The productivity and graphics group of Smith Micro Software, Inc. has announced the latest version of its Telly Award-winning Anime Studio software, designed to streamline production for studios and professional artists who create complex animations. The new Frame-by-Frame feature of Anime Studio 11 lets artists switch between traditional animation techniques and more automated bone-rigging techniques, making it faster and easier to achieve different effects without switching tools. New and enhanced drawing and painting features provide a natural feel and raster-like characteristics with life-like results.

With Anime Studio 11, you’re able to combine the best of rigging and frame-by-frame work, allowing two different animation worlds to finally touch each other with great results. Working in teams is easier and more powerful than ever before. Plus, artists can now create powerful rigs and effects that were extremely difficult or impossible with other tools.

Key Features of Anime Studio 11

• Frame-by-Frame allows artists to immediately switch between bone-rigging and a frame-by-frame workspace for authentic, precise and life-like animation results.
• Layer Referencing propagates changes from one design layer to all related layers, even across multiple documents, improving accuracy and saving significant time for team-based productions.
• Animated Shape Ordering extends the ability to quickly and easily rearrange shapes anywhere within an animation timeline rather than adjusting each full frame independently.
• Enhanced Tools and Brushes Freehand drawing is now simpler and more realistic with new automated Merge Strokes, a Smoothing option for round, smooth shapes, and a more efficient Blob Brush for simple shapes. The new Color Points tools lets artists blend colors together in new ways, while Merged Alpha and Drift Angle brushes offer a more natural and pleasing look and feel.
• JSON File Format support for Java Script Object Notation (JSON) file format provides faster file processing and more flexible asset tagging within files, making it easier to exchange and manage related assets across workgroups. Backward compatibility with older versions of Anime Studio is retained, as well as compatibility with MotionArtist file formats.

A full list of features and enhancements is available online.

Anime Studio Pro 11 is available for $299.99 and Anime Studio Debut 11 for novice artists is $49.99.