SOFTIMAGE|DS Ships to Customers Worldwide
MONTREAL, Feb. 3, 1998 — Softimage Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., today announced SOFTIMAGE|DS® (formerly code-named “Digital Studio”) is now shipping to customers worldwide. A feature-rich beta version of SOFTIMAGE|DS enabled customers such as First Edition Editorial, Happy Fish, MVS, Rumblefish, SVC, Supersuite/CME and White Iron Digital to complete numerous projects ranging from commercials, videos and TV miniseries to client demos and test videos. With leading post-production companies already producing high-quality projects and five authorized training centers (ATCs) in place worldwide, SOFTIMAGE|DS is creating a dramatic shift in the post-production industry.
“After carefully evaluating existing production systems on the market, we’ve decided to acquire SOFTIMAGE|DS for its strength as a unified online and offline environment,” said Richard Rosenbaum, vice president of Invisible Dog in New York. “With the flexibility that SOFTIMAGE|DS provides, not only can we integrate the system into our current scheme of specialized systems, we can also enlist our digital artists to take projects all the way from start to finish. The addition of SOFTIMAGE|DS to Invisible Dog’s facility allows us to expand our client services and gives us a competitive edge in attracting new business in the animation and broadcast arenas.”
“We have already put the SOFTIMAGE|DS system through its paces with a variety of creative projects, including the production for a Molson commercial and the creation of a film-look effect for a television series,” said Denis Mondion, special effects director for Supersuite/CME of Montreal. “Over the course of working with SOFTIMAGE|DS, we have encountered a major shift in the way we approach the creation, editing and finishing of materials – it truly has the power to revolutionize the production conventions and standards in place today. SOFTIMAGE|DS provides fuel for both our artistic and our business objectives, allowing us to spend less time managing data and focusing on which tools to use, and more time dedicated to creating top-notch finished pieces.” Supersuite has been a beta site for SOFTIMAGE|DS since August 1997.
“Our reasons for acquiring SOFTIMAGE|DS are simple – more power for the dollar, increased profitability and D1 finishing capabilities in-house,” said Bruce Ashley, senior editor for 89 Greene in New York. “With a comprehensive suite of high-quality tools, it is likely that SOFTIMAGE|DS will largely contribute to the divergence from traditional methods of finishing. The integrated environment of SOFTIMAGE|DS, incorporated within the 89 Greene infrastructure, enables us to preserve the creative process right through to the finish without having to add the heavyweight technical emphasis of a traditional finishing house. We see a new wave forming in post-production, with editorial companies like ours at the forefront of this growing trend.”
SOFTIMAGE|DS
Launched in the United States November 1997, SOFTIMAGE|DS brings together for the first time on the Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system a comprehensive nonlinear production system for creating, editing and finishing videos – all in an integrated environment with a common interface. SOFTIMAGE|DS combines the functionality of a full online post-production company into one environment at a fraction of the cost. SOFTIMAGE|DS shipped to
customers Jan. 30, 1998, as a turnkey system with Intergraph Corp.’s StudioZ for SOFTIMAGE|DS.
Company Information
Founded in 1986, Softimage develops software for media-rich applications including video, film, interactive games and CD-ROM applications. Products include SOFTIMAGE|DS (video production), SOFTIMAGE|3D (high-end animation), SOFTIMAGE|EDDIE (compositing) and Toonz (2-D cell animation). The company was acquired in 1994 by Microsoft. Additional information about Softimage and Microsoft can be found on 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.
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