Thinkpad Yoga 14 sneaks into Best Buy (sans pen)

Because I never saw a big screen I didn't like, I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Lenovo's first two Wacom Active ES 2-in-1 convertible laptops, the Thinkpad Yoga 14 and 15. 

Determining whether Windows devices support pen input is rarely easy, but in the case of these new Yogas, it's been downright ridiculous. I first ordered the Thinkpad Yoga 15 in March when it appeared on the Lenovo website. Buried in the specs was a claim of pen support. But I quickly returned it when it arrived with no Wacom digitizer. By the time I submitted my RMA request, Lenovo had updated its site and erased all mention of pen support on the new Thinkpads. Mysteriously though, Lenovo began listing an Active Capacitive Pen for $40 that its specs say is compatible with "all ThinkPad capacitive touch screen enabled devices."

In the three months since my first abortive encounter, I've been visiting the Lenovo site daily waiting for the new convertible to be listed for sale. And I'm not alone, because over on the TabletPCReview forums, the Thinkpad Yoga 15 thread is 65 pages long as I write this! Recently, international posters began reporting having purchased the penabled TPY14, but a 14-inch model has never even been listed in the US.

Thursday night, TabletPCReview regular @soh5 discovered that the Lenovo Thinkpad 14 is now available in the US as a Best Buy exclusive for $999. I followed this link and quickly placed my order and picked it up Friday morning. Although I would have preferred to test a 15-inch model, recent posts lead me to think that the TPY 15 may have been cancelled or is still a long way out.

Unfortunately, Best Buy doesn't offer the Active Capacitive Pen for sale (what a surprise) so I had to order that from Lenovo directly. It will take at least a week to arrive.

Unlike prior Wacom EMR tablet PC pens, it appears that Wacom Active ES pens are OEM specific. My Toshiba Encore 2 Write pen is not recognized on the TPY14, although the convertible laptop definitely lists a digitizer and even includes the Wacom Feel driver pre-installed.

Testing of the pen will have to wait until the pen shows up, but below are some quick first impressions and a size comparison with the first generation Thinkpad Yoga 12.

Despite its relatively low price, the Thinkpad Yoga 14 is a solid, quality business laptop. It features a 2.2 GHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5200U processor with a 3MB cache and a Turbo Boost speed up to 2.7GHz, 8GB DDR3L memory, 1 TB hybrid hard drive (5400 rpm) with a 16GB solid state drive as a cache, NVIDIA GeForce GT 940M graphics with 2 GB dedicated video RAM and a 14" LED-backlit high-definition 10-point multitouch display with IPS technology and 1920 x 1080 resolution. 

The TPY14 includes 2 USB 3.0 ports and 1 USB 2.0 port, built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11ac), and Bluetooth 4.0.

It weighs 4.18 lbs. and measures just 0.82" thick.

The new Thinkpad Yoga 14 makes an excellent first impression. The display is sharp and bright, unlike the first generation Thinkpad Yoga 12 that has a milky screen protector that makes all images look dull. The keyboard is roomy and the best in class. The touchpad is also vastly improved over the TPY12 which felt slightly wobbly and cheap. The touchpad also features true left and right mouse buttons that  is appreciated. 

Lenovo has eked out another 1.5 diagonal inches out of the display by reducing the side bezels dramatically. You can't really make them any smaller without sacrificing side swiping capability. The TPY14 is just over 13" wide and 9" tall in landscape mode. The first gen TPY 12 approximately 12.25"x 8.5."

It's still a little odd to use the Yoga in tablet mode as the retracted keyboard keys will rest against your hands or knees as you hold it. I much prefer older compatibles like the Sony VAIO Flip and Acer Aspire R7-572 that allowed you to lift the display slightly to access the keyboard. To use the Yoga as a drawing device, you will definitely want to keep a Bluetooth keyboard nearby.

Lenovo packs a lot of crapware into its products lately and many of them are redundant to Microsoft services. I removed the McAfee Internet Security, a cloud storage solution and several other so-called Lenovo DOit applications. My advice to all PC manufacturers: DON'T DOit.

