the nominated and winning movies that used Autodesk tools on their production: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 UK-based visual effects (VFX) studios Double Negative MPC and Framestore each used Autodesk Maya 3D animation and rendering software to help create the visually extravagant effects for this final installment in the Harry Potter franchise. Double Negative VFX supervisor David Vickery says Maya has been the lynchpin of our pipeline since Goblet of Fire. For this film Maya helped us build a fully computer-generated Hogwarts in a massive 3D environment including a spectacular mountain range and an animated fire-breathing dragon digitally modeled with Autodesk Mudbox software.” MPC VFX supervisor Greg Butler adds From the first film in the Potter series through to this film's final shot MPC has relied on Maya for modeling rigging and lighting. Andy Kind Framestore VFX supervisor says Autodesk's Maya once again was our go-to tool enabling us to bring to life the magic of the Chamber of Secrets for Ron and Hermione's first kiss as well as Harry's vision of Heaven. We couldn't have done any of the eight films without it. Hugo VFX studio Pixomondo managed a global production team across 10 of its 11 facilities in North America Europe and Asia for this richly detailed reimagining of 1930s Paris. The worldwide team worked for over a year using a production pipeline comprised of Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max for animation rendering character rigging and modeling; as well as Autodesk MotionBuilder for motion capture and animation. VFX supervisor Ben Grossmann says The interoperability of Autodesk tools helped us meet tight deadlines and bring Martin Scorsese's magical vision to the big screen. Real Steel Visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain motion-capture specialists Giant Studios and virtual production innovators Technoprops delivered Real Steel within an impressively efficient 71-day production schedule. The close collaboration between the three companies and an Autodesk toolset helped create this realistic and thrilling action movie with a believable and captivating robot and human relationship. VFX supervisor Erik Nash says The on-set real-time interoperability of Maya and MotionBuilder enabled tremendous creative freedom for the entire production team. Rise of the Planet of the Apes Caesar the CG chimpanzee performed by Andy Serkis is a creative milestone for Weta Digital in New Zealand. Weta used Maya and MotionBuilder as the core of its creative production pipelines for its groundbreaking visual effects and performance capture. Sebastian Sylwan chief technology officer at Weta says Creating a believable and realistic CG character like Caesar required providing our artists with the right tools and innovative technology that allowed them to iterate and express their creativity. We developed our own software to perfect performance capture hair eyes and muscles amongst others using Maya and MotionBuilder as a backbone. Canada-based Image Engine contributed pre-visualization for the film and also took advantage of a Maya-based pipeline. Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon The extraordinarily detailed Transformer robots contain up to 50 000 million polygons rendered in stereoscopic 3D by lead visual effects houses Industrial Light & Magic with studios in San Francisco and Singapore and Digital Domain. ILM used the following Autodesk DEC software tools in its pipeline: 3ds Max for digital environment work; Autodesk Flame as part of its proprietary Sabre high-speed compositing system; and Maya as the core tool for animation rigging and layout. Scott Farrar visual effects supervisor on Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon says As effects work continues to grow in complexity it is more important than ever that our artists have access to best of breed tools and by using Autodesk's Digital Entertainment Creation software ILM is able to continue to create groundbreaking visual effects. Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots Both movies earned not only Academy Award nominations for Animated Feature Film for Dreamworks Animation but also were two of the top three grossing animated films of 2011. DWA continues to creatively push technology to imbue animated characters with huge personalities and both films used Maya. Phil McNally stereoscopic supervisor on both movies says Either on our own or in concert with Autodesk we can develop tools in Maya to specifically address the challenges of stereoscopic 3D. Maya gives us that intuitive flexibility or the ability to see what we're doing – while we're doing it – in 3D. Rango Rango the story of a weird lizard's quest for identity was ILM's first animated feature. The film presented some daunting creative and technical challenges: Rango's face alone required over 300 controllers to achieve the range of performance needed for the 1 100 shots he appears in. On top of which Rango was just one of well over 100 characters that populated the film. All of these characters had some combination of scales feathers or fur and all had clothing. We strove to create a very tactile world for Rango says ILM's Hal Hickel animator director on the film. We wanted to create the illusion that if you could reach out and touch objects in the frame you'd know exactly what they would feel like so it was very important that our software enable us to show as much detail as possible at each phase of the process. This allowed us to make certain the performances would translate to the big screen. Maya was great at letting us do that. