Input Device
Feeling Good
Wacom has unveiled the Bamboo Stylus feel, new to the Bamboo Stylus family that features two digital pens with Wacom's patented EMR (Electro-Magnetic Resonance) technology for tablets that integrate Wacom feel IT into their designs, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. These pressure-sensitive pens offer users a natural-feeling experience while taking notes, sketching, and navigating mobile devices. The Bamboo Stylus feel delivers a combination of "active" pen and sensor technology for a digital pen experience that emulates the feel of a traditional ballpoint pen or pencil. The pen sells for $39.95, while a carbon-fiber version costs $79.95.
Wacom; www.wacom.com
3D Printers
Print Like a Pro
3D Systems has released eight new ProJet 3500 professional 3D printers that are equipped with its latest remote tablet controls for the production of functional plastic parts and investment casting wax patterns for professional-grade design and manufacturing applications. The new ProJet 3500 series incorporates 3D Systems' recently introduced ProJet HD MAX and CPX MAX technology platform, including its patented Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM) print technology, its production-grade printhead, advanced material management, tablet-like touch-screen controls, and remote tablet and smartphone connectivity. ProJet 3500 series printers are compatible with 3D Systems' VisiJet print materials that cover a wide array of applications.
3D Systems; www.3dsystems.com
Displays
Commercial Grade
NEC Display Solutions of America has rolled out its next-generation, 32-inch, commercial-grade LCD display. NEC has also launched the V322-AVT and V322- bundles with an integrated tuner and single-board computer, respectively. The V322 features an Open Pluggable Specification (OPS)-compliant expansion slot for easily adding accessories and components. It also simplifies the installation, maintenance, and use of digital signage in a variety of environments. The display features 1366x768 high-definition native resolution and a 3000:1 contrast ratio. The V322, V322-AVT, and V322-PC are priced at $619, $719, and $1479, respectively.
NEC Display Solutions of America; www.necdisplay.com
Lighting Crowds
By Golaem!
Golaem has released Golaem Crowd 2.2 for facilitating distributed rendering and supporting Solid Angle's Arnold. The software encapsulates all Golaem Crowd rendering proxies in a single installation package for easier deployment on renderfarms. Procedural rendering plug-ins and proxies are still free to use on an unlimited number of rendering nodes. Golaem Crowd 2.2 also includes new procedural shaders for automatic diversity generation in crowds. They are available for Arnold, Mental Ray, RenderMan, and V-Ray.
Golaem; www.golaem.com
Roto/Paint
Painting New Picture
SilhouetteFX LLC has released Silhouette V5, its largest upgrade in the product's history. Already used for stereo roto, paint, and keying, Silhouette has been enhanced by a raster/vector hybrid paint system, semi-automatic 2D-to-3D conversion, a fresh look at shape-based warping and morphing, and the inclusion of planar tracking technology from Imagineer Systems' mocha Pro. Among Version 5's upgrades and new features are: Auto Paint, which offers the speed and detail of raster-based paint systems with the repeatability and animation capability of vector-based paint systems; an optional S3D node incorporating RealityTools technology from 3D Impact Media (for an added cost of $3,995) to facilitate 2D-to-3D conversion and stereoscopic processing; the Silhouette Morph node for producing film-resolution warps in a few milliseconds (in its draft mode); and more. New licenses of V5 are priced at $1,495. SilhouetteFX; www.silhouettefx.com