Tuesday March 2, 8:31 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
MetaCreations Announces Bryce 4
New Version to add Significant Web-Enabled Features And Provide Compatibility
with Popular 3D Graphics Programs
CARPINTERIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 1999-- MetaCreations Corporation (Nasdaq:
MCRE - news) today announced an upgrade to its world-famous terrain-generation and animation
software.
Scheduled for March release, Bryce 4 will continue to expand the creative options for professional graphic
artists, Web designers, game developers and loyal Bryce fans providing increased compatibility with other
software programs, and extensive Web output and display enhancements.
Bryce is set to fully emerge into the production arena as an indispensable part of a professional 3D
toolset, with the ability to export textured terrains to most 3D modeling/animation applications such as
NewTek's LightWave, MetaCreations Ray Dream Studio (.RDS), and Infini-D (.ID4), Bryce 4 will
additionally feature an extensive range of import and export formats for all Bryce generated objects,
textures, models and scenes, including output to the MetaStream (.MTS) format, for viewing,
manipulating and streaming textured Bryce models and terrains on the Web. Such time saving features as
the ability to preview animations prior to rendering will further appeal to professional modelers/animators,
as well as serious hobbyists, yet Bryce 4 will remain intuitive and easy to learn for beginners to 3D.
Features for Professionals
Within Bryce, artists and animators will have expanded abilities to create stunningly realistic scenes and
animate them. As well, the program will feature the all-new Sky Lab, an area within Bryce that provides
deep, precise access to all controls governing aspects of sky generation. Also valuable to designers will be
the ability to import United States Geological Survey DEM (Digital Elevation Maps) and the latest USGS
standard, SDTS formats. Users will now be able to import the terrain map of the Grand Canyon directly
from the USGS Web site, and by using pre-set texture maps already included in Bryce, quickly create an
amazingly realistic, digitally generated model, perfect for animations, still images or output to the Web.
''Bryce has long been a favorite with professionals and enthusiasts in the 3D creative arena,'' said John
Leddy, senior vice president of product development. ''Now, with Bryce's extensive compatibility with
some of the most popular 3D programs, its amazing landscape creation abilities will become an
indispensable part of a 3D designer's suite of must-have products.''
Bryce 4 on the Web
Bryce 4 will provide customers with new Web functionality and ease-of-use features, such as the ability
to export scenes to HTML with image mapped links, export options that include RealPlayer movies,
VRML and QTVR for animations and still images on the Web. The MetaStream output features will
allow users to create and stream 3D objects and terrains for dynamic 3D Web sites. Additionally, the
all-new BryceTalk Web area will provide users with an instantly connectable forum from within Bryce to
trade information and URLs. The BryceTalk area will feature regularly hosted presentations on Bryce,
including technical support personnel for customer support, and the ability to post links within the talk
area.
Key New Features
-- Sky Lab: Control all sky attributes from within the new Sky Lab; new sky features include
spherical clouds and sun-cloud shading effects; skies can be quickly previewed and animated with
the integrated preview render and animation controls
-- Web features: Create HTML image maps from scenes; RealMovie output lets animations stream
on the Web; QuickTime VR movies allow navigable scenes to be posted on the Internet, and
MetaStream output options allow textured terrain export for streaming 3D objects on the Web
-- Movie thumbnail previews: Quickly generate fully rendered thumbnail previews of animations
right in the animation area. Navigation through the animation is simple using a storyboard-style
interface that displays each frame separately
-- New and improved object import options: Currently existing options .OBJ, .DXF, 3DS, and
3DMF, have been improved upon and supported more thoroughly; Bryce 4 adds LightWave
(.LWO, .LWS), TrueSpace (.COB), VideoScape (.VSA), VRML1 (.WRL), Heightfield (.HF),
Portable Grayscale Map (.PGM), USGS DEM (.DEM) and USGS SDTS (.DDF) formats for
ultimate compatibility with virtually every 3D modeling/animation environment
-- New 3D file format support for fully textured terrain export: Fully textured 3D terrains can now
be exported to Wavefront (.OBJ), LightWave (.LWO, .LWS), AutoCAD (.DXF), Ray Dream
Studio (.RDS), Infini-D (.ID4), MetaStream (.MTS), USGS DEM (.DEM), Portable Grayscale
Map (.PGM), and VRML1 (.WRL)
-- USGS Map import: Access any United States Geological Survey map on the Internet and easily
import it into Bryce for incredibly realistic texturing and animation of real-world geographical
terrains; Bryce 4 support both USGS DEM and the new SDTS format
-- Hundreds of MegaBytes of Content: Shipping with Bryce on a separate CD-ROM, users will find
an incredible collection of presets, scenes, animations, objects, tutorials and more
Pricing & Availability
Bryce 4 will be available for Windows 95/98/NT and Power Macintosh on one hybrid CD-ROM.
Suggested Retail Price is US $249; Upgrade Price to registered users is US $99. For more information,
customers may look on the Web at metacreations.com or call 800/846-0111.
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows: Pentium Processor, Windows 95/98/NT4 with Service Pack 3, 32 MB Free RAM (64 MB
recommended,) 75 MB Free HD space for installation, CD-ROM drive, 16-24 bit video
Power Macintosh: Mac OS 7.1 or later, 32 MB Free RAM (64 MB recommended), 75 MB Free HD
space for installation, CD-ROM drive, 16-24bit video
MetaCreations Corporation, the Creative Web company, is focused on developing and marketing 2D and
3D visualization software for graphic artists, and the World Wide Web. MetaCreations' Creative Web
strategy is centered on the company's new MetaStream(tm) and MetaFlash(tm) technologies, and
employs an array of MetaCreations' software development tools to accelerate the creation of 2D and 3D
graphics for online applications, and to make fast, interactive use of photorealistic 3D on the Web
practical and pervasive. MetaCreations offers a complete product line of award-winning graphics desktop
software for both professional users and consumers, and its products are available in more than 70
countries. The company is headquartered in Santa Barbara County, California, and has development
centers in Scotts Valley, Calif., and Princeton, N.J., as well as an International Operations Center in
Dublin, Ireland. MetaCreations can be reached on the World Wide Web at
metacreations.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially as a result of a
number of risks and uncertainties affecting the Company's business. For a more detailed discussion of
factors that affect MetaCreations' operating results, interested parties should review MetaCreations' SEC
reports, including MetaCreations' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997,
and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
MetaCreations is a registered trademark, and Bryce, Ray Dream Studio and Infini-D are trademarks of
MetaCreations Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (c)1999
MetaCreations Corporation. All rights reserved.
Contact:
MetaCreations
Dorothy Eckel, 805/566-6464
deckel@metacreations.com
or
Teresa Bridwell, 805/566-6274
teresab@metacreations.com
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