e-on software: Back To School Special Offer

e-on software are offering 30% discounts on Vue 10 Esprite, Studio and Complete till 23rd September including updates from Vue 9 and Vue 8.

3D Artist Issue 39

Issue 39 of 3D Artist includes a free full version of Vue 9 Frontier that can be downloaded from the magazine's website.  There is also a step by step tutorial on making an underwater scene in Vue.

Last Chance Offer on Vue 9 Esprit, Studio and Complete

e-on software is running a 50% special offer on Vue 9 Esprite, Studio and Complete in the run up to the launch of Vue 10.

3D World Magazine August 2011

The August 2011 has the details of the competition mentioned earlier along with a largely positive review of Vue 9.5 Infinite which says

"Vue 9.5 is finally a point release worth upgrading for.  The key new features will make almost every Vue user happy and lift many of  their creative limitations"

3D World Magazine Vue

3D World Magazine has a competition with a full copy of Vue xStream as the first prize, with Ozone and Carbon Scatter available to the runners-up.

3D World July 2011

There is a short sidebar on using Vue to make a lightprobe on page 47 of the July 2011 issue of 3D World and Vue 9.5 does get a mention in The Filter where they say...

Probably the best .5 Vue update for some time. Any serious Vue artists should relish these new features - especially the enhanced cloud controls, which enable you to accurately place, sculpt and animate your cloudscapes for that extra touch of realism

Vue Personal Learning Edition Updated to Version 9.5

The free Personal Learning Edition of Vue has been updated to version 9.5. It includes all the new features of Vue 9.5 (Advanced Cloud Control, Interactive Texture Placement, Localized Cloud Layers, GPU Anti-Aliasing, FastHybrid Depth of Field, Matte Shadow).

Save up to 25% on Vue 9 Studio

Until Sunday 12th June, 2011, e-on has a special offer on the price of a full license of ">Vue 9 Studio (for as little as $299).

There are discounts on upgrades from Vue 8 or 9 Esprit or Vue 7 or 8 Studio too.

• Upgrade from Vue 8 Studio + Annual Subscription: $63
• Upgrade from Vue 7 Pro Studio + Annual Subscription: $151
• Upgrade from Vue 8 Esprit + Annual Subscription: $140
• Upgrade from Vue 9 Esprit: $179

Vue Cloud Sculpting Tutorial

I've just posted a complete rework of my sculpting clouds with images for Vue 9.5 with a video tutorial, two free mats, two free scenes and two free atmospheres. There was a lot of background noise here so the video is silent... Vue Cloud Sculpting Tutorial for Vue 9.5 Enjoy :-)

Geekatplay Studio Vue 9.5 Tutorials

New Geekatplay studio Vue 9.5 tutorials.

E-on Software Unveils Vue 9.5

VUE 9.5 PRE RELEASE AVAILABLE FOR USERS UNDER MAINTENANCE

April 7, 2011. Beaverton, Oregon: e-on software, maker of the leading solutions for Digital Nature, pre-released today Vue 9.5 xStream and Infinite, its professional solutions for the creation, animation and rendering of natural 3D environments.

New features of Vue 9.5

Vue xStream and Vue Infinite are the company’s flagship solutions for the creation of natural 3D environments. Vue Infinite operates as a standalone application while Vue xStream works seamlessly inside 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, LightWave and Cinema4D. Specifically designed for graphics professionals, these products combine a multitude of cutting edge features that easily integrate into existing production pipelines.

Advanced Cloud Control

Release 9.5 of Vue adds a number of important new features including:

• Interactive Texture Placement: a new texture manipulation gizmo allows texture maps to be rotated and scaled interactively, directly on the mesh. Users can now place and rotate textures to any position, angle and scale and preview the result in real-time.
• Fast Hybrid Depth of Field: Vue 9.5 features a new hybrid 2.5D algorithm to allow depth of field (DOF) to be rendered 4 times faster than traditional DOF methods.
• Advanced Cloud Control: editing, animating and cloud rendering performance greatly improved. Cloud restriction zones allow users to include and edit out specific cloud regions. The new cloud offset animation capability produces breathtaking renders of clouds sweeping over terrains and other scene objects.
• Multiple UV Layers: support for models containing separate UV layers (e.g. diffuse, bump, specular, noise, dirt, etc) is now included for better compatibility with other 3D applications.
• Atmospheric Relighting: the Vue relighting functionality was extended to allow adjustment of all ambient and indirect lighting.
• GPU Accelerated Anti-Aliasing: Vue will now use the additional processing power of the GPU to accelerate the anti-aliasing of thin polygon meshes.
• MDD File Format: Vue 9.5 now supports the MDD file format which allows morphed meshes to be captured as exact geometry for each animation frame.
• Improved EcoPainting: in 3ds Max and Cinema4D, EcoSystem painting on native objects is now done through the entire brush (instead of just the brush center). This results in much more accurate control of the painted instances.
• Custom Star Maps: custom “deep space” maps can be loaded as an alternative to the standard Vue stars. Users can even load images of distant constellations.
• Many other improvements such as vector quantization node, frame labeling, velocity pass in render buffer, composite layers for matte shadow and reflection materials also added.