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore Moonbot Studios in Louisiana used Maya to help create this poignant and humorous allegorical film. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Digital Domain created digital doubles matte paintings animation and set extensions using both Maya and 3ds Max. Method Studios contributed to 101 VFX shots including a fully CG train sequence through a snow-covered landscape using Maya Flame and Autodesk Flare software. Blur Studios created the amazing title sequence using a combination of 3ds Max for animation and Autodesk Softimage for key framing. La Luna Pixar used Maya and Pixar's own Renderman to create this mystical coming-of-age story. The Muppets Look Effects used a combination of Flame Flare and Maya to help bring these beloved characters to life in this box-office hit. The Tree of Life Method Studios used Maya to help create the fully CG 4K (4096 x 3112 pixels per frame) sequence for the film's Microbial section which plays effectively alongside practical and mixed-technique approaches. Method's executive vice president Dan Glass was also the film's overall senior visual effects supervisor. Prime Focus used Maya 3ds Max and Mudbox to create the wonderfully realistic dinosaur sequences dedicating a team of 50 artists to achieving Terrence Malick's vision for these scenes. War Horse UK-based Framestore used Maya to help create the equine digital double barbwire VFX integration digital environments and clean-up on 200 shots for Steven Spielberg's epic drama. Hollywood and London-based The Third Floor also pre-visualized key sequences using a toolset that includes Maya. Autodesk www.autodesk.com ,3141
SF Bio Sweden Select Barco Projectors for Conversion,2012-03-14, Swedish cinema chain SF Bio has selected Barco's digital cinema projectors for its conversion to digital. Under the terms of the agreement SF Bio will exclusively install Barco DP2K and DP4K projectors in its cinemas across the country. With its 244 screens in 35 cinemas SF Bio is the leading cinema chain in Sweden. It's also one of the oldest continuously operating cinemas in the world with a history dating back to 1905. The cinema chain has been in business this long by constantly updating and investing in new technologies. Having previously converted several screens to digital the company has now teamed up with Barco for a major digital conversion.  “We welcome about 15 million moviegoers each year ” says Per Wermelin technical manager at SF Bio. “Our ambition is to offer and develop the best film and theater experiences for all of them. Converting to digital is our way of giving our customers access to the latest digital and 3D movies. After months of comparing various offers we decided to sign up with Barco. Its projectors deliver high-quality DLP images and have for SF Bio the lowest total cost of ownership a benefit that will help us save money in the long run.” 

 “We previously installed Barco projectors in some of our cinemas ” says Wermelin. “We found that they offer an extremely high uptime which is very important in the cinema business. It is vital that we have projectors we can rely on in all circumstances. After all the show must go on!”  “Since the early days of digital cinema Barco has always had a strong presence in the Nordic countries ” says Tim Sinnaeve market director Digital Cinema Barco. “This agreement is another confirmation of our efforts to provide exhibitors with a smooth conversion to the highest quality and future-proof digital cinema technology on the market. We are proud that leading cinema chain SF Bio has chosen Barco and look forward to a successful partnership.” ,3142
Codex Supports Arri Alexa Studio and Sony F65,2012-03-14,Codex Digital has announced full support for the new Arri Alexa Studio. The combination of the Alexa Studio with its 4:3 sensor and optical viewfinder and the Codex Onboard Recorder is currently being used on films such as Skyfall (Roger Deakins) and The Lone Ranger (Bojan Bozelli). Codex ArriRaw Plus and the Codex Onboard recorders can record up to 48 frames per second of ArriRaw from the Alexa Studio in 4:3 mode using Codex’ new high speed data packs. In 16:9 mode it is possible to record up to 60 frames per second using regular Codex data packs as is currently done with the Alexa and Alexa Plus. Codex Digital has also released a new build for the Codex Transfer Station for Mac OS X. The build is required when using Codex equipment employed in tandem with the Arri Alexa Studio camera. (Upgrading is not recommended for productions in progress.) In related news Codex also has an agreement with Sony to provide workflows for its F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera. Codex’s new product line the Vault will allow for the ingestion of files from the Sony F65. The files will automatically be archived to LTO-5 media and Codex Transfer Drives allowing for easy delivery to a post house. The Codex Vault incorporates the Codex Virtual File System allowing for the creation of dailies deliverables including Avid DNxHD MXF Apple ProRes DPX and OpenEXR using a unified Aces workflow.  This provides a critical back-end dailies and archiving workflow for the Sony F65 camera that has proven to be so successful with other cameras. In addition the Codex Platform software will provide a workflow for the F65 on Mac OS X also incorporating the Codex Virtual File System. Either solution can be integrated with other products including Colorfront OSD via a 10gigE connection. “Our onboard recorders have become the industry standard but our aim is to provide a standardized streamlined workflow for as many cameras as possible whether or not they use our onboard recording technology ” says Codex’s managing director Marc Dando. “Given the enormous interest we’ve seen in the F65 providing a workflow to support it was a obvious choice for us.” Codex Digital www.codexdigital.com ,3145
