Zaxwerks is proud to announce that ProAnimator 5 has just been released!
This is a MAJOR release. ProAnimator has been completely reinvented. You can now do things in ProAnimator that were never possible before. We have added hundreds of new features designed to make your work faster, easier and more productive; to save you time and help you make more money.
As always, ProAnimator works as both a Standalone and a Plug-in for After Effects.
Highlights include:
Multiprocessing
ProAnimator will now use every core on your system to render much faster than before.
Integrated Drawing Window
All 3D objects have to be modeled. 3D modeling is traditionally very difficult but Zaxwerks has made this easy as pie. As you draw, the 3D model is created for you, on the fly. Right before your eyes. As you edit the 2D paths the 3D objects are re-built in real time. Need to add holes? No problem. If you draw one path inside of another path the program knows what to do. Hate Bezier curves? Again no problem. Our exclusive Auto-Curve tool figures out the curves for you.
Watch the movie to find out more.
Live Text Editing
Most of your text and logo animations begin life as fonts. But what if you have to make changes to the shapes of the letters? Ordinarily this means converting the text to outlines, which prevents you from going back and making changes to the fonts. A perplexing quandary.
We solved that puzzle by giving you the best of both worlds. In ProAnimator 5 you can edit the Bezier curves of text characters without having to convert them to paths. This allows you to make texty-type changes (switch justification, change margins, etc) and any edits you’ve made to the curves will be preserved.
Watch the movie to find out more.
Warping
Flat text and logos have their place, but nothing makes a client’s logo pop off the screen quite like bending it. ProAnimator 5 can now do exactly that. Warping has been built directly into the time line so you can bend, twist, fold, bulge, taper, wave and ripple your 3D objects as you work on the rest of your project.
Workflow-Based Interface
A program with lots of features usually pays the price of complexity. Complicated programs take a long time to learn and most features are hidden under layers of user interface. In ProAnimator 5 Zaxwerks has gone out of its way to bring the features to the user. A simple set of workspace buttons presents the tools and controls you need, when you need them. Panels can be arranged to fit your personal monitor size and your working style. Additionally, hundreds of enhanced Tool Tips explain what every button and control does and how to use it, saving you valuable time and making you an expert, tip by tip.
Materials & Mapping
What good is a really cool model if it isn’t covered with a really cool texture? ProAnimator 5 has added a powerful texture creation system which has over 30 different procedural noises and the best gradient designer on the market to let you create surface treatments so luscious they’ll make your mouth water.
Of course if you don’t want or need all this power you can leave it hidden and never get your fingers dirty. The power is always a click away but Zaxwerks doesn’t force you to deal with it if you don’t want to. Remember, good workflow reduces the complexity.
Text Substitution
So you have 100 graphics to do and you’re on a budget? Time to let ProAnimator help you out. Version 5 adds Text Substitution an amazing new feature where you can set up an animation once, then by linking the animation to a spreadsheet of data, get it to render all the variations automatically. No more hand-editing every graphic. An easy way to become extraordinarily productive overnight.
Batch Rendering
Speaking of being productive overnight, ProAnimator 5 now features batch rendering. This lets you create many projects and render them all while you’re away from your desk, one after the other. You no longer have to wait until one rendering is done before you can start the next one. Just queue them up and when you leave for lunch hit the Render Projects button and they’ll all be waiting for you when you come back.
Designed For You
ProAnimator 5 has so many new features we don’t have space to talk about them all. Lathe modeling; 16/32 bit rendering; Animatable Parenting; Animatable Grouping; User-Drawn Bevels and support for Open Type fonts are just a few of the huge set of new features. But at the heart of it all is a workflow design that is like no other.Â
This program was designed by designers. Folks who want to get the job done as quickly and professionally as possible, and want tools that can help them advance to the next levels of their craft. This program is a masterpiece of workflow. It works quickly, efficiently, with a low learning curve and an amazing ability to let you re-use previous work and to respond to client changes without losing precious time.
Take a look. Download the demo. Start getting ahead today.
ProAnimator is compatible with After Effects:
Windows CS3 – CS6
Macintosh CS3 – CS6
When working with After Effects CS6, turn off the Disk Caching feature to avoid an issue with the plug-in not updating properly.
To upgrade to ProAnimator version 5, please visit our Price List page below:
http://zaxwerks.com/price_list.shtml
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Zaxwerks, Hugo Gomes, KenLatman, KenLatman, Motionworks and others. Motionworks said: AFTER EFFECTS | ProAnimator 5 available now http://zaxwerks.com/blog/?p=896 RT @Zaxwerks [...]
Awesome.:) my dreams come true!!!
REALLY looking forward to the Mac Proanimator release!