I haven't really put the laptop through its paces yet, but benchmark performance is very good. For some reason PCMark 8 won't run, but the TPY14 3DMark results were far better than either the original Thinkpad Yoga, the Wacom Cintiq Companion 2 or the Surface Pro 3 thanks to the latest gen i5 and the NVidia 940M GPU. I suspect the Ice Storm benchmark is the only one that is reliant on the CPU speed, which might explain the Core i7 TPY12's win in that category, although that doesn't explain the CC2 coming in second.

                         TPY14      CC2         SP3            TPY12(1st Gen)

Fire Strike      1492        649          409             565

Sky Diver        5558        3096       1628           2454    

Cloud Gate     6397        4658       3653          4297

Ice Storm        38725     40038     27450       44865

Battery life also appears to be good, claiming to last 8 hours.     

I have to reserve my final judgement on the Thinkpad Yoga 14 until I've put the Active Capacitive pen through its paces, but at the moment, I think it's a very solid contender if you're looking for a convertible device. Considering that I paid over $1700 for the original Thinkpad Yoga in November, 2013, the $999 TPY 14 is an absolute bargain. Stay tuned!

TabletPCMouse offers ArtDock alternative

When I was first approached by the folks behind TabletPCMouse a couple of months ago, I was frankly perplexed. The utility developed by Japanese developer Takashi Yamamoto creates a virtual trackpad on your Windows tablet's display (see demo video, right). 

We all know that desktop touch targets can be very small and difficult to hit accurately, especially on complex professional programs. Controlling the screen pointer with the virtual trackpad is indeed easier than attempting to tap with a finger. But whenever I'm in tablet mode, I'm seldom without my pen, so whatever the added accuracy, I find it's much faster to tap the pen tip directly onto the target.

The software also enables users to access a large array of customizable two-, three-, four- and five-fingered gestures which can be very "handy." (Pun intended). 

I thought this latter feature was very useful and I intended to write a note about the utility at that point, but it was a complex enough utility that I felt I couldn't do it justice with the time I had available, so it quickly fell off my radar.

The developers persisted and contacted me again this week to offer a peek at the upcoming version 2.0 beta. My interest was piqued when I learned that this new version offers an ArtDock alternative called "Artist Pad." Development of the free utilities Toolbar Creator and RadialMenu, which I've covered extensively, has slowed in recent months, so it's nice to see a new option on the horizon.

Once installed, TPCM makes it extremely easy to create customized Artist Pads with your favorite keyboard shortcuts. The layouts are saved as .ini files that you can load in and out as often as you like. I created the Photoshop Artist Pad here (see left) after only a few minutes of getting familiar with the utility.

TabletPCMenu is free to download from the Windows App Store, but to unlock all its features, you'll want to pay the $10 premium. At this writing, the software is on sale for $4.99.

What's odd about the tool is that the app doesn't do much without the presence of the desktop add-on. It's this confusion about the way the two programs interact that kept me from writing about it earlier.

In case you'd like to give the utility a try, below is a step by step guide to getting the program up and running. (Apologies if the layout is weird. Squarespace's Layout Engine is giving me fits with this post!)

STEP 1. Download the Tablet PC Mouse Manager App from the Windows Store.

STEP 2. Run the App and select Get Desktop Program

STEP 3. Download the desktop program. At the moment, this downloads the 1.9x version. When you register your email address, you will get the 2.0 beta and eventual update.

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The settings (above) also offer customization of the pointer and virtual keyboard, but for the remainder of this post, I'll focus on customizing the ArtistPad.

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STEP 4. Install the desktop application.

STEP 5. Access the TabletPCMouse settings from the notifications tray.

STEP 6. Insert your Bonus Code to unlock commercial features.

Once inside the settings menu, TabletPCMouse offers a wide and potentially confusing array of options (click on any of the images below to see larger versions).

My advice is to take your time with each screen, testing the settings one at a time until you're comfortable with the options.

To access the ArtistPad, tick it in the Current Mode (left).

Side Float and Full Screen settings (below) allow you to set up customized gestures. This is a really great feature that should be part of the OS. The developers state that TabletPCMouse is compatible with Windows 10, so this may end up being a lifesaver if Microsoft removes a gesture from 8.1 that you've grown to love.

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In one of the oddest design choices of the utility, selecting the Layout settings (left) only offers the opportunity to edit the layout in the Modern app (below).

