LAS VEGAS, April 7, 1997 — Softimage Inc. and Intergraph Computer Systems today announced that Intergraph’s Intel and Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system-based StudioZ Media Production Workstation is now a supported platform for “Digital Studio,” code name for Softimage’s next-generation total media production environment. The combination of Digital Studio on StudioZ will offer a single-platform solution for 3-D animation, compositing, paint, video and other elements of total media production.
StudioZ with Digital Studio will go into beta sites immediately after the National Association of Broadcasters PC convention (NAB ’97) in Las Vegas, ensuring that the product will be fully optimized for StudioZ when Digital Studio is released. Media production professionals using Digital Studio on an Intergraph® StudioZ Media Production Workstation will immediately reap the productivity and ease-of-use benefits of a fully integrated, turnkey solution.
StudioZ is an ideal turnkey solution for Digital Studio because of its native support for several key Digital Studio and Softimage capabilities:
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3-D animation. The StudioZ RealiZm
™3-D graphics fully support the newest capabilities of Softimage® 3D and the next generation of Softimage’s 3-D animation system, code-named “Sumatra.” -
Digital video. The StudioZ workstation delivers serial digital (D1/SDI) video output in real time.
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Multithreading. StudioZ supports up to four 200MHz Pentium Pro processors for optimal multithreaded operation.
“Intergraph’s StudioZ Media Production Workstation is ideally suited to the Digital Studio concept because it supports both high-end video production and 3-D animation in a single workstation,” said Moshe Lichtman, president of Softimage, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. “With powerful workstations like StudioZ, Softimage customers can experience on a single platform Softimage’s end-to-end production environment with a completely integrated, unified toolset.”
Digital Studio offers a comprehensive set of tools for creating and finishing high-end video projects using nonlinear editing, compositing, paint and image treatment, all in one seamless environment. The combination of Digital Studio with Sumatra, the next generation of Softimage 3D, will allow content creators to produce virtually any type of media production using a single set of unified tools. Intergraph’s StudioZ is one of the first workstations to support both Digital Studio and Softimage 3D on the same platform, fulfilling a key strategic goal for Intergraph: total media production, or the ability to perform all phases of media production from a single workstation.
“It’s hard to exaggerate the importance of this announcement for content creators in the broadcast and entertainment markets,” said Jeff Edson, vice president, digital media division, Intergraph Computer Systems. “The availability of Digital Studio on cost-effective StudioZ workstations revolutionizes the process of content creation. It means that, for the first time, everything from 3-D animation to compositing to audio for broadcast, film, the Internet and interactive media can be performed on a single, integrated workstation. That has been our vision for the StudioZ since its inception, and Digital Studio provides the software to realize that vision.”
Company Information
Intergraph Computer Systems is the world leader in 3-D graphics technology, products and services for Windows NT. Intergraph develops, manufactures, sells and supports computer systems for the creative, technical and business desktop as well as servers and networking and interoperability products for IT solutions. Hardware products include Pentium/Pentium Pro/Pentium II processors, Windows® 95 and Windows NT-based PCs, graphics workstations and servers. A member of the Fortune 1,000, Intergraph is the world’s largest company dedicated to supplying interactive computer graphics systems.
Founded in 1986, Softimage develops software for media-rich applications including video, film, interactive games and CD-ROM applications. Products include Softimage 3D (high-end animation), Softimage Eddie (compositing) and Softimage Toonz (2-D cel animation). The company was acquired in 1994 by Microsoft. Additional information about Softimage and Microsoft can be found via the Internet at (http://www.softimage.com/) and http://www.microsoft.com/ , respectively.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Softimage is a registered trademark of Softimage Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft, Windows NT and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks and RealiZm is a trademark of Intergraph Corp.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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