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Phoenix
Tools and Areté Entertainment Announce Psunami Plug-in for Softimage|XSI
Milan (Italy), January 30, 2002 -
Phoenix Tools, a
leader in plug-in and shader development, and Areté Entertainment Inc., a
leading provider of simulation and rendering technologies, announce today
the agreement for the porting of Areté’s award winning
Psunami plug-in
for SOFTIMAGE|XSI
version 2.0, the industry’s first truly nonlinear animation system.
Psunami
for SOFTIMAGE|XSI will be a complete solution for photo-realistic
animating of wave surfaces, based on exclusive technology owned by Areté.
This product will include all the instruments for simulating and
visualizing all kinds of water surfaces, such as oceans and rivers, with
the possibility to manage disturbances such as circular waves and
curvilinear wakes. Phoenix Tools will integrate Psunami inside the new XSI
v.2.0 system and will use the Psunami module of Areté’s proprietary
RenderWorld API for integration into SOFTIMAGE|XSI’s workflow. Psunami
will be one of the first plug-ins available for XSI v.2.0 and has been
developed with the assistance of Softimage. Sure of
the quality and success of this product, Phoenix Tools has signed a first
right of refusal for the porting of other Areté products.
Pricing and Availability
Psunami
v1.0 for XSI will be released by April 2002. Retail price will be
announced soon.
About Phoenix Tools
Phoenix
Tools is a team of developers and specialists with extensive experience in
the computer graphics field, working closely with Softimage/Avid
Technology and other computer graphics companies to develop prototypes and
new, cutting-edge applications. The company is devoted to supporting
moving-picture production companies (film and television) that require
dedicated software development to answer the challenges raised by
increasing market competition and the demand for more creative content.
About Areté Entertainment
Areté Entertainment, Inc, established in 1996, specializes in
providing 3D computer graphics software for photo-realistic simulation and
rendering of natural environments and pyrotechnic FX to the
entertainment/visual FX industry. AEI’s simulation and rendering
products are available across a broad range of graphics platforms
including Maya, Softimage 3D|Extreme, LightWave, 3D Studio Max, Electric
Image Universe and After Effects. AEI’s
software products have won numerous industry awards and have been used to
generate digital imagery for many feature films such as Pearl
Harbor, Castaway, Titanic and Harry Potter and the
Sorceror's Stone.
Areté Entertainment, Inc. now offers Digital GameWare API, a
middleware solution for adding real-time natural FX to game environments.
About Softimage Co.
Softimage Co., a subsidary of Avid Technology,
Inc., is an industry leader in 3-D animation, 2-D 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 truly nonlinear animation (NLA) system that
gives 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. 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. |
