For Maya 2012, Autodesk adds powerful new tools for prototyping and previsualization, extends Maya’s simulation capabilities, and improves integration with other programs.  New feature highlights include:  Enhanced Viewport 2.0; Node-based render passes; enhanced sequencer; substance smart textures; Craft Animation tools; enhanced graph editor; and single step interoperability with Mudbox 2012 .  With all of the new features and enhancements, you are sure to find several that will make your day – after you move up to Maya 2012.

Check out the new features in the Autodesk video clips below.

New Viewport 2.0 Features – Rendering and Render Setup

Node-based Render Passes

Camera Sequencer updates

Substance Smart Textures

Craft Animations plug-ins

Editable Motion Trails Enhance the Animation Experience

HumanIK Enhancements – Rigging

Dynamics and nDynamics

System Requirements: Check current Autodesk System Requirements

Contact: Autodesk

Price: $3495.00 US

Subject Matter: Acme Made Trixy Laptop bag. It’s not black!

Most laptop and computer bags come in black, black and…black. Boring. Acme Made has some very stylish, yet sturdy laptop bags for ladies of all ages. Observe the red Acme Made Trixy Laptop bag. It’s good looking, the Trixy comes in three different colors, yet sturdy for a very fashionable bag.

I am hard on bags and purses. Even my watch has a roll bar. And I go through bags and purses. Yet, I don’t have to baby the Acme Made Trixy Laptop bag, and it has multiple uses.

The Trixy bag contains two pull-out pouches, one for your laptop and one for miscellaneous small items (keys, cards, makeup, pills, etc – just the right size). An outside and interior zipper pocket allows me to compartmentalize, and find papers, wallet, keys, whatever. The bag also features four open slide-in pockets for cell phones, glasses, business cards, etc.

Some Nice Features
Leather pull tabs on sturdy zippers and leather trim are attractive features, the bags are made from water resistant material, and raised metal bottom tabs will keep your laptop bag’s bottom surface clean. Dimensions are not bulky and fit most 15.4″ laptops. Nice!

Color choices: Chocolate with pink trim, camouflage, or red with brown trim.

I’m loving this bag. You will too.
Contact: Acme Made Trixy Laptop Bag
Cost: $97.50 US

New Features for Mudbox 2012
Added features:

• UV-Less Painting
• Large Texture Datasets
• Paint Layer Masks and Blend Modes
• Editable Stencils
• Single-Step Suites Interoperability
• Performance Improvements
• New Brushes and Brush Options
• Multiple Joints
• Pose Presets
• Hotbox and Marking Menus

Cool Innovations
UV-Less Painting is one new feature that makes painting more natural, efficient and allows users to be creative. The interoperability has been improved between Autodesk Mudbox and Maya, 3ds Max plus Soft Image. It only takes a single step to send data. Expanded tool sets have been increased to improve productivity. One example is Paint Layer Masks and 22 layer blend modes.

The blend modes improve compatibility with Adobe Photoshop.  Also, in the past Mudbox was mouse and menu driven.  The addition of hotbox and marking menus improves the efficiency and speed of using Mudbox with a drawing tablet (like Wacom’s Bamboo tablets).

With these features and other improvements to Mudbox 2012, Autodesk continues to provide valuable innovations that are worth the upgrade.

Contact: www.autodesk.com

Cost: $745 U.S.

Mobile Development for Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS and iOS
Adobe’s CS 5.5 Master Collection focuses on enabling mobile application developers to build applications once and deploy to multiple platforms – Apple iOS, Android, and Blackberry.
CS 5.5 Master Collection helps streamline the development process and for low budget and education development, this could be the difference between success and failure. CS 5.5 also marks the beginning of annual improvements to Adobe’s CS product suite and additional purchase options

Mobile Me
Adobe CS 5.5 Master Collection offers innovations in HTML5 and Adobe Flash authoring tools. Many of these innovations are applicable in mobile application development and deployment within the education field. Right now, the education market is fractured on using tablet devices employing either iOS, or Android operating systems. For education developers, this lack of standardization can result in duplicating development efforts, or only developing for a single platform. Adobe addresses this issue with Adobe Flash Builder 4.5, where content can be developed once and then deployed to multiple platforms.

