Apple Releases Shake 3.0 With New Rendering Features & Options, New Controls

by , 7:00 AM EDT, April 7th, 2003

Apple has released a new full version of Shake, bringing it to version 3.0. Shake is an animation utility designed for the compositing of video and film. The latest version features the Qmaster network render management software for rendering distribution over Xserve units. Perhaps more importantly, that includes unlimited licensing that allows for rendering to be done over as many Macs as you have access to. Version 3.0 also additional effects tools. According to Shake:

Apple® today announced Shake® 3, the next generation of its industry-leading compositing and visual effects software.

Shake 3 includes new Mac® OS X only features such as the Shake Qmaster network render management software and unlimited network rendering licenses which allow visual effects artists to easily distribute rendering tasks across a cluster of Apple's Xserve™ 1U rack servers or desktop Power Mac® G4 computers for maximum performance and efficiency. Shake 3 also includes new visual effects features available to Mac OS X, Linux and IRIX customers including motion-tracking and real-time broadcast preview.

Shake 3 delivers powerful new visual effects tools to streamline the creative process and give artists more creative control. Artists can now apply tracking data to rotoshapes and paint strokes in order to automate time consuming rotoscoping tasks. New audio support allows artists to view audio waveforms against animation curves making it easier to synchronize visual effects with audio.

A film grain filter accurately simulates a variety of film stock grain. Shake's animation curve editor is dramatically improved for maintaining specific animation behaviors like slopes and values over a range of frames.

You can find more information about the Shake 3.0 release at the Apple Web site. Shake 3.0 is expected to be available in June for US$4,950.00.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Since Apple sells the hardware that this software (now) runs on, the unlimited license aspect of Shake 3.0 for rendering allows Apple to make money on both ends of this software. In a era of competition where some companies attempt to get licensing money for everything they possibly can, this is another example of how Apple benefits from making the whole widget (both software and hardware).

We should also note how Apple's new Cluster Node Xserve unit fits into this Shake's licensing scheme.

We'd like to hear from some filmmakers about what they think of the improvements in this new version of Shake. Please post your comments below.

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