Showcases of Curious Pictures

from http://www.animationmagazine.net


Curious Pictures (http://www.curiouspictures.com) is a leading creative-driven multi-platform production and entertainment company. The company uses its extensive production, animation, digital and commercials expertise to create entertainment in all media in the form of television shows, new media content, commercials, interactive/video games, feature films, visual effects, and books. Curious varied credits include televisions shows such as Team Umizoomi (Nick Jr.), NFL Rushzone: Guardians of the Core (Nicktoons), Little Einsteins (Disney), and Codename: Kids Next Door (Cartoon Network); animation for the videogame sensations Rock Band, Rock Band II, Red Dead Redemption; and work for many of the most respected brands worldwide.  
    Curious Pictures is home to over one hundred accomplished artists, writers, directors, and designers, as well as producers, advertising professionals, marketing and media experts. Founded in 1993 with headquarters in New York, Curious Pictures leverages a flexible, diversified production infrastructure dedicated to making next generation quality entertainment and content.
      Curious work, and the work of its directors, has been recognized by the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, BAFTA, the British Animation Awards, the Webby Awards, Promax/BDA, The One Show, One Show Interactive, the Cannes Lions Festival, the AICP Show, the International Animated Film Festival in France and the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
  Curious Pictures’ mission is to ignite minds, fuel imagination and inspire creativity to produce compelling visual storytelling across the media spectrum.
         

On the map...

U.K. Writer Claims Pixar Stole His 'Cars' Proposal

from http://www.animationmagazine.net/

A British screenwriter has filed a lawsuit claiming Pixar stole the idea for Cars from screenplays he shopped around to studios in the early 1990s, and is seeking an injunction to stop the June 24 release of Cars 2, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
The suit was filed by Jake Mandeville-Anthony in U.S. District Court and claims he write a three-part screenplay about real-life car racer Michael Own Perkins and a materials for an animated feature called Cars. Mandeville-Anthony’s materials for his version of Cars included a treatment, sample screenplay, descriptions of 46 animated car characters, 10 character sketches and a marketing and merchandise plan, the Reporter writes.
The copyright infringement and breach of contract complaint says copies of these works were sent to multiple production companies, including Disney and Lucasfilm, and cites numerous similarities between Mandeville-Anthony’s work and Pixar’s 2006 feature Cars, which grossed more than $450 million at the worldwide box office.
The Reporter also writes that the writer and Disney/Pixar have been engaged in a semi-private dispute in the United Kingdom, where a recent judgement in the case is under seal.
Pixar has not commented on the case.

Disney Jr., Guru Nab New Territories for 'Justin Time'

from   http://www.animationmagazine.net


Guru Studio and Disney have announced a new deal for Guru’s 26 x 11 preschool series Justin Time, which will see the show licensed to Disney Junior channels in Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Italy. Justin Time launched on the new Australia and New Zealand channels this June, with Italy and Germany set to debut the show in fall. The series will also begin airing on Discovery Kids Latin America, Discovery Familia in the U.S. and Finland’s YLE next year.
Launched at MIPCOM  2010, Justin Time is created and developed by Brandon Scott, Frank Falcone and Mary Bredin and follows the action-packed, history-based adventures of Justin and his imaginary friends Squidgy and Olive. Award-winning animation producer Guru Studio (The Backyardigans, Guess with Jess, The New Adventures of Badou) is beginning work on season two, which will bring the series up to 52 x 11 by 2012.

“Disney Junior are the perfect partner for Justin Time—we’re delighted that they have joined the Justin Time team and believe the series has fun storytelling that their audience expects,” said Guru VP Mary Bredin, “Disney Junior will allow preschoolers across the world to watch Justin Time and learn that the world is a fun, interesting and vibrant place!”

Justin Time

Patricia Hidalgo, VP – Content and Programming Strategy for Disney Channels EMEA noted, “Justin Time is fun story telling full of adventure and friendship; these elements are very important to our Disney Junior audiences and we are very excited to have this show be part of our channel’s line up for both Italy and Germany.”