Doremi Cinema Hosts Brazilian Technology Summit,2012-03-14,Doremi Cinema hosted a sponsored cinema technology summit to support the current wave of change in digital entertainment that is underway in South America. The two-day event was held at the WTC Convention Center at the Sheraton Hotel in São Paulo Brazil March 6-7. In addition to advanced technology presentations by Doremi other industry leaders including Barco XpanD 3D Cinevise Harman and Telem shared their unique experiences and demonstrations. “We had an exciting line-up of engaging sessions and presentations hosted by leaders driving innovation in cinema technology. The agenda was designed to address the array of opportunities theater operators face today.  We demonstrated higher frame rate 3D and Barco’s Auro 3D Audio and shared solutions that we are successfully applying in other parts of the world to meet the exhibitors needs ” says Michael Archer vice president Digital Cinema Doremi. “Our intention was to address a broader interest in the Latin American market for the implementation of the latest technologies and future-proof solutions that bring the best experience to the audience.” The first of the two-day event included presentations by Doremi Barco XpanD Cinevise Harman Telem and demonstrations of HFR 3D and Auro 3D audio.  Doremi provided technical presentations for Screen Management Systems Theater Management Systems and its Integrated Media Block and explained the benefits of its comprehensive solution set. Day two was dedicated to a more in-depth technical look inside the Doremi solution set SMS troubleshooting maintenance and language packs installation; Integrated Media Block (IMB) installation IMB/projector marriage and troubleshooting. Also covered was transition planning conversion procedures operational considerations and troubleshooting for its Theater Management System and StreamIt solutions. “Doremi is committed to bringing both theater management efficiency and state of the art technology to South America.” Archer says. “Brazil has always been a leader in the implementation of new technologies so we are looking forward to building relationships there and across Latin America.” Doremi Cinema www.doremicinema.com ,3147
Empire Theatres First Canadian Exhibitor to Complete Conversion,2012-03-14,Empire Theatres a partner in the Canadian Digital Cinema Partnership has announced the completion of their digital cinema conversion project. The conversion began in theatres starting last May and its completion makes Empire Theatres the first national exhibitor in Canada to complete a digital cinema conversion. In all 359 screens in 45 theatres have been converted from 35mm to digital projection. Empire Theatres partnered with Barco to complete the digital cinema conversion. We are excited about our growing relationship with Empire Theatres as we help them embrace the latest digital cinema solutions says Joe DeMeo director of sales digital cinema for Barco North America. We are committed to serving the ongoing needs of our Canadian exhibitors. Empire Theatres' digital projectors incorporate either Doremi's DCP-2000 or Integrated Media Block with Doremi's ShowVault and provide 2K playback for 2D and 3D and have allowed for the introduction of CaptiView throughout the Empire Theatres' circuit for select titles. CaptiView is a personal in-theatre closed-caption viewing device for deaf and hard of hearing moviegoers. The CaptiView system consists of a small OLED display on a bendable support arm that fits into a cup holder. The easy-to-read screen can display three lines of text at a time and can support up to four languages. Empire's ability to complete the conversion in such a short period of time show's their commitment to providing their customers the best possible presentation in every screen says Michael Archer vice president digital cinema Doremi.  Empire is the quintessential exhibitor for Doremi. They have utilized four separate Doremi products in the multiplex to help them maximize all opportunities afforded by digital cinema. As a guest-focused company we view the rollout of digital cinema projection technology as an important and strategic investment in our business says Dean Leland vice president of studio and media relations for Empire Theatres Limited. The digital conversion will allow our guests to benefit from the best and brightest picture presentation each and every time they enjoy a movie at Empire Theatres and enables us to provide a premium guest experience through our Empire Extra auditoriums. I would like to acknowledge our partners Barco Doremi RealD ProjecTech and DCIP who have been great assets to our digital conversion project says Valerie Ryan chief operating officer for Empire Theatres Limited. The collaboration and hard work of our internal teams along with the support and expertise of our partners have enabled this project to be completed within only eight months without business interruption. ,3149
