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Autodesk Launches Autodesk Maya 2008 Software
 
 
Delivers Faster, More Efficient Tools and Workflows for the Creation of Sophisticated 3D Environments, Characters and Performances
 
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) today announced Autodesk Maya 2008 modeling, animation, visual effects and rendering software. The new version of the Academy Award-winning product focuses on providing improved workflow efficiency for artists in the film, television, game development, design and manufacturing industries. Maya has been used in the creation of countless high-profile projects such as the Pan's Labyrinth and Spider-Man 3 movies, as well as the Resistance: Fall of Man, and John Woo Presents Stranglehold games. Maya 2008 will be showcased at the Autodesk booth (#703) during SIGGRAPH 2007, held at the San Diego Convention Center August 7-9.
 
"Artists need production-proven solutions that they can truly depend on," explained Marc Petit, Autodesk Media & Entertainment senior vice president. "With Autodesk Maya 2008, we have placed considerable emphasis on raising the reliability bar higher than ever before. Designed for multi-core workstations, the 2008 release provides artists with an optimized application that includes new creative tools in modeling and animation to help artist meet demands quickly and easily."
 
"On all fronts Autodesk has improved Maya software's arsenal of tools," noted Rob van de Bragt, animation director at post-production facility The Mill. "Maya 2008 offers more flexibility in its modeling, rigging and rendering tools than ever before." The Mill recently used Maya on the Audi A5 ad Lines, the Playstation 3 commercial This Living, the Absolut commercial Protest, as well as the Comfort ads City Stop and Do The Moves.
 
Insomniac Games relies on Maya as a modeling and animation tool for several titles including Resistance: Fall of Man. Chad Dezern, art director at the facility said: "When a problem comes up, artists can usually work it out using the Maya toolset. When we need to build on the software, Maya offers an extremely flexible API, which makes it a great hub for our proprietary modeling tools."
 
  Highlights of Maya 2008
  Increased polygon modeling efficiency:
  -- Maya 2008 enables artists to quickly create, manipulate and place
     polygons that form highly detailed characters and environments, through
     a streamlined Mesh Smooth workflow, a new Slide Edge feature and
     improvements to Booleans, Bridge, Bevel and other tools.
 
  Overall performance improvements for greater efficiency:
  -- With Maya 2008, Autodesk continues the task of optimizing the
     software's toolsets to provide greater performance through both
     multi-threading and algorithmic speed-ups. For example*:
     -- The Poly Reduce function is now up to 30 times faster for a 22k face
        poly mesh, and Poly Smooth is now up to 4 times faster
     -- The Maya nCloth cache performance up to 3 times faster on a cache of
        10k vertices
     -- mental ray translation for a 20k mesh instanced 2,000 times is over
        20 times faster
 
  Tools for creating better looking games:
  -- Maya 2008 is better equipped to create and display content destined for
     the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game
     consoles. It offers support for DirectX HLSL shaders in the Maya
     viewport, a new hardware shader API, enhancements to the high-quality
     render view, accelerated mental ray texture baking performance, and
     more.
 
  Increased flexibility for character setup and animation:
  -- Building upon the Maya software's advanced, customizable animation
     system, Maya 2008 delivers improved skinning and rigging toolsets,
     including new, non-destructive skin editing capabilities. These
     enhancements allow animators and Technical Directors to efficiently
     explore ideas, manage iterations and get superior results, faster.
 
For a complete list of new features and enhancements in Autodesk Maya 2008, visit: http://www.autodesk.com/maya .
 
Pricing and Availability
Autodesk anticipates that Maya 2008 will be available in English in September 2007. Maya 2008 will be supported on the Windows and Linux operating systems (64-bit and 32-bit versions), as well as Mac OS X for Intel-based Macintosh and PowerPC computers (32-bit version only).
 
Autodesk suggested retail pricing is US$1,999* for Maya 2008 Complete (Standalone) and US$6,999* for Maya 2008 Unlimited (Standalone). The upgrade price from Maya 8.5 Complete to Maya 2008 Complete is US$899*, and the upgrade price from Maya 8.5 Unlimited to Maya 2008 Unlimited is US$1,249*.
 
Platinum Membership is available for purchase simultaneously with the product purchase or upgrade. The Autodesk suggested retail price for Maya Platinum Membership starts at US$1,299* per year. Platinum Membership customers qualify for access to the latest software updates, technical support case management, valuable product extensions and e-learning materials. For more information about Maya Platinum Membership, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/maya-support .
 
Maya Learning Tools
A variety of Learning Tools are available for Maya, ranging from introductory to advanced skill levels. Learning Autodesk Maya 2008 | Foundation is a new book that enables users to quickly familiarize themselves with Maya 2008. It offers a hands-on introduction to key Maya tools and techniques by enabling users to create and animate characters based on the Sony Pictures Animation feature film Surf's Up. Learning Autodesk Maya 2008 | Foundation is priced at US$69.99*. For additional details, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/learning-tools .
 
* International pricing may vary
 
Maya 2008 imagery is available on Autodesk's website at http://www.autodesk.com/maya-pressimagery .
 