Luxology modo Added to EskoArtwork Packaging Supply Chain Laboratory at Clemson University’s Sonoco Institute

Luxology Press Release

 

Luxology modo Added to EskoArtwork Packaging Supply Chain Laboratory at Clemson University’s Sonoco Institute

modo Software Becomes Primary Virtualization and Rendering Software for Packaging Science and Graphic Communications Curriculum

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., – August 24, 2011 – Students at Clemson University’s Sonoco Institute are getting hands-on packaging design experience with a multimillion-dollar, state of the art computer lab equipped with the industry’s most innovative tools, including Luxology^®’s modo^® and its Package Design and Construction Kit (PACK). As one of the key software applications used in Sonoco Institute’s industrial package design course, ‘PKGSC 220’, Luxology’s modo is helping students learn on professional 3D tools and get an edge in the competitive design market.

“modo is incredibly powerful, and I was blown away by the quality and quantity of packaging designs found in PACK,” said Rupert Andrew Hurley, Packaging Science Assistant Professor at Clemson University. “Unlike most 3D modeling tools that are cumbersome and require fully defined profiles to enter into the 3D environment, modo allows students to quickly enter into the 3D arena, design with minimal constraints, and keep within the software as their ideas become a reality.”
modo and PACK will play a vital role in ‘PKGSC 220’, an industrial design course that teaches students how to design packaging under realistic production constraints. Students begin the class with a product idea, such as a board game, a cosmetic fragrance, a USB drive, or even an action-figure set, and develop these concepts as they would in a commercial environment, with designs prototyped and specification sheets made ready for production. As the primary modeling and rendering tool in the course, modo is used for both conceptual testing and final graphics production on the packaging design prior to the manufacturing stage. In addition, PACK, a collection of over 200 2D and 3D presets, images and assemblies simplifies the creation of a wide variety of open and closed packaging containers.
“The ability to offer students an end-to-end production capability from virtualization to physical manufacturing is a hallmark of the Sonoco Institute,” continues Hurley. “modo is a perfect complement to our curriculum because it offers a balanced diet of form and function by allowing users to go directly from the software to large CAD/CAM tables and rapid prototypers, and render beautiful images of their designs. Furthermore, modo gives us the ability to animate and export into virtually any other software application.”
Clemson University’s Sonoco Institute is the latest educational facility to join Luxology’s growing Education Provider Program, which offers leading colleges, universities and 3D animation schools worldwide access to academically priced copies of modo and other associated training materials from Luxology. As a partner in this program, Clemson University receives special pricing, a site license to modo, automatic entitlement to any modo updates, and onsite Luxology technical support for select academic projects. Educational institutions wishing to enroll or obtain more information about the Education Provider Program should contact Luxology, 650-336-1380 or via email at sales@luxology.com.

About modo

modo is an innovative 3D modeling, painting and rendering software designed to accelerate the creation of world-class designs and ultra high-quality renderings. modo’s modern workflow and advanced toolset easily deliver enhanced productivity for schools and professionals working in design visualization, package design, and graphic arts. A favorite tool among many designers and artists, modo’s innovative toolset offers one of the fastest paths to content creation on the PC and Mac.

About PACK

PACK utilizes morph targets (shape variants pioneered for the media and entertainment industry) to allow an almost infinite variation in package shape and size. PACK allows designers and artists using modo to quickly create a wide variety of bags, wrappers, boxes, bottles, cans, cartons, tubes and tubs. The extensive library of pre-built 3D packages and package components such as seals and box panels within PACK can be easily modified and combined into new re-usable designs. These new designs can then be rendered in modo into high-resolution photorealistic images, replete with realistic materials and applied artwork for a variety of marketing and communication purposes.

About Luxology

Based in Mountain View, Calif., Luxology^® LLC is an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software that enhances productivity via artist-friendly tools powered by a modern underlying architecture called Nexus^®. Founded in 2002 by Allen Hastings, Stuart Ferguson and Brad Peebler, Luxology is home to some of the top 3D engineering expertise in the industry. More information on the company, its licensable Nexus technology, its flagship product modo^® and a gallery of artists’ images from the active modo community is available online at www.luxology.com.

