Prepress
Autodesk Introduces Softimage 7.5 Software
Tuesday 24. February 2009 - Enhancements to the Software Help Artists Work More Efficiently
Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) has launched Autodesk Softimage 7.5 software for visual effects and game production. With this release, Autodesk has renamed the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software — acquired from Avid Technology, Inc. — Autodesk Softimage. The 7.5 version offers timesaving new features, such as UV unfolding technology, a multithreaded Syflex cloth simulator and an integrated mental ray 3.7+ renderer. Artists have used Softimage to create numerous movies, commercials and video games, including the Oscar-winning film “Happy Feet,” Coca Cola’s “Heist” Super Bowl ad, and the “Fable II” video game.
“Our mission at Autodesk is to deliver integrated pipelines for digital entertainment creation and Softimage is an important addition to our portfolio,” said Marc Petit, Autodesk Media & Entertainment senior vice president. “It has been three months since we acquired substantially all of the assets of Softimage and its integration into Autodesk is going extremely well. The team has kept Softimage 7.5 on plan and it has shipped without delay. We remain committed to delivering solid future releases of the software.”
Key New Features in Autodesk Softimage 7.5
UV Unfolding Technology: Softimage now features UV unfolding technology that enables artists to unwrap polygon models with just a few clicks. This technology works well on complex organic models, which would be difficult to unwrap manually. Softimage 7.5 also provides UV editing tools that help artists quickly create and edit UV maps.
mental ray 3.7+: Version 3.7+ of the mental ray renderer is now integrated into Softimage 7.5. Highlights include improvements to binary space partitioning for faster render times, multiple final gathering refinement passes and new motion-based displacement. These enhancements help users create high-fidelity images faster than ever before.
Multithreaded Syflex Cloth Simulator: The production-proven cloth simulator in Softimage is now multithreaded, enabling artists to use the cores on their machine to iterate faster.
Scene Compatibility with Version 7.0: Scenes saved in Softimage 7.5 will load into Softimage 7.0.
Pricing and Availability
Version 7.5 of Autodesk Softimage (formerly SOFTIMAGE|XSI Essentials) and Autodesk Softimage Advanced (formerly SOFTIMAGE|XSI Advanced) are now available. The Autodesk suggested retail price for Softimage 7.5 (Windows) is US$2,995* and $4,695* for Softimage Advanced 7.5 (Windows)*. SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7.0 customers with active Softimage maintenance contracts will be migrated to Autodesk Softimage 7.5 with Autodesk Subscription.
Autodesk Subscription is available for purchase with the product license purchase or upgrade. The Autodesk suggested retail price for Autodesk Subscription is $795* per year for Softimage and $1,235* per year for Softimage Advanced*.
Migration Promotion
Until April 15, 2009, existing SOFTIMAGE|XSI Essentials and Advanced customers, not on Softimage maintenance, can receive up to 50 percent discount and no back-subscription fees when migrating to Autodesk Softimage 7.5 with Autodesk Subscription.** This offer is available only through Autodesk Value Added Resellers. Locate a reseller at www.autodesk.com/reseller.
* International pricing may vary.
** Conditions apply. International pricing may vary. Autodesk reserves the right to cancel, suspend or modify part of this promotion at any time without notice, for any reason, in its sole discretion.