Wacom Unveils Cintiq Companion 2
Wacom will be offering the Cintiq Companion 2, a touchscreen tablet that works either as a Windows 8 tablet with all the creative input capabilities of a Cintiq or will connect, via Cintiq Connect, to the user's home or office Mac or PC and function as a primary or secondary Cintiq display.
With 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition, the Cintiq Companion 2's Pro Pen performs like a traditional brush, pen, or marker when used in combination with creative software applications. The pen and high-resolution screen (2,560 x 1,440) interact to provide a realistic pen-on-paper feel with limited glare.
The Cintiq Companion 2 will be available in several configurations starting in February - Value (64gb SSD, pricing under $1,300), Standard (128gb SSD, under $1,600), and Premium (256gb SSD, under $2,000). The Enhanced (512gb SSD, under $2,500) and Enterprise (customizable, under $2,700) versions are expected to begin shipping this spring.
Lenovo Rolls Out ThinkPad W550s
The new ThinkPad W550s is Lenovo's thinnest and lightest mobile workstation, packed with features users need. The machine sports best-in-class graphics capabilities powered by the Nvidia Quadro. It sports a K620M GPU, which offers users the benefits of the latest Nvidia Maxwell mobile GPU architecture, with CPU performance utilizing the future fifth-generation Intel Core processors. It features 3k IPS display options with optional touch panel for rich, vibrant colors.
Blackmagic Offers Fusion 7
Blackmagic Design is now offering Fusion 7, advanced visual effects and motion graphics software, free of charge, making it easy for all VFX artists to access this high-end tool. Fusion 7 for Windows can be downloaded from the Blackmagic Design website. A Mac version is planned but no timeframe has been released.
Also announced was Fusion 7 Studio, a complete bundle of VFX and motion-graphics solutions with collaborative tools and unlimited network rendering for creative teams and larger facilities.
The free-of-charge Fusion 7 is a fully featured solution, with a visual effects and motion-graphics tool set that can be used for both personal and commercial work. Fusion 7 features an infinite 3D workspace and an easy-to-use, node-based workflow for quickly building unlimited effects. Customers get advanced 3D compositing, paint, rotoscope, retiming, stabilization, titling, a 3D particle generator, and multiple keyers, including Primatte. Fusion 7 also lets customers import and render 3D geometry and scenes from other applications, as well as create their own elements from scratch.
The $995 Fusion 7 Studio includes everything found in the free Fusion 7 software, plus adds extra high-end features such as optical flow tools for advanced retiming, stabilization and stereoscopic 3D production, support for third-party OpenFX plug-ins, and distributed network rendering so customers can render jobs on an unlimited number of computers at no additional cost. Fusion 7 Studio also includes Generation, a studio-wide, multi-user workflow and collaboration tool that helps creative teams manage, track, and review versions of every shot in a production.