Media Images

Download full size image: pack_gene_dupont_almond_breeze.jpg (1200 pixels wide by 960 pixels tall)
Credit: modo 501 image by Gene Dupont
Description: The PACK Kit for Luxology modo is ideal for visualizing product families like this one from Gene Dupont, 3D Illustrator and Package Visualizer.

 

Download full size image: pack_gene_dupont_spray_cans.jpg (753 pixels wide by 801 pixels tall)
Credit: modo 501 image by Gene Dupont
Description: Visualizing packaging is made easier with the new Package Design and Construction Kit for modo 501 software. Image courtesy of Gene Dupont, 3D Illustrator and Package Visualizer.

 

PACK Kit Video Overview by Luxology

Andy Brown demonstrates how to use modo 501 with the PACK Kit to quickly visualise plastic bottle packaging.

© Copyright 2002 - 2011 Luxology LLC. modo and Nexus are registered trademarks of Luxology LLC., in the USA and/or other countries. All products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information, press only:

Scotti McGowan, (503) 796-9822, Press Contact
Media images and other resources are available for use by press professionals.

Reader contact:

Luxology, LLC
2525 East Charleston Road
Suite 104
Mountain View, CA 94043-1636
(650) 336-1380

Luxology's modo the Driving Force Behind Futuristic New Car

New Modeling and Rendering Capabilities Helped Engineering Firm Design+Industry Create Innovative Three-wheeled Speed “Trike”

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., – June 7, 2011 – Consumers are always looking for the “next big thing,” whether it be in food, celebrities or gadgets. Australian industrial design firm, Design+Industry, has recently given shape to what will undoubtedly be the next big thing in automotives: a three-wheeled, high-performance vehicle designed through technical ingenuity and the expert utilization of www.luxology.com’s 3D modeling, painting and rendering software, modo 501.

Design+Industry, the largest and leading industrial design and product engineering consultancy in Australia, was asked by Strike Motors to turn a radical concept for a three-wheeled “trike” into a commercially manufacturable vehicle. The Trike is a high-performance half-car, half-motorcycle that seats two people and combines phenomenal acceleration with excellent ride stability, amazing cornering capability and strong stopping power. Design+Industry took the specs for the car and used the creative tools and advanced modeling and rendering capabilities in modo 501 to create an innovative design that would appeal to car enthusiasts and style-minded drivers while simultaneously catching the attention of bystanders with its sleek, futuristic design.
“We began using modo when clients started requesting features we were not able to provide with the visualisation software we were using at the time,” said Ben Carroll, industrial designer at Design+Industry. “Once clients saw what could be done compared to the other software we were using, they began requesting renderings be done solely in modo.”
Since Design+Industry began using modo in 2009, the software has become an integral part of the company’s pipeline. Used in conjunction with SolidWorks and Luxology’s PAD and SES 1 Kits, modo 501 allowed the designers to quickly visualize the Trike in studio and real world environments, letting them quickly review materials and surfaces, and make design changes on the fly.
“The 3D modeling and rendering features of modo 501 have enhanced our design process in incalculable ways,” said Carroll. “We particularly love using modo to quickly visualize an array of ideas, so clients can interactively review our designs and make decisions on the direction of the final product early on in the process, saving us both time and money.”
“The images that modo produces are shockingly realistic,” continued Carroll. “We have had clients ask to see the physical prototype after our presentation based solely on a picture done in modo and that ‘wow’ factor has always served us well.”
The Trike will be ready for production in 2012. To see more, view a video of the Trike at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj9GGDGic0s. For more information on Design+Industry, please visit http://www.design-industry.com.au/.

