3-D Design Upstart think3 Announces Metastream 3-D Visualization Partnership for E-commerce.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

Now think3 Customers Can Quickly Turn Product Designs Into Lifelike,

Interactive 3-D Images on the Internet

Upstart 3-D design company think3 today announced a 3-D visualization partnership for e-commerce with Metastream Corporation (New York, NY), the leader in marketing visualization solutions for the Web. Metastream is a subsidiary of MetaCreations Corporation (NASDAQ:MCRE) and Computer Associates International Inc. (NYSE:CA). With the simple push of a button, think3 customers will be able to easily and affordably create and display lifelike, interactive 3-D images over the Internet of products designed and engineered using think3 software - for e-commerce and general web applications (e.g., employee, partner, general market place communications).

think3 is developing an export option within its flagship 3-D design software product, thinkdesign, so that users can automatically save 3-D models in Metastream format, which is fast becoming the de facto standard for online 3-D visualization for e-commerce. With true-to-life, 3-D visual fidelity, Metastream provides for a rich online shopping experience, replicating many of the benefits of shopping in a store while adding the convenience and user-control of the Internet. This capability will be available to all think3 subscription customers in Q2.

"Given our focus on bringing the power of 3-D to the masses, this partnership with MetaStream - the leading 3-D visualization company for e-commerce - is an excellent match," says think3 Chairman & CEO Joe Costello. "In today's Internet-driven market place, think3 customers - and designers everywhere - are under tremendous pressure to get to market faster than ever with highly stylized, aesthetically appealing products. As a result of this partnership, our customers will be able to instantly bring their designs to life for consumers, drastically improving their online shopping experience. That's extremely exciting - just as exciting are the implications for improved communications, via powerful, lifelike 3-D product images on intranet and extranet sites within companies (e.g., engineering, marketing, sales) and throughout entire supply chains (e.g., automotive)."

This announcement comes on the heels of Metastream's announcement last week of the latest version of its 3-D visualization software, Metastream 3.0 (MTS3). MTS3 includes state-of-the-art animation and interactivity features, enabling viewers to virtually "pick-up" products, examine them, and test out product features. MTS3 can integrate all major Web media types, such as vector graphics and panoramas, and has the smallest scalable 3D file sizes currently available on the market.

Metastream's partnership with think3 represents another significant step in the widespread adoption of Metastream as a preferred 3D Web playback solution by toolmakers and vendors worldwide. "We're delighted that think3 is moving so quickly to engineer comprehensive Metastream support to provide its 3-D customers with a seamless 3-D Web authoring solution to bolster their e-commerce businesses and overall web presence," says Dave Feldman, chief strategic officer for Metastream. "The addition of think3 to our growing line-up of early adopters is further evidence of Metastream's growing dominance in the interactive Web content marketplace."

think3's 3-D mechanical design software is used throughout the product development process, from conceptual design through engineering and manufacturing - and now, 3-D visualization for e-commerce - for products in a broad spectrum of industries. This includes everything from Alessi boutique home accessories, adidas-Salomon sports shoes and Buell Motorcycle Company (a division of Harley Davidson) sports bikes, to Tycos Tool & Die molds for exterior automotive parts (e.g., fenders, bumpers) and Candy/Hoover vacuum cleaner motors, and Dinan custom BMW engine parts, among others.

Pricing & Availability

think3's new Metastream data export capability will be available to thinkdesign subscription customers in Q2. thinkdesign is affordably priced at $1,995 (U.S.) for an annual subscription. Also priced at $1,995 (U.S.) for an annual subscription, software option thinkshape includes new advanced surfacing features. Priced at $350 (U.S.) for an annual subscription, thinkreal includes new features for photorealistic rendering. For a limited time, think3 is offering new think3 customers a special promotional package, including an annual subscription for thinkdesign and thinkshape, for only $2,395 (U.S.).

thinkdesign works on Intel Pentium-based PCs, or better, running Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0. Every thinkdesign product comes with a copy of the award winning "The Monkey Wrench Conspiracy" 3-D game-based learning software. In the North America, think3 products can be purchased directly from think3 by calling 1-877-987-7733, online at http://www.think3.com, or through value-added reseller (VAR) partners in selected areas. For more information, call 1-877-987-7733 or send an email to [e-mail].

