WildTangent Direct-to-Web Solution Included With Discreet 3ds max 4.2; Technology Pulls Art Assets and Animation Directly From 3ds max Into a Web Page

Business Wire, August 10, 2001

Business/High Tech Editors

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2001

WildTangent announced today that their direct-to-Web exporter for 3ds max(TM) is included with every copy of the best-selling professional 3D animation platform.

WildTangent's well-integrated solution gives 3ds max artists the power to pull animated scenes directly from 3ds max into a Web page -- removing the cost limitations and ramp-up time of learning intermediate tools.

By working directly with Discreet's 3ds max software, WildTangent is providing a simple and seamless authoring path to compelling online entertainment and game development. Content developers can access the power of a leading-edge entertainment platform through the familiar design environment of 3ds max.

The encryption options are some of the most valuable features of the free direct-to-Web exporter, allowing artists to pinpoint where Web page assets can be viewed. If someone attempts to copy and paste an artist's page into a new source, they will receive a refuse to load response.

"When you invest time modeling your work, integrating them easily and securely into the Web is key to an artist," said Phil Shenk, WildTangent producer and former lead artist on Diablo II. "WildTangent's 3ds max exporter simplifies a complex and difficult step in the technology process and exports my 3ds max modeling and animations seamlessly."

"Discreet is pleased to expand the web publishing options of 3D artists by including WildTangent's solution with 3ds max 4.2," said Phillip Miller, vice president of product management, Discreet. "The performance and abilities of the WildTangent Web Driver combine well with this highly integrated workflow to give 3ds max animators an environment for the rapid development of compelling Web games."

"Wild Tangent's 3ds max exporter worked seamlessly within our game development pipeline for the SWAT3 interactive Web site," said Rod Fung, producer at award winning Sierra On-Line. "We were able to take our max-created, 3D characters and export them quickly into Wild Tangent's state-of-the art Web Driver engine."

Key features:

-- Exports animations straight from 3ds max into a Web page.

-- Technology is free to download.

-- Pulls max artwork into a simple HTML page that artists can use as-is.

-- Works with any HTML editor, eliminating the need to use proprietary tools.

-- Protects assets by allowing artists to specify which Web page it can be
viewed from.

About WildTangent's Web Driver

By interfacing directly with DirectX, the WildTangent Web Driver(TM) provides unprecedented performance on a Web page, allowing the creation of faster, richer, more interactive content. The Web Driver takes full advantage of hardware acceleration, scaling content for each user's machine so that users will experience the same quality of graphics regardless of the speed of their CPU and connection. As a result, interactive multimedia content can be streamed and cached on a user's machine with minimal wait, allowing for immediate access to information.

Note to editors

For more information regarding WildTangent and WildTangent technologies, contact: Paige Young, corporate communications manager, 425/497-4522 or visit the WildTangent Web site at http://www.wildtangent.com. All third-party products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

About WildTangent

WildTangent (http://www.wildtangent.com) is a leading provider of interactive media, graphics and animation, creating enriched Internet experiences. Nominated for PC Magazine's 2000 Technical Excellence Awards and named one of Newsweek's Top Five Technologies for 2001, WildTangent's proprietary Web Driver(TM) technology provides unprecedented performance on a Web page, allowing the creation of faster, richer, more interactive content. The Web Driver's unique compression technology allows interactive multimedia content to be streamed and cached on a user's machine with minimal wait. Product downloads, information and developer resources, are posted on the WildTangent Web site at http://www.wildtangent.com.

About Discreet

Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., is a worldwide leader in digital content creation, management, and distribution tools. Discreet develops systems and software for visual effects, 3D animation, non-linear editing, infrastructure and integrated Universal Mastering workflow solutions as well as real-time 3D broadcast graphics creation and delivery systems. Discreet serves a broad range of markets involved in content creation, delivery and use, including: film, television and HDTV, Internet broadcast, corporate/government/educational multimedia, post-production, games and animation and rich media for the web.

About Sierra

Sierra On-Line, Inc. http://www.sierra.com, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal Publishing and part of the Vivendi Universal Games division, is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Sierra is renowned for releasing critically acclaimed and award winning titles that represent a wide variety of computer entertainment on both next generation console and PC platforms.