Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI) Consumer Group today announced the immediate availability of Poser 7.04, the latest update to its popular 3D character and animation solution. Poser enables creative professionals, graphic artists and hobbyists to create art, video and animation optimized for models that depict the human figure in three-dimensional forms. The update offers performance and feature enhancements including improvements in rendering, the ability to better manage characters’ speech and walking characteristics, and enhanced artistic control in creating hair, faces, material and much more.

“This latest Poser service release stands as a firm commitment to Smith Micro’s confidence in the Poser product line and underscores the fact that we take end-user satisfaction and ongoing support very seriously,” said Steve Cooper, Product Marketing Manager, Graphics Solutions for Smith Micro Software. “Poser 7 already provides the easiest way to design human forms in 3D for users of any experience level. Moving forward we will continue to offer our customers timely and cutting-edge advancements in the latest 3D design technology including many additions to our comprehensive library of content which delivers fast, simple and nearly limitless possibilities in character and scene development.”
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Born in London in 2001, Lowlife set out to conquer an untouched market that brought the waistline to the forefront of fashion. In Conquering the belt market with their range of edgy designs, they have been embraced by an ever-expanding family of musicians,tattooists, skateboarders, BMXers, artists and designers. By absorbing these influences, flirting with pop culture and encouraging creative independence, Lowlife continues to expand and evolve. Lowlife is distributed in 19 countries and is sold in over 700 stores worldwide.

How often do you get to design a belt for one of the leading names in alternative fashion? Not very often, that’s when! Don’t Panic wanted to do something really different this time, so they had a word with Lowlife. Best known for their wide collection of eye-catching belts, they have offered up a blank canvas (well, belt) for a Don’t Panic reader’s design. This will then be put into production (subject to Lowlife’s discretion) to be seen and sold throughout the land, and the winner will also get a bunch of Lowlife gear. With bands including The Subways, In Flames, Gallows and Fucked Up all sporting Lowlife wear, your designs could end up on stages around the world!

Competition closes 28 August 2008. Visit the site for the full brief and design template.

PhotoShelter Inc., the leading online destination where more than 37,000 photographers sell stock photography and access powerful solutions for e-commerce and image storage, today announced an estimated quarter million stock images were captured during its Shoot! The Day event, held July 20, 2008, many of which will be available to be licensed beginning this week. It is believed to be among the largest single-day contributions to the stock photo supply in history. Shoot! The Day also established a new connection between the image-buying community and thousands of talented photographers worldwide, launching a collaborative conversation designed to revitalize the pipeline of fresh new images in specific areas of greatest buyer demand.

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This competition addresses the ubiquitous and sustainable city life of the future. Seoul is changing and developing quite rapidly and the citizens of Seoul are realizing the advantages of this change through constructing new subway lines, repairing road systems, implementing a new bus line system, designing new contemporary buildings, and creating more green parks around the city. Korea’s capital is making a tremendous effort to change its landscape from one that’s plain and practical to one that is environmentally -friendly and is a convenient place to live. The objectives of the competition include: identifying new design opportunities for the sustainable city life, addressing the design discourse and exploration for the living design, that breathes with nature’s five elements: air, water, light, wind, and earth, and seeking creative design solutions to be applied to future city design projects. Categories include: urban environment, visual communication, industrial design, and other designs. Contact EunSook Kwon, Director General, Seoul Design Olympiad 2008, “designseoul AT seoul.go.kr”.

Deadline: 31 July 2008.

Via: Metropolis

London deserves a bus fit for the 21st century, and Mayor Boris Johnson wants as many people as possible to submit their ideas. Whether you’re a professional designer who can submit a detailed plan or you are someone who uses buses every day and has one great idea that would make your journey better, they have a category for you. You don’t need any technical knowledge to enter the “Imagine” category and it is open to everyone. The “Design” category is intended for professional design companies and people with the technical skills to give us detailed design documents. The winning entries in this category may see their designs taken forward to major bus manufacturers.

There is a 1st prize of £25,000, and many smaller awards for great ideas. The competition will run until mid September, and Mayor Johnson will announce the winners by the end of October. Visit the site to learn more.

Reel Venus Film Festival is a three-day event, which was created and launched in 2003 to showcase an eclectic body of current alternative and mainstream and established women directors, video and multimedia artists from the U.S. and abroad. The work should push traditional boundaries in storytelling methods that inspire, entertain, excite, inform and provoke its audiences with challenging topics, themes and images.

Reel Venus Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 5th annual showcase which will feature the best work by emerging and established women directors/photographers/multimedia producers.

Final submission deadline is 30 August 2008. Visit the site to learn more.