Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Autodesk Reduces Pricing for Maya Unlimited

+ Autodesk, Inc. has announced reduced pricing for Autodesk Maya Unlimited 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software -- the tool of choice for designers and artists working in film, television and games. Autodesk also announced Maya 2008 Extension 2 software, which provides enhanced creative control over polygon modeling and UV texturing, as well as significant improvements to the Maya Muscle toolset. Maya was recently inducted into the Game Developer Front Line Award Hall of Fame for its outstanding contribution to the game development industry."The reduced price of Autodesk Maya 2008 Unlimited makes its extensive toolset more accessible to new users and existing facilities that want to expand their Maya-based pipelines," said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. "More artists can now take advantage of the software's professional tools and advanced workflows to meet demands for captivating content created on shorter deadlines and tighter budgets." Maya Unlimited contains every thing offered in Maya Complete software, plus innovations such as Maya Fluid Effects, Maya nCloth, Maya Hair, Maya Fur, and Maya Live.
Pricing for Autodesk Maya Complete remains unchanged.The Autodesk suggested retail price of a new license of Maya Unlimited, Standalone has been reduced from US$6,995* to US$4,995*. The Autodesk suggested retail price of a new license of Maya Unlimited, Network has been reduced from US$8,345* to US$6,245*. Maya Complete 2008 customers can now cross-grade to Maya Unlimited 2008 at the reduced Autodesk suggested retail price of US $2,995*. All price changes are effective as of Feb. 18, 2008. For more information, please visit www.autodesk.com/maya

Autodesk Launches 3ds Max 2009

+ At its annual World PressDays event, Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced two new versions of its Autodesk 3ds Max modeling, animation and rendering software -- the leading asset creation tool for game development. The company launched Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 software for entertainment professionals, and debuted 3ds Max Design 2009 software, a tailored 3D application for architects, designers and visualization specialists. Both versions of the software offer new rendering capabilities, improved interoperability with industry-standard products including Revit software, as well as additional time-saving animation and mapping workflow tools. 3ds Max Design 2009 further provides lighting simulation and analysis technology.
New Feature Highlights
Key features in Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 include the new Reveal rendering toolset, which streamlines iterative workflows; and the ProMaterials material library for simulating real-world surfaces. The release also delivers numerous biped enhancements and new UV editing tools. Improved OBJ and Autodesk FBX file formats import and export vastly enhance interoperability with Autodesk Mudbox, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Motion Builder software programs and other third-party applications. In addition, Recognize, a new scene-loading technology, significantly improves the inter-application workflow with Revit Architecture 2009."Autodesk 3ds Max has never failed to deliver; now it's even stronger with specialized versions," said Technical Director Yunus "Light" Balcioglu. "3dsMax 2009 offers great new features that allow me to be more productive and creative. The new biped improvements make it easy to build quadrupeds, Reveal rendering lets me iterate faster, and reworked OBJ import makes it easier than ever to jump between 3ds Max and Mudbox".3ds Max Design 2009 includes all features offered in Autodesk 3ds Max 2009, with the exception of the software development toolkit (SDK). The SDK is aset of development tools used in the entertainment markets to integrate software into a production pipeline and develop in-house tools to be used in conjunction with the application. 3ds Max Design also includes Exposure technology for simulating and analyzing sun, sky, and artificial lighting to assist with LEED 8.1 certification."At SHoP Architects we rely on computer-aided design technology not only toproduce innovative architectural forms, but also to create new efficiencies and cost-savings in the design and construction process," said David Fano,designer at SHoP Architects. "Autodesk 3ds Max Design will help us further this pursuit. The newly enhanced daylight simulation tools and improvements to the rendering workflow will allow us to iterate more freely and create better quality work faster. Also, the FBX-based interoperability with Revit will give us a continuous digital workflow by leveraging our Building Information Model for advanced visualization in 3ds Max during all stages of design."For more information about 3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max Design 2009, visit:
www.worldpressdays08.com. Product availability will vary by country. Details and purchasing options are expected to be accessible starting March25, 2008, at: www.autodesk.com/purchaseoptions.