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By default, the layout screen opens up the Float trackpad (above). I wasn't able to load the Artist Pad from the Layout pulldown, so it took a little trial and error by loading the Artist Pad on the desktop and then selecting "Edit layout with store app" (above left).

Once the Artist Pad is available in the Layout window, save a new .ini file in case you want to go back to the original settings.

Customizing your Artist Pad is very simple: just click on a button (below left), enter its keyboard equivalent and modifier keys and size, position and rename it. In the example below, tapping the Open button will send the Ctrl-O shortcut.

By default, the Artist Dock buttons are 15 units tall, but in order to add many more buttons, I reduced the height to 7. At present, it looks like Artist Pads are limited to two columns.(CORRECTION: The pad can contain more columns, but I haven't figured out how to do so.)

You can drag the buttons around as you like, but they don't snap consistently. Just pay attention to the x and y coordinates to keep your buttons evenly spaced. It would be nice to be able to move multiple buttons at once or add graphical separators to keep the items better organized.

When you have a button you like, just Clone it to add a similar one.

Once your Artist Pad is completed, save the .ini file and load it in the desktop settings. (I told you the bouncing back and forth between apps is weird and a little tedious).

When the Artist Pad is loaded (left), it has a hamburger menu icon in the top left that allows you to quickly load settings or jump to the layout app. The blank area next to the hamburger menu allows you to click and drag the pad around the screen.

You can set the Artist Pad's opacity in the Settings tab and the Minus icon will minimize it.

For a beta product, TabletPCMouse is very robust. It works with both Wacom and N-Trig devices. Be aware that on N-Trig tablets like the Surface Pro 3, the pen's proximity to the screen will disable touch. On Wacom tablets, touch is only disabled at the moment that the tip touches the screen. In any event, this means that the keystroke can't be held down as you use your pen. 

TabletPCMouse mitigates this limitation somewhat by toggling modifier keys like Alt and Shift. For those shortcuts, once they are tapped they will stay depressed until they are tapped again.

This is a very worthwhile utility and the developers are eager to get feedback from the SurfaceProArtist community. The first 20 commenters on this post will receive free licenses in order to provide more feedback and advice on the beta. For more details visit TabletPCMouse.com. 

Avoid losing older Adobe CC editions during 2015 update

Earliest adopters who rushed out to install Adobe CC 2015 updates Monday night may have been surprised to find that this year's installer erases previous CC versions on the hard drive.

This is probably a welcomed convenience to most users who don't need multiple versions of software taking up useful drive space, but if you have a mission critical file or plug-in that requires a specific version, you might be out of luck if you blow away your older installation.

I had installed CC 2015 on three systems before I realized I was removing CC and CC 2014 programs.

Keeping the older versions is straight forward, but requires paying attention early in the update process. 

When the Adobe Creative Cloud application notifies you that new CC 2015 apps are available, you can update the programs individually or select Update All.

By default, the installer will remove prior CC versions (CS 6 and earlier are not affected). To keep your older installations, select Advanced Options.

Untick the Remove old versions option and then select Update. Be prepared to wait a while as all of my installations thus far have taken a couple of hours.

Most users will likely appreciate the freed up hard drive space, so this method should only be applied if you absolutely need to continue to access older CC programs.

Adobe Stock Launches Worldwide

PRESS RELEASE

Integration into Creative Cloud Gives Adobe the Edge in $3 Billion Global Stock Image Market

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 16, 2015 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today launched Adobe Stock, the industry’s first stock content service to be integrated directly into the content creation process and the tools creatives use every day. Available through Adobe Creative Cloud, this new service radically simplifies buying and using stock content, including photos, illustrations and graphics.

“Adobe Stock extends Creative Cloud’s value as a vibrant global marketplace,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media, Adobe. “Eighty-five percent of customers who purchase stock images use Adobe creative tools. The deep integration with our latest Creative Cloud desktop apps, including Photoshop and InDesign, makes buying and using stock photos incredibly easy. At the same time, our customers – the best photographers and designers on the planet – will have the opportunity to contribute millions of new photos and images to Adobe Stock. This is really going to raise the bar in the world of stock content.”