** Performance data is based on comparisons with Autodesk Maya 8.5, based on tests conducted or commissioned by Autodesk over a controlled network, with test participants having varying levels of experience with the software. All benchmarks were run on an HP xw6400 workstation under 32-bit Windows XP Service Pack 2 configured with 2.66GHz dual processor, dual core with 3Gb of RAM and an NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500 graphics card. As with all performance tests, results may vary based on machine, operating system, filters, and even source material. While every effort has been made to make the tests as fair and objective as possible, your results may differ. Product information and specifications are subject to change without notice. Autodesk provides this information "as is," without warranty of any kind, either express or implied.
 
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com/ .

Autodesk Announces Autodesk 3ds Max 2008
 
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. today announced Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 software, the latest version of its out-of-the-box solution for 3D modeling, animation and rendering. 3ds Max 2008 enables artists and designers to overcome challenges associated with large and complex 3D datasets. The software has been used to create numerous notable projects, including visualizations for the EMI Records building in London, the Mass Effect game and the Grindhouse movie. 3ds Max 2008 will be showcased at the Autodesk booth (#703) during SIGGRAPH 2007, being held at the San Diego Convention Center August 7-9.
 
"Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 provides an ideal environment for creating the complex 3D content demanded by today's game, design visualization, film, and television industries," said Marc Petit, Autodesk Media & Entertainment senior vice president. "3ds Max 2008 dramatically improves artists' productivity, enabling them to quickly achieve higher levels of visual sophistication through innovative modeling and interactive rendering capabilities."
 
Neversoft Entertainment used 3ds Max to create Tony Hawk's Project 8, the premier next-generation version of a Tony Hawk title. "Autodesk 3ds Max let us quickly visualize our work as it would appear in the game engine," explained Nolan Nelson, character art director at the facility. This kept our creative momentum flowing and allowed us to produce the most advanced characters possible for the title."
 
Robert Stava, creative director at 3D Media Group and 3ds Max 2008 beta tester said, "Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 quickly became a standard part of our production pipeline. With many of our architectural design projects tipping the scales at millions of polygons, 3ds Max 2008 software's improved handling of complex data is a very welcome addition." 3D Media Group recently used 3ds Max to create visualizations for the Fulton Street Transit Center in New York City, the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and the New Songdo City in Korea.
 
   Highlights of 3ds Max 2008
    Improved viewing and handling of large complex scenes:
 
    -- New viewport technology and optimizations provide improved performance
       with large and complex scenes consisting of tens of thousands of
       objects. Artists can select thousands of objects and perform material
       assignments up to 10 times faster. They can also transform objects up
       to 60 times faster.**
    -- 3ds Max 2008 offers a new Scene Explorer, which provides artists with a
       hierarchical view of scene data, as well as fast scene analysis and
       editing tools. This facilitates working with complex, object-heavy
       scenes. It also includes a new Adaptive Degradation System, which
       improves the software's interactivity by automatically simplifying the
       scene display to meet a user-defined target frame rate.
 
    New options for fast, artist-friendly modeling:
    -- New modeling user interface options give artists a less menu-dependent
       modeling experience.
    -- 3ds Max 2008 offers conceptual design artists and modelers a more
       streamlined modeling workflow, which enables them to focus more on the
       creative process.
 
    New Review toolset and mental ray workflow improvements:
    -- The new Review toolset provides iterative rendering workflows with
       interactive previewing of shadows, the 3ds Max sun/sky environment, and
       Architectural and Design material settings.
    -- 3ds Max 2008 also provides several mental ray workflow improvements,
       including a new mental ray Sky Portal, which simplifies lighting indoor
       scenes using outdoor lighting and supports HDRI-based lighting effects.
 
    New tools and enhancements for complex workflows and pipelines:
    -- The new integrated MAXScript ProEditor makes it easier to author
       scripts that automate and customize 3ds Max.
    -- Major improvements in file-linking and interoperability with other
       Autodesk design solutions provide faster, more accurate importing of
       data into 3ds Max. Furthermore, new features, such as Select Similar,
       facilitate work with imported data inside of 3ds Max.
 
 
For a complete list of new features and enhancements in Autodesk 3ds Max 2008, visit http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax.
 
Pricing and Availability
Autodesk anticipates that 3ds Max 2008 will be available in English in October 2007. The Autodesk suggested retail price for 3ds Max 2008 software is US$3,495*. The Autodesk suggested retail price to upgrade from 3ds Max 9 to 3ds Max 2008 is US$795*.
 
Subscription is available for purchase simultaneously with the product purchase or upgrade. The Autodesk suggested retail price for 3ds Max Subscription is US $495* per year. Subscription customers qualify for access to the latest software updates, valuable product extensions and e-learning materials. For more information about 3ds Max Subscription, please visit http://www.autodesk.com/subscription.
 
* International pricing may vary.
 
3ds Max 2008 imagery is available on Autodesk's website at http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-pressimagery.
 
**Performance data is based on comparisons with Autodesk 3ds Max 9, based on tests conducted by Autodesk over a controlled network, using Windows XP Professional (32b) and DirectX 9c graphics hardware. As with all performance tests, results may vary based on machine, operating system, filters, and even source material. While every effort has been made to make the tests as fair and objective as possible, your results may differ. Product information and specifications are subject to change without notice. Autodesk provides this information "as is," without warranty of any kind, either express or implied.
 
 
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com.