SOFTIMAGE Announces New Release of SOFTIMAGE|3D

 

 

 

 

Optimized for Game Developers -- Features Major update of .xsi file format --

MONTREAL--(March 3, 2000)-- SOFTIMAGE Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc., announced the forthcoming new version of SOFTIMAGE|3D, the company's flagship modeling, animation and rendering system. The new release, downloadable from the web beginning on 9th March 2000, is optimized for the game development community, addressing both functionality and workflow.

This release includes improved mesh editing tools, a refined user interface and greater stability and introduces support for next-generation game platform development.

The SOFTIMAGE|3D Version 3.9 software delivers numerous new features including: new tools for selecting polygons and editing polygonal mesh objects; a major update to Softimage's .xsi file format to support constraints, 2D inverse kinematics, triangle strips and user data; enhanced output for Sony PlayStation format (HMD); improvements to editing envelope weights; and new texturing utilities.

First SOFTIMAGE|3D release via the Internet

The SOFTIMAGE|3D Version 3.9 release also represents a milestone for the company as it will be the first ever release that Softimage distributes to customers via the world wide web. Rather than waiting the customary 6-8 weeks that it takes for reproduction and shipping, customers under a valid support contract will be able to log on to the Softimage Support web site to download the software.

Key features of SOFTIMAGE|3D

Version 3.9 includes:

  • New look and feel - The SOFTIMAGE|3D system has undergone some aesthetic changes including a new look supporting multiple fonts, a cleaner interface on the Windows NT platform, more schematic view options, and general interface improvements such as the ability to copy and paste text fields and support texture sequences in the OGL view.
  • Polygonal modeling - New enhancements and features have been implemented to improve polygonal modeling. `Smooth', `GC-Displace' and `GC-ConnectTheDots' are new plug-ins that allow users to edit mesh surfaces quickly. `InfoPolygon' and `SelectPolygon' now have methods for selecting polygons using new types of criteria such as distance from plane and concavity. `GC-AutoProject' implements a fast way of texturing polygonal meshes. `SetVertexColors' allows users to set vertex colors on selected vertices quickly.
  • Envelope weight editing - The interface for envelope weight editing has been greatly improved by adding selective editing capabilities, support for multiple envelopes, and bone preset load/save options.
  • Enhanced output for Sony PlayStation format- New enhancements improve support for the Sony PlayStation HMD file format. Users can now edit model, material and texture attributes that are specific to the PlayStation via the `HMDModelAttributeEditor' and `HMDTextureAttributeEditor'. `HMDExport' now supports new types of animation such as MIMe.
  • New Improved .xsi File Format SOFTIMAGE|3D Version 3.9 now includes a major update of the .xsi file format and the export and import tools. The .xsi Version 2.0 file format now supports animation constraints, 2-D inverse kinematics data, material and texture sharing, and triangle strips. In addition to this, an important new mechanism for exporting user data and custom effect data allows artists and plug-in developers to export any kind of custom parameters in .xsi files without needing to modify the XSI export tool in any way.

The new Softimage .xsi viewer allows users without the host application to interact with and validate .xsi files. Objects or entire scenes can be exported from the SOFTIMAGE|3D system using the .xsi format and then loaded into the viewer in order that animation and geometric integrity can be checked before the object or scene is passed down the production pipeline.

The viewer can be downloaded free of charge from Softimage's web site and used on any machine, as it does not require the SOFTIMAGE|3D system. This makes it an ideal tools for use within a distributed work flow environment. By checking data at an early stage, problems can be quickly identified and resolved before they cause disruption to the overall work flow. Games designers can use the viewer to validate artwork before it is passed to the game development team, thereby greatly reducing the need to re-engineer objects due to geometric or animation problems.

SDK/GDK - Plug-in developers can now get custom effect values from instances of custom effects via the Software Developer Kit (SDK).

The SOFTIMAGE|3D Version 3.9 system is free to all customers under a valid maintenance contract as of 9th March 2000 worldwide. The CD-ROM version will be available early in the second quarter of 2000.

About Avid Technology, Inc.

Avid Technology, Inc., of which Softimage Co. is a subsidiary, is an international, industry-leading provider of digital audio and video tools for information and entertainment applications. Avid's products are used by a variety of customers worldwide including film, television and interactive content producers, TV news broadcasters, corporate communicators and consumers. For more information, visit Avid's Web site at www.avid.com or the Softimage site at www.softimage.com.