NEWBURY PARK, CA — Germany-based Maxon (www.maxon.net) has introduced Cinema 4D Release 13, the next generation of its 3D motion graphics, visual effects, painting, and rendering software application.

The release will ship in September and features new character tools and stereographic capabilities, as well as tools for streamlined multi-artist collaboration and rendering. The company is offering four versions of Cinema 4D, each catering to the needs of 3D artists in different industries.

Creating photorealistic images is made easier via the new physical render engine, which is based on real camera properties and can accurately calculate 3D motion blur, depth of field and lens distortion based on the focal length, aperture and shutter speed of the camera. Users can now efficiently create translucent materials with a new subsurface scattering shader, which is included with both the new Physical Render and Cinema 4D’s standard render engines.

The shared image sampler helps save time on renders by combining sampling for multiple effects. And new anti-aliasing filters allow pros to achieve higher quality using the Mitchell and Gauss algorithms.

For professionals looking to work on Stereoscopic 3D projects, new capabilities are supported throughout R13. Stereoscopic camera conversion gives users control to easily convert any camera to a parallel, on axis, off-axis or radial stereoscopic camera. Stereo images can now be previewed directly in the 3D editor using anaglyph, interlaced, shutter or side-by-side methods. And users can easily render the merged stereoscopic image or separate images for each individual camera.

As for character tools, the new suite of character animation features simplify the process of building a rig, eliminating technical hurdles and allowing artists to quickly animate characters of all types. A new auto rigger simplifies the process of building a rig and applying it to a character. The new CMotion system allows users to create their own or apply preset parametric walk cycles based on cyclic motion. A new muscle system now allows modelers to create custom-shaped muscles and anchor them to multiple joints within a rig.

And regarding file format supports, the popular FBX and COLLADA file formats have been updated facilitating easier asset exchange and interoperability. Integration with After Effects has also been improved.

Release 13 will run on Windows XP, Vista or 7 running on Intel or AMD CPUs; or on Mac OS X 10.5.8 or higher, running on an Intel-based Mac.