Autodesk and Craft Animations integrate software

Autodesk and Craft Animations have announced a software integration deal that will see the Craft Director Studio package tied-in to Autodesk’s 2011 3ds Max and Softimage tools.

“Craft Director Studio provides artists with advanced, in-the-box, rigging and physics simulation capabilities, which helps them to animate cameras and vehicles more quickly and realistically,” said Autodesk VP of digital entertainment Stig Gruman.

“It also allows artists to use a variety of input devices to create on-the-fly animation, helping make 3D animation as easy as playing a game.”

The Craft Director Studio bundle will include Craft SoftMotionCam, Craft ObserverCam, Craft MultiStateCam, Craft HumanizerCam and four Craft pre-rigged models.

The tools will allow 3D artists to enhance in-game cinematics with a modular, configuarable system that replicates a specific rig’s animation within the game itself.

“We are proud to provide animators with a new era of interactive animation tools. By eliminating multiple step animation and design processes, artists utilizing Craft Director Studio will be able to create a more efficient production pipeline,” said Craft Animations CEO Deborah Lygonis.

“Industry leaders Namco Bandai and Electronic Arts have all experienced faster results using our tools. The integration of certain tools into 3ds Max and Softimage can provide a great boost to productivity, offering Autodesk customers a greater return on investment,” she added.