San Antonio, Texas -- October 10, 2005 -- NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, today announced the release of the fifth free update and the 64-bit port for Emmy® award-winning LightWave 3D®. Version 8.5 offers hardware support of OpenGL 2.0, the new Multishift(TM) tool with editable history, Photoshop-style texture blending modes, improved dynamics, and easier integration of third-party file formats. The 64-bit port of LightWave 3D for Windows XP Pro x64 OS, is also being made available as part of the release of the version 8.5 update. LightWave®'s 64-bit version leverages the increased memory available with 64-bit systems plus the power of the new processors and faster RAM access to provide digital artists with a streamlined workflow that allows them greater flexibility and creative freedom. LightWave version 8.5 update is now available free to registered owners of LightWave [8].
"We're very pleased to bring our LightWave users a new level of display capabilities in OpenGL, and a quantum leap in content creation capability with 64-bit performance," said Jay Roth, president of NewTek’s 3D graphics division. "Accurate real-time display of many of the aspects of the final image without having to render will save a great deal of production time. With LightWave 64-bit and the new 64-bit dual-core platforms, content creators can complete their work in less time, or do more complex work than could previously have been done within a given time and budget. The 8.5 release is another milestone in major performance enhancements as our development team moves LightWave forward, demonstrating our commitment to rapid and innovative development."
"We're pleased that NewTek has used powerful development tools from Intel® and participation in the Intel® Early Access Program to optimize LightWave's performance for a wide variety of Intel® processors," said Melissa Laird, general manager of Intel's Developer Relations Division. "LightWave users can take maximum advantage of the enhanced performance offered by powerful new Intel® processors, including the latest multi-core technologies."
LightWave 3D, version 8.5 Includes:
- New OpenGL Hardware shader option using the hardware renderer in OpenGL video cards to display many of the render functions in real-time. Lights, light falloffs, blending images on surfaces, per-pixel lighting will all be available in real-time, with an option to turn this feature on and off.
- New Photoshop-style texture blending modes
- New Parts-to-Surfaces tool allows for easier integration of 3D objects created in other applications.
- New Multishift allows the user to do multiple bevels and extrusions in a single edit with a history profile that can be saved and applied to other meshes.
- Dynamics now launch a control window that allows you to switch to other applications while calculating dynamics in LightWave.
- Particle dynamics improved for accuracy, including interaction with collision planes. New algorithm also allows large dynamic scenes to load up to 10x faster.
- 78 new configurable keyboard shortcut options.
Availability
The LightWave v8.5 update is available to registered owners of LightWave [8] by free download. LightWave 64 is available to registered LightWave [8] owners at no charge other than the cost of materials and shipping for the required LightWave v8.5 installer CD, $29.95 plus shipping and handling.
Those purchasing any LightWave [8] full or upgrade product offering after August 01, 2005 qualify for a free upgrade to LightWave 3D version 9.0 upon its release.
Pricing:
Go to http://www.digiteksys.com/LightWave%208%20pricing.htm
For more information contact Matt Drabick of DigiTek Systems at mdrabick@mindspring.com or 919-790-5488.
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