Softimage Announces v4.0 of Industry-Leading Software SOFTIMAGE/3D; New Version Includes Advanced Tools For Game Authoring.

Business/Technology Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2001

SIGGRAPH--Softimage Co., a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID), today announced SOFTIMAGE(R)|3D v4.0 software at Siggraph 2001. With new features and enhancements, including additions and improvements such as multiple UV texturing vertex color shading, interactive editing of shading normals, and additions to the Saaphire SDK, this new version builds upon Softimage's renowned 3-D character animation and special effects software. SOFTIMAGE|3D v4.0 software, which will also support the Linux platform, is scheduled for release in Fall 2001. The company also announced today new promotional pricing for the current release of SOFTIMAGE|3D.

"SOFTIMAGE|3D, an industry-standard for more than 10 years, has been used extensively by more than 13,000 customers in the animation, special effects and games development industry. The product's great success is a direct result of our long history of listening and responding to our customers' needs," comments Michael Stojda, Managing Director, Softimage. "While the majority of our development efforts continue to focus on our flagship SOFTIMAGE|XSI(TM) product family, with v4.0, we have added a number of new features and enhancements to meet the specific needs of our SOFTIMAGE|3D customers, particularly those who are mid-project or in the midst of transitioning their production pipelines over to XSI. In addition, we have priced SOFTIMAGE|3D v4.0 to make this classic product more accessible to segments of the market which do not require the continuous stream of new ground-breaking and innovative features found within our XSI product family."

Key new features and enhancements to SOFTIMAGE|3D v4.0 include:

--Multiple UV Texturing - enables designers to assign multiple UV mapped textures on polygon mesh domains, using a UV domain of their choice.

--Dopesheet Control for Shader and Custom Fcurve - provides increased control over animation function curves for plug-ins and mental ray(R) shaders.

--Interactive Normal Editing - allows designers to interactively edit selected shading normals on polygon mesh models. The shade view provides instant feedback on the shading modifications.

--Enhanced Vertex Color Shading - provides more flexibility for controlling use of vertex colors, especially for developers of next-generation console games.

--Polygon Hide / Unhide - adds the ability to hide and unhide selected polygons.

--All the new features in v.4.0 are exposed programmatically via the Saaphire plug-in SDK.

Michael David Smith, Technical Product Manager, Softimage adds: "This new version of SOFTIMAGE|3D will provide existing users with a powerful and robust set of tools for creation of 3-D animation - especially game developers who require advancements in technology for next-generation consoles. In this version, like its predecessor, the tools are specifically engineered for integration into the overall production pipeline, providing rapid, high-quality results to meet the most demanding deadlines. The design and development of these advanced game-authoring tools was driven by our collaboration with Nintendo, one of our long-standing customers. These direct relationships between the Softimage development team and our key clients both drive and inspire our products across the entire Softimage product line."

Availability and Pricing

SOFTIMAGE|3D v4.0 is scheduled to be released in Fall 2001. In advance of the release of version 4.0, Softimage is offering the current release of SOFTIMAGE|3D, version 3.9.2, at promotional pricing of $1,995 (USMSRP) for the SOFTIMAGE|3D base version and $3,995 for the SOFTIMAGE|3D "extreme" version. These prices are in effect in the U.S. for orders received through September 19, 2001.

Pricing and promotions may vary by region, please check with your local Softimage representative for specific pricing information as well as any current purchase incentives or contact Softimage at [phone].

About Softimage Co.

Softimage Co., a division of Avid Technology, Inc., is an industry leader in 3-D animation, 2-D cel animation, compositing and special effects software, designed to address the demands of the film and commercial/broadcast and games/interactive industries. SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, an integral player in Avid's Make, Manage and Move Media(TM) strategy, is the flagship product offering from Softimage. It is the industry's first truly nonlinear animation (NLA) system that gives 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 and Web sites. 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)2001 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. All prices are USMSRP for U.S. and Canada only and are subject to change without notice. Contact your local Avid office or reseller for prices outside the U.S. and Canada. Avid and Softimage are registered trademarks and XSI and Make, Manage and Move Media are trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. Mental ray and mental images are registered trademarks of mental images GmbH & Co. KG in the USA and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.