Top Animation Software Autodesk Maya,3d max and Toonboom Studio

AUTODESK MAYA UNLIMITED VERSION 8.0
Maya is a high-end 3D computer graphics and 3D modeling ppackageckage originally developed by Alias Systems Corporation, but now owned by Autodesk as part of the Media and Entertainment division. Autodesk acquired the software in October 2005 upon purchasing Alias. Maya is used in the film and TV industry, as well as for computer and video games, architectural vizualisation and design.
In 2003, Maya (then owned by AliasWavefront) won an Academy Award "for scientific and technical achievement", citing use "on nearly every feature using 3-D computer-generated images."[1]
Overview
Maya is a popular, integrated node-based 3D software suite, evolved from Wavefront Explorer and Alias PowerAnimator using technologies from both. The software is released in two versions: Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited. Maya Personal Learning Edition (PLE) is available at no cost for non-commercial use, although the resulting rendered images are watermarked.
Maya was originally released for the IRIX operating system, and subsequently ported to the Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X operating systems. IRIX support was discontinued after the release of version 6.5. When Autodesk acquired Alias in October 2005, they continued Maya development. The latest version, 2008 (9.0), was released in September 2007.
An important feature of Maya is its openness to third-party software, which can strip the software completely of its standard appearance and, using only the kernel, can transform it into a highly customized version of the software. This feature in itself made Maya appealing to large studios which tend to write custom code for their productions using the provided software development








Academy Award®-winning Autodesk® Maya® software is a powerfully integrated 3D modeling, animation, effects, and rendering solution. Based on an open architecture, all your work can be scripted or programmed using an embedded scripting language and a well-documented and comprehensive Application Program Interface (API) enabling you to realize your creative vision. Autodesk Maya is used by film and video artists, game developers, design visualization professionals, and students to create engaging, lifelike digital images, realistic animation, and extraordinary visual effects.



Autodesk 3D Studio Max 2009

3ds Max (formerly 3D Studio MAX) is a full-featured 3D graphics application developed by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It runs on the Win32 and Win64 platforms. 3ds Max is currently in its eleventh version (as of April 2008) entitled 3ds Max 2009, which adds enhanced support for complex pipelines and workflows

What's new:

New Polygon Modeling Workflow A collection of “hands-on” modeling options, new in Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2008, lets you take advantage of a more streamlined, artist-friendly modeling workflow. This video introduces you to two of these new options: temporary pivot overrides and a new subobject previewing workflow that lets you preview and select subobjects in one fluid motion and switch between subobject modes in the viewport. You’ll also learn how to take advantage of the new Multiple UV Unwrap operation—a feature that makes it significantly easier to organize the mapping of multiple objects into one texture.

Performance Enhancements Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 delivers new technology and optimizations that result in vastly improved performance for even the largest, most complex scenes. This video will demonstrate how new adaptive degradation enhancements ensure your viewport interaction rates by automatically simplifying scenes to meet target frame rates. When combined with the new Direct3D mesh caching, which groups objects by materials, the result is that tens of thousands of objects become just as interactive as ten objects. Plus, you’ll see how easy it is to control the degree to which 3ds Max simplifies your scene: You just select a desired level of viewport interactivity and 3ds Max calculates how best to achieve it.

Review Rendering

The powerful, new Review rendering toolset gives you immediate feedback on various render settings, enabling you to iterate rapidly. This means you can now quickly hone in on your desired look without waiting for a software render—perfect for over-the-shoulder client/boss feedback sessions and other iterative workflows. This video demonstrates the Review rendering toolset’s ability to deliver interactive viewport previewing of shadows, its improved workflow for those using the 3ds Max Sun/Sky system, and new mental ray Architectural and Design material settings. You’ll also learn how to take advantage of the new mental ray Sky Portal system—a workflow that simplifies the process of lighting indoor scenes with outdoor lighting. Autodesk 3ds Max/Revit Interoperability Deeper support in 3ds Max 2008 for the DWG™ file format results in faster, more accurate importing of data from other popular Autodesk applications such as Revit® Architecture 2008. This video will introduce you to two new features that streamline 3ds Max/Revit workflows: support for DWG solids—including all materials assigned to these objects—and support for imported Sun/Sky/geographic location parameters, including time of day and time zone.

Autodesk 3ds Max/mental ray

Enhancements A number of major enhancements to mental ray and the 3ds Max 2008/mental ray workflow will help you to achieve your desired look faster. This video introduces you to

* The Sky Portal workflow for lighting indoor scenes with outdoor lighting

* The self-illumination feature for mental ray Architecture and Design materials * The Render to Texture presets

* The photographic exposure UI—a camera-based interface for managing exposure settings (tone-mapping)

Toon Boom Studio v4.0

Description:

Toon Boom Studio is ideal for individuals looking for an all-in-one animation software. From drawing digitally, scanning hand-drawn animations or seamlessly importing existing artwork, Studio 4 enables you to lip-sync your animation, setup the action in a 3D space and publish your animation projects for TV, HDTV, the Web and iPod!
Covering the entire animation workflow from sketching to final publishing, you will find Toon Boom Studio to be a great tool to create or learn animation. Create any styles of animationToon Boom Studio offers true animation features designed to facilitate the creation of any styles of animation, including traditional frame-by-frame animation, key-frame animation, cut-out and photo animation.
No matter how much you know about computers or animation, everyone can use Toon Boom Studio. Learn how to use Toon Boom Studio quickly with our free video tutorials, online articles and samples.

Description:Toon Boom Studio is ideal for individuals looking for an all-in-one animation software. From drawing digitally, scanning hand-drawn animations or seamlessly importing existing artwork, Studio 4 enables you to lip-sync your animation, setup the action in a 3D space and publish your animation projects for TV, HDTV, the Web and iPod!
Covering the entire animation workflow from sketching to final publishing, you will find Toon Boom Studio to be a great tool to create or learn animation. Create any styles of animationToon Boom Studio offers true animation features designed to facilitate the creation of any styles of animation, including traditional frame-by-frame animation, key-frame animation, cut-out and photo animation.
No matter how much you know about computers or animation, everyone can use Toon Boom Studio. Learn how to use Toon Boom Studio quickly with our free video tutorials, online articles and samples.