Contact:

Don McClure, president
(510) 601-7351
Digital Element, Inc.
don@digi-element.com

Digital Element Announces WorldBuilder™ 3.6, Strategic Partnership, and Significant Price Reduction

Free Upgrade for 3.5 Users, WorldBuilder Pro Now $499, Strategic Partnership with EMECSTUDIOS for WorldBuilder 4 Development

OAKLAND, CA (December 1st, 2003) Digital Element, an Oakland-based software development firm specializing in 3D outdoor environments and digital nature, made several announcements today concerning its flagship product line, WorldBuilder. Digital Element announced a significant reduction in the price of WorldBuilder Pro, the release of a free upgrade for WorldBuilder 3.5, and a new strategic partnership with EMECSTUDIOS for the completion of WorldBuilder 4.

Digital Element and EMECSTUDIOS jointly announced today a strategic partnership to ship WorldBuilder 4 by Spring of 2004. “EMECSTUDIOS is well known as a professional design and art production house.” Said Don McClure, President of Digital Element “Their WorldBuilder plug-in development in 2003 and their amazing professional work with WorldBuilder make them the perfect choice to work with us in a new look and feel for WorldBuilder.”

“WorldBuilder 3.6 is still the premium 3D modeling and rendering package for nature.” said Davy Beunckens, President of EMECSTUDIOS. “We are excited to work with the professional and talented staff of Digital Element to redesign and streamline workflow, documentation, and key features.”

Just as important, WorldBuilder 3.6 Professional, formerly retailed for $999 now has the suggested retail price of $499. The Standard version of WorldBuilder, which retailed for $399 has been reduced to $249. The new WorldBuilder price reflects market research done by Digital Element through several publications in 2003, wherein it offered to subscribers WorldBuilder 2.6 for free and WorldBuilder Professional 3.5 for a price similar to WorldBuilder’s new price. “The campaign and market price test of WorldBuilder 2.6 and special offers for WorldBuilder 3.5 was a big success.” Said Don McClure, President of Digital Element. “This lower price will allow WorldBuilder 3.6 to successfully compete in markets where the $999 price was an obstacle.”

Digital Element has not set the retail price of WorldBuilder 4, which is due in late spring of 2004. “We are keeping our options open.” Says McClure, “The one thing I can say is that all 3.6 users will get WorldBuilder 4 for the same upgrade price. It would be a mistake for new users to think that they will save money by waiting for WorldBuilder 4.” WorldBuilder 3.6 is a free upgrade for 3.5 users that includes 3DS MAX 6 support, as well as several small additions and fixes.

ABOUT WORLDBUILDER

First published in 1995 as AnimaTek World Builder, WorldBuilder Pro is the high-end comprehensive solution for modeling, animating and rendering ultra realistic, fully functional 3D landscapes for use in computer graphics, architecture, game development and movie production. Its proprietary features allow users to create incredibly complex scenes with breaking waves, volumetric light, wind-blown trees and grass- all on an ordinary desktop workstation. The product comes in Standard, as a stand-alone application, and WorldBuilder Pro, which adds network rendering and plug-in-like integration with other 3D packages including 3DS Max, Maya and Lightwave 3D. WorldBuilder Standard is priced at $249 and WorldBuilder Pro at $499. WorldBuilder and WorldBuilder Pro are trademarks of Digital Element, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT DIGITAL ELEMENT

Founded in 1999 in Oakland, CA, Digital Element is a software engineering firm specializing in 3D programming capabilities. In addition to its Technology-on-Demand program, which provides 3D programming services to a diverse array of organizations, Digital Element develops and distributes software products and services to film and television animators, video game designers, web developers, architects and landscape designers.

ABOUT EMECSTUDIOS

EMECSTUDIOS NV is Belgium-based animation studio specializing in the production dynamic video reels to short animated movies (Cinematics). EMECSTUDIOS’ upcoming feature 'Mantania', is an original, creative cartoon loaded with funny characters. The company was founded in 2000 by Davy Beunckens, the president of EMECSTUDIOS, a graduated architect and animator since 1994.

For more information about Digital Element, please visit www.digi-element.com.

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