Win Digimation is shipping GestureMax 1.0 for Versions 5.1 and 6 of Discreet's 3ds max. A new plug-in, GestureMax provides users the ability to import into the 3ds max work space Curious Labs' Poser models with optional skeletons, skinning, and rigging applied. Digimation's new file-import plug-in is capable of moving Poser actors, figures, props, and associated textures and morphs as Poser .PZ3 files to 3ds max. GestureMax 1.0 requires Poser 4 or 5 and is priced at $295.
Digimation; www.digimation.com
SHADING
Win ATI Technologies has upgraded its RenderMonkey hardware-independent shader development tool to Version 1.5. The new edition adds full support for the OpenGL Shading Language, helping users create realistic games and animations, regardless of their hardware. RenderMonkey 1.5 also enables the importation and exportation of stand-alone packaged effects files. The new RenderMonkey SDK assists developers in customizing the RenderMonkey environment. An updated Microsoft FX exporter and support for procedural geometry and textures rounds out Version 1.5. The upgrade to RenderMonkey 1.5 is available as a free download via ATI's Web site.
ATI Technologies; www.ati.com
STORAGE
Iomega has unveiled its latest storage solution, the REV 35gb/90gb drive. Designed to offer hard-drive performance in a removable disk, the Iomega REV serves a variety of uses, including server and desktop backup, file sharing, and archiving. Roughly the size of a deck of playing cards, REV removable disks can be rewritten more than 1 million times and boast a maximum sustained transfer rate of 25mb/second. Video and graphics professionals, and others working with large file sizes, benefit from the REV's high storage capacity and fast data-transfer rates. The Iomega REV drive is available in two configurations: USB 2.0 external, priced at $399.99 with a single disk, and ATAPI internal for $379.99 with one disk.
Iomega; www.iomega.com
VIDEO
MaxVision has introduced its family of Max-Pac X Class computers, said to be the industry's first triple-LCD portable family of computers designed for such applications as SD and HD video. Designed to be rugged and portable, the MaxPac X Class computers combine three 19-inch, folding displays, which are driven independently by the Matrox Parhelia, with dual Xeon processors and seven hard drives in a small form factor. The new NLE computer also incorporates integrated Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, and a dual-media DVD burner. Computers in the MaxPac X Class product line range in price from $11,000 with a single display to $28,000 for a system with multiple displays, processors, and drives.
MaxVision; www.maxvision.com