Joren Kandel from the The Pixel Lab together with his buddy Remco over at remmac3d.blogspot.com created a huge pack with 20 financial themed models (www.thepixellab.net/financial-pack).

The models are made with Cinema 4D R12 (work with  Cinema 4D  R13) and include textures.

3D Financial Pack includes:

• American dollar bills with 3 different arrangements
• A money suitcase filled with cash. Easily opened and closed.
• Euro coins
• Euro bills
• Bar code scanner
• Credit card machine
• Credit card with easily customized .PSD included
• Dollar sign shaped vault safe
• Dollar signs raining down through skyscrapers animation
• Bank interior environment
• Bank vault safe
• Small vault safe
• Piggy bank in multiple colors
• Gold bullion bars
• Checkbook and pen, easy to animate open
• Pirate chest
• American coins
• ATM machines
• Calculator
• Cash register

In it’s latest release the Cinema 4D plugin TurbulenceFD is using the GPU to calculate simulation. You can select in the simulation menu the GPU instead of the CPU to render the simulation.

With this latest update you get results up to 10 times faster.

You can try the free, unlimited Learning Edition from jawset. The updated plugin is available since a early 2012 and is free for current users of TurbulenceFD

“CINEMA 4D R13 is supercharged with numerous productivity enhancements that cater to the multi-collaboration challenges our customers face every day,” Harald Egel states. “Artists interested in expanding their capabilities will love the new character tools. And, of course, the physical renderer with stereoscopic functionality is incredibly important as the new way to deliver immersive entertainment.”

MAXON announced 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.

As MAXON commemorates its 25-year anniversary and its most successful year to date in 2010, Harald Egel, MAXON founder and CEO, observes that today’s work environments are marked increasingly by designers creating content in remote locations, working on various platforms and production pipelines, as well as producing more 3D stereoscopic material.

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.

• 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.

Procedural also introduced CityEngine STUDIO. The new version is suited for small studios in architecture and entertainment which want to realize the full potential of CityEngine or do not qualify for the low-priced CityEngine INDIE.

Highlights of CityEngine 2010.2 are interactive editing of dynamic city layouts, node-based rule authoring, and a sketching tool for facades. In addition to that, CityEngine 2010.2 includes advanced block subdivision, modeling of curved streets, new rule operations for instancing and asset search, native Collada® support for assets, export instances with the new FBX® 2011.3, and many more.

Key Highlights of CityEngine 2010.2:

• Improved GUI for the Node-based Rule Editor (Visual CGA)
• City Wizard with new night city template (see picture above)
• Facade Wizard enhancements with new tutorial
• Support for FBX® 2011.3 and RenderMan® export on 64-bit
• CityEngine STUDIO introduced

Earlier version of CityEngine 2010 did feature already:

• Procedural Street Network Construction
• Import of Street Networks or Lots
• Scripting 3D Buildings
• Parametric Modeling of 3D Buildings
• Map-Controlled City Modeling
• Batch Export of 3D Models
• Dynamic City Layouts
• GIS Data Import
• Node-based Rule Editor
• Facade Wizard
• Support of industry-Standard 3D Formats
• Python

Not all versions of CityEngine 2010 support the same level of features, some version like INDIE supports less features. To compare the different features that are available in each version of CityEngine contact Procedural or take a look at the details on the Feature Comparison Chart.

Cities that you build in CityEngine 2010 can be exported into your favorite animation program through a variety of export format like Wavefront OBJ, Autodesk FBX, Autodesk 3DS, COLLADA DAE, MentalRay MI,Renderman RIB. The available export format varies by the version of CityEngine. Some versions have less export features then others (Details  can be found on the Feature Comparison Chart).

Picture below shows a CityEngine generated City loaded into Cinema 4D R12.

More CityEngine resources:

• CityEngine 30-Day Free Trial
• CityEngine Product Brochure
• CityEngine Client List & Customer Success Stories
• CityEngine Help
• CityEngine FAQ
• CityEngine Kowledge Base
• CityEngine Video Turorials

We have been looking into selecting a new render and animation package. There are many possible and good products in this space, all could produce similar results, some have more features then others, some are more industry standard then others and some are easier to learn. To select a package was not easy.

We selected coming from XSI Advanced a different vendor and software package and went with Cinema 4D Studio.We  have been so far very happy with Cinema 4D R12 and it’s features. We selected while the new rendering engine was enhanced with linear workflow two additional render the Cinema 4D implementation of vray from Chaos Group and its Cinema 4D implementation VRAYforC4D and the Maxwell Renderer from Next Limit for more realistic rendering results. Both VRAY and Maxwell are using rendering technologies which produces better and more realistic image quality, not only in architecture, interior design, product design and film production.

