Animal Logic Converts Animation Pipeline to SOFTIMAGE/XSI.Business Editors Montreal, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2003 World-renowned visual effects house switches to SOFTIMAGE/XSI to increase productivity and creativity on upcoming film project Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology "Avid" redirects here. For the "Advancement Via Individual Determination" educational program, see AVID. Avid Technology, Inc NASDAQ: AVID is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear media editing (NLE) , Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : AVID), today announced that Animal Logic, a world-leading animation and visual effects studio recognized for its recent work on The Matrix Reloaded, has selected SOFTIMAGE(R)/XSI(R), the industry's leading nonlinear A system in which the output is not a uniform relationship to the input. nonlinear - (Scientific computation) A property of a system whose output is not proportional to its input. 3-D production environment, for its animation production pipeline. The Australian-based studio is converting its pipeline from the Maya software to the SOFTIMAGE/XSI environment in order to meet the demanding production requirements of Happy Feet, a visual effects intensive, animated feature film directed by George Miller George Miller may refer to:
At the forefront of the international effects industry, creating visual media for film, television, computer games and the Internet, Animal Logic's credits include a wide range of projects, including The Matrix Reloaded, Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (French for Red Mill or windmill) is a traditional cabaret, built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who already owned the Paris Olympia. , Rabbit-Proof Fence, and Swimming Upstream. The company made the decision to switch products after an extensive technical and production evaluation, choosing the SOFTIMAGE/XSI software for its superior toolset, enhanced workflow features, and overall productivity advantages. "Happy Feet is a very exciting project for Animal Logic. It's one of our biggest and most ambitious projects to date, giving us the opportunity to establish a high-end and innovative CGI CGI in full Common Gateway Interface. Specification by which a Web server passes data between itself and an application program. Typically, a Web user will make a request of the Web server, which in turn passes the request to a CGI application program. feature production pipeline and break new ground, both technically and creatively," said Animal Logic's managing director and co-founder Zareh Nalbandian, who will also serve as an executive producer on the film. He also noted, "In creating a new cutting-edge CGI feature pipeline, it was critical that we carefully evaluate, in a very even-handed manner, the capabilities of our production tools." "We decided to challenge the automatic assumption that we would use Maya, since we already owned it, and ran a very thorough comparative test process between version 5.0 of Maya and version 3.5 of SOFTIMAGE/XSI based on our requirements for Happy Feet," said Brett Feeney, digital supervisor at Animal Logic. "SOFTIMAGE/XSI was clearly a better choice, offering superior creative and technical flexibility to the artists, and ultimately, to the director." "With the long production cycle associated with an animated feature film it was important for us to evaluate the company as well as the software," added Xavier Desdoigts, director of technical operations at Animal Logic. "Softimage's focus and understanding of the professional market as well as their demonstrated ability to responsively deliver the level of technical support required to deal with large productions was another important factor in making our decision." "We're honored to have Animal Logic, one of the world's pre-eminent animation and effects studios, join the rapidly growing list of companies making SOFTIMAGE/XSI the centerpiece of their production pipeline for creating tomorrow's advanced films and games," said Michael Stojda, managing director of Softimage. "Their decision reaffirms that animators Famous animators no longer living
v. so·phis·ti·cat·ed, so·phis·ti·cat·ing, so·phis·ti·cates v.tr. 1. To cause to become less natural, especially to make less naive and more worldly. 2. and realism while staying within tighter budgets and more stringent deadlines." In addition to its revolutionary 3-D production pipeline software, Softimage offers a range of service options - from standard maintenance to customized production support for assistance during any phase of a project - that make it compelling for customers using competitive solutions to migrate to the SOFTIMAGE/XSI software. Free plug-in converters are also available that facilitate conversion from other software products such as Maya to the SOFTIMAGE/XSI environment - a capability that Animal Logic is using during its migration process. Reflecting on their decision and the impact Nalbandian commented, "Despite the initial costs associated with switching to another software package, we expect to quickly recoup the investment in terms of our ability to achieve greater production efficiencies, creative flexibility and better overall results in a shorter amount of time." About SOFTIMAGE/XSI The SOFTIMAGE/XSI v.3.5 environment is available today with pricing starting at $6,750(a). For a limited time, until September Until September is a 1984 romantic drama set in France. It stars Karen Allen as an American tourist in Paris who falls in love with a married Frenchman (Thierry Lhermitte). External links 22, 2003, Softimage is offering attractive trade-in credits for older 3-D software towards the purchase of the SOFTIMAGE/XSI environment. By trading-in one of the following software packages, Alias Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited, discreet 3ds max, NewTek Lightwave, or Side Effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. Houdini, companies can save up to $5,755(a) off the price of the SOFTIMAGE/XSI software, the industry's leading 3-D nonlinear production environment: Visit Softimage at www.softimage.com or call 1-800-576-3846 for more information on SOFTIMAGE/XSI software and other Softimage products, as well as all current promotions. (a) All priced quoted are USMSRP quoted in U.S. dollars. International pricing may vary. About Animal Logic The Animal Logic Group comprises four business units: Animal Logic Commercials, Animal Logic Film, Animal Logic Play and Animal Logic Research. Established in 1991, Animal Logic's core business has traditionally been the design and production of high-end visual effects for commercials and television series. The experience gained in these media were transferred to film and in 1997 Animal Logic Film was invited to join the establishment of Fox Studios Australia. In 2000, a design and interactive division was created, translating the skills amassed across these image industries to new media forms. At the base of each of these production units sits Animal Logic Research, an R&D division that provides a wealth of intellectual property and proprietary development to the entire Animal Logic Group. About Softimage Co. Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc., is an industry leader in 3-D animation, 2-D cel animation, compositing and special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. software, designed to address the demands of the film and commercial/broadcast and games/interactive industries. The SOFTIMAGE/XSI software, an integral player in Avid's Make, Manage and Move Media(TM) strategy, is the flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. offering from Softimage. It is the industry's first 3-D nonlinear production environment providing 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 See video game console. and Web sites. Softimage is proud to count amongst its customers: R!OT, Valve, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Pandemic Studios Pandemic Studios is a video game developer notable for creating destructible environments that is based in Los Angeles, California and Brisbane, Australia. Recently, their major hits have been Full Spectrum Warrior, , , Destroy All Humans! and . , The Mill, Pixel Liberation Front, Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios is an Academy Award winning computer animation studio which specializes in photo-realistic, high-resolution, computer-generated character animation and rendering. , Hybride, Janimation, Quiet Man, PSYOP, Cinepix and Framestore CFC CFC See: Controlled foreign corporation . 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. (C) 2003 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, SOFTIMAGE, XSI and Make, Manage and Move Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. |
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