About modo

modo is an innovative 3D modeling, painting and rendering software designed to accelerate the creation of world-class models, associated color and normal maps, and ultra high-quality renderings. modo’s modern workflow and advanced toolset easily deliver enhanced productivity for 3D artists working in concept modeling, design visualization, package design, film visual effects, video production and graphic arts. A favorite tool among many designers and artists, modo’s innovative toolset offers one of the fastest paths to content creation on the PC and Mac. modo is available from www.luxology.com or through any of Luxology’s authorized resellers around the world.

About Luxology

Based in Mountain View, Calif., Luxology® LLC is an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software that enhances productivity via artist-friendly tools powered by a modern underlying architecture called Nexus®. Founded in 2002 by Allen Hastings, Stuart Ferguson and Brad Peebler, Luxology is home to some of the top 3D engineering expertise in the industry. More information on the company, its licensable Nexus technology, its flagship product modo® and a gallery of designers images from the active modo community is available online at www.luxology.com.

Media Images

Download full size image: modo_design_industry_trike1.jpg (5600 pixels wide by 3750 pixels tall)
Credit: modo image by Design+Industry

 

Download full size image: modo_design_industry_trike2.jpg (5600 pixels wide by 3750 pixels tall)
Credit: modo image by Design+Industry

 

Download full size image: modo_design_industry_trike3.jpg (5600 pixels wide by 3750 pixels tall)
Credit: modo image by Design+Industry

 

Download full size image: modo_design_industry_trike4.jpg (3500 pixels wide by 2500 pixels tall)
Credit: modo image by Design+Industry

 

video courtesy of Design+Industry

Promotional video by Design+Industry

© Copyright 2002 - 2011 Luxology LLC. modo and Nexus are registered trademarks of Luxology LLC., in the USA and/or other countries. All products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information, press only:

Scotti McGowan, (503) 796-9822, Press Contact
Media images and other resources are available for use by press professionals.

Reader contact:

Luxology, LLC
2525 East Charleston Road
Suite 104
Mountain View, CA 94043-1636
(650) 336-1380
Contact Luxology

Twitter: @Luxology
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Luxology
YouTube: www.youtube.com/Luxology

Download pdf version »
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Luxology Press Release

 

Luxology Announces New Studio Environment Set 2 Kit

Includes Library of HDR Images for modo 501, MicroStation and Solidworks 2011 Users

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., – June 20, 2011 – Luxology® LLC today announced the availability of the Studio Environment Set 2 (SES 2) Kit, a new collection of high dynamic range (HDR) spherical images complete with ground planes that make it easy for users to obtain professional-quality studio lighting. A successor to the highly acclaimed SES 1 Kit, the extensive library of images was produced exclusively for Luxology by Yazan Malkosh of 9b studios and is designed for use with Luxology modo® 501, Bentley Systems’ MicroStation and SolidWorks Premium and Professional 2011.

Architects, artists, industrial designers, engineers, packaging specialists and CAD visualization professionals will benefit from the ability to choose pre-built SES 2 studio and interior lighting setups without having to create custom lighting setups for each project. SES 2 is particularly well suited for professionals who need to visualize small to medium-sized subjects.
“With SES 2, I spend a lot less time agonizing over my lighting setups. The ability to render an animation and see all 50 environments with zero setup time takes all of the guess work out of studio lighting,” said Branden Coker, Creative Multimedia Specialist at Analytical Graphics Inc. “The variety of environments in this set is stellar. It makes studio lighting so easy, it’s almost an afterthought.”

Pricing and Availability

The SES 2 Kit is available immediately for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems for a suggested retail price of USD $69. To learn more about SES 2, visit Luxology’s website at http://www.luxology.com/store/ses02/index.aspx

About Luxology

Based in Mountain View, Calif., Luxology® LLC is an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software that enhances productivity via artist-friendly tools powered by a modern underlying architecture called Nexus®. Founded in 2002 by Allen Hastings, Stuart Ferguson and Brad Peebler, Luxology is home to some of the top 3D engineering expertise in the industry. More information on the company, its licensable Nexus technology, its flagship product modo® and a gallery of artists’ images from the active modo community is available online at http://www.luxology.com.

