From project to project, client to client, worker to worker, there are certain recurring folder structures that need to be created and re-created over and over and over. fishHEAD Folder Generator will alleviate the time spent creating folders and add a level of consistency and clarity to your projects.

Need a place to start? To get you started we set up categories specifically for the animation world as examples to get you started on your journey through fishHEAD. These templates can be used as is, modified or just as reference on your own projects.

By creating your own custom folder templates specifically for your workflow you “will” save tons of time, and because of that, tons of money.

Want to set up a new template? No problem! Add an infinite number of custom templates to make your project and project set-up faster and easier.

Default templates are for the following animation programs · NewTek’s LightWave 3D · Audodesk’s Maya · Audodesk’s 3D Studio Max

Whether you are using fishHEAD Folder Generator for software, applications, websites, cd-roms or just for a Project Management tool, it saves time and reduces finger fatigue. Try the free Demo version of fishHEAD Folder Generator and you will be amazed at how simple starting a new project can be.

- More information on fishHEAD Folder Generator is available at: http://www.epicsoft.net/products/fishhead/

- Download the fishHEAD Folder Generator trial for 30 days, now at: http://www.epicsoft.net/products/fishhead/try/

- Purchase the fishHEAD Folder Generator with unlimited folder generation for only $35 at: https://www.epicsoft.net/store/

More information on the epicFlashControl is available at: http://www.epicsoft.net/products/flashnet/control/

epicFlashControl 2.0 Updates

• Partial Trusted Sites: Running on Partial Trusted Sites is now available! This means that such hosts as Go Daddy, who host their ASP.NET websites under “Partial Trust", will no longer object to the epicFlashControl.
• The AllowScriptAccess: This property has been implemented, which is a parameter of the Macromedia Flash Player which controls the ability to perform outbound scripting from within a Flash SWF. This feature requires Flash Player 6.0 or later.
• Search Engine Optimization: This feature allows you to enter keywords and even full phrases for your flash content. This way, search engines will no longer ignore your flash files… they’ll read them and help improve your rankings!

Download the epicFlashControl 2.0 trial, which runs on localhost development only, now at: http://www.epicsoft.net/products/flashnet/control/try/

Purchase the epicFlashControl 2.0 with full access rights for only $10 at:
https://www.epicsoft.net/store/

THE CLIENT
The National Railroad Museum commissioned Balance Studios to concept, design, and develop the multi-media and branding/marketing components of their newest exhibit “Pullman Porters: From Service to Civil Rights".

THE MISSION
The overall goal of the exhibit is to “edu-tain"- to create an entertaining and informational story/experience with an exhibit flow-thru that peaks the interest and excitement of the visitor by providing an interactive verses spectator experience. The Pullman Porter exhibit combines the traditional museum exhibit concept of models and artifacts with modern and sometimes, ultra modern technology.

THE WORK
Balance began by recreating the Lake Mitchell railcar in photo-real 3D to be used as a fundraising and restoration reference. From there, the concept of a “virtual” Pullman Porter was accepted and commissioned. Working from a single black and white photograph from the 1940s, the Character Design and Animation Team designed, modeled and brought to digital life, Emanuel Hurst, an actual Pullman Porter, to act as the host of the exhibit. Using off the shelf and proprietary software, the Balance Animation Team meticulously animated, mocapped, rotoscoped, textured, lit and edited a striking recreation, that is sure to wow visitors for years to come.

Other multi-media components include the concept, design and development of the interactive history kiosk, fundraising and educational websites (www.pullmanporters.org), television commercials, web banner ads, and oral history films.

To see the Balance Studios showcase page for this exhibit, please visit this page: http://www.balancestudios.com/balancebeam/showcase/2008_PullmanPorters.htm

Communications were top notch. The process was virtually pain-less. You guys run a very professional operation. There wasn’t much room for improvement.

We have had very positive responses so far.

Michael E. Telzrow
Executive Director
National Railroad Museum

The Railroad Museum already had a very strong visual identity in their printed materials and in the decorative/educational elements displayed within their museum, however the Web site was pale by comparison. Content required significant updating as well, so museum staff seized upon the opportunity to commission a simultaneous overhaul in design and architecture, and to implement several new dynamic media offerings into the site.

Balance went to work, first by retrofitting the legacy coal-and-steam mechanics with a modern system of silicon chips and kilobytes, and then a visual, icon-based interactive “museum-style” experience was created for visitors that would have appeal not just for train enthusiasts, but also for museum buffs and the general public.

Built with ASP.NET 2.0, the Railroad Museum Web site empowers museum staff members with administration tools to conveniently modify much of the site’s content themselves via a user-friendly back-end interface. This regeneration of ‘nationalRRmuseum.org‘ should ensure that information on the site remains current and powering forward like the well-maintained locomotive engines preserved in the museum’s impressive collection.

Since the new Web site has been launched, already visitor traffic has doubled vs. the whole of last year. Online membership has risen significantly. Visitors spend much longer perusing the content. (And we hope for the Museum that all of this translates into an increase in visitor pilgrimage to their real-world Railroad Museum as well!)

