At a special event at this week's NAB 2004, Apple on Sunday introduced Shake 3.5, a new version of its compositing and special effects tool for cinema and video. The new version of Shake features new shape-based morphing and warping capabilities that rely on spline tools, improves Rendezvous networking and more. It's available now as a paid upgrade for Shake 3 users.
Shake 3.5's Shake Qmaster network render manager has been improved in this version; the Rendezvous-enabled system can handle distributed rendering tasks for both Shake and Alias' Maya 3D rendering and animation software. Support for 16-bit RGB and 10-bit YUV QuickTime formats has been added also.
Apple intros Xsan storage area network system
At a special event at this week's NAB 2004, Apple introduced Xsan, a Storage Area Network (SAN) file system priced at US$999 per system. The new file system is aimed at users in video and other businesses looking for high-speed access to centralized, shared data where even conventional Local Area Networks (LANs) might still be too slow.
Xsan is a 64-bit cluster file system designed to work with Mac OS X. It provides multiple computers with concurrent file-level read/write access to shared volumes over Fibre Channel, and it's certified to work with Apple's pro applications. Up to 64 users can simultaneously access a single storage volume using Xsan. Features include metadata controller failover, Fibre Channel multipathing, file-level locking, bandwidth reservation, and flexible volume management.
Source: MacCentral
I am not going to be doing any HD cam work in the near future, but this new Motion app looks pretty cool. I have used DVD Studio Pro since version 1, and that update also looks pretty nice as well.
What I was confused about when I heard about FCP HD, I thought it was going to be a (another) split of FCP. I mean we have Final Cut Express now - don't even get me started with that.
FCP HD is really FCP 4.5, and it is a free upgrade too. I am glad it is free, seeing as FCP 4 just came out not too long ago.
Article comments
1 - ktm
I can't wait to use Motion, it looks so great and makes AE look so archaic. I'm personally sick of Adobe's additude toward it's Mac user's and toward Apple in general. I feel they have treated us like second class people. Apple user base really built Adobe's foundation. At NAB I didn't see one G5 in the Adobe booth, only PC. That doesn't look like any support to me. Microsoft is gaining better reception in the mac community than Adobe itself. MS is actively aquiring Mac programs(VPC), and making Office better.
Adobe you just are starting to stink in the mac field with your bad ports of mac software(premiere 6.5)and the lack of it(encore, etc).
If Studio Artist comes out with a photoshop style editer,,,,,,,,,I will defintly use it over PS.
2 - Ken Edwards
Think if Apple made a Photoshop like app, what then?
Though you do bring up a great point. Apple really did get adobe off the ground, and not just with Adobe's creative software. Sure in the beginning it was all Macs that used Adobe software. But don't forget PostScript printing and the LaserWriter from Apple.
Think about Premiere and Encore though. FCP and DVD SP have those apps covered in spades, why use the Adobe alternative? I mean really. Its an argument for Adobe dropping those Mac apps, but its a rather weak argument.