For instance, Adobe CS 5.5 Master Collection allows designers and users to:

• Deliver mobile applications on Android™, BlackBerry® Tablet OS, iOS and other platforms
• Create rich browser-based content across screens using HTML5
• Leverage Flash Player to deliver premium video content, casual games and rich Internet applications.
• Produce and deploy mobile applications to more than 200 million smart phones and tablets by the end of 2011.
• Apply improved HTML 5 and Flash authoring tools for web based development and deployment.

Reduced Time and Effort to Market
Develop once and deploy to many markets – this is where Adobe CS 5.5 Master Collection rocks. Mobile application developers race against time, money and the feeding frenzy of application users to produce mobile apps across multiple platforms. In the education arena, the market moves a little slower, and there are less buyers. Yet when these education buyers do commit to a platform, they don’t typically reconsider optional platforms. Therefore, it behooves application developers to quickly deploy on multiple platforms. Adobe CS 5.5 Master Collection offers users flexible and powerful tools to address multiple mobile application features.

Deliver Amazing Designs to Tablets and Smartphones
With CS 5.5 Master Collection, designers can create:

• Immersive digital magazines and elegant e-books with accompanying video and audio
• World-class websites based on HTML5 and CSS3 standards
• Interactive mobile applications built with familiar Flash tools that display consistently across Android™, BlackBerry Playbook and iOS devices
• Updates to Dreamweaver CS5.5 (including the Live View mode, CSS panel and Multiscreen Preview panel) that streamline website design to optimize viewing on multiple devices
• And preview desktop, tablet and smartphone browsers side-by-side.

Also, new in the suite are updated versions of Adobe Dreamweaver®, Adobe Flash® Professional, Adobe Flash Catalyst®, Adobe Flash Builder™, the all-new Flex framework for mobile devices, Adobe Device Central and Adobe Acrobat® X Pro.

Flexible Pricing
Estimated street price for the suites are:

• US$2599 for CS5.5 Master Collection,
• US$1899 for CS5.5 Design Premium,
• US$1799 for CS5.5 Web Premium,
• US$1699 for CS5.5 Production Premium
• US$1299 for CS5.5 Design Standard

By subscribing to Creative Suite, customers can choose a one-year subscription plan for lower payments, or a month-to-month subscription for greater flexibility. Upgrade pricing and volume licensing are also available.

For mobile developers and developers working in Adobe Flash and HTML5, Adobe CS 5.5 Master Collection is an upgrade well worth considering. And this upgrade provides flexibility to deploy content to a wide variety of platforms from a single design.

Contact: www.adobe.com

AutoCad Comes to Mac
With AutoCad 2011, Autodesk has extended their popular 3D computer aided design to the Mac platform. This illustrates AutoDesk’s expanding support for Mac users. Recently, Autodesk released AutoCad 2012 with support for the new Lion operating system. We expect AutoCad 2012 will add further enhancements to an already great product.

Like Maya and Mudbox, the user interface opens up with a Getting Started dialogue window that includes a useful, tutorial video. Users can deselect watching the video by clicking on the check box.

Mac Friendly Features
Features that highlight the AutoDesk support and Mac integration of AutoCad 2011 are the track pad and two finger use on the Magic Mouse (all the Mac gestures while interacting with the program.) It’s also easy to apply dimensions and text to drawings. AutoCad 2011 makes it simple to create and edit print layouts. The program provides powerful tools for converting 2D drawings to 3D models.

One cool feature is the dynamic input box by the curser that speeds the drawing process. If you want a line 10mm long, click on the start point, type in the line length, and the line is immediately drawn.

AutoDesk 2011 bent over backwards to make AutoCad 2011 compatible with Mac, but to take advantage of features unique to the Mac (i.e. two finger gestures). Two tutorials build on the material provided in the Quick Start video. Overall, AutoDesk delivers an excellent drawing product in AutoCad 2011, and we look forward to AutoCad 2012.

