MAXON CINEMA 4D Release 13 Now Available

Next Generation Simplifies Character Animation, Adds Stereographic Capabilities and Physical Rendering

Today, MAXON announced the immediate availability of CINEMA 4D Release 13, the next generation of its industry- leading 3D motion graphics, visual effects, painting, and rendering software application. With all new character tools, integrated stereographic capabilities, stream-lined multi-artist collaboration and physical rendering, CINEMA 4D Release 13 builds on the company’s 25-year legacy of enabling digital content creators around the world to produce highly engaging content quickly and easily for a variety of industries.

Customers with an active MAXON Service Agreement (MSA) valid through September 2nd will automatically receive their upgrade. Current customers who do not have an active MSA can purchase an upgrade through MAXON and its authorized dealers. Pricing and upgrade information is available at www.maxon.net. Release 13 will make its first official European trade show appearance at the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam, Netherlands, September 9-13, 2011 (MAXON Booth can be found in the RAI Hall 6, stand 6 C.10).

"Release 13 is an amazing upgrade. We've been working with CINEMA 4D for ten years and this is a giant leap forward. The new physical renderer produces outstanding quality and the new character tools save hours of precious production time", states Raffael Leb, CEO of Vienna-based studio Cybertime. "However, what we like most of all are the dozens of workflow improvements that make working with Release 13 enjoyable. You wonder how you lived without them", emphasizes Leb, whose studio boasts clients like Ford, Diners Club and M&Ms.

Key Highlights of CINEMA 4D Release 13:

MAXON offers four versions of CINEMA 4D, each catering to the needs of 3D artists in different industries. NOTE: The features listed below may not be included in every configuration.

New and Enhanced Rendering Engine

Digital artists are constantly striving to improve the quality of their images. This new version gives CINEMA 4D users a bundle of new tools to aid in achieving the realism they crave.

• Physically-Accurate Rendering: Creating photorealistic images is easier than ever with the new physical render engine. Based on real camera properties, this additional render engine accurately calculates 3D motion blur, depth of field and lens distortion based on the focal length, aperture and shutter speed of the camera.
• Efficient Subsurface Scattering: Now users can efficiently create translucent materials such as milk, skin and wax with a new subsurface scattering shader included with both the new Physical Render and CINEMA 4D's standard render engines.
• Shared Image Sampler: Saves tons of render time by combining sampling for multiple effects such as motion blur, depth of field, area shadows, ambient occlusion and blurry reflections. Sample options allow users to specify a fixed number of samples, apply an adaptive number of samples based on the geometry and shading complexity, or progressively render each frame within a given number of passes or amount of time.
• New Anti-Aliasing Filters: Users can now achieve higher quality anti-aliasing using the Mitchell and Gauss algorithms.
   

Stereoscopic 3D Workflow

Stereoscopic capabilities are supported throughout R13 to provide a dependable solution and fluid workflow for generating high-quality 3D content across a wide variety of media:

• Stereoscopic Camera Conversion: Gives users control to easily convert any camera to a Parallel, On Axis, Off-Axis or Radial Stereoscopic camera.
• Stereo Image Workflow and Preview: Stereo images can be previewed directly in the 3D editor using Anaglyph, Interlaced, Shutter or Side-by-Side methods.
• Stereo Rendering Options: Allows customers to easily render the merged stereoscopic image or separate images for each individual camera to create a true 3D experience.
• Picture Viewer Support: Review animated stereo renders, adjust parallax and export renderings as merged or individual stereoscopic files.

More Accessible Character Tools 

The new suite of character animation features simplify the process of building a rig, eliminating technical hurdles and allowing artists to quickly animate characters of all types:

• New Character Object: Includes an auto rigger, which simplifies the process of building a rig and applying it to a character. Technical directors are able to set up flexible rig templates that any user can easily apply to their characters.
• New CMotion System: Allows users to create their own or apply preset parametric walk cycles based on cyclic motion. Make characters walk along a spline and over terrain, or even manually place footsteps. Can be integrated with the character object or applied to anything in a scene.
• New Muscle System: CINEMA 4D R13 now allows users to create custom-shaped muscles and anchor them to multiple joints within a rig. Includes deformer for skin stretching and sliding.
• New Collision Deformer: Deforms surfaces based on collisions enabling characters to intuitively interact with the environment around them.