Adobe Stock, a curated collection of 40 million-and-growing high-quality images, is deeply integrated into the latest releases of Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC. Designers can launch Adobe Stock directly within CC desktop software, add watermarked images to their Creative Cloud Libraries, and then access and work with images across multiple desktop tools. When creatives are ready to license the image for finished work, they can do it directly within the desktop software they are working in. Thanks to Creative Cloud’s signature CreativeSync technology, all edits made on a watermarked image are automatically applied to the newly licensed image, saving hours of potential rework.

Adobe Stock is also available as a standalone stock service, https://stock.adobe.com, where designers and marketers who are not yet Creative Cloud members, can download, purchase and sell stock images.

The launch of Adobe Stock shakes up the $3 billion global stock image market, as Adobe customers are active contributors to stock image services and regular purchasers of stock content. An estimated 85 percent of creatives who buy stock content use Adobe tools; and more than 90 percent of stock content sellers use Adobe software in the preparation of their photos and images. Adobe Stock is based on the acquisition of stock content provider Fotolia, earlier this year.

In addition to utilizing the Adobe Stock service, creatives can contribute work to Adobe Stock, accessing a worldwide community of motivated stock content buyers. Adobe also announced it will offer industry-leading rates to photographers and designers contributing content to Adobe Stock.

Key features of Adobe Stock include:

Easily manage, work with and purchase stock content. Designers can launch Adobe Stock directly within CC desktop software, add watermarked images to Creative Cloud Libraries and then access and work with images across multiple desktop and mobile tools. When creatives are ready to license the image for finished work, they can do it directly within the CC desktop software application. Designers can also edit a watermarked image in an application like Photoshop CC and, when licensed, these edits are automatically applied to the purchased full-resolution image.

High-impact creative content for print, web or mobile app projects. Adobe Stock is an extensive marketplace of over 40 million photos, illustrations and graphics, covering virtually every subject. Whether it’s finding a standout image of a Scottish castle for a tourist brochure; a beach volleyball game for a sports web site; or an illustration of a restaurant menu for a mobile app, Adobe Stock has a huge selection of possibilities. Adobe also plans to add new stock content categories in the coming months, leveraging Adobe customers’ unrivaled reach and experience across creative fields.

Simple and flexible pricing plans. Flexible purchase options enable creatives and marketers to buy single images, as they need them, or purchase a monthly plan. Saving up to 40 percent, Creative Cloud members get the best value when they add an Adobe Stock annual plan option to their Creative Cloud membership. A first for the stock image industry, creatives who sign up for a 10-images-per-month plan can “rollover” unused images for up to a year (most month-to-month stock subscription plans require creatives to use all images each month or lose them). For customers who are not Creative Cloud members, a standalone Adobe Stock service offers single-image pricing, as well as month-to-month and annual membership plans.

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Stock (https://stock.adobe.com) is available today in 36 countries and 13 languages. Pricing for Creative Cloud individual and team customers is $9.99 for a single image; $29.99 per month for 10 images monthly (with rollover of unused images); and $199 per month for 750 images monthly. Separate pricing is available for Adobe Stock customers who are not Creative Cloud members.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

Adobe CC 2015 Updates Available for Download

PRESS RELEASE

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 16, 2015 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today launched a milestone release of its flagship Adobe Creative Cloud tools and services. The 2015 release of Creative Cloud includes major updates to Adobe’s industry-defining desktop tools, including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and InDesign CC; as well as new connected mobile apps for iOS and Android. The company also shipped Adobe Stock, the industry’s first stock content service to be integrated directly into the creative process and the tools creatives use every day (see separate press release). In addition, Adobe announced an expanded Creative Cloud enterprise offering that includes enterprise-grade administration, security, collaboration and publishing services for design-driven brands, businesses and large organizations.

“The 2015 release of Creative Cloud is packed with innovation. Adobe Stock, our brand new stock service, makes 40 million photos, vector graphics and illustrations accessible directly within your favorite CC desktop apps. Our CreativeSync technology deepens the connections between desktop apps and mobile apps on iOS and Android; and major updates to Creative Cloud’s infrastructure and administrative capabilities makes this an essential upgrade for enterprise customers,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media, Adobe. “Creative Cloud 2015 is our most powerful and comprehensive release to date.”

