Animation
Anigraph 2005: UK-based NaturalMotion set to release new 3D animation software
MUMBAI: UK-based animation company NaturalMotion Ltd. will commercially release next week what it calls the breakthrough 3D animation technology based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) endorphin 2.5. The company is planning an India launch as part of the global release.
Anigraph is an annual trade exhibition cum seminar on animation and graphics. It covers all fields of animation, graphics and visual effects. The show is supported by Broadcast India and Animation Producers Association of India (APAI).
The company’s sales director Richard Craig-McFeely announced this at the two-day Anigraph 2005 conference which kicked off today in Mumbai. He also gave a detailed presentation of the software during the session.
“The release of endorphin 2.5 is scheduled for next week. We will actively sell and market the software in the Indian market as well. Here we have associated with Shaf Broadcast for marketing the software,” he said.
Anigraph is an annual trade exhibition cum seminar on animation and graphics. It covers all fields of animation, graphics and visual effects. The show is supported by Broadcast India and Animation Producers Association of India (APAI).
According to Craig-McFeely, endorphin 2.5’s powerful new transitioning, blending and behavior features, combined with enhancements to asset repurposing tools and improved FBX support, allow animators to create realistic, fully interactive 3D character animation faster and easier than traditional keyframe or motion capture techniques.
Endorphin’s DMS and Adaptive Behavior technology allows animators to experience the sheer speed of simulation without giving up any control. In addition to synthesizing scenes from scratch, endorphin 2.5’s new features allow users to make their existing animations, like walk cycles, interactive.
The new version, which will be available this month for $12,795, is already being used by leading production and animation companies such as The Mill, Sony Computer Entertainment, Namco and Moving Picture Company. Craig-McFeely said the company was looking at markets such as games, films, post production, broadcast, studios, simulation, education and forensics.
endorphin 2.5 features include:
New Transition Event – Enables seamless blending from simulation back into existing animations such as run cycles. Users can create entire animation sequences within endorphin.
New Active Animation Event – Animation data can drive the muscles of a character. Used in conjunction with endorphin’s new Transition Event, this allows users to create much more dynamic blends than with traditional kinematic blending.
New Behaviors – New static balancing lets a character stay on its two feet autonomously.
Enhanced Rig Event – More flexible character rigs for simultaneously mixing animation and simulation, and for advanced dynamic retargeting. Users can choose which degrees of freedom they wish to retarget, and endorphin’s dynamic solver will resolve the rest of the motion.
Enhanced Collision Mode – Crisper, high-velocity collisions.
Enhanced Character Edit Mode – Faster custom character and rig set-up.
Improved FBX Support – Optimized support for the FBX file format for increased integration with today’s leading character animation software packages.
MUMBAI: History is getting a fresh rewrite this time with code, creativity and a longer arc in mind. Lens Vault Studios has announced its first original production, Bal Tanhaji, marking the official entry of the newly launched, tech-driven studio into India’s evolving entertainment landscape.
Arriving six years after the box-office success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the new project expands the universe rather than revisiting familiar ground. Bal Tanhaji explores uncharted narrative territory, signalling a clear shift from one-off cinematic spectacles to long-format, world-building storytelling designed for digital-first audiences.
At the heart of this ambition is Prismix Studios, the in-house generative AI and technology arm powering the creative engine behind the show. The studio’s approach blends storytelling with next-generation tools, aiming to reimagine how Indian IPs are created, scaled and sustained beyond theatrical releases.
For Lens Vault Studios chairman Ajay Devgn the new venture represents a deliberate step beyond traditional cinema. The focus is firmly on building long-form intellectual properties across fiction and non-fiction, tailored to changing viewing habits and platform-led consumption. He said the studio intends to explore formats that remain largely untapped, while drawing on the team’s experience with large-scale cinematic storytelling.
Lens Vault Studios founder and CEO Danish Devgn echoed that sentiment, describing Bal Tanhaji as the studio’s first generative-AI-led IP and the starting point of a broader vision. The aim, he noted, is to carry forward the legacy of the Tanhaji universe while connecting with younger audiences through a blend of powerful narratives and emerging technologies.
With Bal Tanhaji, Lens Vault Studios is planting its flag early not just launching a show, but signalling a larger play for cinematic universes that live, grow and evolve across platforms. If this debut is any indication, the future of Indian storytelling may be as much about imagination as it is about innovation.