GDC SX-2000A Passes Certification Tests,2012-03-14,GDC Technology has announced that its SX-2000A Digital Cinema Server with Integrated Media Block has successfully passed the full range of tests required by the Compliance Test Plan for the DCI Digital Cinema System Specification. Conducted by Keio University under the license of Digital Cinema Initiatives the tests confirmed that the SX-2000A with IMB has fully met the high level of technical performance content security and quality control requirements as specified by the DCSS. The SX-2000A server can seamlessly integrate with Series 2 DLP Cinema projectors. A simple software upgrade path is available to existing owners of SX-2000A allowing a smooth transition to satisfy DCI Cinema Systems Specification Version 1.2. “This latest DCI compliance certification for our IMB server clearly demonstrates GDC Tech’s ability in providing customers with products that always meet industry standards ” says Dr. Man-Nang Chong founder and CEO of GDC Tech. “With more than 12 years in the industry and close to 15 000 digital cinema servers installed worldwide GDC Tech has earned the trust of exhibitors worldwide by consistently offering products with the highest quality and reliability. And of equal significance customers can rest assured that DCI compliance will always be taken care of giving them the peace of mind that their investment in digital cinema servers will always be protected.” ,3150
Russia Gets Renewed Attention over Piracy Issues,2012-03-14,The International Intellectual Property Alliance has published its written submission to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative listing countries that it believes should be on the “priority watch list” regarding movie music video game and software piracy. The “most wanted” countries this year are Canada China Russia and Ukraine. At the same time the European Audiovisual Observatory part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg has released its latest IRIS plus report Answers to Internet Piracy which offers a brand new analysis of what is being done to combat piracy in Europe with a special focus on Russia. Dmitry Golovanov of the Moscow Media Law and Policy Centre authored the lead article of this report – Fighting Internet Piracy in Russia. The article begins by detailing recent legal events in the fight against piracy in Russia such as the blacklisting of the Russian equivalent of Facebook VKontakte.ru by the Recording Industry Association of America or indeed the first ever case of a VKontakte user becoming a suspect in a criminal case for illegally uploading audio files. The author then proceeds to examine the regulatory principles applying to the Internet in Russia and their interpretation. Golovanov says “Russia lacks a comprehensive special law on the protection of intellectual property rights on the Internet as well as regulation of the Internet itself.” Current legislative action is based therefore on a combination of provisions contained in the Russian constitution the civil code various Supreme Court Resolutions and the Federal Statute “On information information technologies and protection of information”. Russia is an observer to the World Trade Organization and is expected to join this year. As a result the country will have to bring national legislation into line with the WTO agreements. As part of the accession agreement Russia has already agreed to “take action against […] websites (with servers located in the Russian federation) that promote illegal distribution of content.” Golovanov then goes on to look at the controversial practice of Russian courts in cases involving Internet sites stating that contradictory rulings are often made and that Russian Internet companies and rights holders often complain that courts simply do not know how to resolve disputes in this area. The report points out the inherent contradictions in the Russian law which does not “require Internet companies to monitor the legality of the conduct of their users but […] does not prevent the courts from holding them liable for not doing so…” Moving on to look at initiatives of concerned parties aimed at legislation reforms the author concludes that in the light of the aforementioned legal incoherencies a sea change is currently taking place in Russian legislation. This may be seen in “the recent efforts of the high courts to form unified law-enforcing practice and […] initiatives aimed at reforming the national system of intellectual property lawn namely the recent draft law amending the Civil Code.” On an international level Golovanov points out that Russian’s involvement in the WTO discussions and Medvedev’s plans to bring international intellectual property law into line with the Digital Age requirements “may also improve the effectiveness of intellectual property law protection under the national system.” ,3154
JVC Introduces ProHD Portable Monitor Series,2012-03-14, JVC Professional Products Company has introduced the DT-X71 Series of portable ProHD LCD monitors. Ideal for field and studio applications the new seven-inch AC/DC monitors offer 1024x600 resolution with a 160-degree viewing angle – and can display 480i 480p 720p 1080i and 1080p video signals at a variety of frame rates.