At the heart of Creative Cloud is Adobe CreativeSync, a signature technology that intelligently syncs creative assets: files, photos, fonts, vector graphics, brushes, colors, settings, metadata and more. With CreativeSync, assets are instantly available, in the right format, wherever designers need them – across desktop, web and mobile apps. Available exclusively in Creative Cloud, CreativeSync means work can be kicked off in any connected Creative Cloud mobile app or CC desktop tool; picked up again later in another; and finished in the designer’s favorite CC desktop software.

Desktop Tools Take Giant Leap Forward
With the 2015 release of Creative Cloud, Adobe magic and Mercury performance provide speed and technology breakthroughs across 15 CC desktop applications, including:

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Photoshop CC introduces Artboards, the best way to design cross-device user experiences in a single Photoshop document and quickly preview them on a device; and a preview release of Photoshop Design Space, a sleek new work environment focused on the needs of mobile app and web site designers.
Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC both gain the new Dehaze feature, which appeared first as a MAX sneak in October 2014. Dehaze, eliminates fog and haze from photos, including underwater shots, for startlingly clear images. Haze can also be added to a photo for artistic effect.

Premiere Pro CC furthers its lead in the market with the addition of the Lumetri Color panel for powerful color corrections using intuitive sliders and other simple controls; and Morph Cut, which makes it easier to deliver polished interview content by smoothing out jump cuts in talking-head shots to create a cohesive, polished sequence.

After Effects CC now has Uninterrupted Preview to allow artists to adjust a composition’s properties and even resize panels without impacting playback. Also, the groundbreaking Adobe Character Animator brings 2D figures to life using a webcam to track facial movements, record dialog and apply movements in real time onto a pre-configured character.
Illustrator CC is now 10 times faster and 10 times more precise than CS6. Powered by dramatic boosts to its Mercury Performance Engine, users can now pan and zoom smoothly without delays. With the new Chart tool (preview), designers can also create beautiful custom charts and share them with others via CC Libraries.

InDesign CC gets its own Mercury performance surge with zooming, scrolling, and paging through complex documents now twice as fast. InDesign now also allows users to publish and distribute documents with a single click.

Dreamweaver CC has new responsive web design capabilities that let designers quickly lay out and build production-ready sites that adapt to any screen size.
Adobe Muse now includes instant access to premium fonts from Typekit.
And much, much more. Additional updates to these and other CC desktop applications make this one of the biggest releases in years.

Mobile to Desktop Workflows Enhanced with Android Support, New Mobile Apps
Since Creative Cloud was introduced in 2012, Adobe has championed the idea that mobile devices should be integral to the creative process, with free companion mobile apps working seamlessly with CC desktop tools. Adobe today released Brush CC, Shape CC, Color CC and Photoshop Mix on Android for the first time, bringing connected mobile workflows to millions of creatives worldwide. Adobe has also updated many of its popular Creative Cloud mobile apps for iPhone and iPad, including Adobe Comp CC, Photoshop Mix, Photoshop Sketch, Illustrator Draw, Brush CC, Shape CC and Color CC.

In addition to these updates Adobe debuted Adobe Hue CC today. Hue CC provides an easy way to capture and share production-quality lighting and color schemes – for video, film and broadcast – by using an iPhone camera and then applying these light and color moods into a Premiere Pro CC or After Effects CC project.

Adobe Stock Content Service Launched, With Deep Creative Cloud Integration
Adobe Creative Cloud is evolving into a vibrant global marketplace. Adobe Talent, introduced in 2014, connects the world’s best creatives with work opportunities from major brands and agencies; and today the company launched Adobe Stock, the first stock content service to be integrated directly into the creative process and the tools that creatives use every day (see separate press release). Now creatives can jump-start projects, with access to 40 million images, right within tools such as Photoshop CC, InDesign CC and Illustrator CC. Adobe also announced it will offer industry-leading rates to photographers and designers contributing content to Adobe Stock.

