Author: Mercedes Milligan

MAXON Announces Cinema 4D R18

MAXON announces Cinema 4D Release 18, the next generation of its industry-leading 3D animation, VFX, graphics, visualization and rendering software application. The upcoming release boasts new, powerful and easily accessible tools tailored to the needs of creative professionals working on challenging digital productions for TV, film, games, architecture, advertising and design.

“MAXON continues to build upon its 30-year legacy of empowering our existing and new customers with unprecedented performance and accessibility for streamlining and simplifying design workflows,” said Harald Egel, CEO & managing partner at MAXON Computer GmbH. “Cinema 4D Release 18 builds upon that foundation with powerful new tools and refinements so that creative professionals can successfully handle the demands required in today’s motion graphics, VFX and visualization environments.”

This week at the SIGGRAPH 2016 conference in Anaheim, California (July 24-28), MAXON will preview R18’s new features. Among the highlights to be showcased:

+ Voronoi Fracture Object – a native feature in the MoGraph toolset in Cinema 4D that works seamlessly with Dynamics, allows users to tear down walls and create artistic procedural geometry using spline or polygon objects to define the fractured shape.

+ Interactive Knife Tools – enable users to draw lines across a model and tweak the cut with an interactive preview, then lock in new edges or split based on the cut; knife tools are available as separate commands for easy access to the desired mode via shortcut or Commander.

+ Object Motion Tracking – the next evolution in MAXON’s effort to give artists accessibility to dynamic VFX and visualization workflows with expanded tools for integrating Cinema 4D creations into real-world footage.

+ Shaders and Surface Effects – offer advanced rendering possibilities for creating iridescent surfaces such as bubbles and oil slicks, for capturing shadows for more efficient compositing, parallax mapping for enhanced bump effects, and creating masks for worn edges using inverse ambient occlusion.

+ Substance Engine Integration – Download compiled Allegorithmic Substances and utilize them to surface your Cinema 4D objects. This fully-integrated implementation offers outstanding workflow and flexibility, plus options to cache Substances on disk for better performance.

Cinema 4D R18 is scheduled to ship in September, available for Mac OS X and Windows, with Linux nodes for rendering. See www.maxon.net for more information on features, pricing and upgrades, and system requirements.

Cinema 4D

July 25, 2016
WB Animation Announces Three DC Movies at SDCC

Saturday’s Warner Bros. Animation panel at Comic-Con International was already set to be an animation/comic-book crossover geek’s dream, thanks to its latest much-anticipated release Batman: The Killing Joke — which premiered at CCI and will be digitally released July 26, with discs out August 2. (Pick up the August/September issue of Animation Magazine for an insightful interview with voice of the Joker, Mark Hamill.)

But WBA outdid itself by announcing three upcoming DC Extended Universe titles:

+ Batman & Harley Quinn is slated for release sometime in 2017, and will be a wholly original story from DC animated universe demigod Bruce Timm, who co-created Harley Quinn for Batman: The Animated Series. Voice cast details were not released, but if Timm is involved it’s likely that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill will be willing to reprise Batman and Joker.

+ Justice League Dark, which is outpacing Guillermo del Toro’s live-action adaptation for the story, and will mark the first animated appearance for John Constantine. Swamp Thing is also confirmed to appear in the movie. Created by Peter Milligan, the JLD comic books focused on the more supernatural DC denizens, like Constantine, Deadman, Shade, Madame Xanadu, the Changing Man and Zatanna.

+ Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, adapted from the story by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. The feature has been buzzed about for ages, but it’s now slated for 2017. Concluded in the mid 1980s, the four-part Wolfman-Perez story revealed the origins of Deathstroke, introduces Joey Wilson and Adeline Kane, and presented the first appearance of Dick Grayson as Nightwing.

Batman & Harley Quinn

July 24, 2016
CN Toons Up SDCC with ‘We Bare Bears’ & ‘Powerpuff Girls’ Panels

Cartoon Network on Saturday presented a back-to-back panel extravaganza featuring two of its popular toons: We Bare Bears and the new The Powerpuff Girls, both making their San Diego Comic-Con debuts with their first proper panels. Audiences in the Indigo Ballroom were treated to never-before-seen footage and behind-the-scenes insights from cast and crew.

