NAB 2004, Las Vegas – Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. , has announced the availability of SOFTIMAGE®|XSI® version 4.0 – the latest version of the industry’s leading nonlinear 3-D production environment.
SOFTIMAGE|XSI version 4.0 delivers advanced toolsets, dramatic performance enhancements, and significant advancements to the core architecture of the software, including new customization, project management, and workgroup capabilities. In addition, to bring Softimage’s professional animation software to a wider audience at breakthrough prices, this new version is now available in three distinct configurations: XSI Advanced, XSI Essentials, and the new entry-level XSI Foundation.
“With the rapid adoption of SOFTIMAGE|XSI as the primary tool for many major 3-D productions, we’ve invested heavily to enhance version 4.0 with ground-breaking functionality that addresses the continuously changing demands of our customers. The industry has been waiting for this type of product, and we’ve delivered it with SOFTIMAGE|XSI version 4.0,” said Gareth Morgan, Softimage’s senior product manager. “Our customers develop the most sophisticated 3-D content out there – and they count on the flexible and open architecture of XSI to get the job done right. Whether it’s the deep and intuitive implementation of the mental ray® renderer, the nonlinear workflow tools, or the industry-standard scripting language support, SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.4.0 makes the development of high-end 3-D content easier and faster. And, with XSI Foundation, we’ve designed an extremely cost-effective package to place a professional Softimage solution within the reach of any artist or animator.”
SOFTIMAGE|XSI offers a number of features that streamline the production process while simultaneously allowing for fast viewing and reduced memory overhead in complex production situations. Using Reference Models and Reference Animation, animators and technical directors can create lightweight scenes, minimize memory usage, and share animation scenes by off-loading animations and partial animation sources to external files. New motion trails, ghosting, and advanced scene playback options also dramatically enhance the in-context visualization of animated content.
SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.4.0 further extends its implementation of the Academy Award®-winning mental ray renderer version 3.3, which provides massive performance improvements and advanced rendering features. The software delivers up to eight free Satellite tile-based distributed rendering tokens per license, allowing artists to take advantage of accelerated render regions or multi-CPU renders of a single frame without purchasing additional rendering licenses. Further integration with the industry-leading content and asset management system, Alienbrain® Studio, offers users greater control over large-scale productions as well as a more reliable and streamlined asset management framework. In addition, SOFTIMAGE|XSI v.4.0 offers tight integration with Avid editing and storage solutions, including new direct render-to-video output and previewing via the Avid Mojo™ hardware – part of the Avid DNA™ family.
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News source: Graphics.com
