Steve's Blog

News and tips for the software we all know and love!

  • Home
    Home This is where you can find all the blog posts throughout the site.
  • Categories
    Categories Displays a list of categories from this blog.
  • Tags
    Tags Displays a list of tags that have been used in the blog.
  • Bloggers
    Bloggers Search for your favorite blogger from this site.
  • Team Blogs
    Team Blogs Find your favorite team blogs here.
  • Login
    Login Login form
Steve Berge

Steve Berge

Steve has been helping artists with their pipelines for almost 20 years, recommending the best 3d tools with the greatest return on investment.  Reach out anytime - 781-937-0300 or sberge@greateasterntech.com.

176670

From now until 9/17/16 when you buy an Intuos Pro pen tablet, you'll get one year of Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan!  

b2ap3_thumbnail_Intuos-Pro-Large-image---with-promotion-callout.jpg

 

 

Offer good through September 17, 2016.  Call me at 781-241-9389 or email me to get in on this offer.

Continue reading
0
178501

b2ap3_thumbnail_Wacom_C13t_PromoAd_July2016_728x90.jpg

The Cintiq 13 Touch is $100 off until July 31, 2016!  Retail is $999.95, right now they are $899.95!

If you've been wanting a 13", now is a great time to get one!  It's not often that there are sales on the Wacom products.

The Cintiq 13HD fits easily into any workspace, and makes a great partner to right-handed or left-handed artists. The convenient 3-in-1 cable for your Mac or PC cuts back on clutter so you can keep your mind clear and ready for the next big idea. Just plug it into your computer and go.

 

Offer good through July 31, 2016.  Call me at 800-875-0025 or email me to get in on this offer.

Continue reading
0
14767

The Cintiq 22HD and the Cintiq 22HD Touch are $100 off until March 31, 2016!b2ap3_thumbnail_Cintiq22HD.jpg

If you've been wanting a 22", now is a great time to get one!  It's not often that there are sales on the Wacom products.

Enjoy creating directly on screen with a Wacom battery-free, pressure-sensitive pen. Get ample screen size, advanced display performance, and multi-touch support (available on touch model), all in one display.

The 13HD and the 13HD Touch are $50 off.

 

Offer good through March 31, 2016.  Call me at 800-875-0025 or email me to get in on this offer.

Continue reading
0
76641

b2ap3_thumbnail_adsk_changes.jpgSale of perpetual licenses of most products ends very soon

After January 31, 2016, most individual products will be available only through subscription.  This includes 3ds Max, Maya, Motion Builder, Mudbox and more…

You have until January 31, 2016 to buy perpetual licenses. Add Maintenance Subscription to your perpetual licenses to ensure you have continued access to the subscription benefits, including all software updates, technical support and flexible licensing rights.

 

After January 31st, if you need to buy new seats of Autodesk software, you will have to buy “Desktop Subscription” – Desktop Subscription is Autodesk’s flexible, pay-as-you-go approach – similar to Adobe’s Creative Cloud offering.

 

 

If you need to buy new seats, and don’t want to transition to the Desktop Subscription model, give me a call at 781-937-0300 or email me and I can help you get what you need.

Continue reading
0
74882

b2ap3_thumbnail_nukeupgrades50.jpg

 

Save 50% on upgrades to NUKEX and NUKE STUDIO!

Get more NUKE for less, with a special opportunity to upgrade your NUKE or NUKEX seat for a massive 50% off the regular price. Until the end of the year, you can take advantage of these incredible deals:

NUKE to NUKEX               $2,025.00 (regularly $4,050.00)

NUKE to NUKE STUDIO     $2,850.00 (regularly $5,700.00)

NUKEX to NUKE STUDIO   $825.00 (regularly $1,650.00)

There's so much to gain by upgrading! NUKEX extends your core NUKE functionality with an out-of-the-box toolkit of exclusive features, reducing the need to roundtrip to other applications. NUKEX has it all built right in: camera tracker, model builder, particle system and much more.

Upgrade to NUKE STUDIO and you'll get the full potential of a powerful node-based VFX, editorial and finishing studio in one cohesive solution. Whether you're working as an individual artist or part of a collaborative team, NUKE STUDIO helps you successfully complete rapid-turnaround projects like never before.

