NaturalMotion, the developers of the endorphin 3D animation creation software, has announced the immediate availability of the company’s free endorphin Learning Edition (eLE). Based on the endorphin 2.0, used by companies including The Mill, Sony Computer Entertainment, Namco and Moving Picture Company, the eLE has no time restrictions, includes all relevant product documentation, and offers a comprehensive support network via the company’s endorphin forum. The software is fully functional; however, it is motion file export disabled and is not to be used for commercial production. “endorphin provides an entirely new approach to 3D character animation that will significantly impact how 3D characters are animated in the future,” said Torsten Reil, CEO of NaturalMotion. “With the availability of a free eLE, animators will have the opportunity to educate themselves on endorphin’s unique DMS technology and develop a valuable skill set for the high-end industry. Equally, smaller animation studios can evaluate the software at their own pace, and have the option to rent endorphin 2.0 on a monthly basis, for maximum flexibility.” The eLE contains all of the same features found in endorphin 2.0, including: multi-layer behaviors; enhanced adaptive behaviors; an intuitive GUI (including layered behavior support on the timeline); and support for the Avid® Alienbrain® Studio asset management and Perforce software configuration management systems, and is available now from the company's website. Unlike conventional animation techniques such as keyframing or motion capture, endorphin uses the CPU to simulate the brain and body of 3D characters, which allows animators to synthesize human movements in real time. This approach produces directed and fully-interactive 3D characters that essentially animate themselves with real-life movements that are unique every time; thus dramatically reducing animation asset production time.