 
 There are three models in the DT-X71 Series with scaled I/O options and features for specific needs. The basic DT-X71C model offers one HDMI and one composite video input while the DT-X71H adds two HD/SD-SDI inputs and an HD/SD-SDI loop through output. The DT-X71F includes an additional HD/SD-SDI loop through output and one HDMI converted to SDI output. All three models include stereo audio input. 
 
 Other features include an adjustable 16:9/4:3 display dual three-color tally lights under scan and over scan image flip customer editable video title Canon DSLR scale zoom-in and safe mark display. The DT-X71F the most feature-rich model in the series also includes a waveform vector scope RGB histogram red/blue peaking focus assist zebra false color blue only internal color bars image rotation and 16-channel SDI (two-channel HDMI) audio meter. 
  Each monitor is powered via a four-pin XLR 12V DC connector with included AC adapter or an optional snap-on JVC BN-VF823USP 7.2V battery. DT-X71 Series monitors also ship with a cold shoe mounting adaptor and hood. 
  “The new ProHD monitors are an affordable option for video professionals in the field and the studio ” says Dave Walton assistant vice president of marketing and communications. “They are lightweight deliver great images and are built to last.”
 
 Along with the new HZ-HM150VZR ProHD remote lens control the DT-X71 Series is part of JVC’s new ProHD Compact Studio system which configures the GY-HM150 ProHD handheld camcorder for studio environments. When mounted to the GY-HM150 the DT-X71 serves as a full-size studio camera monitor.
 
The DT-X71C has a suggested list price of $595 the DT-X71H is priced at $1 095 and the DT-X71F is priced at $1 695. All models are now available. ,3155
Kinoton Supports 62nd Berlin International Film Festival,2012-03-14, Kinoton was one of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival’s official suppliers and provided digital cinema and film technology and professionally supported the festival team in pulling off this technical and logistical tour de force. Dr. Ing Reiner Chemnitius the Berlinale’s technical supervisor is very upbeat about the results: Kinoton has a long tradition of providing equipment and technical support to the Berlinale – this year for the first time also including digital projection systems. The four DCS Digital Cinema Solutions functioned seamlessly with our technical infrastructure and digital workflow. In addition to delivering impeccable picture quality they were extremely easy to operate despite being fed a wide variety of digital formats. In addition to the three planned Kinoton DCS Digital Cinema Solutions at the World Culture House the Martin Gropius Building and hall 2 of the CineStar Cubix theatre at short notice the Berlinale required a fourth digital system in hall 6 of the CinemaxX. Kinoton took only two days to supply and install the additional DCS system also configuring it to accommodate the digital formats output by the festival’s proprietary encoding system. And during the Berlinale Kinoton was constantly on call to immediately deal with any technical problems and ensure trouble-free shows. ,3156
Video Game High School a Lighting Challenge,2012-03-14,To produce Video Game High School the latest feature length web series to air on Freddie Wong and Brandon Laatsch’s YouTube channel the team needed solid mobile and efficient lighting. “That’s exactly what Litepanels LED lights gives us for our latest feature as well as our weekly YouTube videos ” says Wong. Wong Laatsch and show runner/writer Matthew Arnold discovered Litepanels last year when they took a 1x1 on a 10 000-mile road trip project making videos with their fans. “We’re tech geeks at heart ” Wong says. “So I had been following the development of LED lighting closely for some time. When it came time to equip ourselves Litepanels LED lights were at the top of our list. We are now using an array of Bi-Color and daylight 1x1s a Sola 6 Fresnel MicroPro on-camera light as well as the 1K Hilio on our projects.” Wong and team were drawn to Litepanels lights because their shooting schedule and style requires them to move extremely fast in order to make their days. “The 1x1s and Sola 6 Fresnel were ideal for allowing us to light in the cramped spaces of classrooms and hallways as well as to move as quickly as we needed to ” Wong says. “In many cases despite having other lights on the set our DP Jon Salmon elected to go with Litepanels boomed out on C-stands because they gave a significantly faster speed of deployment. Often the last step before we shot was to grab a Litepanels fixture for a bit of fill or an eye light.” On the last day of their recent shoot the trio was out in the desert and ran out of sunlight. Not a problem says Wong. “We simply took a battery operated MicroPro bounced it into a bounce board and used that as a keylight. That combined with the low light sensitivity of the Sony F3 allowed us to get the last few shots we needed.” After this experience Wong and team are sold on Litepanels lights. “It’s clear that the weight and output of these lights make them ideal soft sources especially when combined with cameras that are now becoming more sensitive in low light situations ” Wong says. “You don’t need to blast your actors anymore and make everyone on set sweat – you can move quickly and efficiently while keeping the on-camera talent happy.” As with their other projects Video Game High School will run on the company’s YouTube channel as well as their upcoming portal site http://rocketjump.com. Wong’s http://youtube.com/freddiew and freddiew2 have 2.6 million subscribers and have over half a billion video views to date. ,3157
On Location Production Starts on The Lone Ranger,2012-03-14, Production has started on location in New Mexico Arizona Utah and Colorado on Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ epic adventure The Lone Ranger. The film reunites the filmmaking team of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean blockbusters—producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski—with Johnny Depp who created Captain Jack Sparrow in his iconic Academy Award-nominated performance and contributed the voice of the title character of Verbinski’s Academy Award-winning Rango. 
