LOS ANGELES, Jul 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) introduced Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites Premium, offering a powerful set of tools for 3D modeling, digital sculpting, texture painting, animation, effects, rendering and compositing. The Premium Suites provide integration across applications for enhanced interoperability and efficiency, enabling artists to explore creative ideas with advanced modeling and animation technology.

With the new Suites, studios can create modern, flexible pipelines to help support today's projects and scale for tomorrow's opportunities. With over 40 percent cost savings, ⁺* the Premium Suite includes:

• A choice of either Autodesk Maya or Autodesk 3ds Max software, award-winning 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing tools; plus
• Autodesk Softimage software, featuring the Interactive Creative Environment (ICE) to help in the creation of more sophisticated effects that can be integrated into Maya and 3ds Max through new ICE interoperability technology, as well as Autodesk Face Robot technology to help in the creation of higher-quality facial animation
• Autodesk Mudbox 3D digital sculpting and texture painting software to help in the creation of more detailed digital models
• Autodesk MotionBuilder software, offering a real-time, interactive 3D engine and advanced character animation tools for increased animation output
• Turtle, a sophisticated global illumination rendering and baking plug-in for Maya, designed for higher-quality, next-generation game development**
• Lagoa Multiphysics - A new multi-physics simulation framework for Softimage ICE developed by Thiago Costa for creating effects such as plastics, liquids, gases, soft bodies, cloth, and foam.

Featuring sophisticated cross-product integration, the Premium Suites also allow users to transfer Softimage ICE effects to Maya or 3ds Max with a simple menu click. Users can also collaborate more efficiently and work more productively by quickly transferring 3D assets between certain applications using Autodesk FBX data exchange technology. FBX enables exchange of Maya full-body inverse kinematics (FBIK) character rigs and 3ds Max Biped character rigs with MotionBuilder, import/export of Mudbox data to Maya and 3ds Max scenes, as well as the exchange of 3D data with other Autodesk and certain other third-party applications.

"We created the Premium Suites to give artists the tools and freedom they need to tackle complex creative projects with greater ease and efficiency, enabling them to build more sophisticated CG production pipelines at a much lower cost than was previously possible," explained Stig Gruman, Autodesk vice president, digital entertainment. "They now have easier access to tools for real-time animation design, virtual cinematography and interactive previsualization, and can more easily create highly detailed 3D models. Our goal is to help CG artists break through creative barriers by giving them the tools they need at their fingertips."

Availability

Autodesk Maya Entertainment Creation Suite Premium is expected to ship on or after September 29, 2010, while Autodesk 3ds Max Entertainment Creation Suite Premium is expected to be available at a later date. Autodesk suggested retail pricing (SRP) for either of the Entertainment Creation Suites Premium is US$6,495⁺ -- more than 40 percent savings over purchasing the applications separately. Premium Suites will be available through Autodesk Authorized Resellers. To locate a reseller, visit www.autodesk.com/reseller.

Autodesk Subscription can be purchased for the Entertainment Creation Suites Premium at the Autodesk SRP of US$1,095.⁺ Autodesk Subscription with Gold Support can be purchased for the Entertainment Creation Suites Premium at the Autodesk SRP of US$1,620.⁺ For more information about Autodesk Subscription, visit www.autodesk.com/subscription.

Maya and 3ds Max Entertainment Creation Suites are currently available, without Softimage, for the Autodesk suggested retail price of US$4,995.⁺

*Savings based upon USD SRP.

**Maya Entertainment Creation Suite Premium only.

⁺International pricing may vary.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, FBX, Face Robot, Maya, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, Softimage and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6372122&lang=en

SOURCE: Autodesk, Inc.

Autodesk, Inc.
Brittany Bonhomme, 416-874-8798
brittany.bonhomme@autodesk.com
or
For Autodesk, Inc.
Karen Raz, 310-450-1482
karen@razpr.com