NewTek’s LightWave 3D® Sweeps Emmy® Awards

LightWave 3D Wins Primetime Emmy Award for Engineering, and LightWave-based Productions
Win Emmy Awards in Both Special Visual Effects Categories

San Antonio, Texas -- September 23, 2003 -- NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, acknowledges the Emmy® winners for Special Visual Effects at the 55th Annual Emmy Awards. The winners in both Special Visual Effects categories - “Series”, and “Movie, Miniseries or Special” - used NewTek's LightWave 3D® as the primary tool to produce the effects for the winning shows. NewTek also received the 2003 Emmy Engineering Plaque for LightWave 3D, in recognition of the role of LightWave® has played in the creation of television visual effects.

“NewTek is pleased to extend our congratulations to the talented and innovative artists who have received Emmy recognition this year,” said Jim Plant, CEO and President of NewTek. “These are the 8th and 9th Emmy Awards received since 1993 by artists and producers who chose LightWave as their primary 3D effects tool. We designed LightWave from the ground up to provide the flexibility, speed and power that allows digital artists to produce effects to the highest standard within the tight schedule constraints of television, and we're awed and humbled at the incredible work that nominees, winners and other users have produced over the years. We're also honored that the Academy has recognized LightWave as well this year, in the light of its importance to the new breed of digital artists whose work has taken television visual effects to a new level. This complete professional toolset, which is offered at a price anyone can afford, is truly a keystone of the ongoing visual effects revolution.”

Winner for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series was Firefly episode Serenity, which aired on FOX, and was produced by Mutant Enemy, Inc., in association with 20th Century Fox Television, with visual effects by Zoic Studios. “LightWave lets us create top quality 3D content and visuals with speed and complete control,” said Emile Edwin Smith, of Zoic Studios. “LightWave's integration with our other tools makes for a smooth and fast production pipeline, allowing artists to concentrate on being creative, on telling a great story with the shot. And NewTek listens to our needs, and makes each new generation of LightWave more powerful and more flexible, expanding the creative range we can offer our clients.”

Winner for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special was Frank Herbert’s Children Of Dune • Night 1 which aired on the Sci Fi Channel, and was produced by New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc., in association with Blixa Film Produktion and Co. KG and Touchstone Television Productions, LLC, with visual effects by Area 51. “LightWave offers the speed, capability and flexibility that allows us to provide the pristine visuals our clients need when they need them,” said Tim McHugh, Founder of Area 51. “Our artists can work quickly and yet flex their imaginative muscles, with a tool designed to work the way they need to work. LightWave has a great modeler, a great renderer, and a perfect virtual stage designed from the ground up for the filmmaker.”

Overall, seven of the ten nominated productions, including all five nominees in the Series category, relied on NewTek's LightWave as the 3D tool of choice for their visual effects production. LightWave combines a state-of-the-art photo-real renderer with intuitive and powerful modeling and animation tools, and is often used as a complete 3D production solution. LightWave also includes a powerful scripting language, API and advanced integration with other popular production tools. These and other features make LightWave 3D one of the most complete professional toolsets in the industry and, coupled with its affordable price, and have catapulted it into use worldwide for broadcast graphics, games, print, web, as well as visual effects for film and television.

Pricing and Availability
LightWave 3D [7.5] is available now at authorized NewTek resellers worldwide for a suggested retail price of $1595US, and those who purchase from now until LightWave 3D [8] ships will receive a free electronic upgrade to LightWave [8]. Registered owners of LightWave 3D [7.5] or earlier are eligible to purchase an upgrade to LightWave [8] for $495US. To locate the nearest authorized reseller or distributor, see our reseller locater at http://www.newtek.com. Through September 30, purchases of full seats or upgrades will include eyeon Software's DFX+, a $995 value, Module 1 - Visual Effects, a $495 value, and Module 4 - 3D Tools, a $295 value, at no additional charge. Purchasers who would prefer to receive upgrades in package form with printed manual and CD rather than in electronic form will be able to purchase a Convenience Upgrade option for $99, directly from NewTek. For more information on the items offered and to purchase direct from NewTek, visit: http://www.newtek.com or call NewTek Sales at 1-800-368-5441, overseas callers dial +1-210-370-8000.

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]™, LightWave 3D® and Aura Video Paint™. 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 television and film projects using NewTek software include Children of Dune, Firefly, Taken, Smallville, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek 10: Nemesis, Daredevil, Spy Kids II, We Were Soldiers, Panic Room, Hart’s War, Driven, A.I., Oscar®-nominated Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Final Fantasy, Blackhawk Down, The Time Machine and Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Director’s Edition DVD. Recent game titles include Doom III, Unreal Tournament, Serious Sam for XBox, Age of Mythology, Civilization III, Dead to Rights, Baldur’s Gate II, EverQuest and Escape From Monkey Island. Website: http://www.newtek.com

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• eyeon Digital Fusion and Digital Fusion are registered trademarks of eyeon Software Inc.
• LightWave, LightWave 3D and VT, are registered trademarks of NewTek.
• Aura Video Paint, and VT[3] are trademarks of NewTek, Inc.
• All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.