“Autodesk is experimenting with a bold development strategy for the new Smoke which features an extended pre-release trial that allows users time to test the software and contribute to the product design and affords our developers the time to incorporate feedback to help improve the software,” explained Mark Strassman, Autodesk Media & Entertainment’s vice president strategy and marketing. “The strategy is all about engaging the community and creating the best software possible. Involvement, excitement and constructive input have exceeded all our expectations.”
The redesigned Smoke video editing and visual effects software for the Mac integrates high-end effects tools within a standard nonlinear editing workflow at a cost of $3,495. Since making a huge splash at NAB 2012, thousands of video editors from around the world have downloaded the software, contributed valuable feedback, attended training events and “liked” Autodesk Smoke on Facebook.
Autodesk Smoke 2013 Pre-Release Trial 3 was made available for download on Aug. 27. The newest version features numerous stability and workflow enhancements as well as several new features – a new conform workflow, timeline search and ConnectFX functionality. Autodesk expects Smoke 2013 will be available later this year.