Representing We Bare Bears were Annie Award winner and series creator Daniel Chong, storyboard artist Lauren Sassen, series writer Mikey Heller, director Manny Hernandez, and voice actors Eric Edelstein (Grizzly), Bobby Moynihan (Panda) and Demetri Martin (Ice Bear). Sassen did a live illustration, and fans got a sneak peek at “Icy Nights” — the episode premieres later this year and sees Ice Bear ride his custom vacuum into the city, where a gang of techies steal his ride.

We Bare Bears

The back-to-back Powerpuff Girls panel features executive producer Nick Jennings, co-executive producer Bob Boyle, write Haley Mancini (also the voice of Princess Morbucks), writer Jake Goldman, and voice actors Amanda Leighton (Blossom), Kristen Li (Bubbles), Natalie Palamides (Buttercup) and Tom Kenny (The Mayor, The Narrator). Fans got a peek at upcoming episode “The Big Sleep,” in which the superhero sisters have to stop the Professor’s latest invention from wreaking havoc in the house.

The Powerpuff Girls

July 24, 2016
Daily News Bytes

Star Trek Beyond $30M Debut; Lights Out $8.3M; Ice Age Franchise Crosses $3B To Best Shrek; China Loves Skiptrace
Concurrently with its domestic release, Paramount launched the new Trek title in 37 markets, handily taking the No. 1 spot in 16 of them.

SDCC: Marvel Animation Announces New Animated Film
A full-length Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell feature will focus on the green machine and Doctor Strange. Also announced: a 12-part toon series starring Rocket Raccoon and Groot for Disney XD.

Comic-Con: Son of Zorn Taps Keegan-Michael Key, Serial‘s Sarah Koenig to Guest
Fox’s new hybrid comedy from Phil Lord and Chris Miller is tapping top talent ahead of its September 25 premiere.

DC Faces Renewed Backlash over Batgirl in Animated Batman: The Killing Joke
Fans were promised that the character would emerge from Alan Moore’s dark story world as “more than just victim,” but the fix is even more problematic for some.

Pre-college Ringling Students Experiment with “4-D” Animation
RCAD’s latest four-week immersion course for pre-college kids boasts its largest group yet, with “4-D art and design” course takers working with professional dancers to create animation over video footage.

Star Trek Beyond

July 24, 2016
Daily News Bytes

DreamWorks Animation Rolls Out Its ‘Trolls,’ and Alec Baldwin Too – Comic-Con
DWA rang in the first of the big Hall H panels at Comic-Con in San Diego with a deluge of unseen Trolls footage ahead of the musical-comedy’s Nov. 4 release, as well as the first real look at Boss Baby, with a surprise appearance from voice star Alec Baldwin.

Animation in Ireland: How Cartoon Saloon Became a Major Draw
The award-winning Kilkenny studio’s co-founder and CEO Paul Young talks about his animated journey, the opportunities an Oscar nod opens up, and the challenges facing the arts in Ireland.

Transformers Animation: Then and Now Retrospective from Comic-Con 2016
Thursday’s panel on the evolution of Transformers, hosted by Hasbro, took attendees all the way back to the 1980s and back up to their present-day TV incarnations.

Cracking the Mighty Coconut
The Austin Chronicle goes behind the scenes of fresh-faced local 3D VFX and animation studio Mighty Coconut, now working on its first feature Koalaroo.

The 12 Principles of Animation as Illustrated through Disney and Disney-Pixar Films
The must-learn guidelines for creating impactful and appealing animation first laid down by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, now in gif-laden listicle form!

Trolls

July 23, 2016
BLE Registration Now Open for 2016

Registration is now open for Brand Licensing Europe 2016, the continent’s largest and most prestigious licensing event.

