For Immediate Release

DNA Research Announces "3Delight for XSI"

The RenderMan-compliant 3Delight renderer is now fully integrated to SOFTIMAGE|XSI software

Singapore – February 14, 2008 – DNA Research announces the release of 3Delight for XSI, a fully integrated version of its production renderer for SOFTIMAGE®|XSI® 3D modeling, rendering, animation and character creation software. The plug-in brings the quality and speed of the 3Delight render engine and tools, as well as the power and flexibility of the RenderMan® standard and practices, to the XSI user base. Using the new functionalities of the rendering SDK introduced in SOFTIMAGE|XSI 6.5, the plug-in appears as an integral part of XSI and artists will benefit from a seamless workflow in the user friendly interface of their favorite animation software.

This makes 3Delight the first third-party renderer to fully integrate into SOFTIMAGE|XSI and DNA Research is proud to positively respond to the growing popularity of Softimage products and the steady demand for an alternate rendering technology in SOFTIMAGE|XSI.

“The workflow between 3Delight and SOFTIMAGE|XSI is nearly identical to the workflow I had already become accustomed to," said Todd Akita, technical director and 3D animator at PSYOP. "This meant that I could immediately gain access to all of the benefits of using the 3Delight renderer with a minimal learning curve.  3Delight's support for the shading nodes that XSI artists have become familiar with is also quite impressive.  It's amazing to be able to mix and match mental ray and 3Delight render passes literally with the flip of a switch" added Todd. 

“Taking advantage of our new open render API in SOFTIMAGE|XSI, the team at DNA Research have delivered a deeply integrated renderer with 3Delight for XSI,” said Bill Roberts, director of product management at Softimage, Co.  “3D artists can now extend their SOFTIMAGE|XSI rendering options with this RenderMan compliant, production proven technology—all without any compromises in workflow” added Roberts.

Highlights of 3Delight for XSI

·     Complete Render Tree support - Complete integration means the ability to work with XSI shaders, without additional setup. Shading networks are automatically converted to RenderMan shaders that are suitable for 3Delight. Third party RenderMan shaders can also be assigned to geometry if necessary

·     Complete Geometry support - All XSI geometric primitives are supported. Including hair, subdivision surfaces, polygons, NURBS, particles and curves. 3Delight renders all surfaces smoothly, no tessellation settings are required

·     Fast 3D Motion Blur and Depth of Field - The speed of 3Delight's motion blur is as fast as post-process 2D motion blur while being more accurate. Depth of field is equally fast.

·     Fast Displacements - 3Delight will render displacements at almost no additional rendering time. Displacement maps imported from 3D paint packages such as ZBrush and Mudbox will render efficiently and accurately

·     Subsurface Scattering - Easy to setup subsurface scattering enables artists to render the subtleties of light scattering inside translucent objects

·     RIB export and import - Many RIB writing and reading functions are available for advanced pipelines. This includes binary and compressed RIB export, delayed RIB archives, scene caching and RIB boxing

·     High-end quality, speed and robustness - Built on top of a production proven and pioneering render engine, 3Delight for XSI will bring years of film rendering experience to VFX studios

A technical overview with a complete feature list of 3Delight for XSI is available at www.3delight.com/3dfx-tech-specs.pdf.

 

Pricing and Availability

3Delight for XSI is available in the following two configurations:

·     3Delight for XSI | Studio: USD $1,450

The feature complete package. Each license running a maximum of four threads.

·     3Delight for XSI | Artist: USD $495

Includes all the important features from Studio but lacks RIB export, third Party RenderMan shaders support and advanced pipeline features. Each license running a maximum of four threads. 

3Delight for XSI for the Windows 32-bit platform is available now. A 30-day trial version can be downloaded from www.3delight.com. 3Delight for XSI for the Windows 64-bit platform and Linux 32 & 64-bit platforms are expected in the following two weeks.

Contact: Pierre Lachapelle, DNA Research, pierre@taarnastudios.com

 

About DNA Research

DNA Research is a research group of TAARNA Studios International. DnA develops rendering solutions for the demanding environment of the CG film production pipeline. Its product line includes 3Delight, 3Delight for XSI and 3Delight for Maya. For more information about DNA Research, please visit www.3delight.com. For more information about TAARNA Studios International and its latest IMAX® production, please visit www.AdventuresInAnimation.com.

© 2008 TAARNA Studios International. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications and availability are subject to change without notice. All prices are USMSRP for the U.S. and Canada only and are subject to change without notice. Contact us or your local reseller for prices outside the U.S. and Canada. 3Delight is a trademark of TAARNA Studios International. RenderMan is a registered trademark of Pixar. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.