System Requirements: Mac OS® X v10.6.4 or later; 64-bit Intel® processor (see Autodesk.com for system recommendations)

Contact: www.autodesk.com

By now, many people have read the news report regarding the downed Chinook helicopter that killed several Navy SEALs, and other military specialists in Afghanistan. I’d like to pay tribute to two fallen EOD sailors (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) that were on this helicopter.

• Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va.,

• Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii

The news reported these two young gentlemen as Navy SEALs. EODC Hull and EODSC Vickers supported the Navy SEALS as U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians. EOD is EOD. EOD is a joint service military skill, and EOD Technicians serve within the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.

And what makes EOD different? When bombs, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), or booby traps are identified, who ya gonna call? That would be EOD – these highly trained, bomb specialists that can sniff out, snuff out and blast out enemy explosives. These bomb experts are responsible for disarming, rendering safe, or disposing unexploded military ordnance and terrorist devices. And today, IEDs are the weapon of choice for Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, and responsible for the majority of troop fatalities and severe injuries. Yet, this does not deter an EOD Technician to complete their mission saving a fellow soldier, airman, or sailor’s life. The enemy doesn’t control their actions, or reactions. EOD technicians choose the time and place. They are the quiet professionals – completing a mission united in determination, dedication and discipline.

Show the Flag – Show Your Support

Regardless of the military branch, if an EOD tech or officer becomes injured or maimed tackling their 24/7 job handling and disarming explosives, there’s a small organization reaching out to help.

Click on www.woundedeodwarrior.org. The Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation offers financial and professional support helping fellow EOD members get back on their feet, and with their lives. Through fund raisers, and donations, this small yet dedicated organization lends well deserved aid and support to recovering EOD techs.

I’m honored to be friends with some Navy EOD Master Chiefs, and have sent support packages over to Afghanistan during their tours. My family will continue to support various EOD units overseas, but please if you feel the call, support this dedicated group of military professionals. God bless these brave men and women, EODC Hull and EODSC Vickers.

Contact: www.woundedeodwarrior.org

Each Chapter’s A Lesson
Each chapter takes about 1-1.5 hours to review and practice. It’s best to have the book by your computer while reading, since you’ll want to apply the lessons directly. The first chapter holds your hand becoming established with Apple, setting up the Apple Developer membership (free or paid), and walking through Apple’s process. Thereafter, each chapter provides lesson activities and coaches the reader how to incorporate specific files to develop a beta app. And like most good instruction books, a summary, question & answer, plus a quiz and extra activities are provided after finishing each chapter.

After 24 chapters in 24 hours, the reader will have built, and completed several iPad apps. The last chapter focuses on how to distribute applications through the Apple store. Each book purchase also provides a free online edition for 45 days through the Safari Books Online subscription service.

Overall, it’s a good book for a beginner iPad app developer.

Systems Requirements: Apple platform with Intel processor; Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and the iOS SDK that can be downloaded here: Apple Developer.

Contact: TeachYourselfiPad.com

Cost: $39.99 US; $47.99 CAN

Readers can browse the detailed index that offers subheadings under each chapter, making it easy to find specific points, or techniques. The book’s initial section focuses on getting started (uploading lesson files), setting computer preferences and how to play video tutorials (requires Adobe Flash). Learning what’s new in Dreamweaver CS5 is found in Chapter 16. Each lesson chapter provides step-by-step instructions (no long paragraphs), and numerous lessons are provided on the DVD insert.

Some screen shots throughout the individual sections point out various tools, or techniques identified in the individual directions. However, since this is a beginning Dreamweaver CS5 book, it would be helpful to view more screen shots in the book that specifically identifying cursor placement, or what the screen work area looks like during various steps. However, readers can refer to the supplemental video tutorials, which are very informative and a bonus to this tutorial package.

Self Study Section
At the end of each chapter there is a self study section, plus topic questions and related answers. The individual chapters do not state their estimated time length, but from practicing a few lessons, I would assume the average user may need 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Video lessons are short and informative.

If you are interested in learning Adobe Dreamweaver CS5, then consider this book as an option.

Contact: www.digitalclassroombooks.com
Cost: $49.99 US; $59.99 CAN