“We’ve waited a long time for this day, but the final product was worth the wait,” said Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron. “Thanks to a world-class development team and the thousands of beta testers who not only thoroughly tested the software but helped shape the final version, Flow is a product that will help all creative pros, whether they work alone or as part of a group, become more streamlined and productive. No more lost files, no more accidents, no more all-nighters.”

GridIron Flow has been used by thousands of creative professionals since the public beta of the product was released in February 18, 2009. Users have experienced how the software provides a unique and total understanding of each project being worked on and allows them to track all the components of a project, regardless of where the files are located. With instant access to any file or version needed, creative professionals can get a lot more done in a lot less time—without having to do anything differently.

Key features of the product include:

• Workflow Maps – Visual interface shows all project files and how they are connected
• Share Maps – Allows multiple users to view the same workflow map across the network
• Adobe CS4 Flow Flash Panel Provides access to GridIron Flow directly in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or Flash
• Real-time Asset Tracking – Tracks the connections between project files in real-time
• Visual Versioning – Accesses the complete history of a file and allows the user to revert to any version
• Visual Search – Finds any file, even if it’s offline, and shows how it fits into a project
• Foolproof Packaging – Gathers and updates all files automatically, keeping the package current
• Time Tracking – Automatically records how much time was spent on a file or project

“The ability for Flow to be accessed directly within Adobe CS4 applications via the new Flash Panel is impressive because of the value it brings users,” said Johnny Loiacono, senior vice president and general manager, Creative Solutions Business Unit, Adobe Systems. “CS4 already delivers significant increases in productivity and Flow takes that to an even higher level. It is a product that most of our Creative Suite customers will find valuable.”

For more information see the links below:

• GridIron Flow Tutorials: http://www.gridironsoftware.com/products/flow/flow_tutorials.html
• PhotoshopUser TV & Layers Magazine:  solid 10-minute tour
• Lynda.com: Flow Features Course
• For more about GridIron Flow – http://www.gridironsoftware.com/Flow/
• To visit GridIron’s blog – http://www.gridironsoftware.com/blog/

GridIron Flow is available for immediate purchase from GridIron’s website at http://www.gridironsoftware.com/store/. A single user license is $299 USD, with a three pack also available for $399.

Next Limit released MAXWELL RENDER 1.7. Maxwell Render 1.7 offers several new and vastly improved features.

If you a customer of Next Limit check your inbox to find the URL to download the update.

What is new in MAXWELL Render 1.7

• New physical sky system
  The Physical Sky system in Maxwell Render 1.7 uses an entirely new approach and has been greatly enhanced adding more parameters to control the look of the sky and the resulting light in the scene, ranging from common Earth values to exaggerated fantasy skies. Users can create presets of sky settings to quickly load a new sky, or share their presets with other users. It’s also possible to save the current sky as an HDR map.This new sky system renders faster than the previous one – in certain scenes the difference can be dramatic. The concept of “Aerosols” – particles found in the air that interact with light and influence how lights scatters and reacts in the atmosphere – plays an important role. Aerosols have a big impact on the coloration of the sky and scene illumination.
• 1.7 Material Editor enhanced
  • Material Preview: the material preview now shows incremental updates and you can stop the preview rendering at any time by double clicking on the preview.
  • Material Swatches: here you can store material “swatches” or previews. A material state can be stored as a preview and the user can easily browse between the saved previews, allowing for faster material editing and experimentation.
  • Texture Editor: the Texture Editor in 1.7 offers various new image controls: Saturation; Brightness; Contrast; and Clamp min/max. These new controls allow users to work much more efficiently with textures. There is no need to use an external image editing application to make small changes to a texture, and the same texture can be used for colour, bump, roughness and weight map.
  • Wizards: this is a step-by-step guide to creating several types of common materials such as shiny wooden floors, plastics, clipmapped materials for leafs, SSS materials, etc. The Wizard will ask you for textures, bumps, reflectance maps and material values such as roughness and colour.The “Common” wizard can be used to create Diffuse, Emitter, Metal, Dielectric or Plastic materials

• New SSS Component
  Sub-Surface Scattering (SSS) simulates the effect of light entering a translucent object and scattering inside it. Some of this light is absorbed and some is also scattered back to the surface. It is a crucial component that allows you to accurately simulate many kinds of materials including plastics, marble, milk, skin etc. The SSS component has been entirely rewritten for Maxwell Render 1.7, following an entirely new approach compared to the old system or any other SSS system currently available.The SSS component in Maxwell Render effectively replaces the BSDF material properties such as  eflectance/transmittance becausethe surface reflection color and amount depends on what happens inside the volume, just like in real life. There is no separation between “surface” material and “volume” material. The surface properties (roughness, bump etc.) remain the same as for the BSDF component. What this means in practice is that with the SSS component, you can get a full range of materials from regular clear glass, to almost solid-looking materials. This is one of the biggest strengths of Maxwell Render’s SSS system. The SSS material supports full GI and if the material is clear enough it will create caustic light patterns and also be influenced by caustic light cast from surrounding objects.

