Red Giant Releases Trapcode Suite 13, Introduces Trapcode Tao

Visual effect software mainstay Red Giant today announced the release of Trapcode Suite 13, a major upgrade to the motion graphic toolkit. This release includes updates to Trapcode Particular, Shine and Mir, and also introduces Trapcode Tao, a brand new plug-in for generating 3D geometries along a path. The update also includes new features in Trapcode Form, Sound Keys and Starglow.
 

“Trapcode plug-ins are a standard in post houses across the world, and are voted the most essential tools for After Effects users every year,” comments Aharon Rabinowitz, Red Giant’s head of marketing. “We’re proud of how passionate our customers are about tools like Particular, Mir and Shine, and we are thrilled to bring users new and more creative ways to use them in their work. For the first time ever, particle systems can be built visually, light rays can react to the 3D camera, and 3D surfaces and wireframes can be looped for dynamic motion graphics. With Trapcode Tao, we’re bringing the ability to generate amazing, procedurally-generated 3D ribbons and geometric shapes to After Effects, something every motion graphics artist will discover they can’t live without.”
 
“I’m very excited about this release, and I'm especially thrilled to see what all the amazing Trapcode users will create with the new Trapcode Tao plug-in,” says Peder Norrby, creator of Red Giant’s Trapcode Suite. “I feel proud of what we have accomplished with this release, and I can't wait to see all the hard work pay off in terms of users creating new cool stuff with these tools.”
 
So, what’s the deal with Tao? Well, Tao is an all-new plug-in with tools to generate complex procedural 3D geometries using built-in auto paths, mask shapes and the motion from 3D lights. Additionally, it can:
  • Generate procedural 3D geometries using built-in auto paths, mask shapes and the motion from 3D lights
  • Create beautiful, complex motion graphics with animated ribbons, geometric shapes and more
  • Take simple paths and transform them into complex geometric animations using two levels of repeaters
  • Create photo-realistic motion graphics with textures and included reflection/environment maps
  • Loop animations for motion graphics and backgrounds with Trapcode Tao’s powerful offset and looping system

 

The big dog in the Trapcode Suite is Particular, the industry’s gold standard particle system. With the latest Trapcode Particular 2.5, motion graphic designers can do more than ever, as the plug-in now features over 130 new presets, saving hours of work when looking to create flames, spaceflight, fireworks, explosions, smoke and other effects. 
 
Also new to Particular is it’s new Effects Builder, which lets artists drag and drop blocks of particle behaviors and styles, and includes a built-in instant preview window for immediate feedback. For those of us looking to take the manual route, Trapcode Particular 2.5 includes its standard After Effects user interface.
 
“The new Particular 2.5 Effects Builder will help demystify the plug-in and provide an easy way to create complex effects,” states Norrby. “The interactive preview is very useful for getting a sense of how Particles react when the emitter is moved, while the new presets and Sprite gallery provide so many creative options.”
 
Here is a complete list of new features and enhancements in Trapcode Particular 2.5:
  • Brand new Effects Builder for visually creating particle effects. Add adjustable blocks with preset behaviors and styles or add complete, customizable particle effects instantly. The Effects Builder gives instant visual feedback, making the building and previewing of effects an intuitive and creative experience.
  • 130+ New Presets: Particular 2.5 includes more than 130 new Effects Builder presets, meaning over 180 fully customizable presets for creating flames, spaceflight, fireworks, explosions, smoke and more.
  • New Sprite Library: Particular 2.5 includes more than 100 still and animated Sprite images, easily loaded through the new Effects Builder.
  • New “Over Life” Graphs provide more control over the size and opacity of particles over life. The new graphing system lets users draw curves and adjust points easily. Draw from scratch, or start with presets and adjust.
  • The new explode behavior automates the process of creating explosion effects by removing the need to set keyframes.
  • With the new Aspect Ratio Control, users can change the aspect ratio of particles, enabling them to stretch or compress the shape or Sprite image. Quickly turn spheres into ovals, squares into rectangles and much more.
  • Create procedurally generated square and circle shaped particles with two new Particle types.
  • Particular 2.5 can render up to 30 million particles (previously 20 million), offering more power, flexibility and particle awesomeness than ever before.
 
The update also includes new features in Trapcode Form, Sound Keys, Starglow, Shine 2 and Mir 2. To learn more about all of the new updates, visit www.redgiant.com/products/trapcode-suite
 
Trapcode Suite 13 is available today and can be purchased for $999 ($199 upgrade) through Red Giant. Customers can purchase individual products or the entire Trapcode Suite 13. Complete pricing info available at here.
 
Russ Fairley
Russ Fairleyhttp://www.productionworld.net
Russ Fairley is a producer, editor and motion graphic designer. He also writes for Videomaker and several other publications.

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