Intergraph Computer Systems and Softimage Selected as 3-D Solution For Menfond Electronic Art & Computer Design
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., and MONTREAL, March 25, 1998 — Intergraph Computer Systems and Softimage Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., today announced that Hong Kong-based Menfond Electronic Art & Computer Design Company Ltd. has purchased 60 licenses of SOFTIMAGE® |3D and 60 Intergraph TDZ 2000 3D Graphics Workstations. Menfond will use the Intergraph Intel and Microsoft® Windows NT® based workstations and SOFTIMAGE|3D to develop several large-scale productions, including a long-format 3-D television series and animation and digital effects for commercials, as well as electronic games and the feature film The Magic 7.
Menfond, in collaboration with PMMP Production of France and Jean “Moebius” Giraud, will develop an $11 million, 26-episode 3-D animated production of “Moebius-I.T,” which will bring Giraud’s comic series to life for a worldwide television audience. The series will be produced with SOFTIMAGE|3D as well as Menfond’s proprietary 3-D paint procedural technique to produce the internationally renowned “Moebius” style. Menfond and Intergraph teamed up in 1997 to establish the Center for Digital Media Technology to train animators for the computer animation industry in Asia. The alliance continues today with the addition of SOFTIMAGE|3D to Menfond’s preferred tools.
“We have a series of large projects ahead of us with very tight deadlines,” said Raymond Neoh, director of corporate planning for Menfond. “We tested the combination of SOFTIMAGE|3D with the Intergraph TDZ 2000 3D Graphics Workstation. The results were clear – only this combination could produce the volume of frames per week we needed to meet our demanding production schedule and deliver the quality required by our clients.”
“Menfond is committed to producing only the highest-quality animation,” said Jeff Edson, vice president, digital media division, Intergraph Computer Systems. “It has selected an outstanding hardware and software tool set capable of making its creative ideas a reality. Along with Softimage, we are proud to be a part of this team that is going to make its mark on the worldwide animation scene.”
“We are extremely pleased that SOFTIMAGE|3D has been selected as the 3-D tool of choice for Menfond,” said Moshe Lichtman, president of Softimage. “Once again, SOFTIMAGE|3D is proving its strength in the most demanding production environments, worldwide.”
Intergraph’s award-winning Intel and Windows NT-based TDZ 2000 3D Graphics Workstations with Intergraph’s RealiZm II OpenGL graphics subsystem and DirectBurst technology deliver unrivaled price/performance to animators and content creators using demanding 3-D graphics applications. SOFTIMAGE|3D is the leading professional 3-D production software for the film, commercial and interactive game development markets. Incorporating an integrated suite of modeling, animation and rendering tools, as well as a complete development environment, SOFTIMAGE|3D consistently sets the standard for 3-D graphics production.
About Intergraph Computer Systems
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 and technical desktop in markets such as traditional CAD, MCAD, animation, content creation, publishing and prepress, and digital media, as well as servers, networking and interoperability products for IT solutions. Hardware products include Pentium/Pentium Pro/Pentium II processors and Windows® – and Windows NT-based graphics workstations and servers.
About Softimage
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 (3-D animation), SOFTIMAGE|EDDIE (compositing) and 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, DirectBurst and TDZ are trademarks of Intergraph Corp.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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