Now in its 18th year, BLE returns to the Olympia in London this October 11-13, bringing together over 300 leading brand owners with 7,200-plus retailers, licensees and manufacturers for three days of networking, deal-making and trend-spotting.

Among the 2015 exhibitors were major animation brand players including Cartoon Network, DreamWorks, Mattel, Fox, Warner Bros., Hasbro, Sony, Moomin, Pokemon and King Features — to name just a few.

Register for BLE 2016 for free right now!

Brand Licensing Europe 2016 registration open

July 23, 2016
OIAF Teams with Corus and Toon Boom for ‘Pitch This!’

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) — North America’s leading animation film festival — announces an exciting opportunity for aspiring TV toon creators. Long-time festival partner Corus Entertainment is offering a development deal in addition to Toon Boom software to the winner of the 2016 Pitch THIS! Competition, held as part of The Animation Conference (TAC) industry track this September 21-23.

“As a long-time supporter of independent production and animation, Corus and its animation division, Nelvana, are thrilled to be able to support a project from its infancy and offer guidance during the development process,” says Scott Dyer, President, Nelvana, a division of Corus. “Many great shows evolve from pitch sessions and we’re looking forward to a unique and dynamic project that our Corus Kids and Toon Boom teams can assist in nurturing from the get-go.”

In celebration of OIAF’s 40th anniversary, not only is there a development deal to be had, but the 2016 program has added a mentorship twist as well. This year, 10 pitches will be selected and the creators paired with an industry professional mentor who will help polish their idea.

All 10 concepts will be presented on Sept. 21 during TAC, with each contestant given 10 minutes to impress a small committee of experts. Two pitches will be chosen to present at the official Pitch THIS! event on Sept. 22 to a panel of broadcasters — and the entire TAC audience, including over 300 potential buyers and financiers.

Submissions are open until August 15, 2016. Pitch THIS! proposals should include a project synopsis, including log line and character descriptions; one episode synopsis; concept art; and key creators’ bios. Content should be aimed at kids ages 2-11. No more than two submissions per production company. International pitches welcome!

Submit proposals to: presentations@animationfestival.ca

Ottawa International Animation Festival

July 23, 2016
Comedy Central Announces Season 2 for ‘Chamberlain Heights’

Months ahead of its debut, Comedy Central announced at San Diego Comic-Con that it has renewed its new urban, coming-of-age animated series Legends of Chamberlain Heights for a second season. The show is set to premiere Wednesday, September 14 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, following the 20th season premiere of South Park.

Legends of Chamberlain Heights is executive produced by Bento Box Entertainment (Bob’s Burgers, Brickleberry, The Awesomes) co-founders Scott Greenberg and Joel Kuwahara, along with co-creator Brad Ableson (The Simpsons, Good Vibes) and showrunner Devon Shepard (Everybody Hates Chris, Weeds), with co-creators Quinn Hawking (Fox Sports, NFL Network) and Josiah Johnson (Showtime, NFL Network) producing.

“This show pushes the envelope far enough to warrant a second season before season one even airs,” said Alterman. “We are so lucky to be working with Comedy Central and their strong executive team,” adds Kuwahara. “They’ve been nothing but supportive and getting a second season is like hitting a game winning three-pointer!”

Legends of Chamberlain Heights is an animated series mixing raucous comedy and social commentary that centers on three high school freshman basketball benchwarmers: Jamal, Grover, and Milk. The three friends tackle life with some wins and some losses, but failure doesn’t faze them since they’re legends…even if it’s just in their own minds.

Veteran Simpsons artist Ables developed the original concept with Hawking, Johnson, Mike Clements and Michael Starrbury. Former UCLA Bruin basketball players, Hawking and Johnson used their own legendary bench-warming experience to provide inspiration for the main characters.

Legends of Chamberlain Heights

July 23, 2016
‘Steven Universe’ Makes Musical Comic-Con Debut

On Friday, Cartoon Network presented an utterly unique live musical experience for Steven Universe fans at San Diego Comic-Con, with an exclusive sneak peek at a new episode of the hit show as icing on the cake!

