NewTek and Digimation Announce Integration of
VT[2] and 3ds max™

VT[2] System Provides Complete Editing Suite, Uncompressed Recording and Broadcast Preview for 3ds max Animators

San Antonio, Texas -- November 13, 2002 -- NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, and Digimation, Inc., world's leading supplier of plugins for 3ds max, today announced a suite of plugins providing tight integration between NewTek's VT[2] and Discreet's 3ds max. The plugins will ship standard with VT[2].

“We're extremely pleased to have worked with Digimation to make VT's broad production toolset available to 3ds max users,” said Andrew Cross, NewTek's Senior Vice President of Engineering. “VT[2] offers animators an affordable solution for taking on any level of production work. VT's production tools provide the best quality output, immediate feedback for the artist on what the shot will look like at broadcast time, and quick assembly of shots to see how they work in the final sequence. 3ds max users who composite with Combustion will welcome VT's fast framebuffer performance that makes working on layered effects interactive in real time.”

VT[2] complements 3ds max's toolset with compositing, video editing, video painting, video in and out, digital disk recording (DDR), and other powerful tools that let 3ds max animators take their work to a new level. NewTek has created custom hooks that give 3ds max direct links into the VT[2] Graphics System. 3ds max animators can use VT[2]'s framebuffer for real time display on a PAL or NTSC broadcast monitor. This eliminates guesswork about how colors translate from the computer monitor to a TV, or wondering if the image looks good on an interlaced display. Digimation’s Senior Product Manager Todd Peterson remarked, “The speed and the power of VT[2] appear to be unrivaled by any other non-linear editing system out there.”

NewTek also includes high quality file saving tools for 3ds max that let the user save animations in the VT[2]'s own file format. The RTV format is an uncompressed 4:2:2 video format that provides uncompromised quality. NewTek's software does a conversion from 16-bit RBGA space into the RTV format, letting rendered images look as good as they can be on an NTSC or PAL monitor.

3ds max users will find the VT[2] Graphics System bundles, which include eyeon's Digital Fusion compositing products, an affordable alternative among high-end compositing packages. With Digital Fusion® or DFX+®, the user gets powerful compositing functions, including keying, tracking, and RLA/RPF support, plus all the video I/O, editing, and broadcast quality video tools that the VT[2] provides.

Pricing and Availability
VT[2] MSRP is $2995.00US, available now through Digimation at www.digimation.com, and other NewTek resellers at http://www.newtek.com/dealers.

VT[2] Graphics Systems bundles are available now. NewTek and eyeon Software product options include:

• VT[2] Graphics System: Video Edition (introductory price - limited time offer)
  VT[2] with DFX+ and Modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 for $2495US
• VT[2] Graphics System: Film and High Def Edition
  VT[2] with Digital Fusion 4 and LightWave 3D® for $5995US

About Digimation
Digimation, Inc. is the preferred plug-in publisher for Discreet's 3ds max and the exclusive distributor of Viewpoint 3D models. Digimation has developed and distributed plug-in technology for 3ds max as well as stand-alone graphic oriented programs since 1992. Digimation is known for such plug-in technology as Bones Pro, Shag:Hair and Illustrate! 5. More information about Digimation, plug-ins for 3ds max and Viewpoint models can be found at www.digimation.com.

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®, 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 film and television projects using NewTek software include We Were Soldiers, Panic Room, Hart’s War, Driven, A.I., Oscar®-nominated Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Final Fantasy, Blackhawk Down, The Time Machine, Black Knight, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The 6th Day, Jurassic Park III, Behind Enemy Lines, X-Men The Movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Director’s Edition DVD, Pitch Black, Dracula 2000, Smallville, 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 I and II, Twisted Metal: Black, Civilization III, Unreal, 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. Website: http://www.newtek.com

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• VT®, LightWave® and LightWave 3D® are registered trademarks of NewTek.
• VT-Edit, Aura Video Paint, LightWave® Express, VT-CG, VT-Vision, VT-Scope, VT-DRR, SX-8, and RS-8 are trademarks of NewTek, Inc.
• All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.