Free Unreal 3-Powered Movie Making Software Available For Download
Earlier, Stephen Johnson told you about Epic perhaps making its Unreal 3 technology available to consumers. Well, while you’re waiting around to get your hands on those crazy powerful design tools, you might want to check out the free, Unreal 3-powered, movie-making software Muvizu.
I’ve been playing around with the program, and it’s actually pretty solid. It comes packed with a number of pre-designed scenes like a living room, a court room and the deck of a space ship, as well as a number of various objects (trees, furniture, vehicles, dead bodies, etc.) that can be used however you see fit. Dropping in and manipulating cameras, lights, music, etc. is all super easy, and you can even add lip synching to your characters (Although, I read online that the lip synching can be kind of finicky so some trial and error might needed to get it working just right.).
With regards to Epic Games’ involvment, Muvizu’s lead developer Robert McMillan said in a statement, “While we could have run with another engine, we preferred the robust, proven technology that Unreal provided and the added ability to accept assets created in Maya, the tool of choice for our creatives."
The software is in alpha at this point, so don’t freak out if you encounter bugs and such, but I would definitely recommend checking it out, especially if you are even remotely interested in animation or filmmaking.
Has anyone tried Muvizu out yet? What do you think? Should Pixar be shaking in its golden boots?
%7Cutmcsr%3D(direct)%7Cutmcmd%3D(none)%3B%2B__utmv%3D40366654.-%3B){kind=small}
%7Cutmcsr%3D(direct)%7Cutmcmd%3D(none)%3B%2B__utmv%3D40366654.-%3B){kind=small}
Hi,
Thanks for your posting about Muvizu 3D. We’re fairly pleased with the alpha release of the application and are aiming for a beta by early next year which should extend and improve functionality. Until then, we will be releasing seasonal packs to keep people interested and creative. We’ve just released a Hallowe’en pack – with spooky props, attachments and new animations. To get this release, head to www . muvizu . com and download it.
Also, take part in our animation competition we’re running in conjunction with 3D World magazine. The prizes are a high-spec laptop from Workstation Specialists and two high-end graphics cards. The competition closes on 1 February 2010, so there’s plenty of time to perfect your clip, which will be judged by a panel at 3D World magazine.
Thanks again for taking the time to check out and review our application. We always welcome feedback, bug reporting and just regular chat.