Alias Announces StudioTools 12 ImageStudio 2

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Alias Announces StudioTools 12, Alias ImageStudio 2 and Portfolio Wall 2

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2004--Significant Advances in Product & Transportation Design Software Suite Accelerates Process of Creating Winning Designs.

Alias announced today that it will release Alias® StudioTools(tm) 12, Alias ImageStudio(tm) 2, and Alias PortfolioWall® 2, the industrial design industry's most advanced suite of software products, in November. Major advances in the new releases will significantly accelerate the design process and improve concept design, model evaluation, design review, and production modeling. The design suite will enable industrial designers to meet tighter deadlines and finalize concepts efficiently without compromising the goal of achieving the highest quality end results.

"The world's leading designers recognize Alias as the industry standard in outstanding design for a wide range of product design and transportation products," explains Peter Mehlstaeubler, vice president, Product Development at Alias. "Our latest releases combine to bring a very powerful solution to the design industry, providing a wide set of innovative enhancements that help designers create and present the very finest, leading edge concepts in less time."

Alias StudioTools 12

The StudioTools family, which includes Alias DesignStudio®, Alias Studio(tm), Alias AutoStudio(tm) and Alias SurfaceStudio(tm), delivers a full digital design workflow in a single package, from 2D sketching to production modeling. Alias StudioTools 12 software builds on its artist-centric tools to support creativity and flexibility, producing a higher quality end result, whether that result is a sketch, concept model, rendering, animation or production-ready surface.

StudioTools 12 is closing the gap between 2D and 3D and sketching enabling innovative new workflows for concept design and modeling. This release includes enhancements to significantly increase modeling productivity and quality. New real-time visualization features allow enhanced levels of realism for evaluating concepts, providing feedback while modeling and enabling design presentations. Advanced functionality for visual collaboration will enable design teams, executives and managers to effectively view, annotate, and obtain approval on 3D digital assets.

Alias ImageStudio 2

This easy-to-use rendering software is designed to streamline the process of preparing high quality presentations and frees designers to concentrate their energies on the process of creating and modeling. Alias ImageStudio transforms 3D models built in StudioTools or CAD software into sophisticated imagery.

Alias ImageStudio 2 software delivers a large amount of new materials; for example, fabrics, woods, textured plastics and liquids make it a valuable image creation tool for industrial designers, design engineers and modelers. New interactive rendering, as well as new data organization and performance tools, accelerate the process of fine tuning the look of materials and environments making it easy to achieve the exact vision of the designer. This release also adds compatibility with the STEP format, and enhancements to IGES support brings the power of Alias ImageStudio to virtually any 3D application including Pro/ENGINEER and SolidWorks®. Moreover, Alias ImageStudio has the ability to output a scene as a QuickTime® VR or movie file to help the designer create dynamic 3D experiences.

Alias PortfolioWall 2

Alias PortfolioWall 2 is a visual collaboration software product that enables design teams, executives and managers to effectively view, annotate, and obtain approval on 2D and 3D visual digital assets. PortfolioWall 2 delivers significant new tools for the design presentation, product review and collaboration processes including a number of overall productivity enhancements. Seamless data sharing between StudioTools and the PortfolioWall StudioViewer(tm) 12 provide a direct link between reviewers, modelers and designers via new bookmark and annotation tools. StudioViewer 12 is included with AutoStudio 12 software for easy model evaluation.

Worldwide Alias StudioTools Design Suite Launch Events

If you're interested in attending one of the many Alias StudioTools launch events held worldwide, visit www.alias.com/events.

Pricing, Availability, System Requirements

Pricing for StudioTools 12 starts at $7,500(a). The software runs on Windows® XP, Windows 2000 and SGI® IRIX® operating systems.

Alias ImageStudio 2 pricing starts at $1,499. PortfolioWall 2 pricing starts at $3,000. These two products run on Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating platforms.

The new releases will be available in November 2004.

(a) All prices are in US dollars. International pricing may vary. Please contact your local Alias office or reseller for details.

About Alias

As the world's leading innovator of 3D graphics technology, Alias develops award-winning software, custom development and training solutions for the film and video, games, web, interactive media, automotive, industrial design, education and visualization markets. Alias also offers a powerful range of services for new to advanced users in the most demanding environments. Learning Tools and training, support and professional services help meet rigorous production deadlines.

Design customers include AT&T, BMW, Boeing, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Italdesign, Kodak, Kwikset, Mattel, Price Pfister, Renault, Rollerblade, Sharp, Trek Bicycle, Teague and Timex

Alias is a privately owned, independent software company with headquarters in Toronto, offices worldwide and a Custom Development Center in Santa Barbara.

Please visit the Alias web site at www.alias.com or call 1-800-447-2542 in North America. International contact numbers include: Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa +44 (0) 1494 441273; Germany, East & Southeast Europe +0049 89 31 70 20; Italy +39 039 6340011; France, Spain and Portugal +33 1 44 92 81 60; Japan +35 797 3500; other parts of Asia Pacific +81 3 3470 8282 and Latin America +770 393 1881.

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