In the Emmy-nominated series’ first-ever CCI panel, fans packed the Indigo Ballroom for a concert of critically-acclaimed Steven Universe music with Grammy winner Estelle (voice of Garnet) and show creator Rebecca Sugar, accompanied by Zach Callison (voice of Steven), Michaela Dietz (voice of Amethyst), Deedee Magno Hall (voice of Pearl), Ben Levin (series writer), Jeff Liu (series writer and storyboard artist), musician Jeff Ball and series composers Aivi Tran and Steven “Surasshu” Velema.

Songs performed included the extended theme song and fan-favorites “Stronger Than You,” “It’s Over, Isn’t It” and the new song “Mr. Greg,” from Steven Universe’s first-ever musical episode.

Fans were also treated to an exclusive sneak peek at a brand new episode “Beach City Drift.” Tonight, it’s the return of Stevonnie as Steven and Connie get into a high-speed car race with their biggest foe. “Beach City Drift,” is part of a special four-week event Steven Universe: Summer Adventures, premiering tonight at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) on Cartoon Network.

Steven Universe

July 23, 2016
SIGGRAPH: ‘Pearl,’ ‘Kubo,’ House of Moves, Devil & Demon

Google Spotlight Stories will present a series of sessions and demos featuring 360 short film Pearl by Patrick Osborne. These include “The Making of Pearl, a Google Spotlight Story” Production Session (July 24, 10:45 a.m, Ballroom B) with Osborne and key creative leads; Autodesk VR Vision Series: Pearl: Taking 2D Animation into Virtual Reality with Patrick Osborne (July 26, 10 a.m., Rm 207D), VR Village Story Lab (July 24-28, Experiences Hall, Hall C) and every day access to Pearl on the HTC Vive at the VR Storylab.

LAIKA’s latest (and most technologically ambitious) feature film Kubo and the Two Strings will be the subject of the ”One Giant Skeleton, One Colossal Undertaking” Production Session on July 25, 2-3:30 p.m. in Hall B, featuring VFX supe Steve Emerson, camera and motion control engineer Steve Switaj, principal software engineer Mitch Prater and CG look development lead Eric Wachtman. The film will also be part of the Daytime Selects Break It Down sessions, held July 24, 26 and 27.

House of Moves will team up with Epic Games for a presentation at SIGGRAPH’s Real-Time Live!, demonstrating its real-time body motion capture on the big screen. The July 26 event (5:15 p.m. in Hall B) will showcase the latest trends and techniques for interactive visuals, and will spotlight the world’s first believable virtual reality human, driven live by an actress within an Unreal Engine game world — body, face and voice will all be captured live and recorded to create a real-time scene.

Silverdraft, makers of Devil and Demon supercomputers, are taking reservations for experience demos of the latest in optimised, super-fast compute solutions for collaborative Virtual Reality visualization at the NVIDIA booth #509 and post-production with Autodesk Flame at the B&H booth #767. Silverdraft’s VP of marketing/sales Steve Bannerman, president Tim Tiscornia and CEO & founder Amy Gile will be on hand to talk you through the technology and new uses in product and industrial design. You can also catch Silverdraft at Intel (#711), PNY (#627), NVIDIA and B&H during the show.

Kubo and the Two Strings

July 22, 2016
Comic-Con: Nicktoons, Wonder Woman, Voltron, Yo-Kai Watch

Nickelodeon gave fans a glimpse into the minds of the creators of iconic cartoons during the Happy Happy! Joy Joy!: 25 Years of Nickelodeon Original Animation Panel, moderated by Nick Animation Podcast host Hector Navarro. Panelists Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, Bunsen Is a Beast!), Jhonen Vasquez (Invader Zim) and Arlene Klasky (Rugrats) gave the inside scoop on the Nicktoons legacy, and offered sneak peeks at the upcoming slate including first-look art from Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie (2017), an exclusive clip and art from Bunsen Is a Beast! (2017), and the world premiere of Don vs Raph — a TMNT animated short written and produced by Vasquez.

