Here's the latest and greatest animation news this week...

Adobe gives details on next generation of Creative Cloud

At its MAX 2017 conference, Adobe unveiled the next generation of Creative Cloud, which - along with updates to existing software - included four new applications.

They are Adobe XD CC for experience design, Adobe Dimension CC for 2D to 3D compositing, Character Animator CC for 2D animation, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC - a cloud-based photography service.

Updates to flagship applications including Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, and Premiere Pro CC are powered by Adobe Sensei, the company's artificial intelligence and machine learning platform.

Overlord extension offers seamless workflow between After Effects and Illustrator

Animation studio Battleaxe has unveiled an extension that allows for a seamless vector workflow between After Effects and Illustrator.

Overlord is a set of two panels that creates a portal between both applications, enabling you to transfer shapes without files and edit After Effects shape layers in Illustrator.

"This is the vector workflow you imagined when working with apps created by the same company," notes Battleaxe. Overlord is available for USD$45 per license.

HP targets designers and artists with detachable PC workstation to rival Surface Pro

HP has unveiled what it calls the 'world's most powerful and first detachable PC workstation' in an effort to win over designers and artists.

The HP ZBook x2 features quad-core Intel Core processors, twice the memory of any other detachable PC, and NVIDIA Quadro Graphics, which deliver 73 per cent higher performance compared to the rival Surface Pro.

"This device will make it easier than ever for creators to do what they do best – bring inspiring new ideas to life and enrich the world around us," said Xavier Garcia, Vice President and General Manager, HP Z Workstations.

Artist creates animated ink drawings of animals using stop motion

Animator and illustrator Jeca Martinez has produced a series of stop motion ink drawings featuring a variety of colourful animals.

‘Animotion’ was created for Inktober, an annual challenge that invites artists from all over the world to do one ink drawing a day for the entire month of October.

"Most inktober works I see are static drawings, so as an animator I wanted to push the boundaries a little bit and create stop motion animation of animals using water and ink," said Jeca.

How learning Cinema 4D at Jumbla Academy could kick-start your career

We are pumped that Cinema 4D will be a part of the Jumbla Academy curriculum from next semester onwards (starting 15 January 2018).

To find out how this 3D modelling and motion graphics application could kick-start your creative career, we sat down with our resident Cinema 4D guru Cornel Swoboda for some expert insight.

"By bringing Cinema 4D to Jumbla Academy, we are making our students ready for the future; making them better at animation and motion graphics," he said.