A complete and detailed list of features will be made available at the time of final release.

Limiting Cloud Zones

Vue 9.5 Available as Pre-release

Vue 9.5 is available free of charge for all users under maintenance. Users of Vue 9 who are not under maintenance and wish to advance to Vue 9.5 should purchase maintenance today (they will receive Vue 9.5 and the Vue 10 upgrade free of charge).

If they wish, users under maintenance can immediately download a pre-release version of Vue 9.5. Users of Vue 9 who subscribe to a maintenance plan today will also be granted access to this pre-release version.

Vue 9.5 xStream and Vue 9.5 Infinite are expected to ship during Q2 2011. Customers who purchased Vue 9 xStream or Infinite within 30 days of the release of Vue 9.5 will receive Vue 9.5 at no cost as part of the Free 30 Day Maintenance included with all new purchases.

More information on e-on software’s maintenance plans can be found at:
www.e-onsoftware.com/maintenance

Interactive Texture Placement

Standard Retail Price:

Vue 9.5 xStream will retail for $1,790 with one year maintenance ($1495 without maintenance). A one year standard maintenance plan for xStream costs $395 (renewal: $295 only!).

Vue 9.5 Infinite will retail for $1,190 with one year maintenance ($995 without maintenance). A one year standard maintenance plan for Infinite costs $295 (renewal: $195 only!).

Upgrades from Vue 8.x xStream to Vue 9.5 xStream will be available for $495. Upgrades from Vue 8.x Infinite to Vue 9.5 Infinite will be available for $395 (upgrades from Vue 7 will also be available). Full pricing information will be disclosed at the time of release.

Annual subscriptions for Educational licenses of Vue xStream and Infinite are available respectively for $149/year/seat and $99/year/seat. Upgrades to Vue 9.5 are free for owners of active educational licenses of Vue 9.

Site licensing discounts are available, contact e-on software for further details and pricing information.

Availability

Vue 9.5 xStream and Vue 9.5 Infinite are available in English for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, and on Mac OSX 10.5+ (Mac Intel only), for both 32 and 64 bit.

Vue 9.5 xStream is compatible with the following renderers:

• 3ds Max 7 to 2012: MentalRay (integrated and MR satellites), V-Ray
• Maya 6 to 2012: MentalRay (integrated and MR satellites), V-Ray, Maya Software
• Softimage | XSI 5.1 to 2012: MentalRay (integrated and MR satellites)
• Cinema 4D R9.6 to R12: native renderer
• LightWave 9.3 to 10: native renderer

Other renderers are under consideration.

3D Artist Issue 26: Vue 9 Complete Review

3D Artist Issue 26 has a review of Vue 9 Complete giving it a final score of 9/10. I've not spotted any other Vue content in this issue.

Digital Arts March 2011 Vue Review

There is a review of Vue 9 by Ami Chopine in the March 2011 issue of the magazine Digital Arts.

Digital Arts Magazine Reviews Vue 9

Spotted a review of Vue 9 in Digital Arts Magazine March 2011.

CityEngine Vue reviewed at impworks

I've posted a review of CityEngine Vue on my website.

3D Artist Issue 25

After the bumper crop of Vue stuff in Issue 24 has little for Vue other than a mention of Vue 9 PLE, the trial version and a few paragraphs about CityEngine Vue in the news section.

Lush Landscapes Challenge on 3D World Forum

@3DWorldMag on Twitter has just announced that "Enter this month's Creative Challenge and win Vue 9 Esprit worth around £150!... http://fb.me/RXulAwTQ"

SSS skin in Vue 9

Silverblade has posted a new tutorial: SSS skin in Vue 9, benefits of using SSS, and the "speckle" probe.

Environment Design 2010: A Round Up of Top Apps

An interesting round up of software for working with Vue to create imaginary 3D environments: Environment Design 2010: A Round Up of Top Apps. Skip the advert page to get to the article.

3D World 139 and Vue

Lots of Vue in 3D World Issue 139 - Start with the free copy of Vue 8 Frontier on the cover disc and the Vue picture on the cover by Dax Pandhi.  Inside Dax takes us through creating the cover picture in a tutorial.  Then there is a four page tutorial on creating a mountainous scene with Vue 8 Frontier.  Finally there is a positive, two page review of Vue 9 Infinite and Vue 9 xStream by Eran Dinur.