SendStuffNow: There’s an App for that!

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

It wasn’t until recently that I understood this whole app thing for phones. I mean, I got the concept of an app, whether it cost money and yada yada yada.

What I didn’t get was how people would really say, “There’s an app for that?” with the fervor of a religious fanatic. Then I got a fancy phone. Oooooh! Now I get it.

It’s so easy! And it makes your phone behave more like what it really is: a computer. So I am totally stoked that SendStuffNow has an app listed in the Apple Store.

SendStuffNow mobile

It makes moving huge files so easy and fast, even from your mobile phone that may or may not have slow reception. (Just sayin’!) The app is free and so is the service, so give it a shot!


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When engineers talk, I listen.

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

It’s not often I get comments from engineers about anything I find online, but this tutorial caught the eye of the director of engineering so I figured it must be pretty awesome. It’s about match moving, or motion tracking and how to do it using a plugin for Poser Pro 2010.

Steve Cooper, Poser product manager, said “He does a great job of showing a few techniques to use Poser figures against pre-filmed video, both rendered in Poser or for use in a compositing tool.”

According to the developer Anakale, “MatchMove Assistant for Poser Pro 2010 is a plug-in designed to import camera data (translation and rotation) and tracker points from The Pixel Farm’s Pfhoe and Pfhoe Pro matchmoving applications into Poser. This allows Poser to be used as a compositing tool, integrating Poser’s incredible wealth of first and third party 3d figures and props into a live action shot.”

And until the end of July, it’s on sale for $29.95. That’s 33% off the original price. You can check it out at Content Paradise.


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Jump right in with Anime Studio tutorials

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

I’ve always been a hands-on kind of learner. I’ll read directions and listen to instructions, but I don’t really know what I’m doing until I actually get my hands dirty.

When I learned how to use Anime Studio Debut, manipulating bones was one of the first things I could do.

I could have used this tutorial back then! But then I wouldn’t be just jumping in, now would I? You can find more tutorials for Anime Studio Debut and Pro at our YouTube channel.


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Dazed and Confused: One last day at Comic-Con

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

When the cat’s away the mice will play. And that’s how the last day at SDCC went for us at booth 5353. We gave away TWO Wacom tablets, a 160 GB iPod, and loads (and I mean loads) of software. What? That’s what The Boss gets for leaving early! We never said we were angels.

SDCC last day

The crew at Smith Micro’s booth 5353 was exhausted but in good spirits at the end of San Diego’s 2010 Comic-Con. You could say the same for everyone in the building, from other exhibitors to attendees to security guards.

When the announcement went over the loudspeaker that Comic-Con was officially over, there was a collective cheer in the audience. We made it!

Overall, it was an amazing experience. There is such a feeling of good will and friendliness. I’ve never heard so many people say “Excuse me” or “Pardon me” when they had to brush by me.

I was one of the lucky ones from the Smith Micro booth that got to fly home last night. But several of them headed straight to SIGGRAPH 2010 for another five days of visual delight! Good luck to y’all! I can’t wait to see photos.

If you wanna see or read more about our SDCC experience, check out the previous blogs, our pictures, or our Twitter feed to catch up!


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Zombies on Day Three of SDCC

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

Today the dead walked. Yep, there was a zombie walk today at San Diego Comic Con. One of my favorite questions to ask is “What’s your weapon of choice in the zombie apocalypse?” One guy said a shot gun. Sarina’s not messing around; hers is a machine gun. Mine’s a machete. Cooper didn’t have time to decide.

sdcc zombie!

Day Three at Booth 5353 was a rousing success. Dave Gibbons signed loads of exclusive posters on his last day here, and we’re off to dinner with two lucky fans and their guests. We gave away more software and an iPad.

See the pictures on Facebook.  And I may have made a snarky comment or two on Twitter as well. Stay posted for tomorrow’s final edition of SDCC from Booth 5353.


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SDCC Day Two: One strange day

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

Today we strode into the convention center for San Diego Comic Con with an air of confidence. It’s day two (2 1/2  if you count preview night) and we know what’s up at booth 5353. We got this.

But something was a little … different. We still had Dave Gibbons signing exclusive posters at 11 & 3 (and will tomorrow too)! And we gave away loads of Poser and Anime Studio T-shirts, software and an iPad. (Giveaways happen tomorrow too!)

I guess you could say there was something a little strange going on in our booth, and it probably had something to do with Rob Reger, creator of Emily the Strange, signing inside our booth.

emily the strange

Check out more photos! And we announced our winners for the Dinner with Dave Gibbons contest. Yum! Dinner and comic talk. And when my head stops spinning I’ll probably post some videos too.