Plus, with valid maintenance, both NUKEX and NUKE STUDIO get you two NUKE Assist seats that offer a core set of nodes for performing the everyday tasks of paint, roto, 2D and planar tracking.

This pricing is valid until December 31, 2015, and applies to upgrades only - not valid on new seats. 

Let me know if I can help you out with your upgrades!

Thanks,

Steve

Continue reading
0
56092

b2ap3_thumbnail_desktopsubs30off.jpg

 

With a Desktop Subscription (their cloud rental program) to your favorite Autodesk products, you get lower up-front costs and a flexible, easy-to-manage approach.

And now for a limited time, you can take advantage of prices starting as low as $99/month when purchasing an annual subscription.

Special-priced Autodesk products include AutoCAD®, 3ds Max®, Maya®, and more!

Don’t miss out - take advantage of this offer by January 22, 2016.

Thanks,

Steve

Continue reading
0
49751

b2ap3_thumbnail_revitimage.jpg

 

 

V-Ray for Revit public beta

Now integrated into Autodesk Revit, V-Ray core rendering technology is accessible at every stage of the design process. Extend your creativity with new tools for VR output, materials and environments, without having to worry about learning a new piece of software. Revit cameras, lighting, and materials are all supported for easy adoption.

A unified visualization pipeline is now possible with support for all V-Ray design packages (SketchUp, Rhino, and 3ds Max), promoting project efficiency with reliable results across multiple platforms.

V-Ray for Revit features include:

  • A familiar interface, with easy-to-use quality presets
  • Special global overrides for diagrammatic renderings
  • Advanced post-processing with V-Ray Frame Buffer
  • V-Ray’s stereoscopic camera for VR output

V-Ray for Revit supports:

  • Revit Architecture 2015, 2016
  • Revit MEP 2015, 2016
  • Revit Structure 2015, 2016
  • Revit Building Design Suite 2015, 2016

 

To try V-Ray for Revit, create an account or login at chaosgroup.com, then register here. If you have any questions about V-Ray for Revit or the public beta, contact me - email or call 800-875-0025.

Steve

Continue reading
0
43861

b2ap3_thumbnail_Promo_Banner_GENERIC_Late_01_660x360px.jpg

 

Early bird pricing - until September 15, 2015 - get 40% off V-Ray for 3ds Max 1.5 to 3.2 Upgrades.

  • Upgrade to V-Ray 3.0 workstation license for $580
  • Upgrade to V-Ray 3.0 workstation license and 5 render nodes for $840
  • Upgrade to V-Ray 3.0 workstation license and 10 render nodes for $1090

Upgrade pricing - from September 16 through December 18, 2015 - get 30% off:

  • Upgrade to V-Ray 3.0 workstation license for $680
  • Upgrade to V-Ray 3.0 workstation license and 5 render nodes for $980
  • Upgrade to V-Ray 3.0 workstation license and 10 render nodes for $1270

Compare 1.5 to 3.2 and see for yourself!

Let me know if I can help you out with your upgrades!

Thanks,

Steve

Continue reading
0
Tagged in: 3ds Max promo v-ray
37556

b2ap3_thumbnail_fbadimage.jpg

Only two weeks left to save up to 38% on NUKE STUDIO bundles!

Two bundles are available - both at a huge savings, but only until September 30, 2015!!

NUKE STUDIO Team Bundle

  • NUKE STUDIO for collaborative VFX, editorial and finishing
  • NUKE for award-winning node-based compositing
  • HIERO for collaborative shot management, conform, edit and review
  • 2 NUKE Assists for paint, roto, 2D and planar tracking*
  • 2 NUKE Renders for offline rendering
  • HIEROPLAYER for desktop playback, edit and review
  • Only $12,200 until September 30, 2015 - that's a savings of more than $7,500!

NUKE STUDIO Starter Bundle

  • NUKE STUDIO for collaborative VFX, editorial and finishing
  • 2 NUKE Assists for paint, roto, 2D and planar tracking*
  • 2 NUKE Renders for offline rendering
  • 2 HIEROPLAYER licenses for desktop playback, edit and review
  • Only $9,240 until September 30, 2015 - that's the price of NUKE STUDIO alone!