DreamWorks Animation and Netflix confirmed at the show that the critically-acclaimed original series Voltron Legendary Defender will return to streaming with a second season later this year. The announcement was made at a panel with EP Joaquim Dos Santos, co-EP Lauren Montgomery and writer Tim Hedrick, who were joined by surprise guest Steven Yeun (voice of Keith) to share behind-the-scenes stories, filmmaker favorites from season 1 and a sneak peek at season 2. DWA also announced that the 11-track season 1 soundtrack is now available on iTunes.

LEVEL-5 abby’s Yo-Kai Watch is returning for a second season on Disney XD on Aug. 1, and fans are in for a lot of excitement at the first-ever Yo-kai Interactive Area in Petco Park during the Con. (Look for the 15’ tall Jinbanyan!) The zone will feature Stage Events (including Yo-kai Exercise #1 dance lessons, episode screenings), “Stamps of Fury” booth activity challenge with unique prizes, Trading Card Tournament, Character Photo Opps, Season Two premiere sneak peek, new product previews (Hasbro’s new Yo-Kai Watch Model Zero, Yo-Motion Yo-Kai Medals and more) and Gaming Zone. Complete schedule and new product details here.

Wonder Woman is celebrating her 75th anniversary this year, and in honor of the original pop-culture icon of Girl Power, the U.S. Postal Service has partnered with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment to create a set of commemorative Forever stamps. The panel of four designs, representing the evolution of the superhero, will be among other Wonder Woman items revealed Saturday at CCI. USPS is planning a day-of-issue dedication ceremony for Oct. 7 at New York Comic-Con.

Wonder Woman’s big 75th party has already kicked off with an Amazonian unveiling from Warner Bros. Consumer Products during Wednesday’s Preview Night. The event included a massive replica of Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet, which fans were able to climb inside for a truly unique photo opp, and artistic tributes to the Amazon Princess created just for the event by artists Kathrine Brannock, Celeste Byers and Christina Angelina.

Voltron Legendary Defender

July 22, 2016
Clip: Behind-the-Scenes of ‘Elena of Avalor’

Take a gander at the goings-on behind the scenes of Disney’s highly anticipated new animated series, Elena of Avalor, with this Making Of video featuring interviews with the series’ creative team and Aimee Carrero, who voices Elena. The series debuts on Disney Channel on Friday, July 22 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Set in the enchanted fairytale land of Avalor, the series tells the story of Elena, a brave and adventurous teenager who has saved her kingdom from an evil sorceress and must now learn to rule as crown princess until she is old enough to be queen. The stories incorporate influences from diverse Latin and Hispanic cultures through architecture, traditions, food and customs. Magic, mythology, folklore and music also play an important role.

Elena of Avalor was creaed by Emmy winner Craig Gerber and is produced by Disney Television Animation.

Take a gander at the goings-on behind the scenes of Disney’s highly anticipated new animated series, Elena of Avalor, with this Making Of video featuring interviews with the series’ creative team and Aimee Carrero, who voices Elena. The series debuts on Disney Channel on Friday, July 22 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Set in the enchanted fairytale land of Avalor, the series tells the story of Elena, a brave and adventurous teenager who has saved her kingdom from an evil sorceress and must now learn to rule as crown princess until she is old enough to be queen. The stories incorporate influences from diverse Latin and Hispanic cultures through architecture, traditions, food and customs. Magic, mythology, folklore and music also play an important role.

Elena of Avalor was creaed by Emmy winner Craig Gerber and is produced by Disney Television Animation.

Elena of Avalor

July 22, 2016
CN Peeks ‘Ben 10,’ ‘Regular Show’ at Comic-Con

Thursday night, Cartoon Network kicked off its San Diego Comic-Con festivities in style with a Costume Ball and Screening extravaganza. As part of the festivities, the network presented the world premiere of the new Ben 10 animated action series, as well as a peek at an upcoming episode of Emmy-winning comedy toon Regular Show.