For now, check out our Twitter feed for random musings and updates from booth 5353. Happy Comic-Con!


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Posted in Anime Studio, Manga Studio, Other Graphics Software, Poser, Smith Micro Staff | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SDCC Day One…success!

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

We laughed. We cried. (Well maybe just me. Tears of joy!) Dave Gibbons signed righteous posters. Eric won an iPad. Steve Cooper was a total Poser. Check out more pictures at our Facebook page.

We tweeted: Good morning Comic Con!! This is gonna rock ;-) / Check out our Facebook page for photos from preview nite. Fail whale didn’t like uploading pics last nite :( / Royal Thai Cuisine for dinner last nite. Thailicious! And crazy-dream inducing :) / Stop by Smith Micro’s booth 5238 today at 11 n 3 to have Dave Gibbons sign a limited #sdcc edition poster! / Stop by 5353 at #sdcc this AM n tell me (girl w long dark brown hair) who ur favorite band is. First 10 people get free Poser Tshirts :D / And it’s officially on! Come see teyon drawing in @mangastudio! N jason’s playing w @anime_studio :) / Come get a wrist band for @davegibbons90 signing at 11 and 3!! Booth 5353 The exclusive poster is sick!! :D  We’re giving away an ipad today. Stop by booth 5353 to get a ticket. We’ll give it away at 4:30 #sdcc #contests / Come get a wrist band for @davegibbons signing at 11 and 3!! The exclusive poster is sick!! :D / It’s the exclusive SDCC posted drawn by Dave Gibbons in Manga Studio :)  http://twitpic.com/27ptxb / Is your child the next great animator? Stop by booth 5353 at#SDCC to play with @anime_studio !!! / Day One of SDCC: Success!

Stay tuned for more madness here at San Diego Comic-Con. More signings, giveaways and general silliness to come from booth 5353.


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Hey Poser Pro user: Please share your thoughts!

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

Do you use Poser Pro 2010? Product Manager Steve Cooper and the software engineers would love your feedback in a short survey about it:

Please share a few minutes of your time participating in a short survey about Poser Pro 2010. Your answers to the questions will help us evaluate which areas of Poser Pro 2010 are most important to you. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and should only take 10-15 minutes of your time. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

You can access the survey here.
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Poser Pro 2010 SR1 is live!

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

Poser Product Manager Steve Cooper and the Poser engineers have been doing hard work keeping Poser Pro 2010 and Poser 8 updated with useful service releases. Here’s the latest news:

Service Release 1 (SR1) for Poser Pro 2010 is a well worth downloading. It includes updates, bug and stability fixes, dramatic rendering improvements, support for our new SendStuffNow service (formerly StuffIt Connect) and the much anticipated LightWave PoserFusion2010 plug-in.

The single downloadable archive includes installers for Poser Pro 2010 SR1, the Queue Manger 2010 updater, the new LightWave Poser Fusion installer, and a full set of PoserFusion 2010 plug-in updaters (required for the new SR1 version of PP2010). For a full list of improvements and features that are included with SR1, be sure to check out the ReadMe. It has a comprehensive list of all changes.

Poser Pro 2010 SR1 is available as a free updater to all Poser Pro 2010 users. There are both Mac and Windows installers available on the Poser Updates page.

For those users that want to run the new LightWave PoserFusion 2010 plug-in, you can enter your current Poser Pro 2010 serial number to receive a free LightWave plug-in number.

SR1 Rendering Performance
Poser Pro 2010 SR1 offers improved rendering performance in several areas including strand based hair, 3D motion blur, raytraced refraction and texture caching. The first graph below lists the rendering improvements over the shipping  version (GM).

Rendering improvement graphs

Along with rendering efficiency, SR1 also offers significantly improved detail in Depth of Field and Atmosphere rendering plus more precise Indirect Light rendering. These changes may increase some rendering times slightly, but we feel the benefit of improved detail far outweighs the slight impact on rendering times.

rendering comparison graph

In the Benchmark File Rendering graph you can visually compare render times for actual files in both the shipping version (GM) and SR1.

SR1 is an important update to Poser Pro 2010. We’re very pleased with this service release and are confident you will be as well.

Happy Posing!

Thanks Steve!


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SendStuffNow reviews are in: “A masterpiece.”

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Smith Micro Blogger

SendStuffNowIt’s been about a week, and the response to SendStuffNow has been pretty awesome. Most of my friends are stoked on it, and I’ve seen some chatter on Twitter as well.

So far, my favorite review is from David Roe on CMS Wire. SendStuffNow “is close to to being a masterpiece.”

Now that’s a glowing review. Thanks David!


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