Autodesk unveils Kinetix to drive 3D multimedia for PCs and the World Wide Web; new business unit announces delivery of 3D content creation tools for fast-growing Internet and Windows NT Workstation markets.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 1996--Autodesk 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 :ADSK ADSK Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ stock symbol) ) today introduced Kinetix, an independent new business unit devoted to bringing the most powerful 3D content creation tools to the computer industry's fastest-growing markets. Already the leader in PC-based 3D modeling and animation tools, Kinetix revealed a long-term strategy to focus on film, video, interactive game and design visualization markets, and to deliver new technology that leverages the organization's established software products into the burgeoning World Wide Web and Microsoft Windows See Windows. (operating system) Microsoft Windows - Microsoft's proprietary window system and user interface software released in 1985 to run on top of MS-DOS. Widely criticised for being too slow (hence "Windoze", "Microsloth Windows") on the machines available then. NT Workstation marketplaces. As part of its introduction, Kinetix announced it will be shipping 3D Studio MAX, a new version of its award-winning 3D Studio modeling and animation application specially rearchitected for Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. . Kinetix also introduced and demonstrated Hyperwire, a powerful visual and icon-based World Wide Web authoring tool that creates 2D and 3D titles in Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA[3]) is an American vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information-technology services, founded on 24 February 1982. Inc.'s Java environment. "With today's unveiling of Kinetix, Autodesk has unleased an aggressive and entrepreneurial business unit to define new 3D content creation tools for PCs and for the World Wide Web," said Carol Bartz, chairman, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Autodesk. "Kinetix will introduce leading Autodesk technology to new customers around the world, while following its own independent vision to elevate the standard of 3D computing on the PC platform." "As more companies in all industries awaken to the power of 3D graphics and multimedia, the need for visual, easy-to-use tools becomes critical," said Larry Crume, Autodesk vice president and general manager of Kinetix. "The Kinetix mission is to leverage our expertise in the animation, 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. , video and interactive content arenas into immediately usable applications and tools that result in tangible benefits for users everywhere. By shipping 3D Studio MAX and making sneak preview sneak preview n. A single public showing of a movie before its general release. Noun 1. sneak preview - a preview to test audience reactions copies of Hyperwire available over the Web today, we're executing to that vision." Independent Vision Kinetix, whose software products (as Autodesk's Multimedia Market Group) generated revenues of nearly $28 million in fiscal 1996, will use Autodesk's distribution channels worldwide for the design visualization market, meanwhile defining a two-tiered dealer program to focus on the professional video and animation, interactive multimedia and 3D Web authoring markets. The new enterprise also plans in summer 1996 to move its worldwide headquarters to San Francisco's SOMA (South of Market) neighborhood, a mecca for digital artists, production houses and multimedia developers. Already the installed base leader in professional animation software with more than 200,000 animation customers and 70,000 3D Studio users, Kinetix will continue to focus on the fastest-growing areas of the computer industry. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the 1995 Roncarelli Report, Kinetix leads the industry with 30 percent of the professional 3D animation market (and 45 percent of the PC segment). Meanwhile, Roncarelli reports Kinetix's core markets are growing rapidly: special effects, animation and professional video is growing at 34 percent year-to-year, while interactive multimedia authoring is expanding at 30 percent a year. Targeting the $6 billion CAD business (according to Dataquest), another major Kinetix growth opportunity is design visualization which integrates 3D multimedia tools with CAD software to enhance and animate the work of architects, engineers and designers. "With desktop computer systems evolving from traditional PCs into high-performance personal workstations, millions of users are calling for a new generation of 3D multimedia software applications for Windows NT," said Philippe Ribeyre, vice president of Digital Equipment Corp.'s Workstation Business Unit. "By delivering leading-edge, extensible content creation solutions that make the most of these new platforms, Kinetix has defined a product strategy that powerfully and affordably answers those needs." Delivering Powerful Technology The new business unit already is delivering powerful tools for creating 3D animation and multimedia content. Kinetix announced that it will be shipping this month 3D studio MAX, a completely rearchitected version of 3D Studio featuring an all-new, real-time interface, support for graphics hardware acceleration In computing, hardware acceleration is the use of hardware to perform some function faster than is possible in software running on the normal (general purpose) CPU. Examples of hardware acceleration include blitting acceleration functionality in graphics processing units (GPUs) and and multiprocessor systems, and the first seamlessly extensible architecture in its market. In beta testing (programming) beta testing - Testing a pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software by making it available to selected users. This term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle checkpoints, first used at IBM but later standard throughout the since September 1995, 3D Studio MAX delivers several capabilities found only on expensive applications available for costly UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). platforms. 