The reinvigorated Ben 10 will begin rolling out this fall, beginning in Europe and Asia before coming to North America and Latin America in 2017. Building on Cartoon Network’s biggest international franchise, the new show follows 10-year-old Ben and his larger-than-life alien transformations, sure to inspire fans of all ages to want to want to discover their inner hero.

J.G. Quintel’s fan-favorite Regular Show is returning to Cartoon Network for an eighth season this year, with all new oddball adventures surrounding Mordecai, Rigby and their long-suffering coworkers and friends. CCI attendees got to see a clip from upcoming episode “One Space Day at a Time,” which finds the gang in space and desperate to hold it together until they can return home.

Ben 10

July 22, 2016
‘Zorro the Chronicles’ Launches in the U.S. on Hulu

Paris-based production and distribution company Cyber Group Studios continues to build the worldwide presence of its hit CG animated series Zorro the Chronicles (26 x 22), with a U.S. launch planned for Hulu this weekend on July 23, in both English and Spanish.

“Writing and producing Zorro the Chronicles has been a very exciting and challenging project for me, as Zorro is an iconic brand known worldwide for over a century,” says Cyber Group’s CEO Pierre Sissmann. “So, our responsibility at Cyber Group Studios, towards the new generations, was huge. I am thrilled that John Gertz of [Zorro Production International] and so many broadcasting partners worldwide have trusted us to make already a real success of this first season.”

Written by Sissmann and Annabelle Perrichon and directed by Olivier Lelardoux, Zorro the Chronicles is an action-comedy aimed at kids 6-12 which follows the teenage adventures of the legendary hero created by pulp novelist Johnston McCulley in 1919. The young Don Diego (a.k.a. The masked hero Zorro) fights to defeat tyranny with his clever, courageous twin sister Ines and best friend Bernardo by his side.

The series is produced by Cyber Group Studios in collaboration with John Gertz’s Zorro Production International and Blue Spirit Studios for France Télévisions and RAI. Zorro has been snapped-up by a wide range of major broadcasters worldwide: Turner and Citel (France), RTVE Clan (Spain), RTS (Switzerland), VRT and RTBF (Belgium), TV2 (Norway), YLE (Finland), SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), NPO (Netherlands), ETV (Estonia), TéléQuébec (Canada), Minimax (Eastern Europe), Globosat (Brazil), Spectrum (Indonesia), Thai PBS (Thailand), Al Jazeera (Middle East), TV5 Worldwide, et al.

Zorro

July 22, 2016
Asian Animation Summit ‘16 Heads Down Under

This year’s fifth annual Asian Animation Summit will take place in Brisbane, Australia from November 22-24, organizers have announced. An initiative of KOCCA (Korea), MDeC (Malaysia) and SIPA/DITP (Thailand), AAS 2016 is owned and produced by Kidscreen, and generously supported by Screen Queensland and Brisbane Marketing.

This year, organizers anticipate roughly 200 attendees to take part in the event, which is designed for animation companies seeking co-production projects with partners in the Asia-Pacific region; as well as broadcasters, distributors and investors from nearby and abroad.

Over the course of the three-day event, 24 projects from Australia, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and elsewhere in Asia-Pacific that are brand-new to the market and looking for financing and partners will be presented. Each day will begin with an informative panel discussion or presentation that explores new market trends, business models or creative techniques that are highly relevant to local producers.

More information online at www.asiananimationsummit.com.

Asian Animation Summit

July 22, 2016
Become a Crystal Gem in ‘Steven Universe’ Mobile Game ‘Soundtrack Attack’

Your deepest desire to become a Crystal Gem and defend the galaxy can now be fulfilled with Cartoon Network Game’s Soundtrack Attack! — the latest addition to the Steven Universe digital content slate, which already boasts No. 1 Top App Attack the Light!

In Soundtrack Attack!, players create their own customized Crystal Gem with a choice of hairstyle, outfit, accessories and weaponry. Then tap, hold and swipe along to fan-favorite Steven Universe sounds like “We Are the Crystal Gems,” “Stronger Than You,” “Giant Woman” and more, plus their unreleased remixes.

