This year's 3December is cosponsored by Dell Precision, the exclusive technology partner for the event, as well as Wacom and Intel. 3D artists around the world can join the 3December Online celebrations on AREA, Autodesk's digital entertainment and visualization community The virtual event, at area.autodesk.com/3december beginning December 1, will offer:

° A free Autodesk MasterClass about how Liquid Development's creative team developed assets for "The Beatles: Rock Band" ;

° An interview with award-winning filmmaker Chris Landreth about his production workflow;

° A live presentation by Lightstorm Entertainment from Autodesk University about how moviemaking technology can be used for visualization.

Visitors will also be able to vote for the 2009 Autodesk Masters. This annual program recognizes exceptional Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Softimage software artists and technical specialists whose work and dedication have contributed to the advancement of computer graphics.

Autodesk will host a live event in Montreal, Canada, on Dec. 3 from 6-10:30 p.m. (Eastern). The event will feature a presentation by Harmonix, developer of the "Rock Band" and "The Beatles: Rock Band" video games. Art Director Ryan Lesser, and Project Leader and Creative Director Josh Randall will present a "Show & Tell" into the world of music game development. Pre-visualization and Autodesk Mudbox software demonstrations will also be offered. For more information and to register for the Montreal event, go to area.autodesk.com/3dec .

In addition to the Autodesk-hosted event, Autodesk user groups and channel partners will hold live 3December celebrations around the world, including North America, United Kingdom and Spain. Contact the leader of your Autodesk Animation User Group Association to see if a 3December meeting is planned in your city.