SOFTIMAGE ANNOUNCES FREE VERSION OF SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.3.0

Montreal, Quebec – 10th February, 2003 – Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID), today announced the availability of a free version of the industry’s leading 3-D nonlinear production environment specifically designed for training purposes, the SOFTIMAGEÒ|XSIÒ EXP v.3.0. A successor to the popular SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.2.0 Experience CD, this software introduces a range of new abilities that make it easier for everyone, from professionals to 3-D novices, to learn and enhance their animation and effects creation skills. Available as a free download from the Softimage website or as part of a complete CD-based training kit available for purchase, the SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0 software also provides users the ability to save files and take advantage of the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Net View feature to access a wide range of tutorials, tools, user forums and new features videos, while creating within the SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP environment.

The SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0 software includes all the new features found in Softimage’s flagship SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.3.0 Advanced program, so that users can experience the full power of the software. This includes the ability to create games content using the integrated and advanced SOFTIMAGE|XSI real-time shaders, utilize the fully integrated compositing environment, which is unique to the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software, and render film-quality images with the award- winning mental rayÒ v.3.1 technology.

Digital artists using the SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0 environment are able to open files from the professional version of the SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.3.0 software, which has recently been used in a range of high-profile feature films such as ‘Minority Report’, commercials including ‘Pepsi Twist with the Osbournes’, games such as ‘Resident Evil 0’, music videos from David Gray and TV programs such as ‘The Pyramid’. The ability to open files from the professional version of the SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.3.0 software is unique to the SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP and means that users may load and learn from real production scenes and are not limited by a special file format. This feature also makes it easier for the many companies migrating to the SOFTIMAGE|XSI environment to benefit from the significant creative and productivity advantages the software offers.

The SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0 also includes six tutorials which provide instruction on everything from learning the user interface, mastering the integrated compositing capabilities, to connecting the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software to other applications in a 3-D pipeline. In addition, the EXP also features free and fast online access to the SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP community (www.softimage.com/exp/community) which provides digital artists with peer-to-peer discussion forums, galleries, customer stories, advanced tutorials and the complete professional version of the documentation kit with full index and search capabilities.

“For making high profile, award-winning projects such as the ‘Spy Kids’ series, SOFTIMAGE|XSI is a must-have. With the SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0 software, Softimage has made it easier for a greater number of artists to get access to the full range of sophisticated features in XSI. This is great news for individuals looking to learn XSI and build their portfolio as well as for companies like ours looking to hire more animators trained on XSI,” stated Pierre Raymond, President of Hybride.

“Softimage has always been a pioneer in its development of products, and with SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0, the company is taking this one step further by giving free access to the latest version of its industry leading 3-D nonlinear production environment,” said Michael Stojda, managing director of Softimage. “Everyone from professional digital artists to 3-D enthusiasts will benefit from the advanced learning tools of the EXP and also from the community created to support it. I’m looking forward to the results of the explosion of content and creativity we’ll be seeing posted to the gallery on our web site.”

Specifications and Availability

The SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0 software is available for immediate download from www.softimage.com/EXP and a CD version can also be ordered from the same web address. As it is intended for non-commercial use only, output has been restricted with the use of watermarks on rendered images. The SOFTIMAGE|XSI EXP v.3.0 software is designed for use with the Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000 platforms.

Website: www.softimage.com

I will check it out, thanks for the info.

ok I just checked it out and the Download link is broken, know of a mirror site?

--It works now, thanks a lot--

Does Cansosunselor Jon still work there?

Who is that?

don't mind him he's cool n all but the wierd comments can confuse new members