Intel Investors - SoftImage's 'Sumatra' - a 3D Animation & Computer Graphics application - is being ported to ITanium - an important product for high performance workstations in the TV, Movie and Commercial special effects productions.
"Thanks to the new faster Intel processor, users will have the opportunity to increase their productivity. They will be able to work at full resolution, and therefore create better, more realistic models. "Sumatra" users will also enjoy IA-64 optimized rendering. "
Paul
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newsalert.com
February 07, 2000 15:47
Softimage to Develop Native Version of 'Sumatra' for Intel's Itanium Processor
MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb.7, 2000--Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID), today announced plans to develop a native IA-64 version of "Sumatra" (code name) for the new Intel(R) Itanium(tm) processor. Scheduled for production in the middle of 2000, the new Itanium processor, the first implementation of Intel's forthcoming IA-64 processor architecture, will offer a high performance solution for power hungry applications such as 3-D animation and computer graphics.
Because "Sumatra" is built on a scalable software-based processing architecture, its performance is directly linked to the underlying bandwidth of the system. Thanks to the new faster Intel processor, users will have the opportunity to increase their productivity. They will be able to work at full resolution, and therefore create better, more realistic models. "Sumatra" users will also enjoy IA-64 optimized rendering. As was announced and demonstrated at the Fall 1999 Intel Developer Forum, mental images(R) mental ray(R) render engine has been successfully ported to IA-64 for release on the Itanium processor.
"Intel's new Itanium processor will enable extremely powerful platforms for professional 3D animators and content creators," comments Anand Chandrasekher, Vice President, Intel Architecture Business Group, and General Manager of the Workstations Products Group. "Working closely with companies such as Softimage to enable Sumatra for IA-64 will allow workstation users to take full advantage of the broad range of Intel-based systems, featuring the powerful Itanium processor."
"The innovative software-based architecture used by Softimage(R) products, like Sumatra, is extremely well suited to the Intel architecture. Any performance improvement in the Intel processors yields immediate benefits for our users. They will be able to create more complex imagery and in much less time than before with a level of interactivity that they have not experienced so far," comments Patrick Dumas, Softimage's Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing.
About 'Sumatra'
'Sumatra' is the industry's first truly non-linear animation system. It introduces new concepts such as non-destructive animation mixing, interactive rendering, and real-time surface continuity management. The system's advanced performance features allow animators to work interactively, regardless of their environment and according to their particular needs. This means a superior workflow, faster iteration, and reduced production costs.
About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid Technology, Inc., of which Softimage Co. is a subsidiary, is an international, industry-leading provider of digital audio and video tools for information and entertainment applications. Avid's products are used by a variety of customers worldwide including film, television and interactive content producers, TV news broadcasters, corporate communicators and consumers. For more information, visit Avid's Web site at www.avid.com or the Softimage site at www.softimage.com.
(c)2000 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications are subject to change without notice. Avid and Softimage are registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. Intel is a registered trademark and Itanium is a trademark of Intel Corporation. mental images and mental ray are registered trademarks of mental images GmbH & Co. KG in the USA and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Softimage Co.
Vironique Froment, 514/840-0299
vfroment@softimage.com |
