Alias/Wavefront, HP, Intel and ATI announce 3December special offers for North American customers.

Alias/Wavefront, an SGI (NYSE:SGI) company, in concert with its 3December global sponsors, HP, Intel and ATI, announced recently several special offers in celebration of 3December--the computer graphics and industrial design industry event that encircles the globe annually on December 3rd.

These promotional offers--available only from December 3rd until December 27, 2002--make powerful combinations of the world's premiere hardware and 3D software accessible to computer graphic artists and professionals of all skill levels.

All levels of 3D users--from hobbyists and students, through to advanced professionals can take advantage of these remarkable 3December special offers.

The entry-level offer consists of a HP Workstation xw4000 with 2GHz, 256 MB, 40GB disk, Intel Pentium 4, ATI FIRE GL 8800 graphics card, Windows XP, Maya Complete 4.5, and a selection of Maya Learning Tools for only US$2,999.

"Less than a year ago Maya Complete cost $7,500--today it's $1,999. Now, with this entry-level special offer, 3D enthusiasts can purchase a powerful HP system with Maya software and Learning Tools for under $3,000," said Rob Hoffmann, Senior Maya Product Manager at Alias/Wavefront. "This end-to-end 3D solution demonstrates the commitment of both Alias/Wavefront and HP to tear down barriers for people who want to work with the industry standard in 3D software."

"It's a pleasure to offer the CG community this outstanding hardware and software value," said Molly Connolly, World Wide Digital Content Creation Segment Marketing Manager for HP's Workstation Business Unit. "HP collaborates with Alias/Wavefront to ensure that Maya software is optimized on HP hardware to provide our customers with an outstanding technology advantage to meet their production goals."

The advanced special offer consists of a HP workstation xw6000 with 2.4GHz, 512 MB, 80GB disk, Intel Xeon processor, ATI FIRE GL 8800 graphics card, Windows XP, Maya Complete 4.5 and a selection of Maya Learning Tools for only US$3,999.

"Digital content customers insist on the best equipment and technology to keep pace with demanding pipelines and production schedules," said Ed Huang, Director of Workstations at ATI. "By making our FIRE GL 8800 graphics card available in conjunction with HP workstations, Intel hardware, and Maya software, we are giving the community every tool they need to be at the top of their game and produce the most outstanding digital content ever seen."

The four Maya Learning Tools included with both the entry-level and advanced special offers are: Learning Maya / Foundation; Learning Maya / Character Rigging and Animation; Maya Techniques / Exploring Advanced Shading Networks; and Maya Techniques / Polygon Texturing, Lighting and Shading.

Alias and it's global 3December sponsors are also unveiling two additional 3December specials for existing Maya customers.

The Maya 4.5 Upgrade special offer consists of a HP Workstation xw4000 with 2GHz, 256 MB, 40GB disk, Intel Pentium 4, ATI FIRE GL 8800 graphics card, Windows XP and an upgrade from Maya Complete 4.0 to Maya Complete 4.5. In addition, customers will receive a limited edition Maya jacket. The price for this outstanding package is US$1,698.

The Maya Unlimited Upgrade special offer consists of a HP workstation xw6000 with 2.4GHz, 512 MB, 80GB disk, Intel Xeon processor, ATI FIRE GL 8800 graphics card, Windows XP and an upgrade from Maya Complete 4.5 to Maya Unlimited 4.5 for US$5,999.

Industrial designers can also take part in the 3December special offers. New and existing StudioTools customers can separately purchase either the entry-level or advanced hardware packages from HP.