NewTek Continues to Add Significant Features and Functionality
To the Industry's Leading 3D Software
NEW ORLEANS, SIGGRAPH 2000, July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- NewTek, Inc. (Booth
2117) manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products today,
announced LightWave(R) 6.1, a significant upgrade to its astoundingly popular
3D animation software that has become a workhorse in the production of movies,
TV shows, commercials and games. LightWave 6.1 integrates core components
such as a particle system and the Motion Designer soft-bodies dynamics engine,
while also improving upon the software render speeds, mesh deformation
performance and overall usability while adding hundreds of new features.
"This newest version of LightWave allows studios to tackle the last
frontier of CGI animation: the feature-length CGI film," said Joe Clasen,
founder of Joe's Bar and Grill, animation studio. "With its full-bandwidth
renders and host of new character, effects and artist-friendly keyframing
tools, LightWave 6.1 is poised to take control of the all-CGI feature film
arena, just as earlier versions now dominate commercial TV production, visual
effects and full CGI episodic television."
"LightWave 6.1 is a true testament to our new architecture, as well as to
the serious commitment we have to our user base," said Brad Peebler, vice
president of 3D graphics for NewTek. "The new architecture under 6.0 has
allowed us to integrate features faster than ever. What would normally be a
small service update is actually a giant feature upgrade as well. That is
what the new system was designed to do, let us add features fast! As far as
customer commitment, we are giving this update away to all registered 6.0
users. At NewTek we think of customers as partners. This year we are really
going after customer relations in a big way. 6.1 is a great example of that
attitude."
New Features Build on the LightWave Legacy
LightWave, the recognized leader in special effects production in the
film, television and gaming industries, has long provided the most complete
feature set of any 3D animation tool available. LightWave [6] added
breakthrough rendering technologies, advanced character animation tools and a
new modeling paradigm, as well as improved workflow, better control over
texturing, customizable user interface and extensive improvements to real-time
views.
New and improved features of LightWave 6.1 include the following:
-- Integrated particle system that includes interactive control over wind,
particle effectors for turbulence and other effects, as well as gravity
and precise controls over particle attributes such as, emission speed,
birth rate, object collision (including subdivision objects) and
particle resistance.
-- Motion Designer soft-bodies dynamics engine integrated seamlessly into
the interface, which enables simulations to be done interactively with
other scene elements. The soft-bodies engine shares attributes with
the particle system. For example, a wind effector could affect several
particle emitters and a soft-body simulation at the same time.
-- Character animation refinements for finer control of Skelegon(TM)
creation, weight map enhancements and other tools for streamlining the
process of character set up.
-- New schematic view allows scene editing to be done in a nodal
interface, which streamlines the process of hierarchy creation and
simplifies scene overviews.
-- StealthNET(TM) a TCI/IP render controller that lets users render
locally or across the Internet (NOTE: please see separate news release
on StealthNET).
-- LSide, an integrated LScript editing environment that includes a
debugger, editor and visual interface builder that simplifies and
speeds the creation of LScripts.
-- HyperVoxels(TM) improvements that enable HyperVoxels to read a
particle's velocity and deform the shape of the voxel accordingly, and
to align the voxel shape to the path of the particle. New Sprites
image mode allows images and animations to be attached to particles for
advanced and incredibly fast particle effects.
-- New VRML export with source code for web developers who want to export
LightWave objects and scenes to the Internet. By providing source code
for the exporters, NewTek enables LightWave 6.1 users and developers to
update the system to fit their particular needs.
-- Advanced heuristics in the graph editor, for reducing redundant
keyframes inadvertently created by the user during animation.
Early Users Enthusiastic About the Upgraded Software
Studios and artists who have put early copies of LightWave 6.1 through its
paces rave about the updated software's new and improved features and
functionality.
"The new render optimizations truly blew me away!" said Kevin "Q" Quattro,
an artist with Westwood Studios. "The decrease in time was so vast, I found
myself re-checking my settings to be sure I hadn't left anything off. And
with the new particle system, anyone can add the dazzle of production-quality
particle FX in no time. It's the most intuitive, fast and FUN system I've
seen yet. Best of all, it all happens right before your eyes, in real time."
"LightWave's newest feature set is unparalleled," said Dan Ablan,
president of AGA Digital Studios Inc. in Chicago. "Integrated particles,
integrated soft bodies and schematic view control make this the best 3D
modeling and animation package on the market, hands down."
"I thought the original Motion Designer was as good as it gets, but I was
wrong. It just got a lot better," said Terrance Walker, founder of ArtFX.
"With it integrated into LightWave 6.1, I can experiment with things I would
never have attempted before because it was such a hassle. Same goes for the
integrated particle system. I now find myself more willing to add dynamics
and particle effect to shots that previously would have taken careful planning
-- which is a huge consideration given the typically aggressive production
schedules we face."
"Powerfully simple integration is the name of the game, and LightWave 6.1
reaches new levels of integration: particles, soft bodies and world-class
volumetrics in seconds," said Jake Carvey of IXL Animation.
"Whether you are a large-effects facility of a part-time hobbyist,
LightWave 6.1 provides the power and integration that your dreams demand,"
said Gary Coulter, head of 3D for Millfilm Shepperton.
"With LightWave 6.1's new capabilities, you can expect to see some great
things from developers and studios this year," said Prem Subrahmanyam,
animator and programmer for DNRC.
"Importantly, it's behind the scenes that NewTek has made the biggest
improvements: LightWave 6.1 is faster, more interactive and more robust,
which are the things you really notice working every day," said Stu Aitken,
senior VFX artist and co-founder of A X I S a n i m a t i o n. "New features
such as the schematic view, integrated particles and soft-body dynamics are
the icing on the cake. I think it speaks volumes for the new LightWave
architecture that NewTek was able to squeeze so much new functionality in such
a short space of time."
"We had to fly in extra ass, because LightWave 6.1 kicked all of it," said
Steve Pugh of Foundation Imaging.
Price and Availability
LightWave 6.1 is scheduled to be available late in Q3 2000. It will be
offered free of charge to all registered owners of LightWave [6].
About NewTek
With headquarters in San Antonio, NewTek is a leading provider of
full-featured video editing, animation and special effects tools. The
company's products are used worldwide on projects ranging from home video to
feature film. Recent film and television projects include X-Men The Movie,
Scary Movie, Pitch Black, Shakespeare in Love, the latest James Bond film The
World is Not Enough, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers, Star Trek: Voyager, The
X-Files, Ally McBeal and Family Law. Recent game titles include Daikatana,
Deus EX, Torment, HALO, and Kiss Psycho Circus. Contact NewTek at 8200 IH-10
West, Suite 900, San Antonio, TX, 78230. Phone: 210-370-8000, fax:
210-370-8001, website: http://www.newtek.com .
NOTE: LightWave is a registered trademark of NewTek, Inc. StealthNET,
Hypervoxels and Skelegons are trademarks of NewTek, Inc. All other brand
names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders.
Reader contact:
NewTek general reader information:
USA and International: 210-370-8000
sales@newtek.com
SOURCE NewTek, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.newtek.com
CONTACT:
Hollie Wendt of Wendt Communications,
831-688-1193, or Hollie@earthlink.net, for NewTek, Inc.
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