Apple is now shipping the new full version of Shake 3.0. Shake is an animation utility designed for the composting of video and film. The latest version features the Qmaster network render management software for render distibution over Xserve units and additional effects tools. According to Shake:
Apple? today announced the immediate availability of Shake? 3, the next generation of its industry-leading compositing and visual effects software featured in the production of over a hundred motion pictures, including the Academy Award-winning Lord of the Rings and this summer?s hottest blockbusters such as Finding Nemo, Matrix Reloaded and X-Men 2.
Shake 3 includes new Mac? OS X only features such as Shake Qmaster network render management software that allows 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.
In addition, Mac OS X users of Shake receive unlimited network render licenses at no extra cost. Shake 3 also includes new features available to Mac OS X, Linux and IRIX customers, including film grain simulation and tracking on paint strokes.
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 available for US$4,950.00.