*Included with the NUKE STUDIO license.

Let me know if you'd like more information, or if you'd like to order - special pricing ends Sept. 30, 2015.

Continue reading
0
92323

I'm happy to announce that we are now selling Substance Painter, as well as the whole line of Allegorithmic's products! Straight lines, automatic material creation from substance files, new AO channel, custom painting over mask generators, 20 new smart materials and more ...

b2ap3_thumbnail_10629422_911100985619160_8634400696753379412_o.jpg

Let me know if you'd like more info, or want to buy!! 800-875-0025 

 

Continue reading
0
28962

b2ap3_thumbnail_mariflashsale.jpg

Call me at 800-875-0025, or email me to find out more, or to get Mari at 30% off - but hurry, this offer ends on July 30th at 10am!

If you are interested in finding out more about Mari - The Foundry's 3d paint program, check out this link.

Cheers,

Steve

 

Continue reading
0
82888

Join us in New York - this Friday June 5th for V-Ray in VFX!  RSVP at the link...  The V-Ray for Arch Viz event is Tuesday, June 9th 

b2ap3_thumbnail_V-Ray_Days_NYC_2015_600x260px.jpg

 

Dates: June 5-9, 2015 
Location: New York, NY, USA 

This June we’re headed to New York for two must-attend events on V-Ray in visual effects and architecture. We’d love to see you there - read on to find out more. 

V-Ray in VFX 


When: Friday, June 5
Where:
 Tribeca Cinemas & The Varick Room, 54 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 (at Laight Street, one block below Canal Street) 

SoHo’s Tribeca Cinema has hosted premieres of some of the world’s biggest movies, making it an apt backdrop for our visual effects symposium. We’ll begin at 5.30pm, taking you through V-Ray for 3ds Max SP2 and V-Ray for Maya SP1, as well as Phoenix FD’s new features and our latest technology. We’ve invited key customers along to tell you how they use our products in their workflows. 

After the event you can rub shoulders and drink beer with experts from the industry. 

REGISTER HERE 

V-Ray in Architectural Visualization 

When:
 Tuesday, June 9   
Where: Helen Mills: Events and Space Theater, 137-139 West 26 Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), New York  

With sneak peeks at V-Ray 3.0 for Rhino, V-Ray 3.0 for Sketchup and V-Ray for Revit, architects who attend our visualization conference will be in for a treat. If that’s not enough, we’ve assembled some leading names in the field for a panel discussion, including Marc Fornes of TheVeryMany, Jorge Barrero of Gensler, Jason Ivaliotis of Handel Architects, Dennis Harvey of BIG, Clinton Miller of SHoP Architects, and Greg Schleusner of HOK. Topics on the table include the challenges of big data projects and rendering a modern megapolis. 

We’ll start at 8:30 AM with coffee and light breakfast. 

REGISTER HERE

 

Continue reading
0
26186

New perpetual licenses of most individual Autodesk products will not be available for purchase after January 31, 2016.  From now until July 24, 2015 you can save up to $500 on annual or multi-year Desktop Subscriptions. 

Here's an infographic .pdf with more info on the upcoming changes.

You need to act by July 24, 2015 to get online rebates for select products and Suites.

This offer is available to customers with qualifying Autodesk perpetual licenses only.

Contact me, Steve, to get in on this rebate before the promo ends. 800-875-0025

Continue reading
0
89758

b2ap3_thumbnail_Homepage-Small_homepage-small.jpg

We are offering 20% off the price of NUKE, NUKEX or NUKE STUDIO when you crossgrade from another software package including: After Effects, Flame, Smoke, DS or Fusion before April 30.

You can now transition to our powerful node-based compositing, editorial & finishing tools for as little as $3,370.40 for a limited time only. All you need to do is let us know what software you are currently using!

Contact me, Steve, to get this special crossgrade pricing before the promo ends. 800-875-0025

Continue reading
0
449550

As of March 13th, Autodesk is replacing Subscription Center with Autodesk Account.  Your existing login and password should work just fine, and all links to Subscription Center will redirect to Autodesk Account.  The quick video tour should help you out with navigation and learning where things are, but if you need any help give me a shout at 800-875-0025 or email me!

