The Pixel Lab has added to the Cinema 4D model pack collection with Production Pack, 20 video production-themed Cinema 4D models, including 3 full scenes. Check out their value bundles as well.

Recently on Twitter I asked followers which After Effects plug-ins they own but no longer used. I received some interesting responses and thought it would be worthwhile opening up the forum here on Motionworks. Are there plug-ins in your toolkit that have fallen out of favour, perhaps you used to love them but the “look” is old? Maybe another plug-in or application has taken it’s place? Are there plug-ins you’ve purchased but not even used!? Personally I have found fewer reasons to fire up Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator, with Cinema 4D taking it’s place in my tool kit; and effects like 3D Stroke, which was once all the rage, are gathering dust. How about you?

Guest host Florian Füger jumps ahead in the After Effects Effects A-Z series with a revealing look at CC Flo Motion.

Jesse Rosten came to my attention last week via his popular Fotoshop by Adobé spot. Jesse is skillful yet modest, with a great eye, loads of heart and a passion for film and motion graphics. In this fun episode of Unplugged discover how Jesse transitioned from the Makeup counter at Walgreens to become a talented, in-demand filmmaker and commercial director.

The Pixel Lab continues the Cinema 4D model pack collection with  Music Pack, 21 music-themed Cinema 4D models.

This breakdown of the Ministry of Sound Headphones spot, created in Cinema 4D by @paulclementstv is truly mind-blowing.

Fotoshop, the worlds’ best beauty product! A terrific spoof by @JesseRosten.

The Pixel Lab has launched Financial Pack, 20 finance-themed Cinema 4D models, for the usual bargain price.

Brainstorm Digital has posted an impressive breakdown of shots from the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire.

The Pixel Lab has launched City Pack, a huge new Cinema 4D pack with over 20 city themed models, 3 full 3D environments, 16 graffiti C4D textures and 40 image textures.

Digieffects® (www.digieffects.com) announced the immediate availability of Delirium v2.5, Damage v2.5 and Buena Depth Cue v2.5.

This new release now delivers native Final Cut Pro support through FxPlug, Apple’s plug-in architecture, and as a result, available immediately are full support for Final Cut Pro 6, Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Motion 5 and Final Cut Express for the Delirium Phenomena and Damage sets of plug-ins, as well as native support for Final Cut Pro X.  Digieffects has also strengthened support for OS X Lion and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 across its entire product line.

Also as part of the 2.5 launch, Digieffects has enhanced usability features for all of its plug-ins, with single installers for entire suites and automatic installation of the hundreds of popular presets available to all customers.

The 2.5 versions of Delirium, Damage and Buena Depth Cue are currently available, and are offered as free upgrades to customers who own v2.0 of Delirium, Damage or Buena Depth Cue.

Robert Sharp, the president of Digieffects, was quoted as saying, “The entire team at Digieffects has poured themselves into this release to ensure every plug-in across the entire family is rock solid, stable, and ready to integrate into our customers’ workflow. It took a little longer than we’d prefer, but we can proudly stand behind this release.”

“When we first announced our release, I told you that these products are a quantum leap in technological innovation, with significant under-the-hood improvements.  The steps we’ve taken these past couple of weeks ensure each product will literally slipstream into users’ editing timelines and VFX workflow – regardless of if they’re a freelancer or running a large post facility. For Final Cut Pro editors working in FCP X, FCP 6 or 7; or if Premiere Pro editors on CS5.5, Digieffects plug-ins will integrate seamlessly, delivering stunning results every time.”

The Digieffects Line-Up: FCP, CS5.5 Support, Ideal for Editors, VFX Artists

The new Digieffects v2.5 product line up not only provides its community of VFX artists with a breadth of tools to enhance their work, it also provides its community of video editors with access to VFX tools that are affordable, easy to use, and accessible from within their editing applications.

Delirium v2.5: Delirium v2.5, a comprehensive suite of 44 plug-ins designed for editors, visual effects and digital media artists looking to add high quality, affordable and visually stunning effects to their digital media projects. Today, 11 Delirium plug-ins provide full support for FCP X, and more will be added in the near future. The 11 plug-ins supporting FCP X include Bubbles, Electrical Arcs, Fairy Dust, Fire, Fireworks, Fog Factory, Muzzle Flash, Rainfall, Smoke, Snowstorm, and Sparks.

Damage v2.5: Damage v2.5 now fully supports Final Cut Pro 6 and 7 through FxPlug and includes 7 effects to artistically degrade footage, including Aged Film, Archive, Blockade, Destabilizer, Interference, Overexpose and Skew. Single installers are now included to simplify installation for multi-seat environments.

Buena Depth Cue v2.5: Buena Depth Cue v2.5 provides Adobe CS5.5 and After Effects artists with an innovative workflow for creating visual depth in their projects. Using composition-based effects, such as Rack Focus, Falloff Lighting or Atmosphere, digital media artists can mimic Z depth in a unique way that cannot be replicated using practical depth of field. Buena Depth Cue v2.5 includes 6 powerful plug-ins for creating depth, including:

• Depth: Displays the depth of each layer in grayscale for use as a gradient map with other plug-ins or applications;
• Falloff Lighting: Adds realistic lighting effects to layers;
• Atmosphere: Shrouds layers in a light haze or a deep, murky mist;
• Rack Focus: Produces realistic depth of field effects and focus pulls, including simulating boke and anamorphic lens effects;
• Camera Mapper: Turns 2D stills and footage into 3D scenes directly in After Effects;
• Flipside: Maps one layer onto the backside of another layer, enabling artists to flip front layers over to reveal back layers.

Pricing and Availability

Digieffects Delirium, Damage and Buena Depth Cue v2.5 are priced as follows:

Delirium v2.5: $299.00 for new customers; $149.00 for users migrating from v1.0; and is a free upgrade for v2.0 customers.

Damage v2.5: $99.00 for new customers; $79.00 for users migrating from v1.0; and is a free upgrade for v2.0 customers.

Buena Depth Cue v2.5: $199.00 for new customers; $99.00 for users migrating from v1.0; and is a free upgrade for v2.0 customers.

In this walkthrough tutorial learn some of the techniques and workflow used to create a battle-scared Captain America Shield using Cinema 4D, Photoshop and After Effects.

Watch Example (Captain America)  |  Watch Example (Chris Evans)

Guest host Jerzy Drozda Jr (Maltaannon) is back with another After Effects: Effects A-Z series tutorial, this time explaining the basics of the Channel Blur effect. Watch Tip (flv) | Watch Tip (mp4)