3D Studio MAX also delivers several exclusive features, including a unified Windows NT interface: an extensible "platform" architecture that automatically installs third-party "plug-in" applications seamlessly as part of the main application interface; the TrackView timeline-based animation management environment; and Space Warps, a class of components that facilitate the animation of scene-based special effects, such as explosions or black holes. 3D Studio MAX is U.S. list priced at $3,495. "The shipping of 3D Studio MAX from Kinetix is exciting both for animators and for Intel," said Ron Whittier, senior vice president and general manager of Intel Corp.'s Content Group. "3D Studio MAX typifies the new breed of multimedia applications that take full advantage of the power and flexibility of Pentium Pro The sixth generation of the Intel x86 family of CPU chips. The term may refer to the chip or to a PC that uses it. Introduced in 1995 as the successor to the Pentium, models from 150 MHz to 200 MHz were released. by delivering workstation-class features and performance at PC prices." "Windows NT Workstation was designed to be the platform for a new class of high-performance applications that redefine the notion of personal computing Refers to users working on their own computers rather than a terminal to a mainframe. Sometimes, the term refers to using computers at home for work and/or entertainment in contrast to business use only. See personal computer. ," said Peter Knook, general manager, business customer marketing at Microsoft. "3D Studio MAX from Kinetix is one of the impressive, powerful applications using the advanced features offered by Windows NT Workstation." "The ability to access and customize every aspect of 3D Studio MAX -- coupled with the program's rich procedures and features -- gives artists and animators the tools they need to create incredible imagery," said Dave Thompson This article is about the British comedian. For other people of this name, see David Thompson. Dave Thompson is a British stand-up comedian and actor, who hit the headlines in July 1997 after being sacked from the role of Tinky-Winky in hit children's , lead animator at DreamWorks Interactive, a joint venture of DreamWorks SKG SKG Stichting Kwaliteit Gevelbouw (Dutch) SKG Spielberg, Katzenberg,and Geffen (DreamWorks Studios) SKG Thessaloniki, Greece - Thessaloniki (Airport Code) SKG Smith and Kraus Global and Microsoft Corp. "3D Studio MAX is an important addition to the 3D suite in the DreamWorks digital studio." Kinetix also unveiled its new Hyperwire 3D authoring tool for the World Wide Web. Using simple visual objects rather than difficult programming commands, Hyperwire users can easily create 3D titles in Java for the World Wide Web. With Hyperwire, Web site developers and multimedia content authors can build exciting interactive web titles, accessible from any Java-enabled web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. . Hyperwire is compliant with the VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) A 3D graphics language used on the Web. After downloading a VRML page, its contents can be viewed, rotated and manipulated. Simulated rooms can be "walked into." The VRML viewer is launched from within the Web browser. 1.0 (Virtual Reality Modeling Language (virtual reality, language) Virtual Reality Modeling Language - (VRML) A draft specification for the design and implementation of a platform-independent language for virtual reality scene description. VRML 1.0 was released on 1995-05-26. http://vrml.org/. Wired. ) specification for 3D on the Internet. A "sneak preview" version of Hyperwire is available immediately and free of charge on Kinetix's new Web site, at http://www.ktx.com, and shipping versions will be announced later. About Kinetix Kinetix develops and delivers affordable content creation tools for professionals such as film and video producers, video/computer game developers, Web content developers, architects, engineers and designers. The leader in PC-based 3D modeling and animation tools, Kinetix provides a full range of products for the application development process, from 2D and 3D creation to assembly and delivery. With headquarters in San Rafael San Rafael (săn rəfĕl`), residential city (1990 pop. 48,404), seat of Marin co., W Calif., a suburb of San Francisco on the northern shore of San Francisco Bay; inc. 1913. , Calif., Kinetix is a division of Autodesk, the fourth largest PC software company in the world with 3 million customers in 130 countries. Kinetix products are sold through dealers and distributors worldwide. Visit Kinetix on the World Wide Web at http://www.ktx.com, or contact the company at 800/879-4233. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These include the timely development and acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the other risks detailed from time to time in Autodesk's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q See 10-Q. filed in December 1995. -0- Note to editors: Autodesk, the Autodesk logo and 3D Studio are registered trademarks, and 3D Studio MAX, Kinetix and Hyperwire are trademarks of Autodesk Inc. Microsoft and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems. Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corp. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer. UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Ltd. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. CONTACT: Catapult Partners Inc. Carl Furry, 415/344-6193 furry@catapultinc.batnet.com |
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