Continue reading
0
9003

Just a reminder to everyone that effective Feb. 1, 2015 Autodesk's upgrade policy is changing and upgrades from previous releases will no longer be available!! 

Here is some information from an Autodesk FAQ that could help you understand how you'll be affected.  If this info doesn't answer your questions, please give me a call and I can help you sort out the best option for your situation.   

Thanks and Happy New Year - 

Steve (800) 875-0025 or sberge@greateasterntech.com

 

General Upgrade Policy Information

  • What is changing around the upgrade policy?
    As of February 1, 2015, Autodesk will no longer offer the option to purchase an upgrade version of the latest software release if you own a perpetual license* to a previous version. New versions will be available through purchase of a new perpetual license for the current version or as a Maintenance Subscription or Desktop Subscription benefit.

    Note: A perpetual license grants the license holder the right to use the version of Autodesk software that is purchased for as long as desired.
     
  • Why is Autodesk eliminating upgrades?
    Autodesk is evolving its business model to achieve a stronger and ongoing relationship with its customers, offering perpetual software licenses with Subscription and Desktop Subscriptions (software rental) as the primary purchasing options.

    Starting in 2015, we will stop selling upgrades to simplify the offering and in recognition of the fact that most of our customers are on Subscription.

    Purchasing Autodesk Subscription is the most cost effective way to stay current and competitive in today’s market. We continue to provide enhanced value and experiences to Subscription customers, such as flexible licensing rights, and access to select additional Autodesk® 360 cloud services, among others.
     
  • Does this mean that Autodesk is completely changing its licensing model to subscription-based offerings only?
    No. At this time, Autodesk has no plans to change the licensing model across the board for all products. Desktop Subscription, perpetual licenses, and perpetual licenses with Maintenance Subscription will all continue to be a very important part of our portfolio.
     
  • What does this mean for customers who previously purchased perpetual licenses?
    Customers who have purchased a perpetual license will be able to continue using that version of software indefinitely. New versions will be available through purchase of a new perpetual license for the current version or as a Subscription benefit.
     
  • When will the new upgrade policy be effective?
    This new upgrade policy will be effective on February 1, 2015. At that time, Autodesk will no longer offer the option to purchase an upgrade from a previous version when a new software version is released. New versions will be available through purchase of a new perpetual license for the current version or as a Subscription benefit.
     
  • What upgrades will be eliminated?
    An upgrade version will no longer be offered for customers with a perpetual license to a previous version. This will apply across all product lines. Customers who own a perpetual software license with Subscription will continue to receive access to the latest version of their software as part of their Subscription benefits.
     
  • What products are covered by this policy change? 
    All products sold with perpetual licensing are covered by this policy change except for Creative Finishing products.

 

Continue reading
0
10414

Mark your calendar for December 17 - 19 and save up to 40%!

Ready for a little festive shopping? We’re having a 48-hour flash sale on MODO and MARI, including new seats, MODO upgrades, and MODO plug-ins, kits and training.

When: 12am (PST) / 8am (GMT) Wednesday December 17 to 12am (PST) / 8am (GMT) Friday December 19.

Save up to 40% for 48 hours:

  • 40% off new seats of MARI and MODO
  • 20% off MODO upgrades
  • 20% off MODO plug-inskits and training 

Get a new seat of MARI for as little as $1,207.80, a new seat of MODO for $897, or upgrade from any previous version of MODO  from only $396 .

While you're waiting for the sale to start, why not take a free 15-day trial of MARI or a free 30-day trial of MODO (with free Digital Tutors training)? Email Steve sberge@greateasterntech.com to find out more...

MARI 2.6 introduces a host of powerful new techniques that make painting in 3D more fluid, natural and realistic than ever. Now you can paint textures in context with a familiar layer-based workflow that goes beyond Photoshop’s capabilities, while a full GLSL shading system lets you match VFX environment lighting and game engine shaders pixel for pixel. And did you know MARI is now available for the Mac?

