Year: 2009

Zevrix Solutions (http://www.zevrix.com) has announced BatchOutput
3.5.4, a maintenance update to its professional solution to automate
printing and exporting to various formats from Adobe InDesign. The
new update introduces compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 (“Snow
Leopard”) and addresses some Flash export related issues.

BatchOutput automates InDesign output workflow of printers, ad
agencies, service providers and publishing houses. With the software,
users can select the files to output and adjust the settings, instead
of opening and printing each document manually.

Gideon Softworks has updated Snard
(http://www.gideonsoftworks.com/snard.html), the “the Swiss Army
Knife of launcher programs” for Mac OS X, to version 2.6. The upgrade
is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 (“Snow Leopard”).

Snard can be used as a system menu or as a hot key activated pop-up
menu. It also supports the use of hot keys. Snard provides many of
the functionalities of the old Apple and Application menus, yet it
can be customized.

Snard 2.6 requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. It costs US$10.

CalDigit (http://www.caldigit.com) is now offering support for 2TB
hard drives. Previously 1.5TB drives were the maximum capacity
available to users. CalDigit is now offering a 33% increase in
storage at no additional cost and, lesser capacity products now have
a lower price tag.

The CalDigit VR is now available in capacities up to 4TB. Supporting
a quadruple interface for easy connectivity, the CalDigit VR’s
modular design also provides two hot swappable drive modules. It
sports a front LCD and includes software for configuration and
monitoring.

SpeedRunGames has released Grappling
Hook(http://ghook.speedrungames.com/), an US$19.95, first-person
action puzzle/platform game, where you use a grappling hook to
overcome various challenging obstacles by performing incredible moves
and fast combinations of daring tricks.

The game features 22 dynamic, animated levels, 30 achievements and
176 challenges. Eight additional free levels will be released within
the next two weeks. A free, five-level demo is available for download.

The game is available for Mac OS X and Windows. A Linux version will
follow soon.

Dover Studios has released Maya Surface Materials 2nd Edition, their
latest visual effects training video. It provides visual effects
artists with an introduction to texturing and surface materials in
Maya.

The second edition has been completely updated and features 1080p
high definition video. Visual effects artists, Andrew Hazelden and
Russell Hazelden, share tips and techniques that will help you create
realistic surface materials.

Maya Surface Materials 2nd Edition begins with an overview of the
many render nodes available in the Hypershade.