SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oakland, California-based
technology company, Digital Element, with the help of NewTek and the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory under the auspices of the Department of Energy's
Nuclear Cities Initiative, has been working in Russia to transform what were
called "Closed Cities" into modern centers for software technology
development. These cities did not appear on maps and were strictly military
R&D and production sites. Digital Element trainers and engineers have helped
form new Russian software development teams, which are located in the closed
city of Snezhinsk, to help them integrate into the Western market and become
economically viable.
With LightWave 3D, provided by NewTek's Education and Training program,
Digital Element has created software development teams that specialize in
creating 3D art tools, and familiarized its engineers with the latest
technology and trends in the Western software market. Digital Element also
facilitates work-for-hire technology development contracts, which employ these
"closed city" resources. "This chance to work with Digital Elements and
NewTek has been an excellent opportunity for everyone involved. It provides
an excellent team to work with Digital Elements and NewTek and an opportunity
for these Russian scientists to switch from weapons research to commercial
work," says Dr. William Dunlop, head of the nonproliferation programs at LLNL.
"We are honored that LightWave 3D is being used in retraining these
nuclear scientists," said Brad Peebler, NewTek's executive vice president of
3D graphics. "By helping Digital Element to use LightWave 3D through our
educational division, we are privileged enough to be the 3D animation software
used in this program. We plan to continue to work closely with Digital
Element to ensure an even more seamless workflow between our two applications,
and hope to continue assisting with the retraining project for a long time to
come."
"There are very few real opportunities to change the world..." says Don
McClure, CEO of Digital Element, "and this is one of them. It's a rare
opportunity to bring a new, peaceful industry to a part of the world where the
only technical profession was weaponry design. We're proud to be the
solution."
California-based Digital Element is the exclusive distributor of the
premiere 3D software art tool, WorldBuilder, which models and renders
ultra-realistic artistic nature scenes. Although users can import and export
objects between WorldBuilder and LightWave 3D, Digital Element and NewTek are
working together to create an advanced plug-in to allow artists the highest
possible level of interactivity between the two packages.
About WorldBuilder
WorldBuilder is the solution for modeling, animating and rendering
ultra-realistic 3D landscapes and scenery for use in computer graphics,
architecture, game development and movie production. Its proprietary features
allow users to create incredibly complex scenes with breaking waves,
volumetric light, wind-blown trees and grass -- all on an ordinary desktop
workstation. The product comes in Standard, as a stand-alone application, and
Professional, as a plug-in for LightWave and other 3D development packages.
About Digital Element
Founded in 2000 in San Francisco, CA, Digital Element is a 3D graphics
software engineering firm. Digital Element develops and sells software
products and services to film and television animators, video game designers,
Web developers, architects and landscape designers. Additionally, its
Technology-on-Demand program provides 3D programming services to a diverse
array of organizations. For more information about Digital Element, please
visit http://www.digi-element.com, or contact 650-269-2119.
About LightWave 3D
LightWave 3D is versatile enough to make the transition to and from all
kinds of projects. Proven for years in television, film, and games, LightWave
3D is also being used to create graphics for print, web, industrial design,
architecture, medical imaging, and anywhere else a 3D animation package is
needed.
About NewTek
With headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, NewTek is a leading provider of
full-featured video editing, animation and special effects tools including the
Video Toaster, LightWave 3D and Aura. NewTek launched the desktop video
revolution in 1990 with the release of the legendary Video Toaster. The
company's products are used worldwide on projects ranging from home video to
feature film. Recent film and television projects using NewTek software
include Driven, A.I., Final Fantasy, The Time Machine, How The Grinch Stole
Christmas, The 6th Day, Jurassic Park III, Charlie's Angels, X-Men The Movie,
Pitch Black, Dracula 2000, Star Trek: Enterprise, Roughnecks: Starship
Troopers, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The X-Files, The
Family Guy, Ally McBeal, Dune: The Miniseries, Dawson's Creek and Family Law.
Recent game titles include Deus Ex, Serious Sam, Twisted Metal: Black, Quake 3
Arena, Moto Racer World Tour, Giants for PS2, Baldur's Gate II, EverQuest,
Planescape: Torment, Dead To Rights, and Escape From Monkey Island. Contact
NewTek at 5131 Beckwith Blvd, San Antonio, TX, 78249. Phone: 210-370-8000,
fax: 210-370-8001, website: http://www.newtek.com or
http://www.lightwave3d.com.
NOTE: LightWave 3D is a trademark of NewTek. All other products or brand
names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders.
SOURCE NewTek
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Related links:
http://www.newtek.com
CONTACT:
Hollie Wendt of Wendt Communication,
+1-831-688-1193, or hollie@earthlink.net, for NewTek; or Astrid
Van Dorst, +1-510-451-8020, or marketing@digi-element.com, for
Digital Element
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