MODO 801 is packed with new features and enhancements across the board that put the best in 3D technology at your fingertips. You’ll find node-based shading, an innovative new animation framework, new snapping tools, enhanced referencing, additional deformers, advanced rigid and soft-body dynamic systems, OpenColorIO support, and so much more...


Terms & Conditions

Not available for License Compliance deals

Flexible payment terms NOT available

Excludes Educational Site Licenses, EDU Annual, EDU Perm, and EDU Upgrades

No further discounts can be added to promotional pricing

Let me know if you need more information, or if you'd like me to get you the download link!  sberge@greateasterntech.com or 800-875-0025.

Continue reading
0
7937

A new update to V-Ray 2.0 for Rhino is now available. In addition to other refinements, we’ve made code optimizations to improve the general performance of V-Ray for Rhino.

Refinements include:

 

  • Performance improvements that speed up DR renders
  • Relative paths are now supported for bitmap textures
  • Improved batch render tool for easier use
  • Sun Modify Light button uses the dialog’s last used settings if the light direction remains the same

Let me know if you need more information, or if you'd like me to get you the download link!  sberge@greateasterntech.com or 800-875-0025.

Continue reading
0
7988

Just wanted to let all of our customers know - especially our Autodesk subscription customers - that Autodesk has made a change to their physical shipment policy - subscription customers no longer get a free physical software shipment...  Below is the explanation and what went out in an email to subscription customers:

"Software Download was introduced to Autodesk customers in 2010 and has become the most effective and environmentally-friendly way to access Autodesk software. As a result of the decline in requests for physical shipments, Autodesk will no longer ship physical software—free of charge—to Maintenance Subscription customers in US and Canada.

 

Effective September 29, 2014, physical shipments will be available for purchase for $30 US each (costs include standard shipping)."

Continue reading
0
35334

Interactive Geometry Translator Plug-ins for MODO 801

The Power Translators for MODO are ideal for designers, engineers, product visualization specialists and 3D generalists who need to bring specific industry-standard CAD data formats into MODO for visualization or design. As you import these formats, the Power Translators give you interactive control in MODO over how geometry is tessellated and provides efficient methods for accommodating incoming CAD files with many repetitive elements.

Key Features and Benefits

The Power Translators for MODO, in addition to loading the specified CAD formats, also provides control over how geometry is imported and gives you options for handling large files with repetitive elements:

Interactive surface tessellation

You can opt to load in a lighter Open GL representation of your incoming CAD data, which can can then be tessellated interactively by adjusting settings on a per-item or group basis after loading them into the scene. Once the desired tessellation parameters are determined you can save the item to a mesh. This ability to apply different tessellation during a session is possible because the incoming surfaces are maintained as parametric surfaces by the IntegrityWare kernel during import.

Optimized mesh results

For your resulting mesh, you can choose between Convex (mixed quads and triangles) and Quad NGon (mixed quads and ngons). Since not all CAD files are alike, you can set parameters like Distance Tolerance, Angle, Minimum and Maximum Edge length to optimally tessellate the data coming into MODO. This lets you import files that might have been unreadable/unusable before, and lets you quickly arrive at the best settings for the particular dataset and use you have in mind.

Instance handling

Many CAD models have repetitive geometry elements. If your imported file contains instances, they can be loaded as copies, instances or replicators in MODO. This can greatly reduce memory use and boost interactivity.

Static mesh option

Normally, you will use the Power Translators to save to a mesh representation but an additional option is to save it as a static mesh. Static meshes in MODO are specially constructed lightweight representations of polygonal data which cannot be edited but can be rendered.

Translate NURBS Not Polygons

Power Translators are built from the ground up to solve today’s difficult problems of importing quality CAD data into MODO. The Plug-in has been battle hardened in the most demanding productions at some of the best 3D visualization rendering facilities in the world. The professionals spoke and we listened and together we developed the most advanced, best integrated, highest quality MODO CAD translator on the market today. 

Power Translators could easily pay for itself on a single project in time savings alone!

Power Translators for Modo - now available for $495 - call me at 800-875-0025 or email me for more info or to buy!

Continue reading
0