Discreet Introduces combustion* - Powerful Unified Paint, Animation and 3D Visual Effects for the Desktop

Las Vegas, Nevada - NAB - April 10, 2000 - Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., announced a significant milestone in the company's history with the launch of combustion*, Discreet's newest visual effects product. The Macintosh and Windows NT-based system offers a single, unified paint, animation and 3D-compositing environment for visual effects creation. combustion* features Academy Award-winning technology from inferno* and an extremely fast caching architecture for igniting the desktops and creative imaginations of digital visual effects artists worldwide.

combustion* combines state-of-the-art software design with comprehensive paint and effects for a revolutionary new environment with visual interactivity unparalleled on desktop systems. combustion* delivers Discreet's renowned artistic interface with powerful "in-context" tools: keying, motion tracking, color correction, vector-based non-destructive paint animation, true 3D compositing, network rendering, and support for Adobe Photoshop and After Effects plug-ins. Software-based combustion* is a high-performance solution, offering complementary integration to Discreet inferno*, flame*, flint*, fire* and smoke* systems, as well as desktop integration with 3D Studio MAX and edit*, Discreet's award-winning animation and nonlinear editing solutions.

combustion*, along with Discreet's full range of products, is being demonstrated at NAB 2000 in the Discreet booth (#S4103) of the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, April 10th through the 13th.

"We are pleased to launch Discreet's newest effects solution, combustion* at NAB 2000," said Godfrey Sullivan, executive vice president and general manager of Discreet. "Professional digital artists can enjoy the thrill of fast creative experimentation with Academy Award-winning Discreet technology - now available on the Macintosh and PC desktop."

"Apple seeks to work with creative companies who provide different and revolutionary solutions for the digital cinema and design communities," said Clent Richardson, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "Apple is pleased to endorse and support Discreet with its exciting launch of combustion*."

Intuitive "In-Context" Tools for Professional Artists combustion* provides the necessary production power to complete professional projects of any size and complexity. Embodying the Discreet "artist interface", combustion* provides artists with streamlined methods of designing, viewing and compositing visual effects including dynamic proxies of high-resolution formats. combustion*, a software-based application using a process tree hierarchy, will excite the creative community with its interactive visual performance. The product's optimized architecture supports multi-processing, advanced RAM caching, real-time multi-clip playback, and free batch-, background- and network rendering.

"I can't decide which functionality I am most impressed with: the integrated keyer, color corrector and tracker, the interface, or the speed," said Sheena Duggal, visual effects supervisor/creative director of high-speed compositing, Sony Pictures Imageworks. "With combustion*, Discreet now has professional paint and compositing tools for artists working on affordable NT systems." combustion*'s powerful engine and artistic interface are complemented with a full suite of paint, animation and visual effects tools. Vector-based paint tools enable the artist to interactively rotoscope, paint, animate and manipulate images non-destructively, so experimentation involves only modifying the object rather than deconstructing the entire image.

combustion* carries forward professional technology from the Discreet effects systems family, inheriting keying, color correction, motion tracking and stabilization modules. The 3D compositing capabilities offer artists true perspective, with moving camera, lights, raytracing and realistic shadows and reflections. Nesting of composites is available for limitless creativity as artists design complex, multi-layered effects. And combustion* support for EPS vector objects, Adobe Photoshop layers, and After Effects plug-ins further broaden the possibilities for motion graphics design and visual effects production on the desktop.

A Powerful Production Partner Recognized for its value as an independent visual effects system or as a complementary application to Discreet editing, effects and animation systems, combustion* provides productivity benefits for facility-wide and desktop production. Artists designing effects in combustion* can share common motion tracking, keying, and color correction setup data with inferno*, flame*, flint*, fire*, and smoke* systems. This streamlined and integrated approach to effects creation is unique to Discreet systems, and offers post-production and broadcast facilities significant creativity and productivity benefits such as superior new visual effects, simplified project coordination and improved resource scheduling.

"As users of Discreet's advanced systems, Western is thrilled to finally have a powerful desktop solution that is well integrated with flame* and inferno*," said Jim Bartel, vice president and chief technology officer of Western. "combustion* will enhance our range of visual effects and creative design capabilities"

3D animation and design firms also achieve productivity gains with the combination of combustion*, edit* and 3D Studio MAX for professional desktop production. Digital artists and animators can paint or use composites directly in 3D Studio MAX, create textures and background plates, or post-process 3D Studio MAX scenes in combustion* using 3D Studio MAX's RPF file format interchange.

Nonlinear editors can integrate visual effects with greater ease and sophistication either on a common system or across a network using combustion* and edit*. Effects created in combustion* are available directly within the edit* bins or timelines for immediate effects-to-editing integration. Nonlinear editors can launch combustion* directly from the timeline for additional color correction, keying, touch-up work or motion tracking. As a stand-alone visual effects system, or used in association with networked edit* and 3D Studio MAX systems, combustion* establishes a new level of productivity for post-production, broadcast and animation professionals.

Pricing and Availability combustion* will release for shipment in the Summer 2000 with a list price of $3,495 (USD). Customers and interested parties can contact their regional Discreet Sales Office (www.discreet.com), or call 800-869-3504 or 514-393-1616 for more information.

About Discreet
Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in digital content creation, management, and distribution tools. Discreet develops systems and software for visual effects, 3D animation, editing, and production used in the creation of digital moving pictures for feature films, video, HDTV, broadcast graphics, interactive games, and the Web. Discreet products are used extensively in film and video post-production, games and multimedia, broadcast graphics, programming, and on-air event coverage. For more information, contact any Authorized Discreet Reseller, call Discreet at 800-869-3504, or visit www.discreet.com. Autodesk shares are traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol ADSK.