ELECTRIC RAIN DEBUTS SWIFT 3D PLUG-IN FOR 3D STUDIO MAX.

Electric Rain, Inc. has unveiled its newest contribution to the world of 3D vector graphics. They have announced the development of a 3D Studio Max Plug-In version of their popular Swift 3D product, allowing users of this high-end modeling software to export directly to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format, as well as other types of vector-based files. After their April 2000 release of Swift 3D v1.0, the demand was huge for a version that worked seamlessly with 3D Studio Max.

3D Studio Max, by Discreet, is the industry leader in high-end 3D design and animation, but it lacks the ability to render files to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format. Because Max, and other tools like it, export raster-based files only, 3D objects and animations created in these programs are not able to take advantage of low-bandwidth vector-based solutions like Macromedia Flash, and therefore have not made a significant presence on the Web. Electric Rain has responded with the development of Swift 3D Max Plug-In.

"Flash is prompting a convergence between the Web and the big screen experience," said Mike Soucie, President of Electric Rain, Inc. "3D animations have long been a staple for movies and television, and 3D Studio Max has provided a brilliant tool to create those 3D effects. But with the bandwidth issues of the Web, designers have been frustrated trying to integrate 3D content into their sites. The Swift 3D Max Plug-In is Electric Rain's response to the pressing demand for an efficient, vector-based 3D solution that doesn't handcuff Max users or Flash designers."

On February 21st, the final day of the flashforward2001 event, Dave Klein, V.P. of Marketing for Electric Rain, Inc., will demonstrate the Swift 3D Max Plug-In to an eager flashforward2001 audience. The preview of the Max Plug-In will be a much-anticipated part of the 'New Tools' session at flashforward2001. This one-hour program features innovative design tools that complement popular vector graphic authoring applications such as Macromedia Flash and Adobe LiveMotion software.

The highlight of the Swift 3D Max Plug-In demonstration will be the rendering capabilities of their new software. Swift 3D relies on Electric Rain's RAViX rendering technology to convert raster-based images to low-bandwidth vector files. RAViX II is the newly developed core of the Swift 3D Max Plug-In, and it offers significant speed and file size improvements over the first generation engine.

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