SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 2002--Less than five months since the launch of 3ds max 5(TM) software, Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK) enters the year-end with a growing roster of product awards, key customer wins, and increased market adoption with its 3ds max 5 modeling, animation and rendering software. Noted as one of the largest purchases in animation software history, Discreet is pleased to announce an expanded partnership with The Art Institutes, which has purchased 2,500 copies of 3ds max 5 for use in its design and art schools throughout North America. Discreet's 3ds max software is also helping usher in the holidays for game and film entertainment, serving as the cornerstone 3D application for best-selling games like Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Ubi Soft Entertainment's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and much-anticipated films The Ring and the dramatic opening sequence to Star Trek Nemesis.

"Enormous industry acceptance and demand by our employers has led The Art Institutes to implement 3ds max 5 as the natural and optimal choice for our curriculum needs. We are excited to broaden our partnership with Discreet, and incorporate 3ds max across our many locations," said Rich Moore, Assistant Vice President of Classroom Technology, The Art Institutes. "Students want to walk away knowing what they learned in school will be applicable to the real world. Leading companies are recruiting 3ds max artists to deliver quality 3D content for films, games and design visualization; and this was another critical reason aside from its great toolset that 3ds max best prepares our students with the best skills for any type of 3D project."

2002 was a strong year for the games industry as companies sought fresh new talent while leveraging substantial investments in their game development pipeline. Discreet's 3ds max software remains the top choice for game development companies, used in hundreds of games worldwide including the top eight best-selling games of 2002.

3ds max 5 touts many key features desired by game developers such as new IK, embedded reactor(TM) dynamics, enhanced texturing tools, render-to-texture, and custom vertex pixel shader support. Leading companies like Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. (Turok franchise), Lion Head Studios (Black & White series), Kuju Entertainment (Microsoft Train Simulator), and Argonaut Games PLC (Malice) have upgraded hundreds of 3ds max licenses to enhance and optimize their workflow. The much-anticipated 2003 game titles such as Dungeon & Dragons: Heroes, Republic: The Revolution, Savage, StarCraft: Ghost, and The Matrix have all turned to Discreet's 3ds max to get the job done while capturing the imaginations of gamers worldwide.

"When it came to choosing animation software for creating highly detailed and intricate 3D models for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, the choice was clear," said Mathieu Ferland, Senior Producer, Ubi Soft Entertainment. "Discreet's 3ds max 5 delivered what we needed, when we needed it. In the competitive games industry where high-quality results must match time-to-market production schedules and marketing launches, working with dependable and creative 3D software such as 3ds max is business-critical."

Film animators have also turned to the production power and speed of 3ds max for some of 2002's most intricate and lengthy animation, visual effects or opening sequences as evidenced in Panic room, Reign of Fire, Undisputed, Star Trek Nemesis and the hair-raising thriller, The Ring, as well as upcoming films Final Destination 2 and X-Men 2. 3ds max software's unmatched modeling tools, character animation, integrated high-quality rendering and render management, and cross-product integration with Discreet's inferno(R), flame(R) and combustion(R) visual effects and compositing solutions, solidify it as the dependable, productive 3D application for film animators.

During 2002, leading design visualization firms also embraced 3ds max 5 for specialized architecture, medical imaging, industrial and product designs. 3ds max 5 is increasingly being used along with Autodesk's flagship product, AutoCAD(R) software, to create architectural wonders such as the sophisticated and much-anticipated Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the new Queens-NYC Museum of Modern Art, a spectacular design theme of Playa Urbana -- mixing urban settings with beach styles.

Closing out what many consider a rollercoaster ride of a year for the animation sector, Discreet's 3ds max 5 software solidly celebrates its fifth generation release with an expanded market presence and the receipt of multiple industry awards including Animation Magazine's Seal of Excellence Award and Atomic Maximum Power Computer Magazine's Hot Atomic Award (Australia). 3ds max 5 was also selected by PC Magazine as a finalist for their 19th Annual Awards for Technical Excellence.

To date, 3ds max software remains the world's most popular 3D modeling, animation and rendering solution with over 170,000 registered users worldwide. The suggested retail price (SRP) for 3ds max 5 is US $3,495. Special year-end promotions are available in certain geographies. For more information, visit www.discreet.com or call 800-869-3504 or 514-393-1616 for more information on 3ds max 5 software and other Discreet products.

About Discreet

Discreet empowers moving media professionals to realize the visual experience, transforming their most evocative and ambitious visions into reality. Its range of award-winning systems and software is developed for digital media creation, management and delivery -- across all disciplines from visual effects and editing to animation, game development, web/interactive design, and design visualization. Discreet is based in Montreal, Quebec and is a division of Autodesk, Inc., the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company. Product and corporate information is located on the Internet at www.discreet.com.

About The Art Institutes

The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) system of 27 education institutions is located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management Corporation (www.edumgt.com) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, with 43 primary campus locations in 26 major cities, and with more than 43,000 students as of fall 2002. EDMC's education institutions offer doctoral, master's, bachelor's, associate's and non-degree programs concentrated in the creative and visual arts, the behavioral sciences and education fields. EDMC has provided career-oriented academic programs for 40 years, and its education institutions have more than 150,000 alumni.

Note to Editors: Discreet is a division of Autodesk, Inc. Discreet, 3ds max, AutoCAD, combustion, flame, inferno and reactor are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc./ Autodesk Canada Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

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