Numerous Workflow, Modeling and Animation Improvements

CINEMA 4D is renowned for outstanding ease of use. With an enhanced navigation system and a number of interface improvements in R13, users can perform common application tasks more efficiently:

• Revamped Navigation System: New cursor-based navigation automatically sets the point of interest for rotation and dolly movements based on where the user clicks to begin navigation. This also ensures the speed of camera navigation is smooth and consistent, regardless of the distance to the point of interest - making it easy to pivot around any portion of a model or scene.
• Sticky Keys: Allows users to activate a tool only while its shortcut is pressed and immediately return to the previous tool.
• New Spline Data User Interface: Attributes utilizing spline data can now be edited much more precisely with additional spline types and the ability to view splines in a larger, separate window.
• Location Indicator: Provides artists with a new indicator that hints at the location of selected objects outside the current view.
• Surface Manipulation: Offers flexible options with a new Infinite Axis mode that lets users start manipulation from any point and easily snap surfaces to other objects in the scene. The rotation axis can now optionally display gimbal rotation, making it easy to visualize situations in which gimbal lock will occur, and can also transform multiple objects in a selection individually rather than as a group.
• Animation Enhancements: Based on user feedback, a lot of tweaks were made to the animation system to improve efficiency, including clamping, better curve handling, markers, etc.
  
  

Operational Efficiency

• Superior XRef Object: Improves artist efficiency with fully embedded XRef (External Reference) commands in R13 so referenced objects can be textured, animated, and included in expressions or simulations within the master file, greatly enhancing work in a collaborative environment.
• Improved C.O.F.F.E.E. and Python Scripting Language Integration: Equips customers with improved integration of the powerful C.O.F.F.E.E. and Python scripting managers, giving programmers and developers a customizable solution for a wide range of software development tasks that can be utilized in any pipeline. Python plugins and scripts now appear alongside those created in CINEMA 4D's C++ and C.O.F.F.E.E. APIs.
• File Format Support: Allows artists to access a range of popular file formats for greater workflow flexibility. Multi-Pass files can now be stored in multiple channels within a single OpenEXR file. The popular FBX and COLLADA file formats have been updated facilitating easier asset exchange and interoperability.
• After Effects Exchange: Gives customers using R13 unparalleled integration with After Effects with the introduction of stage object support, timeline marker exports and support for 29.97fps.

Miscellaneous Productivity Boosting Features

CINEMA 4D R13 also includes many new productivity-boosting features, including a host of new and improved shaders and more.

System Requirements

Recommended system requirements include Windows XP, Vista or 7 running on Intel or AMD CPU with SSE2-Support; Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher running on an Intel-based Mac and 1024 MB RAM, DVD ROM drive. Up to 256 threads now supported. Standard DVD installation can take up to 2.5 GB of disk space.

Availability and Upgrade Path

CINEMA 4D Release 13 and BodyPaint 3D Release 13 are scheduled to ship in September through MAXON and its authorized dealers. Customers with an active MAXON Service Agreement (MSA) valid through September 2nd will automatically receive the upgrade. Current customers who do not have an active MSA can purchase an MSA before the end of August and be eligible for a free upgrade. New customers who purchase from now until August 31st will automatically receive a one-year MSA with their purchase.

About MAXON Computer

MAXON Computer is a developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions. Its award-winning CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D software products have been used extensively to help create everything from stunning visual effects in top feature films, TV shows and commercials, cutting-edge game cinematics for AAA games, as well for medical illustration, architectural and industrial design applications. MAXON has offices in Germany, USA, United Kingdom, France and Japan. MAXON products are available directly from the Website and its worldwide distribution channel. Specially priced learning editions of the company’s software solutions are also made available to educational institutions. For additional information on MAXON visit www.maxon.net.

Editor's Note:
Be sure to check out the following CINEMA 4D related links on Renderosity:

• Renderosity's CINEMA 4D Community
• CINEMA 4D products in the Renderosity Marketplace
• Ricky Grove's CINEMA 4D Release 12: A Milestone for MAXON
• Sergio Rosa's CINEMA 4D R12 Prime In Review
• Download a Demo of MAXON's CINEMA 4D

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