NewTek Announces Extension for LightWave 3D [7.5] for Print at MacWorld Expo

Previews LightWave 3D v. 8 for Press and Users at Expo

San Francisco, California -- January 6, 2004 -- NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, announced today from the MacWorld Expo that the LightWave 3D [7.5] for Print special for owners of qualifying Mac print and design applications is being extended through the first quarter of 2004. The offer, limited to the USA and Canada, allows users of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Page Maker, Macromedia Freehand or Quark Xpress to purchase LightWave 3D [7.5] for Mac for $795US, a 50% discount off MSRP. LightWave is widely in use in the print and design industry, and is used to provide compelling graphics in newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, and The San Antonio Express-News, as well as cover and interior illustrations for magazines and books including Time, Newsweek, Popular Science and Reader's Digest Illustrated Books Out There Series' Search for Intelligent Life.

"Our initial offering for Mac-based graphic artists and designers has been very successful and in response to the demand we're extending this offer through the first quarter of 2004," said Jim Plant, President and Chief Executive Officer of NewTek, Inc. "LightWave 3D, the standard for 3D in print and design, represents an incredible value for digital content creators with this aggressive offer."

LightWave 3D combines intuitive and powerful modeling and animation tools with a state-of-the-art photo-real renderer to create the most complete and affordable professional 3D toolset in the industry. LightWave's capability as a complete 3D production solution coupled with its affordability have made it a tool of choice both for freelance graphics artists and for staff artists and designers worldwide for editorial and advertising print graphics, architectural and scientific visualization, broadcast graphics, games, web and visual effects for film and television.

"Weekly newsmagazines typically call a number of artists on a Wednesday (hopefully in the morning!) to compete for a job, and expect a finished piece of art by around 5-6pm on Friday," said Chris Short, freelance illustrator whose clients include Newsweek, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Explorer, and MGM. "Working in LightWave 3D and modeling, texturing & lighting, I can render a low-res sketch that almost looks finished, so there is no doubt as to what it will look like. Also, with LightWave being so versatile, I'm able to give the art director different angles, compositions or lighting situations, all in one rendering session, so I can have several variations to present. In comparison, the other artists or photographers may be only showing pencil sketches or very rough comps. LightWave puts me in a better position."

NewTek is previewing LightWave 3D v. 8 for press and users at the MacWorld Expo in a hospitality suite at the San Francisco Marriott, 55 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Call +1-210-370-8000 for an appointment to view the newest version.

LightWave 3D Overview:

• World-class rendering
• Fast, versatile Modeler
• Powerful scripting language
• Character Animation tools
• Particle Effects
• Expressions
• Numeric entry and expressions in input fields
• Unlimited points and polygons per object
• Unlimited images
• Unlimited surfaces
• Easy import of Illustrator® data
• Easy integration with other effects production tools.

LightWave 3D version 8 Includes:

• Improved workflow in Layout and Modeler
• Rigid Body Dynamics
• Improved Soft Body Dynamics
• Faster IK, FK
• Bone Dynamics
• More powerful and flexible character animation controls and tools
• Improved character setup workflow
• New Particle System Tools
• Animatable UV coordinates
• Improvements to LScript(TM) scripting language and to the API

Pricing and Availability
The LightWave 3D for Print Special Offer is available now through March 31, 2004 in the USA and Canada for $795US, at NewTek authorized resellers, Apple Stores, Ingram resellers, and on NewTek’s web site. Mac OSX platform with USB port required. For more information on this special offer, see http://www.newtek.com/print.

About NewTek
With headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, NewTek is a leading provider of full-featured video editing, animation and special effects tools including VT[3]TM, and LightWave 3D®, winner of the 2003 Primetime Emmy® Engineering Award. NewTek launched the desktop video revolution in 1990 with the release of the legendary Video Toaster®. The company's products are used worldwide on projects ranging from home video to feature film.

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• VT[3], LightWave and LightWave 3D are registered trademarks of NewTek.
• All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.