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March 7, 2005 – Montreal, Canada
SOFTIMAGE|XSI software provides 3D animators and digital artists the tools needed to make professional animation, visual effects, and media for games, motion pictures, websites and more. With the Virtools Exporter, developers can convert data from SOFTIMAGE|XSI to the Virtools NMO file format, with greater flexibility and optimization for efficient interactive 3D production. “With the power of these two established 3D solutions now working together, our customers have the capability to produce the richest 3D content possible, from creation to interaction authoring, for game development, visualization or other interactive applications”, said Bertrand Duplat, Virtools President and CTO. Virtools Dev 3.0 export settings are now stored in a scene and set once, enabling the use of the export plugin in XSI Batch Mode to optimize the 3D content creation process. Material properties can also be defined with both OpenGL and DirectX RealTime Shaders to allow the use of multiple channels, multiples UVs and RenderMaps in meshes. ”While evaluating 3D real-time game engines, we quickly discovered that one of the most important aspects of the production pipeline is the bridge between our 3D creation tool and the engine. If you cannot get the assets easily into the engine, your production will be miserable experience. As long-time users of SOFTIMAGE|XSI, we were delighted when Virtools decided to create an exporter for it, and we were even more impressed when we started using it as beta testers,” said Richard Vincent, CEO of Kutoka. “This new exporter is wonderfully integrated into the XSI work-flow, and we're very confident that we will be able to use the SOFTIMAGE|XSI to Virtools pipeline for a major upcoming educational title, based on the powerful and proven Virtools game engine." Gareth Morgan , senior product manager for Softimage, added, “Softimage's goal is to supply artists and developers with the easy-to-use tools needed to produce the most compelling 3D content possible. By bringing the power of SOFTIMAGE|XSI digital content creation to Virtools' comprehensive interactive 3D development platform, artists and developers can now get the best of both worlds.”
Virtools launched its commercial activities in 1993 with consulting and services targeting interactive real-time 3D. With vital industry needs in mind, Virtools built the company's initial software solution, Virtools Dev. As an Independent Software Vendor since Q4 1999, Virtools has become the leading provider of comprehensive software development solutions for building innovative, highly interactive 3D content. With several thousands of users throughout the world, the Virtools Software Suite enables prototyping, development and deployment of offline and online/networked video games, along with applications in the fields of industrial simulation/virtual reality and marketing/multimedia. Virtools clients include major game studios such as Electronic Arts, Microïds, Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft, Dreamcatcher, Warner Bros Online, Blue Fang Games and Ubisoft, as well as industry leaders such as Procter & Gamble, PSA Peugeot Citroen, EDF, EADS, CEA, CNRS, France Telecom, Matsushita, American Department of Energy, Intel, Publicis Networks/Renault, Arte TV and L'Oréal. Among its partners in the gaming industry, Virtools counts Microsoft, Sony, Nvidia/ATI, Discreet, Alias, Newtek, Havok NxN and Softimage. For more information, visit www.virtools.com
About Softimage Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc., is an industry leader in 3D animation, 2D cel animation, compositing, and special effects software, designed to address the demands of the film and commercial/broadcast and games/interactive industries. SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, an integral player in Avid's Make, Manage and Move Media™ strategy, is the flagship product offering from Softimage. It is the industry's first 3D nonlinear production environment providing animators and digital artists the freedom to make professional animation, visual effects, and games – from major motion pictures, to cartoons and commercials, to animated content for video games and Web sites. Softimage is proud to count amongst its customers: Omation Studios, R!OT, The Mill, Stan Winston Studios, Pixel Liberation Front, Blue Sky Studios, Hybride, Janimation, Quiet Man, PSYOP, Cinepix, Rising Sun Pictures and Nerd Corps. The Softimage product family is designed to help users innovate, create, and collaborate throughout the production process. For more information about Softimage, visit www.softimage.com. For more information about Avid, visit www.avid.com. ©2005 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, SOFTIMAGE, XSI and Make, Manage and Move Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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