Viewpoint Delivers on Game and Multimedia Developer Needs with Complete Line of 3D Model Solutions; Industry Leading Developers and Tool Vendors Select Viewpoint as 3D Content Resource

Business Wire, April 28, 1997

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 1997--Viewpoint DataLabs International, Inc. announced today at the Computer Game Developers' Conference (CGDC, booth No. 916) that more than 100 leading game and interactive media developers worldwide, and over 90 percent of the 3D hardware and software tool vendors participating in CGDC, have selected Viewpoint as a 3D digital content source -- emphasizing the increasing demand for high quality 3D modeling products and services.

Futhermore, several of the games nominated for awards at CGDC -- including Civilization II, Jane's AH 64D Longbow, and ATF -- feature Viewpoint custom characters and models, as well as pre-built objects from Viewpoint libraries.

"We had a great experience working with the Viewpoint team on the development of Redneck Rampage," said Drew Markham, the game's director and producer at Xatrix Interactive Design. "Their phenomenal attention to detail and commitment to deliver exactly what we wanted -- the first time -- was a tremendous asset. From start to finish, it was a seamless process and the end result was accurate 3D models that matched our expectations and were delivered on time. Their Platinum Library was also an invaluable tool, which we continue to rely on in the development of new titles."

In addition to Redneck Rampage (released here at CGDC), other recent titles that feature Viewpoint content include: Deadlock (Accolade); Lighthouse (Sierra On-Line); NBA Full Court Press (Microsoft); Tenka (Psygnosis); and Triple Play 97 (EA Sports) (customer list available).

Viewpoint works with most of the industry's leading 3D vendors, with agreements ranging from file format support to content licensing and technology development. The company's partner list includes Alias/Wavefront, Softimage, Nichimen, Kinetix, NewTek, Silicon Graphics, Intergraph and Digital Equipment (vendor list available). Viewpoint today also announced a 3D content licensing agreement with Microsoft -- becoming the source of 3D models for the new DirectX files file format.

"This momentum is the result of our commitment to understand and deliver on the unique demands of developers," said Ken Krull, desktop product manager at Viewpoint. "Viewpoint has applied its experience in broadcast-quality 3D modeling to deliver quality products to the growing game and multimedia developer community. We've learned there is a need for a wide range of solutions -- from custom character modeling, to high-resolution NURBs for pre-rendered scenes, to low-polygon count models for fast game play -- all at a level of quality that will stand up to the rigors of hard core development."

New, Comprehensive Product Line for Games & Interactive Media Developers

Viewpoint today announced new products and outlined a complete line of targeted product solutions for developers, including:

-- "DataShop for Developers" CD-ROM: A new library of over 2,000 low-resolution models for games and multimedia applications, available in dozens of 3D software formats

-- "Viewpoint DataShop for Microsoft DirectX media" CD-ROM: A new library of over 4,000 models and 200 animations in the DirectX files format

-- "DataShop for Real-Time" CD-ROM: Over 1,000 real-time models, with textures and levels of detail, optimized for real-time performance in simulations and games, available in Multigen .flt, Coryphaeus .dwb, and Evans & Sutherland .gdf file formats

-- Viewpoint Spring '97 Premier Catalog: This flagship model library now includes over 7,000 broadcast-quality models, available in most 3D software formats

-- Custom Modeling Services: Proprietary technology and production methodology allow Viewpoint artists to create custom 3D models to meet specific customer requirements and schedules

All Viewpoint products are available in a broad range of functional categories and adhere to Viewpoint's quality standards. Viewpoint offers flexible licensing options for users to get the right models for their specific needs. Models are quickly and easily accessed utilizing Viewpoint's popular DataShop CD-ROM and award-winning Web site -- www.viewpoint.com -- which allows users to search, view, license and download models from Viewpoint's numerous 3D model libraries, 24 hours a day.

Founded in 1988, Viewpoint is the pioneer and worldwide leader in 3D digital content creation and publishing. The company's unparalleled 3D digital library and 3D modeling services -- widely recognized as the industry standard -- are used by award-winning content creators to develop 3D animations and designs for the film and video, games and multimedia, Internet and desktop graphics markets. Viewpoint's products help speed and innovate the creative production cycle and are enabling the widespread use of 3D. -0-

NOTE: Viewpoint DataLabs is a trademark of and DataShop is a registered trademark of Viewpoint DataLabs Int'l Inc. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Editors note: Refer to related releases "Microsoft Selects Viewpoint for 3D Content Licensing Agreement" and "Viewpoint Announces 'DataShop for Developers'."