Published by Cartoon Network Games, Soundtrack Attack! Is available now as a free download on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.

Steven Universe – Soundtrack Attack!

July 22, 2016
New Trailer for Floyd Norman Documentary

A new trailer for Floyd Norman: An Animated Life has been released ahead of the film’s screening at Comic-Con. Attendees will have a chance to take in the intimate film journey through the life and career of the legendary Disney animator on Friday, July 22 at 3:10 p.m., followed by a Q&A with Norman, filmmakers Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkey, and composer Ryan Shore. A separate panel will also be held Friday evening at 9.

Floyd Norman: An Animated Life will be released through FilmBuff in theaters, On Demand and Digital HD on August 26. You can preorder the film on iTunes now. Visit www.floydnormanmovie.com for more information.

Synopsis:

From filmmakers Michael Fiore and Erik Sharkey, the feel good documentary is an intimate journey through the celebrated life and career of the ‘Forrest Gump’ of the animation industry – Disney Legend, Floyd Norman. Hired as the first African-American at Disney in 1956, Floyd worked on such classics as Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians, to name a few. In 1967, he was hand-picked by Walt Disney to join the story team on The Jungle Book. He would later work at Hanna Barbera on many classic cartoons, including Scooby-Doo. His talents would later take him to Pixar to work on Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. … But on Mr. Norman’s 65th birthday in 2000, Disney HR force-retired him. He struggled with Disney’s decision and refused to leave his “home”. For the last 16 years, Floyd has “hijacked” a cubicle at Disney Publishing, unpaid, but picking up freelance work when he can. At 81 he continues to have an impact as both an artist and a mentor. As Mr. Norman says “[He] [plans] to die at the drawing board.”

Floyd Norman

July 22, 2016
Animatrik Teams with NantStudio for LA Expansion

Vancouver-based performance capture and virtual production solutions provider Animatrik has signed an agreement with next generation soundstage and virtual production studio NantStudio, expanding its operations into the U.S.

NantStudio’s L.A. next-gen soundstage is 62’ x 116’ and equipped for a range of virtual and traditional productions. The stage is wrapped in a 360-degree pre-lit greenscreen, which features pre-rigged targets with tracking markers optimized for virtual production.

At NantStudio, Animatrik will offer a range of services for virtual production, and expanding its performance capture solutions with high resolution, markerless, surface capture of the face at 60 fps to delivers the most accurate digital double of an actor’s performance.

“Signing with NantStudio is a game changing move for Animatrik,” says Brett Ineson, President and CEO of Animatrik. “… NantStudio, coupled with Animatrik’s virtual production technology is the perfect environment for VR/AR productions.”

Founded in 2001, Animatrik runs motion capture, previsualization and virtual production services via an expert team of technicians and virtual production services. It is home to the largest motion capture sound stage in North America (based in Vancouver). The company also has officers in Toronto. Recent film and game credits include Warcraft, Suicide Squad, and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.

Recent NantStudio productions include HBO’s Silicon Valley, HBO’s The Comeback, Food Network’s Star, and National Geographic’s Cosmos.

NantStudio

July 21, 2016
Daily News Bytes

Home Where Walt Disney Started His First Animation Studio Is Set for Demolition
The Los Feliz bungalow where some of animation history’s most enduring characters were conceived may be knocked down by new owners, despite its National Register of Historic Places eligibility.

Digital Domain and DreamWorks Animation Strike Deal to Bring Iconic Characters to Life in Virtual Reality
Digital Domain will produce VR content and experiences aimed at kids and families inspired by the studio’s most iconic characters, starting with the worlds of Shrek and Kung Fu Panda.

Comic Con 2016: Geek out to the 15 Biggest Fandoms of the Past Decade
Online auction company eBay looks back on sales data to rank pop culture sensations — the top performing toon and game titles? Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, Naruto and South Park.

This YouTuber Makes Incredible LEGO Stop Motion Animation
Freelance animator Kevin Ulrich (YT channel BrotherhoodWorkshop) talks to Inverse about his MasterBuilder methods.