Creative Cloud Enabling the Digital Transformation of Enterprises
Major enhancements to Creative Cloud for enterprise were also announced today: a solution for large commercial, education and government customers who must radically speed the development and publishing of customer experiences, as part of their digital transformation strategies. This edition includes all the product features from today’s Creative Cloud 2015 release, plus expanded security options and deep connections with Adobe Digital Publishing Solution (DPS) and Adobe Marketing Cloud. Two new security capabilities ensure protection of corporate assets, including customer-managed encryption keys and a new managed service hosting option, which offers dedicated storage behind a customer’s firewall. Creative Cloud for enterprise also supports an upcoming release of DPS, empowering existing teams in organizations to rapidly design and publish mobile apps without writing code. A public beta of this major update to DPS is available this week, with more information available at http://adobe.ly/dpsnextgen.  Content from Creative Cloud for enterprise also syncs with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), a key component of Adobe Marketing cloud, to accelerate marketing campaigns by streamlining creative-to-marketing workflows.

Pricing and Availability
Today’s updates to CC desktop and mobile apps are immediately available for download by Creative Cloud members as part of their membership at no additional cost. Membership plans are available for individuals, students, teams, educational institutions, government agencies and enterprises. When adding Adobe Stock to any paid yearly Creative Cloud membership plan, creatives can save up to 40 percent over purchasing stock content separately. For pricing details, visit: https://creative.adobe.com/plans. An innovative web experience for customers, showcases the new features and capabilities launched today, at http://makeit.adobe.com.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

A-CORD-ing to Bret: Asus PT201Q is worth a look

GUEST POST

By Bret A. Melvin

Yes, I'm opening this review with a "cord" pun, because let's face it, that's the most conspicuous feature of the ASUS PT201Q...that tethered stylus.  Given the forgettable Lexus sedan-style name, it's also the one thing you'll most certainly remember about it.
 
Let's get the big stuff out of the way first.  This is a product from a company not known for this type of hardware, it's got a proprietary tethered stylus, and a name only the US Military could love.
 
You should just stop reading now and ignore this hopeless imposter, right?
 
Not so fast.
 
This unit from ASUS is different, yes.  It has some quirks, definitely.  It is, however, worth a closer look, because for some of you, this might be all you need and quite a bit more than you'd expect.
 
Depending on the price at which you purchase it, the needs you have for your art, and your willingness to try a few small tweaks on the pen, I think this is more than just a base hit, it could be a home run.
 
Check out the video review for what I hope is a fairly comprehensive overview of its virtues and vices.

Bucktoothstudios.com video review of ASUS PT201Q tablet monitor pen display. This is part 1 of 2 which focuses on the hardware itself and setup. Part 2 covers the pen and drawing tests as well.

bucktoothstudios.com video review of ASUS PT201Q tablet monitor pen display. In part 2 I look at the pen itself and how it performs in areas like pressure sensitivity, hover distance, and stability.

3D-Coat 4.5 Released

PRESS RELEASE

Kiev, May 28, 2015

Pilgway Studios is glad to announce 3D-Coat 4.5 is officially released and available for download now! This particular update has taken us a while to deliver, but we made sure to include a whole LOT of new, great features to make 3D-Coat a more versatile and powerful 3D painting and digital sculpting tool. 

Check out our video presentation and a short list of new features implemented in 3D-Coat 4.5 below. Owners of 3D-Coat 4 and 4.1 can upgrade for free. 

Pilgway Studio presents 3D-Coat 4.5 featuring Physically Based Rendering (PBR) and texturing with Smart Materials Check Features List here: http://3d-coat.com/3d-coat-45/

Important notice! From May 28, 2015 till June 15, 2015 we offer a special launch discount of $45 (US dollars) on Full Professional and the Floating licenses. Enjoy!
 
Key features introduced in 4.5: 
•    Physically Based Rendering & Smart Materials!
•    Groups for Paint Layers!
•    New Symmetry modes!
•    Seamless painting over multiple UV meshes!
•    Bas-relief and Undercuts now have Tapering angle. Useful for 3D-printing. 
•    AntiBump smoothing method  for sculpting! Allows achieving ideally smooth surface even on a high-frequency detailing.

