Credo Interactive Announces Life Forms Plugin for 3D Studio MAX

(October 13, 1998)  Credo Interactive Inc., which provides innovative tools for 3D character movement, announced this week a 3D Studio Max(TM) plugin for Life Forms(R) Studio 3.0. Based on the 3DS file format, the plugin allows 3D Studio Max  users to share both segmented models and character motion with Life Forms Studio 3.0.

As the first tool dedicated specifically to character movement, Life Forms is the only software that makes movement a simple, intuitive process.  With the plugin, 3D Studio Max users can now benefit from Life Forms Studio's incredibly straight-forward and unique figure editor, and the instant walk generator, to create movement quicker, easier, and more intuitively than
previously possible.

"We're very excited to offer our intuitive and powerful character movement solution to 3D animators and games developers using 3D Studio Max," said Sang Mah, Credo Interactive's Chief Operating Officer. "As an easy to use, yet ultimately very powerful character movement tool, Life Forms Studio 3.0 will definitely enhance 3D Studio Max's professional-level 3D animation and game development capabilities."

With support for the 3DS format in Life Forms Studio 3.0, 3D Studio Max users can now keyframe movement or apply mocap data to their segmented models within Life Forms Studio. Users can also now edit and blend their keyframed or mocap movements in Life Forms Studio, and export their movement data directly to 3D Studio Max.

"Credo's new 3DS plugin for Life Forms Studio really makes animating 3D characters for use in 3D game production incredibly easy," says game developer and author of The Awesome Power of Direct3D, Peter Kovach of I.C.A.T., Inc.

"Using Life Forms to create animation sequences was very straight forward. In a matter of minutes, I applied animation to a character, exported in 3DS format and converted to DirectX format.  The character worked perfectly in my Direct3D based application and the motion looks very realistic.  It's a great addition to my development environment," says Kovach.

3D Studio Max users, now working in  Life Forms Studio 3.0, will not only benefit from Life Forms Studio's intuitive, graphical interface, but also save production time with many of the programs' productivity enhancing features, such as:

    * Range editing:  increases productivity by allowing movement sequences to be edited over a series of keyframes with one single action -- including real time walk generation.
    * Support for Motion Capture Data provides a quick, easy, and powerful method for editing mocap sequences, applying mocap data to different models, or converting between mocap file formats.
    * Blending:  allows user to copy/paste individual body part movements between different models.
    * Preview rendering:  provides an excellent environment to preview animations or export for use on the world wide web.
    * The walk generator:  creates instant, natural, and fully customized walk sequences with intuitive parameters such as velocity, distance, and step count.
    * Inverse and Forward Kinematics:  provides two powerful options for posing characters. Combining the intuitiveness of inverse kinematics and the precision control of forward kinematics, users will make the most of any animation situation.
    * The file browser:  saves time by allowing users to preview animation and extract movement without opening extra files.

Pricing and Availability

The 3D Studio Max compatible 3DS plugin for Life Forms Studio 3 will be
available fourth quarter 1998. Current Life Forms Studio 3.0 users will be
able to download the plugin free from the Credo Interactive website at
http://www.credo-interactive.com.

    Life Forms Studio 3.0
    Pricing:        SRP - $495 US (special introductory offer! List price - $695 US)
    Available:      Now
    Platform:       Mac + Win 95/98/NT
    Compatibility:  LightWave 3D, 3D Studio Max, StudioPro; Motion Capture Data
                    (Acclaim and BioVision), A|W Power Animator, Maya,
                    ElectricImage, Cinema 4DXL, VRML 97, Infini-D, Extreme 3D,
                    Pixel Putty, VRML 1.0, and online 3D worlds.

 

 

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