On a regular basis, Apple World Today posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they’re popular and deserve mention. Here are this week’s picks.
MacOS Apps/Updates
Allegorithmic has announced the latest additions to Substance Painter. The update introduces subsurface scattering (SSS), along with new projections and fill tools, enhancements to the UX and support for a host of new meshes. The update is available now.
The release also includes updates to projection and fill tools, beginning with the user-requested addition of non-square projection. Images can be loaded in both the projection and stencil tool without altering the ratio or resolution. Those projection and stencil tools can also disable tiling in one or both axes. Fill layers can be manipulated directly in the viewport using new manipulator controls. Standard UV projections feature a 2D manipulator in the UV viewport. Triplanar Projection received a full 3D manipulator in the 3D viewport, and both can be translated, scaled and rotated directly in scene.
Along with the improvements to the artist tools, the Substance Painter Summer Update also includes several updates designed to improve the overall experience for users of all skill levels. Substance Suite users will also see an immediate benefit thanks to an improved consistency between tools. Additions like exposed presets in Substance Designer and a revamped, universal UI guide makes it easier than ever to jump between them.
Following a 30-day trial period, individual users will be able to subscribe to the Substance Indie or Pro plans. Substance Painter is also available for individual-license purchase, which includes 12 months of maintenance. Subscriptions to Substance Indie cost $19.90/month; Pro plans cost $99.90/month. Enterprise and education pricing is available upon request. Students and teachers can request a license at no cost.
Zevrix Solutions has announced LinkOptimizer 5.2.7, a feature update to company’s workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign.
LinkOptimizer lets users automatically scale and crop images to their InDesign dimensions at specified target resolution, convert image formats, adjust colors, run Photoshop actions and more. Version 5.2.7 adds an option to update modified InDesign links automatically before processing.
LinkOptimizer can be purchased from the Zevrix website for $259.95; there’s a “lite” version for $179.95. A demo is available for download. The update is free for LinkOptimizer 5.x users and $130 to upgrade from previous versions. LinkOptimizer requires macOS 10.7-10.13 and Adobe InDesign/Photoshop CS5-CC 2018.
iOS apps/updates
FallCall Solutions, a technology startup committed to “creating simplified communication solutions for elders and caregivers,” has launched its second product, FallCall Lite, a free Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) app built exclusively for the Apple Watch and iPhone. Its features include Voice Activation using Siri, Elder Apple Watch battery power monitoring by Caregivers, and a fully integrated subscription-based central monitoring service.