Key Updates in 4.5:
•    Multiple Paint Room changes, incl. Compatibility/GGX/Blinn-phong shading; HDR support for panoramas and a lot more.
•    Numerous  Retopo/UV/ Render Room Changes, incl. Retopo with symmetry improved; New Retopo tool – Scale implemented and a lot more.
•    Multiple Sculpt Room Changes, incl. New style for Primitives UI; Constructor tool introduced; Tapering implemented and a lot more.
As always, that is just a small portion of innovations that awaits you in 3D-Coat 4.5! Follow this link to discover the complete list of features and changes introduced: 3d-coat.com/3d-coat-45/ 

Download 3D-Coat 4.5 here: 3d-coat.com/download/

About 3D-Coat
3D-Coat is the one application that has all the tools you need to take your 3D idea from a block of digital clay all the way to a production ready, fully textured organic or hard surface model. 3D-Coat is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese  and Russian languages. The official website of 3D-Coat is www.3d-coat.com   

Visit 3D-Coat gallery or video channel to find out even more about the app.

Anime Studio 11 Ready to Compete for Pro Users

PRESS RELEASE

Latest Anime Studio release offers frame-by-frame design and raster-like characteristics with natural freehand drawing and painting for more life-like results

This short animation that showcases some of AS 11's new features.

ALISO VIEJO, CA – May 27, 2015 – The Productivity and Graphics group of Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI) today announced the latest version of its Telly Award-winning Anime Studio® software, designed to streamline production for studios and professional artists who create complex animations. The new Frame-by-Frame feature of Anime Studio 11 lets artists switch between traditional animation techniques and more automated bone-rigging techniques, making it faster and easier to achieve different effects without switching tools. New and enhanced drawing and painting features provide a natural feel and raster-like characteristics with life-like results.

“With Anime Studio 11, we’re able to combine the best of rigging and frame-by-frame work, allowing two different animation worlds to finally touch each other with great results. Working in teams is easier and more powerful than ever before. Plus, artists can now create powerful rigs and effects that were extremely difficult or impossible with other tools. I love the simplicity of the new features - they’re clean and incredibly deep,” said Victor Paredes, renowned artist with Flourfilms.

Key Features of Anime Studio 11
•    Frame-by-Frame – allows artists to immediately switch between bone-rigging and a frame-by- frame workspace for authentic, precise and life-like animation results.
•    Layer Referencing – propagates changes from one design layer to all related layers, even across multiple documents, improving accuracy and saving significant time for team-based productions.
•    Animated Shape Ordering – extends the ability to quickly and easily rearrange shapes anywhere within an animation timeline rather than adjusting each full frame independently.
•    Enhanced Tools and Brushes – Freehand drawing is now simpler and more realistic with new automated Merge Strokes, a Smoothing option for round, smooth shapes, and a more efficient Blob Brush for simple shapes. The new Color Points tools lets artists blend colors together in new ways, while Merged Alpha and Drift Angle brushes offer a more natural and pleasing look and feel.

•    JSON File Format – support for Java Script Object Notation (JSON) file format provides faster file processing and more flexible asset tagging within files, making it easier to exchange and manage related assets across workgroups. Backward compatibility with older versions of Anime Studio is retained, as well as compatibility with MotionArtist® file formats.

A full list of features and enhancements is available here: Anime Studio 11

“For movie studios and other animation production houses, speed to market is critical, so we’ve focused our development of Anime Studio 11 on making it faster and easier for professional artists to work more efficiently in groups, while allowing each artist to use the tools that suit their individual styles and unique vision,” said Fahim Niaz, Director of Product Management for Smith Micro Software. “We’re extremely proud that Anime Studio has earned a reputation of being both simple and powerful to use, with results worthy of global recognition, including an Oscar nomination for ‘Song of the Sea,’ produced in part with Anime Studio.”

“We used Anime Studio for a number of elements in ‘Song of the Sea’, including various efx elements, several vehicles, animated backgrounds, and four underwater scenes that were fully-animated with Anime Studio. These were long characters, like whales, swimming in camera-panning scenes, and using Anime Studio allowed us to animate the scenes quickly and efficiently.  Our director could instantly see the scenes in full color, in almost exactly the final look, enabling him to make editing choices prior to final composite. We are really looking forward to incorporating Anime Studio 11 into future productions,” said Jeremy Purcell, Assistant Director, Cartoon Saloon.

Pricing and Availability

Anime Studio Pro 11 is available for $299.99 and Anime Studio Debut 11 for novice artists is $49.99. Detailed product, pricing and upgrade information is available here.

