D-Zed Software has released Dragon Stop Motion 2.3 (http://www.dragonstopmotion.com/), an update to their professional stop motion animation software for Mac OS X and Windows. The upgrade includes a variety of new features that expand on the application’s support for monitoring, exporting, composing, animating, automating lighting, and automating 3D shooting.
Designed specifically to meet the needs of feature film, commercial, broadcast television and independent film, Dragon Stop Motion controls digital still and HD cameras for shooting single frame animation and effects.
The Auxiliary Monitor feature allows the user to send the main view to a second monitor (video village). The Image Sequence Export provides flexibility in choosing image formats for frame export, as well as customized naming, etc. Advanced Composition Guides emulate ground-glass with single-screen setup.
Punch-In for Animation gives animators using Canon or Nikon live view magnification the ability to punch-in and out using the video assist image. The DDMX-S2 and IOTA Controller support lighting and event automation; the user can now create an in-scene lighting program, automate frontlight/backlight effects, and add a worklight. Software-controlled, automated 3D capture can now be achieved using the IOTA digital I/O and companion professional grade IOTA Stereoscopic Slider.
The software is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4.11 or higher. It’s priced at US$275 for a single-user license. A trial license is available and valid for 10 days and limited to 50 frames per take. Version 2.3 is a free update for registered users of version 2.0.