SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2003-- Discreet Reaffirms Commitment to Third Party Plug-Ins -- Extending the

Core Capabilities of its Award-Winning 3ds max Software

Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), today announced that it has entered into an exclusive development and distribution partnership with Turbo Squid, Inc. (New Orleans, LA), the world's premier marketplace for on-line digital assets. Turbo Squid will act as the worldwide developer, publisher and distributor for the Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-in Program.

Turbo Squid has an outstanding reputation with Discreet 3ds max customers as a supplier of 3D models, textures, and plug-ins to the 3D community, and will now be able to offer online downloadable electronic versions of Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-ins with 24/7 online authorization. Turbo Squid will also offer these plug-ins through Discreet's Worldwide Reseller Channel and on the Discreet online store.

Working together, Discreet and Turbo Squid will carefully select, from the hundreds of available 3ds max plug-ins, solutions that bring compelling value to 3ds max artists. These plug-ins will then be subjected to a stringent testing procedure defined by Discreet to ensure each plug-in works well with 3ds max and other Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-ins. Plug-ins that pass the testing process will be eligible to use the "Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-in" branding.

Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-ins will be backed up by an online support system implemented by Turbo Squid including developer-moderated forums, FAQs, tutorials, demos, and the latest product information for Discreet 3ds max artists.

"The Discreet 3ds max developer community -- by far the largest in the industry -- is the continuing source of hundreds of quality plug-ins offering our customers an unsurpassed range of additional tools and options. Our new alliance with Turbo Squid will insure that our customers receive the very best integrated plug-in technology, backed with the full confidence of Discreet certification," said Joe Klingler, vice president of software. "Our ongoing commitment is to deliver the most compelling creative solutions for our customers. The Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-in program is our latest affirmation of that commitment."

New 3ds max Plug-ins from Turbo Squid

Kicking off the program -- and along with this announcement -- Turbo Squid is shipping the first Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-in, finalToon, from cebas, GmbH (Germany). finalToon is a cartoon and technical illustration renderer allowing users to add stylistic shading or other effects and adjust line styles in real-time without the need to re-render scenes over and over again. This plug-in will allow 3ds max users to try different creative looks while saving time in the production process.

In the next 60 days, Turbo Squid will introduce the following Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-Ins:

finalRender Stage 1, from cebas, GmbH -- An ultra fast raytracing system which enables 3ds max software artists to create new levels of sophisticated rendering effects. Stage 1 allows excellent new 3D motion blur effects and global illumination utilizing a distributed rendering network.

DreamScape 2, from Sitni Sati -- A high quality plug-in for creating realistic landscapes, seascapes, skies, clouds, outdoor lighting and more. Dreamscape has an intuitive and friendly interface that allows users to easily tweak terrain properties, interactively paint elevation, build amazing skies, oceans, 3D clouds, rainbows, and more.

AfterBurn 3, from Sitni Sati -- This is a production proven volumetric particle effects engine that has been utilized in top rated films and games. This comprehensive solution enables the user to create effects such as pyroclastic smoke, dust, superb explosion effects, liquid metals, water, and various procedurally defined "hard" objects.

HumanIK for 3ds max, from Kaydara -- Characters will come to life in minutes with this robust array of powerful character animation tools. Direct access to al MOCAP file formats and complete integration with Discreet 3ds max will allow the user to concentrate on the aesthetics of the creation's motion.

A complete list of existing and new plug-ins from Discreet and Turbo Squid may be found on the specific product pages at www.discreet.com/products and www.turbosquid.com/dcp.

"We at Turbo Squid are excited to extend our abilities to be the front line contact for Discreet 3ds max software plug-in developers," said Dan Lion, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Turbo Squid. "Together, Turbo Squid and Discreet will drive even more flexibility, value and quality to 3ds max users worldwide with the Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-in program."

Pricing and availability

For pricing information on all Discreet Certified 3ds max Plug-ins visit: www.turbosquid.com/dcp. For additional information and configuration details, please contact Discreet Sales at 800/869-3504 or 514/393-1616. For contact information for Discreet regional offices or Authorized Discreet Resellers, visit the Discreet website at www.discreet.com.

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 Turbo Squid:

Founded in early 2000, Turbo Squid is a fully-featured digital media marketplace for 3D assets. Whether you are a buyer or seller, Turbo Squid provides a turnkey approach to bringing your digital media to market and giving you control over your inventory, e-commerce, accounting, and receivables. Turbo Squid is accessible through the web or by an easily downloadable client application.

Discreet is a division of Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk, Discreet, 3ds max and character studio are either trademarks or registered 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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