I’ve been using Proanimator alot lately and I can’t wait to play with the new features!
Remember, if you have After Effects CS5 for Mac, you can still use the standalone version of ProAnimator 5 to render QT movies that you can use inside of CS5. It’s not the perfect workflow but it keeps you in the game.
The Mac CS5 version is now our top priority and will be the next thing we ship.
So, if we get the Mac version now will we get a free update when the CS5 bit comes along?
And is this available as an upgrade if we have the previous version already?
Hi John,
Right. If you upgrade now, you will be eligible for a free upgrade once the CS5 compatible version is released on the Mac.
If you own ProAnimator version 4, you can upgrade to version 5. To do this, go to the “Store > Price List” page, and under the ProAnimator section, select “Upgrade from ProAnimator AE”.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Best,
Edward
It has been awhile since I used Zaxwerks. I have the Mac version for CS4 After Effects of both ProAnimator and 3DInvigorator Pro. Is there anything that 3DInvigorator Pro upgrade would allow me to do that the ProAnimator upgrade would not (as it seems that ProAnimator incorporates most of 3D Invigorator Pro features)?
[...] recently updated their ProAnimator stand alone application and After Effects Plugin to version 5 which notes an almost complete overhaul of the integrated 3D animation and creation [...]
Did this version fix the banding problem with rendered images? Every animation I output has that cheap 8-bit banding look to it.
Hi John,
The difference in the two programs is the workflow. With ProAnimator, you have the power and speed of the animation controls, but you don’t have the ability to use the After Effects keyframing and layer tracking. However, with the ability to apply Parenting within ProAnimator, layer tracking should not be an issue. So you should be able to use ProAnimator and do everything that 3D Invigorator does, and much more.
Best,
Edward
Hi Jeff,
Are you doing some heavy post processing or is your monitor gamma really crunched? The raw rendering files usually look pretty good. In any case, in version 5, we do support 16 and 32-bit rendering, so if you change the Depth setting in After Effects, you will be able to work with a deeper color depth.
Best,
Edward
[...] has released ProAnimator 5. This version has many new features that users have been asking for, including an built-in path [...]
Wow, what a spectacular upgrade. Its faster,with more creative text options and a GUI that is right up there with other 3D programs. Kudos to Zaxwerks!
Glenn, I decided to gt the stand alone for Mac now so I can get up to speed on all the new features and I have had the program since it was first released. I figured that way, when they release the plug in for CS5 I will hit the ground running. Just a thought…
Hello
I Animator Pro. When I use it with After Effects and click Save Scene it says that the registry key is missing and it crashes. If I use the standalone version without open After Effects it does not crash and he recorded the scene with success.
After Effects CS4
annimator pro version 4.0.5
Hello
When I use ProAnimator with After Effects and I click “Save Scene”
I get a dialog box that says “eroor: Missing or Invalid key ” and it crashes. but If I use the standalone version without open After Effects it does not crash and he recorded the scene with success.
Why?
I’m on Windows 7 64 bit and _I have Proannimator version 4.0.5 and After Effects CS4
Hi Leo and Mohamed,
Be sure to use the latest version of ProAnimator. If you only have the version 4 license key, be sure to use version 4.5.1. To download version 4.5.1, please use the download link below:
Mac:
http://zaxwerks.com/downloads/ProAnimator_4.5.1_mac.zip
Windows:
http://zaxwerks.com/downloads/ProAnimator_4.5.1_win.zip
Or, upgrade to version 5.0.1 and you should have no issues with saving the scene.
Best,
Edward
Great program!! One thing I miss though is being able to render and AVI with an alpha channel
Hi Gary,
Unfortunately, AVI is no longer being supported because it is incompatible with all the new code we are using with the program. You can still render the animation with an alpha channel in the “.mov” format though.
Best,
Edward
I am totally blown away with the latest release of Proanimator.
How do you guys do it? How do you make a program so powerful, so easy to use? I’ve looked at a bunch of other 3D programs and given up in dismay as I did not possess the advanced rocket scientist degrees to even interact with the interface.
I KNOW it’s HARD to make a program easy for your end-users, but, hey, isn’t that what it’s about?
Congratulations – the program is just remarkable – well worth the upgrade price!
John
Hi John,
Thanks! Glad to hear that the hard work is paying off!
Best,
Edward
[...] ProAnimator Blog Post: http://zaxwerks.com/blog/2011/02/23/proanimator-5-available/ [...]
I ordered ProAnimator 5 today but I gave you the wrong email address for you to send me the download info. The above address is the correct one. Thanks
Hi Steve,
We have updated your e-mail address. Thanks for letting us know.
Best,
Edward