 
 Depp plays spirit warrior Tonto in The Lone Ranger with Armie Hammer (The Social Network J. Edgar) starring in the title role. Depp and Hammer are joined by an international cast which includes Tom Wilkinson two-time Academy Award nominee (Michael Clayton In the Bedroom) and Golden Globe and Emmy winner (John Adams); William Fichtner (Jerry Bruckheimer’s productions of Armageddon Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down); Emmy Award-winner Barry Pepper (TV’s The Kennedys True Grit Saving Private Ryan); James Badge Dale (The Grey TV’s The Pacific and Rubicon); Ruth Wilson (television’s Jane Eyre and Luther); and two-time Academy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe nominee Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech Alice in Wonderland). The film is slated to open on May 31 2013.
 
The Lone Ranger is an adventure infused with action and humor in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer) a man of the law into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.
 
 The Lone Ranger is written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio of Pirates of the Caribbean Eric Aronson and Justin Haythe. The executive producers are Mike Stenson Chad Oman Ted Elliott Terry Rossio Eric Ellenbogen and Eric McLeod.
 
Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski are joined by director of photography Bojan Bazelli (Verbinski’s The Ring Mr. and Mrs. Smith); visual consultant Mark Crash McCreery (production designer of Verbinski’s Rango); costume designer Penny Rose (Pirates of the Caribbean films); film editor James Haygood (Panic Room Fight Club); visual effects supervisor Tim Alexander (Rango three Harry Potter films); Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor John Frazier a 10-time nominee whose previous collaborations with Jerry Bruckheimer have included Armageddon Pearl Harbor and with Verbinski as well Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End; and stunt coordinator Tommy Harper “Iron Man Iron Man 2).
   The Lone Ranger will film exteriors and studio work in New Mexico followed by locations in Arizona Utah and Colorado. ,3158
Luxology’s modo 601 Now Available,2012-03-14, Luxology has announced the immediate availability of modo 601 its award-winning artist-friendly 3D content creation software. modo 601 includes character animation built-in dynamics volumetric rendering and enhanced retopology modeling tools along with a host of other new capabilities.   “modo 601 is our most significant release ever ” says Brad Peebler president and co-founder of Luxology. “With new feature and workflow enhancements modo now offers an end-to-end production solution that is both powerful and highly usable by artists and designers.” “Throughout my 18 years in the 3D business I've never seen a 3D software application become so powerful so fast ” says Dan Ablan president –of AGA Digital Studios. “The additions to modo 601 are mind blowing and the render boolean function blobs and new deformer tools are absolutely invaluable.” This is character animation done right ” says Greg Brown beta tester and senior CGI artist at Alter. “We've all been holding our breath for this one and it was definitely worth the wait.”

modo 601 is available immediately for both Mac OS X and Windows at $1 195 with an upgrade price of $495. Existing modo owners can upgrade for $395 for the next two weeks.  Also for a limited time users of Maya 3ds Max SoftImage Houdini CINEMA 4D and LightWave 3D are offered a crossgrade to modo for just $795. modo 601 is available from Luxology and its network of authorized Luxology resellers around the globe.
 Luxology www.luxology.com