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Press Contact: David Tracy, WorldBuilder Product Manager Russian Nuclear Scientists Help US Artists CommunicateDigital Element to Distribute LWWB Communicator for StrelaDigital Element, with the help of NewTek, is proud to announce the first product release from a unique company. The first product is a plug-in, a small application that enhances other applications. It is for computer graphic artists that work in 3D - movie artists, computer game artists, and others. The company is unique in that it is made up almost entirely of former Russian nuclear scientists. This is one of the first steps of Digital Element's commitment to build business relationships for Strela. The goal is that Strela become a viable company with significant commercial opportunities. About this first project the President of Digital Element, Don McClure quipped "The next time we're told 3D art tool development isn't rocket science, we'll happily agree." Digital Element and NewTek have also worked together to form an Animation Annex to retrain traditional Russian artists. Digital Element, Inc. will be distributing Strela's new plug-in for NewTek's LightWave 3D and Digital Element's WorldBuilder Pro 3.5. This communicator allows digital artists using the two packages to work together and build combined scenes. This plug-in, called the LWWB Communicator (Lightwave WorldBuilder), is the second in Digital Element's line of Rosetta Communicator Plug-ins™. "We're very enthused to be working with the cutting edge developers at Digital Element and Strela," said Andrew Cross, Senior Vice President of Engineering for NewTek, Inc. "We've devoted a great deal of effort to making LightWave 3D accessible to other products in production pipelines, and Strela's plug-in integrates LightWave 3D and WorldBuilder in a way that opens tremendous new power for the users." The LWWB Communicator represents the next generation of communication between art software packages, allowing scenes from each package to be rendered in their native environment, eliminating the need for traditional importing and exporting. The software packages talk to each other and agree on final rendering decisions, instead of one package forcing the other to work within the other's framework by importing scene data. The communication is a huge advantage in that each package can be used to do what it does best - with the communicator managing both renderings and compositing the scenes together into a single scene - sharing lights, camera, and shadows. Working in a positive way to take steps toward solving potentially flammable situations - such as enfranchising a group of people without a lot of access to good jobs or opportunities but who have a lot of knowledge in making weapons, is a challenge NewTek and Digital Element took up in April of 2001, when they announced the donation of software and support to build the Animation Annex. Samples of the resultant work by student-artists can be seen in Digital Element's User gallery. The LWWB Communicator plug-in is available for $149 at www.digi-element.com and both companies have special offers to make cross-purchasing easy. About WorldBuilderWorldBuilder is a standalone package for modeling and rendering outdoor environments. WorldBuilder is used around the world in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Computer Game Development, Film, Education, and more. WorldBuilder 3.5, which was released the first week of December, now includes rain and snow, RPH exporting, and Levels of Detail that allow up to 8K x 8K resolution renders.About Digital ElementDigital Element, Inc. is an Oakland-based software development and publishing company that makes 3D graphic technology, primarily for nature. Digital Element was founded in 1999 and has offices in Oakland and Moscow. Digital Element brings cutting edge technology to market both for work-for-hire and with its two product lines: WorldBuilder and Aurora. Digital Element is committed to bridging the gap with Russia, bringing opportunity to Russia and great products to the West. Contact Digital Element at 850 West Grand Avenue #C, Oakland, CA 94607. Phone: (+1) 510-451-4394 website: http://www.digi-element.com.About LightWave 3DLightWave 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 NewTekWith 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. |
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