Red Giant has released a new version of it’s popular suite of video editing tools, Trapcode Suite 13.
Along with updates to the usual tools, such as Particular and Shine, the latest version brings Tao to the table; a tool that allows users to generate 3D geometries using built-in auto paths, mask shapes and the motion from 3D lights. Particular 2.5 now includes a drag & drop effects builder with 130 new presets.
“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.”
Tao, highlight paths.
TAO
Trapcode Tao brings new depth to motion graphics projects, with tools to generate complex procedural 3D geometries. Thanks to GPU acceleration, process-intensive graphics and effects, like image-based lighting, reflection maps and ambient occlusion, all render at fast speeds. With Trapcode Tao, motion graphics artists 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
Particular 2.5
Particular 2.5
Particular’s new Effects Builder lets artists drag and drop blocks of particle behaviors and styles, and includes a built-in instant preview window for immediate feedback. In addition to the library of Sprites, users can choose from more than 130 new presets to help kick off any project. Easily create flames, spaceflight, fireworks, explosions, smoke and more with tools to customize details. All whilst maintaining the same AE user interface that users have become accustomed too.
“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.”
The 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.
Shine
Shine 2
With Trapcode Shine’s new ability to link to an After Effects 3D light, users can generate 3D camera-aware light rays. Shine’s new Fractal Noise tools enable users to add smoky, volumetric lighting to their motion graphics and visual effects. These Fractal Noise tools include masking and Parallax that simulate depth and organic behavior within the light. 35 customizable presets let users quickly generate light from text, or replicate natural effects like sunshine filtering through clouds or an ocean surface.
The complete list of new features and enhancements in Trapcode Shine 2 include:
- True 3D light rays: Connect Shine to a 3D light, and the rays become 3D camera aware.
- New camera-aware Fractal Noise effects allow users to add smoky lights to your motion graphics and VFX. Includes masking and 3D fractal noise parallax tools for simulating even more depth.
- Comes with 35 fully-customizable presets to get you started.
Mir
Mir 2
Also getting a major upgrade, Trapcode Mir 2 adds a number of new ways to create and customize dynamic 3D surfaces, such as the ability to spiralize the mesh or deform the surface with spiral rotations. Create seamless looping fractal-based backgrounds, add a second-pass wireframe to create grid overlays on terrains and other surfaces, and choose between quad or triangle-based polygons for a surface.
The complete list of new features and enhancements in Trapcode Mir 2 include:
- Mir 2 adds the ability to spiralize the mesh, deforming the surface with spiral rotations.
- Create seamless looping fractal-based backgrounds.
- Choose between quad or triangle-based polygons for surfaces.
- Add a second-pass wireframe on top of your Mir surface, great for creating grid overlays on terrains and more.
- Three New Texture Sampling Modes: Choose “Nearest” for an unfiltered rendering, “Linear” to smooth gradients and “Solid Face” to give each polygon a single color.
- Adjustable Z-Range minimums and maximums; these allow users to take control of displacement and are great for creating plateaus and craters on surfaces.
- Four Types of Fractal Distortions for varying displacements of the mesh: Regular, Multi, SmoothRidge and Multi SmoothRidge.
- Performance Enhancements: Includes up to 3x optimized rendering speeds and improved VRAM management.
Other Updates
Trapcode Sound Keys, Starglow and Form updates, which are free to existing users, include:
- Trapcode Sound Keys: The go-to plug-in for using audio tracks to generate keyframes, Trapcode Sound Keys now enables users to isolate and visually alter the plug-in’s UI elements, so they can be used as part of an artist’s motion graphics. Users can now hide UI elements, as well as change the color mapping and quantization of the VU meter.
- Trapcode Starglow: New color/direction presets are now available.
- Trapcode Form: A new Square particle type has been added.
Pricing and Availability
Trapcode Suite 13 is available today and can be purchased for US$999 ($199 upgrade) through Red Giant. Customers can purchase individual products or the entire Trapcode Suite 13. Complete pricing info available at www.redgiant.com/products/
Updates to Trapcode Sound Keys, Starglow and Form 2 are free to current users and can be downloaded through Red Giant Link.
Excerpts from Press Release.