Media Images

Download full size image: ses2_jan_ove_rust_cutlery_normal.jpg (1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall)
Credit: modo SES 2 image by Jan Ove Rust
Description: SES 2 was used by Jan Ove Rust to create the subtle environmental effects in this cutlery rendering.

 

Download full size image: ses2_jan_ove_rust_cutlery_desaturated.jpg (1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall)
Credit: modo SES 2 image by Jan Ove Rust
Description: The same scene was rendered using a different SES 2 environmental setup. Here the table setting appears less saturated.

 

Download full size image: ses2_jan_ove_rust_cutlery_stylized.jpg (1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall)
Credit: modo SES 2 image by Jan Ove Rust
Description: In this third variation, the SES 2 environment imbues a more stylized appearance to the cutlery rendering.

 

Download full size image: ses2_rob_rodriguez_helicopter.jpg (2880 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall)
Credit: SolidWorks SES 2 image by Rob Rodriguez

 

video by Luxology

This shows the SES workflow in modo 501, including the supplied environmental assembly preset that lets you preview all 50 lighting setups in modo using the time slider and interactively adjust the rotation, saturation, brightness and scaling of the selected .HDR image. (SES 1 environment examples are shown in this video, but the workflow is identical in SES 2.)

June 2011 Newsletter

SES 2 Kit – now available
If you want studio quality lighting in modo, the new Studio Environment Set 2 product produced for Luxology by 9b studios is a quick way to achieve convincing results. It includes 50 carefully designed HDRI spherical images (complete with ground planes) for easily obtaining professional–quality studio lighting for small to medium-sized objects such as product shots, engineering visualizations, advertising art, or packaging shots. For users of modo, Bentley Systems MicroStation and Solidworks 2011. Get more info here.

SES 2 lighting in modo by Philip Lawson

Strike Trike!
Design+Industry, the largest design and product engineering consultancy in Australia, has helped Strike Motors develop a radical concept of a three-wheeled trike. The extraordinary machine is intended as a weekend vehicle and is styled to attract the performance vehicle enthusiast while it grabs the attention of bystanders. The Trike seats two people and will be powered by the high performance Suzuki Hayabusa 1340cc powerplant. Phenomenal acceleration coupled with excellent ride stability, amazing cornering capability and excellent stopping power will make the Trike the ultimate ride to be had. Check out the modo images produced by Ben Carroll here.

modo image by Ben Carroll

recoil plug-in for modo
recoil is a Plug–in written by Eric Soulvie for modo 501 that accurately simulates dynamic rigid body interactions. This first major Plug-in for modo realistically simulates dynamic forces and calculates accurate collisions between objects. It lets you quickly create complex animations of objects interacting with one another or create a huge stack of objects resting perfectly on one another. Here is a demo clip that Andy Probst created to explain recoil at the recent FMX show. More recoil Info can be found here.

modo + recoil image by Yazan Malkosh

See you in Berlin
On September 30th, Luxology will be exhibiting at the Meet and Greet 3D conference in Berlin, Germany. Tom Schlander and Andy Probst will both be there showing off modo 501 being used with recoil and the many other Kits available. We hope to see you there. For detailed conference information, click here.

Summer Sale on modo training
We are offering selected modo Video Training at 50% off for the Summer. Yeah, it’s a little crazy but this is your chance to increase your modo skills and save some money. Prices are good through August 30, 2011. See a complete list of elegible modo Training Videos here.

3D modeling with Adam O

IGLOO Customer Interview
We caught up recently with Gustavo Fernandes of IGLOO. At this Toronto–based production house, modo is used at both ends of the pipeline; for modeling and then for final rendering. They have used modo for a variety of commericials and also for website graphics. Check out the full interview here.

IGLOO Interview

Eric Soulvie - Meet the Developer of recoil
Meet Eric Soulvie, the developer who created the new recoil Plug-in for modo 501. In this video interview we learn about Eric’s background and how the modo Plug–in SDK enabled him to achieve an extraordinary level of integration with modo. Watch the interview here.

Eric Soulvie Interview