  You can weight an SSS with a BSDF, or several SSS components, but only one SSS or BSDF per material layer is allowed. You can quickly switch between using a BSDF or SSS component by right-clicking in the Material Layers list or by using the Edit menu and choosing “Turn to BSDF” or “Turn to SSS’. The Nd and surface properties you used in the previous component will be transferred to the new compone

• 1.7 Maxwell Studio improvements
  • Texture Handling and Memory Optimizations: texture handling, scene loading times and overall memory usage have all been improved. With scenes that use many large textures, objects and materials, the loading time is around 10 times faster. Only the textures that are active in the OpenGL viewport are now loaded into memory, saving RAM and allowing users to work faster with materials.
  • Realtime OpenGL Preview of Physical Sky: with the vastly improved Physical Sky system in Maxwell Render 1.7, the OpenGL preview in the viewports has also been improved, allowing you to change any of the Sky parameters and camera settings and seeing an accurate realtime preview in the viewports.
  • Color Picker: the color chips on the left side can be used to store commonly used colors. Drag& drop a color from the large color chips at the bottom of the Color Picker to one of the color chips on the left to store a color.
    The two large color chips at the bottom of the color picker allow you to compare the previously selected color with a new one.The top color chip updates to show the currently selected color in the colored wheel. The bottom color chip shows what color was selected when opening the Color Picker.
  • Isolate Selection: select this option from the right click menu in the object list panel, or in a viewport, to display only the currently selected objects in the viewport. This is useful if you have a cluttered scene and wish to view only the currently selected objects.
  • UV Operator: this option lets you apply the same transformations to all the selected UVs at the same time. You can, for example, scale all the selected UV sets by 10%. The Operator is found under the UV parameters section in the Object Parameters panel.
  • Material Browser: improved for version 1.7; it has a more common functionality with the Windows Explorer, having a folder view on the left side and the contents of the folder displayed on the right side.
  • 3D/ Ortho View Dropdown: You can switch a camera to be a perspective (3D) camera or an orthographic camera (2D). This is useful if you wish to render an orthographic view while still having access to common camera parameters such as resolution and ISO. Please note that focal length is not available when the camera is in orthographic mode.

• SimuLens
  SimuLens parameters: the SimuLens parameters have been added to the interface of Maxwell Studio and the plug-ins, and they are now also available through the command line. These changes allow for SimuLens to be used for animations.
• MXiMerge Tool
  The installation package includes a new tool called MxiMerge. This is a small command line application useful to merge MXI files into one folder. It can also be used to read information about an MXI file (resolution, sampling level, etc) and for converting MXI files into other image formats. To learn more about how to use this tool just open a command line/terminal window and type: (for Windows) MxiMerge.exe –help; (for Mac OSX and Linux) mximerge –help.
• MAXWELL Plugins
  All Plugins (3ds Max, Archicad 11, Cinema 4D, form-Z, Lightwave 3D, Maya, Rhinoceros, SolidWorks,  and Softimage | XSI) have been updated

Andrew Kramer did release the long awaited “The Bullet” training.  Before you read on buy The Bullet right now.

This new DVD will take you from your favorite 3D program to After Effects and back, including compositing multi-pass renders and importing camera data.

“The Bullet” training is designed to show you how to create large-scale visual effects in an organized and powerful work flow.

What do you learn about After Effects:

• Creating elements from scratch
• Working between AE and 3D, integrating camera data
• Multi-Pass exporting and compositing
• Advanced color correction techniques
• File management and work flow tips such as pre-comp proxies
• Displacement effects and other creative uses for common plug-ins

What do you learn about 3D Software:

• Model a realistic bullet and shell casing
• Texturing and lighting with reflections
• Animation with Null objects and groups
• How to render multiple elements for compositing

The Bullet Video Training:
Over 5 Hours. If you continue with a single 3D program training time is about 3 hours.

01. Introduction / Organize
02. Preparing Footage and building 3D Scenery
03. Building Assets: 3D Muzzle Flash & Smoke
04. Building Assets: Perspective Slide Action
05. Work-Flow Tips & Building Proxies
06. Compositing the Elements
07. Final Compositing
08. Finishing Touches & Advanced Color

Andrew Kramer sells “The Bullet” for $49.95 available on a DVD or through download.