Check out the National Railroad Museum Web site here»
www.nationalRRmuseum.org

And then check out the actual museum right here!»
2285 S. Broadway, Green Bay, WI

For a variety of reasons, an evolution in architecture was a logical progression for Ceili Rain’s Web presence. Built entirely with “Web 2.0″ technologies, this new site is easy to maintain and modify – much of it by Ceili Rain themselves via a content management system (CMS) interface. Like the band itself, the visual design presents a melding of old and new; Celtic style and cyberspace.

This update was done for the fans! CeiliRain.com is very robust in its feature-offerings. With video and photo galleries, an updateable tour schedule, personal blog, online merchandise store, and a significant amount of great content, this Web site is a dynamic wellspring for Ceili’s reign!

Check it out and immerse yourself in Ceili Rain» http://www.ceilirain.com

Throughout the past decade-or-more, the advancing power/availability of desktop computers has introduced alternatives to certain established processes and forms of labor in the production pipelines of animation. But this “progress” has come at the extremely unfortunate expense of one hundred years’ worth of mastery and wisdom cultivated around the art of hand-drawn animation.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, insightful techniques had been discovered, pioneered, taught and apprenticed down through the masters at Disney, Warners, and other great studios, and there was really no other way to learn the “secret” nuances of animation, except from within a working studio.

However, around the turn of our last century, pink-slips started flying and the old-guard was driven out, while punky upstart schools churned out fresh-faced graduates to take their place, hastily trained in the use of clever software programs.

Today there are multiple routes to the creation of animated content where a pencil and paper are completely unnecessary anywhere in the process. It’s a post-modern age, and often the warmth of human craftsmanship is missing from the final product. But there’s a resurgence afoot! Disney Animation, for one, is making every effort they can to recapture the expertise they foolishly tossed away in their quests for easy profit. Hand-drawn animation is once again a “fresh” thing to see. (Give or take a hundred years.)

So with this same spirit in mind, Balance is delving into the creation of a hand-drawn, pencil-on-paper, short animated cartoon entitled “Happy Birthday, Victoria!", about a medieval birthday party and the interaction between a chubby dragon “piñata” and the adorably scrappy little girl trying to smack it silly. The piece shall be designed and drawn on paper, and then brought into the computer world for coloring, compositing, and additional CG components.

For now, here’s a peek at some conceptual artwork — and we’ll let you know how to screen the finished piece when the time comes!

epicsoft’s MULE 1.5 Enterprise, Unlimited-seat Edition, is now on the loose and ready to haul! With added support for multiple camera types, ray trace occlusion, and more, MULE 1.5 is compatible with LightWave 9.3 and Windows Vista.

Additionally, what used to be a multi-tiered array of MULE package choices, now is optimized into a single, “gotta-have-it!” package for a single, “whoa-I’ll-take-two-of-’em!” price of $125 for the unlimited render-node MULE 1.5 Enterprise Edition.

But hold on! For existing owners of MULE, your update to the MULE 1.5 Enterprise Edition is ready-and-waiting for you at an unbeatably low price of $ABSOLUTELY FREE! Simply download your copy and follow the installation instructions defined in the bundled .PDF file.

If you’re a user of NewTek’s LightWave 3D product, and you don’t already enjoy the benefits of having a MULE on your render farm, there’s no better time to improve the quality of life than right now. Download your fully-functional MULE 30-day Learner’s Edition and discover the pixel-hauling power you’ve been missing.
So with this same spirit in mind, Balance is delving into the creation of a hand-drawn, pencil-on-paper, short animated cartoon entitled “Happy Birthday, Victoria!", about a medieval birthday party and the interaction between a chubby dragon “piñata” and the adorably scrappy little girl trying to smack it silly. The piece shall be designed and drawn on paper, and then brought into the computer world for coloring, compositing, and additional CG components.

Happy Hauling, everybody!

For more information, visit »
http://www.epicsoft.net/products/mule/enterprise/

Indeed, the analogy was true for Balance Studios’ own Web site for a while. Ravenous lions and frightening tigers lurked in the margins, and there were some alligators, even a crazy T-Rex to add injury to injury. Our virtual edifice was a perilous jungle while we diligently worked elsewhere, taming other lions in front of throngs of enthusiastic spectators.

In the meantime, Balance Studios, the flesh-and-blood company, has been steadily solidifying and expanding in our offerings and capabilities throughout our six-year existence. The ‘Balance Studios’ brand has strengthened and the Web site needed to reflect that!

So, despite our typically-busy summer liontaming schedule, including the lions featured on this blog and others, we made time to stop and… uh… “paint our house", as some folks say. We overhauled Balance’s e-presence, freshened-up the content and streamlined user accessibility – all for you.

For those with an interest in the work we do here — taming lions and painting houses and whatnot — we’ve provided convenient links to our department demo reels and portfolio gallery links right on the home page.

Stop by and take another look!» http://www.balancestudios.com

Clean and lean, epicsoft.net strives to promote the epicsoft brand, offering innovative, downloadable products through the storefront, along with a wealth of information for user support and education.

Get “Inspired” at» http://www.epicsoft.net