About Metastream Corporation

Metastream Corporation is the leading provider of marketing visualization solutions and services that enable online retailers to host interactive product presentations on the Internet. Metastream's primary initiatives include licensing Metastream technologies for specific e-commerce initiatives, providing a full range of fee-based professional services for implementing these 3D solutions and forging strategic alliances with leading interactive agencies and Web content providers. Metastream is 80 percent owned by MetaCreations (NASDAQ:MCRE) and 20 percent by Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE:CA) and is headquartered in New York City, New York. Additional information about Metastream is available at http://www.metastream.com

About MetaCreations

MetaCreations Corporation is focused on e-commerce visualization solutions for the World Wide Web, and the Company's Internet strategy is being executed through its subsidiary, Metastream Corporation. The Company is headquartered in Santa Barbara County, California and can be reached on the World Wide Web at http://www.metacreations.com.

About think3

think3 is a privately held mechanical design upstart company that produces software for designing common, everyday physical objects, ranging from home appliances, children's safety products, engines and automotive body parts to boutique home accessories and custom cars, to name a few.

Upstart think3 established a unique market position in March 1999 with the debut of thinkdesign, the first mechanical computer aided design (MCAD) product to offer the power of parametric solids, advanced surfacing, wireframe and 2-D drafting to every designer - not just an elite few - on the desktop, all within a single environment.

To make thinkdesign accessible and affordable to the masses, think3 pioneered a new pricing model in 1999 - under $2,000 for an annual subscription - with no up-front licensing fees. Typically, pricing for today's high-end 3-D software packages starts at $20,000, with 2-D products priced as high as $4,000. And to ensure that designers would ramp up quickly - and have fun doing it - the company took an inventive approach to education and training with "The Monkey Wrench Conspiracy" 3-D video game-based learning software.

Today's announcement from think3 comes on the heels of the successful debut of the company's latest software release, thinkdesign(TM) 5.0, at a press conference at the National Design Engineering Show (NDES) in Chicago last week. Since the introduction of thinkdesign 3.0 in March 1999, the company has delivered on its commitment to deliver a significant new software release to annual subscription customers on a twice-yearly basis.

With the company's flagship 3-D design software package - thinkdesign - customers get the benefit of powerful surface modeling and shape design features on par with popular industrial design packages (e.g., Alias from Alias/Wavefront and Rhino from Robert McNeel & Associates and Velum from Ashlar), but as part of a single environment, solid and surface modeling system. They also get comparable power to high-end 3-D mechanical design software packages from companies like Dassault Systems, Parametric Technology Corp., Structural Dynamics Research Corp. and Unigraphics at a fraction of the price - and at a comparable cost to traditional low-end 2-D packages such as AutoCAD from Autodesk.

think3 is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with engineering centered in Bologna, Italy and supported by R & D teams in Boston, Massachusetts, Bangalore, India, Marseilles, France, Pesaro, Italy, and Salt Lake City, Utah. think3 products are sold through a worldwide network of distributors and VARs, and online at http://www.think3.com. For more information, call 1-877-987-7733 or send an email to [e-mail]. Among think3's top customers are adidas, Alessi, Buell Motorcycle Company (a division of Harley-Davidson), Candy/Hoover, Dinan, Mercedes, Perception Kayak, Peugeot Citroen Automobile (PSA) and Tycos Tool & Die.

think3, thinkdesign, thinkshape and thinkreal are trademarks of think3. MetaCreations and Metastream are either registered trademarks or trademarks of MetaCreations Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.