About Smith Micro’s Productivity and Graphics Group

The Smith Micro Software Productivity and Graphics Group produces award-winning software that inspires consumer creativity and enables efficiency. The group’s creative suite of programs provides artists of all skill levels – from novice to professional – with the tools to illustrate, animate and create 2D and 3D art. Some of the Productivity and Graphics Group’s award-winning creative and utilities products include Poser, Anime Studio, Manga Studio and StuffIt. For more information, visit: http://my.smithmicro.com/

Lenovo announces Surface 3 challenger ThinkPad 10

PRESS RELEASE

BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today at Lenovo Tech World announced the new ThinkPad 10 that takes business tablet computing to a higher level with key feature enhancements including ThinkPad Pen Pro, providing greater accuracy and business-class security for better data protection. Lenovo continues to expand the rich ecosystem of accessories for ThinkPad 10 to include the new ThinkPad Folio Keyboard, offering a superior keyboard experience in a sleek and light case.

“Best in class, the ThinkPad 10 highlights our extreme focus on innovation and responding to the diverse needs of our customers and tablet usage scenarios”

ThinkPad 10 Marries PC Performance with Tablet Simplicity

Mobile business users struggling to choose between a laptop or tablet will love the new ThinkPad 10 with its flexible working modes. Designed for a full PC experience, it offers the performance users need for the most common workflows, including creating presentations, documents, email, video calls and more. Ships with Windows 10 pre-installed on an Intel Atom quad core processor, the 10-inch tablet can be attached to the new optional ThinkPad 10 Folio Keyboard or the Ultrabook Keyboard for a full typing experience and optional ThinkPad Tablet Dock for a more office-like environment to plug in peripherals like monitors and printers.

Enhanced Features for Multiple Usage Scenarios

The ThinkPad 10 keeps up with users’ constant demands for convenience and flexibility when used as a tablet too. With nearly 10 hours of battery life, users can stay unplugged and on the move longer. Out in the field, users will delight in the bright WUXGA 1920x1200 IPS touch display which can be coupled with the optional Anti-Glare Film for improved visibility in bright sunlight, or the 4-way Privacy Film for confidentiality in information sensitive environments. Coupled with the optional ThinkPad Pen Pro makes looking at and navigating content enjoyable and easy. Users can get even more out of their pen-writing experience by downloading WRITEit, an application that allows users to write with the pen in virtually any text field and convert handwriting into text. And for snapping photos on the go, useful in insurance or real estate scenarios, the handy QuickShot cover automatically launches the camera app with the flip of the corner to help users capture the moment with the 5 MP camera. With 3G/4G LTE support, users can connect nearly anywhere in the world.

Enterprise-Ready Security Offers Protection and Peace of Mind

Many field applications require mobile data connectivity and access to company information in a highly secure way. Hardened security features complement this device’s extremely mobile features. The tablet comes with optional dTPM encryption, Fingerprint Reader or smart card reader. Lenovo offers business-class service and support for the tablet including custom models, asset tagging and laser etching, priority support, imaging and more.

Quote

“Best in class, the ThinkPad 10 highlights our extreme focus on innovation and responding to the diverse needs of our customers and tablet usage scenarios,” said Luis Hernandez, vice president, ThinkPad Business, Lenovo. “Now the most mobile of users can enjoy the best of both worlds with the convenience of a tablet and the function of a full-PC style experience without compromising mobility, connectivity and security.”

Availability

The ThinkPad 10 will be available worldwide later this summer starting at $549. The following accessories will also be available at launch:

ThinkPad 10 Folio Keyboard - $110
ThinkPad 10 Ultrabook Keyboard - $119
QuickShot Cover - $45
Tablet Dock - $129
ThinkPad Pen Pro - $40
ThinkPad Protector Case - $55
ThinkPad Protector Should Strap - $10
3M 4-way Privacy film - $70
3M Anti-glare film - $30
Kensington MiniSaver Lock - $50
ThinkPad Micro HDMI to VGA adapter - $40
ThinkPad 10 Folio Wrap - $30
ThinkPad 10 DC Charger - $50
1 Windows 10 is on track for release during summer 2015

2 All offers subject to availability. Products may only be available in selected markets. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) is a $46 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.