Craft Animations and Autodesk, have announced the integration of certain Craft Director Studio plug-ins within the 2011 versions of Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk 3ds Max Design and Autodesk Softimage software.

Craft Director Studio provides interactive control and simulation of cameras and vehicles, which helps greatly reduce animation production times, says Stig Gruman, Autodesk vice president of digital entertainment. 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, he adds.

The Craft Director Studio plug-in bundle will be included, free of charge, on the Samples DVDs that will be shipped with 3ds Max 2011, 3ds Max Design 2011 and Softimage 2011 software. The bundle includes: Craft SoftMotionCam, Craft ObserverCam. Craft MultiStateCam and Craft HumanizerCam.

The 2011 versions of 3ds Max, 3ds Max Design and Softimage software are expected to be available for purchase on, or after, April 7. Artists who install the bundle as part of 3ds Max, 3ds Max Design or Softimage 2011 releases will also be eligible for limited-time, special promotional pricing for a Craft Bundle Upgrade, offered by Craft Animations. For more information, visit http://www.craftanimations.com .