DAZ Studio 2.2 introduces impressive new features

DAZ Studio does it again with version 2.2! Our developers and product managers have been working around the clock to bring you this latest update, filled with impressive new features – many of which you've requested. It's also filled with great new fixes, creating a more stable DAZ Studio environment. One of the notable fixes is that is within the area of File Loading/Import: when a fixed loading .DAZ file is saved from a 2.x DAZ Studio, it no longer crashes. Another great fix is that we have made it possible for scenes from Studio to load in Carrara!

When it comes to new features, we think you'll be most excited that DAZ Studio now features Lip-Sync! You can start with some of the sound files included in this release or load files from Mimic directly into DAZ Studio. Another fantastic new feature is Smoothing Angle. It offers you the choice of which surfaces you would like smoothed, and at what angle. Learn more about it in our "What's New" section. And there's much more!

Click on the link below to go to the Daz forum and learn more about this exciting version and have access to the download links.

Daz Studio

Microsoft has announced in the IE Blog that Internet Explorer 8, now in early beta, will have DEP memory protection turned on by default.

DEP, also known as NX (for No eXecute) is the use of hardware features built into modern CPUs to block the execution of code from areas of memory that are supposed to contain data. Most severe software vulnerabilities consist of finding a bug in the software that allows the program execution path to be diverted to code introduced by the user, which will almost certainly be in a data area of memory. Therefore, DEP should block the exploitation of vulnerabilities in those applications—when it is active.

DEP has been in Windows since XP Service Pack 2, but since this same technique causes problems for a lot of software either with bugs or cavalier programming techniques, Microsoft started it out turned essentially off. They have been slowly turning on aspects of DEP over the years. System code in Vista is protected by DEP, although applications have to be opted in by the user. In Vista SP1 and XP SP3 a new set of APIs allows a program to opt-in on it's own.

Turning on DEP by default should make IE8 a considerably more difficult attack target, especially when combined with ASLR, IE Protected Mode and other Vista features. Remember that the DEP protection extends not just to IE, but to add-ins installed in it.

The compatibility problems that caused Microsoft to be so conservative with rolling out DEP are less compelling years after its introduction, with all the time programmers have had to adapt to it. If problems in an IE add-in cause it to blow up under DEP the user should look no further than the author of the add-in for responsibility.