Create 3D Animations with the Stroke of a Pen
Moka Studio and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne launch the beta version of Mosketch, a new software tool that easily converts a 2D stroke into a 3D motion.

Home Where Walt Disney Started His First Animation Studio Is Set for Demolition

July 21, 2016
SIGGRAPH: Blackmagic, Faceware, Thinkbox and More

Blackmagic Design has totted up the numbers and announced that over 20 of this summer’s hottest films utilized its cameras and products such as Fusion Studio and DaVinci Resolve. Notable projects include VFX work in The Founder (composited by Jeremy Nelson at Moving Target), Independence Day: Resurgence (VFX plates by add’l VFX supe Douglas Hans Smith, Uncharted Territory) and The Shallows (Digital Sandbox). You can read more about Blackmagic’s impact on this year’s blockbusters here, and visit them at SIGGRAPH at booth #441.

Faceware Technologies has launched a new division, Faceware Interactive, dedicated to developing software and hardware for use in creating digital characters with whom real people can interact. The tech identifies the movement of an actor’s face from video and applies this to a CG character — in combination with Faceware’s head-mounted and stationary cameras, this system has been used on award-winning movies like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and hit games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Interactive applications include live performances with digital characters, person-driven VR and AR avatars, real-time interactive characters for kiosks, and instant animated content. Learn more at facewaretech.com or visit Booth #322.

Fabric Software is introducing “Blocks” with Fabric Engine 2.3 at the show. This powerful and flexible visual programming element enables artists to do things previously only possible by writing code, and opens up new possibilities for technical staff. Blocks are Canvas graph containers for user-provided functionality within a preset – the “block” inside a “for” loop is literally a Canvas graph. With Blocks, technical directors can create complex presets (either graphically or with code) exposing only the controls that make sense for non- technical users to modify. Users can then modify the preset by filling in the content of the blocks – visually — without needing to know all the details of the preset. Fabric Engine 2.3 is available now for download and will be shown at the Fabric Engine User Group July 26, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Rm. 201B. Overview video here.

Thinkbox Software has teamed with VFX producer Joyce Cox (The Jungle Book, Avatar) to develop Vero, a new cloud-based VFX budgeting application that will be previewed at SIGGRAPH. Vero encapsulates Cox’s proven bidding philosophy and methodology into an accessible, easy-to-use interface that helps estimate and track VFX budgets from script breakdown to shot delivery. Users will be able to easily monitor both the details and the big picture of a project in four stages represented in the interface: Script Breakdown (with automatic scene and action breakdown and manual sequence grouping), Budget Room (manually rate shots based on complexity for better cost estimation), Market Place (create custom bid packages to share easily with vendors) and Contract Room (a central hub to manage bids, changes and contracts). Booth #449.

Nozon and Chaos Group announce a tech partnership that enables artists to create pre-rendered, volumetric VR. Using PresenZ and V-Ray, artists can design spaces with free movement and full parallax, without the help of a game engine, making full immersion that much easier to attain. “Animators, architects, designers – everyone has a need for immersive VR right now,” said Matthieu Labeau, Business Development Manager at Nozon. “Now everyone has the same opportunity to apply volumetric VR to their 360° movies.” PresenZ will be presented as part of Chaos Group’s V-Ray Days at SIGGRAPH, July 26 at 4 p.m. in Rm. 205. The app is available on Steam.

New Age Electronics, a division of SYNNEX Corporation, has signed an agreement with ZEISS Multimedia Devices to distribute the newly launched VR ONE Plus virtual reality headset to the U.S. retail channel. Designed with premium ergonomics, material quality and precise optics, the new model includes several changes that enhance the device’s functionality, including a universal smartphone tray that works with any Android or iOS smartphone with a screen size between 4.7 and 5.5 inches. This includes both the iPhone 6/6s and iPhone 6 Plus. More information www.newageelectronics.com”>online.

Faceware Interactive

July 21, 2016