Apple Macintosh News and Information
Apple Macintosh News and Information

Dragon Stop Motion 2.1 – Animation Software for Mac and PC

D-Zed Softwarehas announced Dragon Stop Motion 2.1, an update to their professional stop motion animation software for Mac OS X and Windows. Designed by animators for animators, it is a complete capture system for stop-frame animation, motion design, and special effects, and is widely used in feature film, TV commercial, and TV series production. The 2.1 upgrade includes support for the new DDMX-S2 Lighting Controller and the new IOTA 3D Stereoscopic Slider, in addition to other exciting features.

Embraced by working professionals and independent filmmakers alike, Dragon Stop Motion excels in creating stop motion animation, digital effects and motion graphics. It offers a comprehensive set of animation and cinematography tools, and keeps scenes, takes and frames well-organized for post production.

The version 2.1 update includes a variety of new features which expand on the application’s support for monitoring, exporting, composing, animating, automating lighting, and automating 3D shooting. The Auxiliary Monitor feature allows the user to send the main view to a second monitor (video village). The Image Sequence Export provides flexibility in choosing image formats for frame export, as well as customized naming, etc. Advanced Composition Guides emulate ground-glass with single-screen setup. Punch-In for Animation gives animators using Canon or Nikon live view magnification the ability to punch-in and out using the video assist image. The DDMX-S2 and IOTA Controller support lighting and event automation: the user can now create an in-scene lighting program, automate frontlight/backlight effects, and add a worklight. Software-controlled, automated 3D capture can now be achieved using the IOTA digital I/O and companion professional grade IOTA Stereoscopic Slider, designed and manufactured by General Lift.

Feature Highlights:
* Auxiliary monitor support
* Image sequence export
* Advanced composition guides
* Punch-In for animation
* Automation of lighting and external devices
* Automation of 3D shooting

Version 2.1 includes full software support for the company’s new hardware devices: the DDMX-S2 Digital I/O Controller, and the IOTA 3D Stereoscopic Slider/IOTA Controller package. When used with Dragon Stop Motion the DDMX-S2 works with any DMX dimmer/switch pack to fully automate lighting, or as a trigger for unsupported cameras (such as a film or RED camera) or a motion-control system. The application also supports the IOTA 3D Slider, which allows the user to set multiple interocular distances and assign stereo channels to animation exposures. The companion IOTA Controller offers a two-channel stepper motor controller with DMX lighting automation and digital I/O.

“We are very proud to introduce our own hardware devices, specifically designed to work with Dragon Stop Motion 2.1,” said Jamie Caliri, co-founder of D-Zed Software. “This is really a giant step forward in simplifying both lighting automation and 3D capture in stop-frame animation.”

Minimum Requirements for Mac OS X:
* Mac OS X Version 10.4.11 Tiger thru 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
* Universal Binary for PowerPC and Intel
* QuickTime 7.2 or later
* 65.3 MB Hard Drive space
* 1 GB RAM
* 1.33 GHz CPU or higher
* Supported DSLR or Video Camera

Minimum Requirements for Windows:
* Windows XP/Vista/7 (32 or 64-bit)
* QuickTime 7.2 or later
* 100 MB Hard Drive space
* 1 GB RAM
* 1.33 GHz CPU or higher
* Supported DSLR or Video Camera

Pricing/Availability:
Dragon Stop Motion 2.1 is priced at $275.00 (USD) for a single-user license. A trial license is available and valid for 10 days and limited to 50 frames per take. Users may purchase an additional Dragon USB Controller for $25.00. The optional DDMX-S2 is $249, and the optional IOTA Bundle is $1,695.

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