LightWave 3D® Sweeps Leading Macintosh Publications' Awards

MACWORLD, San Francisco, CA January 8, 2002 - NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, announced today that their Macintosh version of LightWave 3D® has won accolades from two leading publications in the Macintosh arena. LightWave® [7] was awarded the Best 3D Graphics Software of 2001 (the EDDY Award) by the Editors of Macworld Magazine, and then days later given the "Freakin' Awesome" rating by MacAddict. Already in its fifth major version release for the Macintosh, and its second for Mac OS X, the software has become the established leader on the platform.

Macworld EDDY Awards
As quoted in Macworld's December, 2001 article announcing the winners of the 17th Annual Editors' Choice awards, "If you make your living working with 3-D, then you need NewTek's mature LightWave 3D®." The Macworld editors each year survey products released from November to November, and this year in the 3D Graphics Software category, LightWave 3D® was chosen as the winner. This is especially relevant this year, as there have been new competitors entering the Macintosh playing field, and with Mac OS X validating the Macintosh as an extremely powerful 3D platform. The Macworld editors "focus on products' overall quality and the creators' willingness to lead them in new directions." LightWave 3D® includes optimizations for the Altivec instruction set (also known as the Velocity Engine) which have helped significantly speed up render times, and also takes advantage of OpenGL, QuickTime technology, multiple processors, and of course, Mac OS X. All of these factors went into consideration during the selection of the winner.

MacAddict Review
MacAddict reviewed LightWave 3D® [7] for the January 2002 issue, and awarded it their highest rating: Freakin' Awesome. As quoted in the issue, "LightWave® has long been a must-have for many 3D artists, and version 7.0 reaffirms NewTek's position as one of the premier 3D modeling and animation software developers… LightWave® 7.0 reinforces the program's already rock-solid foundation, giving you an almost dizzying number of options with which to play." The review added that the product highlights include "Almost unlimited high-end features. Versatile rendering engine. Professional quality at a prosumer price."

"NewTek is really pleased that these two well-respected publications for Macintosh users have recognized LightWave 3D® as a superior product," said David Tracy, Technical Marketing Manager for 3D at NewTek. "We are very dedicated to the Macintosh platform, and the high ratings by these publications has offered some very welcome praise. We hope that this will encourage artists interested in 3D to take a look at LightWave 3D® on the Mac."

LightWave 3D® is versatile enough to make the transition to and from all kinds of projects. Proven for years in television, film, and games, LightWave 3D® is also being used to create graphics for print, web, industrial design, architecture, medical imaging, and anywhere else a 3D package is needed. A full, robust program, LightWave 3D® includes soft-body dynamics, particles, Sasquatch Lite for hair and fur, plus unlimited render nodes; LightWave 3D® ships with all the tools an artist needs to create.

Pricing and Availability
LightWave® [7] is currently shipping for a suggested retail price of US$2495. Registered owners of LightWave® [6] may upgrade to version [7] for US$495, and registered owners of LightWave® 5.6 or earlier may upgrade to version [7] for US$595. LightWave® [7] is available for Macintosh OS 9 and OS X-native, and for Windows 98, 2000, Me and NT4, and is running on AMD and Intel processors. Product is available through NewTek's channel of authorized resellers and distributors worldwide.

About NewTek
With headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, NewTek is a leading provider of full-featured video editing, animation and special effects tools including the VT®, LightWave 3D® and Aura. NewTek launched the desktop video revolution in 1990 with the release of the legendary VT®. The company's products are used worldwide on projects ranging from home video to feature film. Recent film and television projects using NewTek software include Driven, A.I., Final Fantasy, The Time Machine, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The 6th Day, Jurassic Park III, Charlie's Angels, X-Men The Movie, Pitch Black, Dracula 2000, Star Trek: Enterprise, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The X-Files, The Family Guy, Ally McBeal, Dune: The Miniseries, Dawson's Creek and Family Law. Recent game titles include Deus Ex, Serious Sam, Twisted Metal: Black, Quake 3 Arena, Moto Racer World Tour, Giants for PS2, Baldur's Gate II, EverQuest, Planescape: Torment, Dead To Rights, and Escape From Monkey Island. Contact NewTek at 5131 Beckwith Blvd, San Antonio, TX, 78249. Phone: 210-370-8000, fax: 210-370-8001, website: http://www.newtek.com or http://www.lightwave3d.com.