Montreal (April 9, 2010) ­ Emmy® Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc.
today announced the upcoming release of Toon Boom Animate Pro 2, a new version that propels professional animators into a new world of creative freedom. Animate Pro 2 is the most complete professional animation software, offering superior content creation, animation and compositing toolset for any style of animation, all within a single desktop application.

Chris Georgenes, Art and Animation Director, acclaimed author and owner of the popular Keyframer.com blog had this to say about Animate Pro 2: "I’m loving Toon Boom Animate Pro 2. Every once in a while a tool comes along that you just know you have to learn how to use because it just feels right. As an animator, Animate Pro 2 lives up to its name pure and simple. It’s a tool that oozes the technique of animating because it is developed that way.

As you become comfortable with the Animate Pro workflow it becomes clear that this tool was designed by animators for animators. It boasts features that I always wanted and in some cases wish I had thought of. If you are an animator and have or are thinking of adopting the paperless art of animation, Toon Boom Animate Pro 2 simply can not be ignored."

What¹s new in Animate Pro 2?
New feature highlights include:

• Fast distribution of character parts to layers
• Easy adjustment of velocity on multiple character parts
• Efficient creation of richer-looking ambiance
• Full-fledged SWF export with new vector effects
• Direct import of scanned drawings (TWAIN)
• Convenient text capability

Key benefits

Toon Boom Animate Pro is our most versatile and powerful animation software for independent professional animators. It can be used to create all styles of animation, traditional, Flash-style, cut-out or paperless. From start to finish, Animate Pro enables you to draw digitally, scan paper drawings, colour, animate, synchronize sound; perform advanced compositing using 3D camera and node-based effects; and render your projects in the leading output formats.

Feature highlights that set Animate Pro apart include:

• Ability to combine the benefits of vector animation with textured pixmap, preserving artistic details while creating unique organic styles.
• Built-in multiplane camera with full 3D rotation that automatically produces a real perspective effect.
• Smart Colour ID system and palette management tools that make the colouring process a breeze.
• Ability to create 3D stereoscopic results.
• Access to over ten special effects, and the ability to apply them using powerful nodal compositing and preview your final animation, without having to use another package.

Pricing and Availability
Buy Toon Boom Animate Pro 2 now at the special pre-launch price of $1499.99 US, valid until April 16, 2010. As of April 9, 2010, all new clients will receive a Toon Boom Animate Pro 1 product code. Upon product release, all Animate Pro 2 customers will receive by email instructions on how to access their version 2 product code. All orders requiring shipping will be processed upon product release.

Information about Toon Boom Animate Pro 2 is now available online at toonboom.com/animatepro/

About Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Toon Boom Animation Inc. (toonboom.com) is the worldwide leader in animation software solutions. Toon Boom carries user-friendly animation applications for all and develops new geographies to make the animation community as global as can be. In that market segment, Toon Boom caters to the needs of children, home users, creative professionals as well as students, educators and schools.

As importantly, Toon Boom is fully dedicated to the needs of independent animators and studios, offering a wide product range from powerful pre-production tools to leading-edge animation production solutions. Relying on its extensive expertise in animation production, Toon Boom provides consulting services in the fields of optimization, pipeline integration, production assistance and custom development.

In 2005, Toon Boom was granted the Primetime Emmy® Engineering Award by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for its significant contribution made to the animation industry targeted for television. In 2006, the IT Federation of Quebec (FIQ) awarded an OCTAS 2006 in the Multimedia ­ educational and cultural sector category, for Toon Boom Studio. In 2007, FIQ awarded an OCTAS 2007 in the Technological Innovation category, for Toon Boom Storyboard Pro. In 2008, Flip Boom was granted a Parents¹ Choice Gold Award and a New Canadian Media Award in the Excellence in Children¹s category. In 2009, Flip Boom was selected as Editor¹s Choice by the prestigious Children¹s Technology Review for excellence in design. In 2010, Flip Boom All-Star was granted a Parents¹ Choice Silver Award.

Toon Boom’s client base ranges from major studios creating Hollywood blockbuster animated films to individual animators creating their first masterpieces. Market-leading studios using Toon Boom’s products include Nelvana, Warner Bros., Mercury Filmworks, China Central Television, Toonz Animation India, eMation, Rough Draft Korea, Alphanim, BKN, Cromosoma and Enarmonia, to name a few. Some of the prestigious productions done with Toon Boom¹s technology include Les Triplettes de Belleville, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, The Rugrats, SpongeBob The Movie, Hanuman, Curious George, Go
West: A New Lucky Luke Adventure, Simpsons The Movie and The Princess and the Frog.

For more information, contact:
Karina Bessoudo
VP, Marketing
Toon Boom Animation Inc.
karina@toonboom.com
(514) 490-6479

 

This entry was posted on Monday, April 12th, 2010 at 1:34 pm and is filed under News.