3D and multimedia software company Electric Rain, Inc. has released Swift 3D version 2.0, a stand alone application allowing users to design and render 3D scenes to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format, as well as Adobe Illustrator EPS and the latest XML-based SVG. Swift 3D V2 includes many new modeling tools that empower designers of all levels of 3D experience to quickly build and animate complex 3D scenes.

Ascension Technology Corporation, manufacturer of motion tracking devices, has introduced winBIRD, a versatile program that allows users to experiment with Ascension’s products in a standard Windows environment. For use with single and multi-sensor or multi-transmitter configurations, winBIRD lets users change all major device and system options while monitoring how the changes affect returned data.

Plazmic, creator of the Mobile Media Platform, which enables the creation and distribution of rich mobile media to wireless devices worldwide has partnered with Walt Disney Internet Group Japan to launch an enhanced rich mobile media entertainment service on NTT DoCoMo's i-mode network. Disney-i customers can access a graphically enhanced, interactive and animated version of the entertainment service Magical Fortune using the Plazmic Media Engine, an interactive wireless media player based on Java technology.

Anark Corporation is seeking beta testers for its public beta program of Anark Studio, an integrated media platform that combines 3D and 2D graphics, video, audio, text and data into an interactive, television-quality presentation.

Graphics studio and publisher Marlin Studios has released PANORAMICA - LAND & SKY, a 2 CD-Rom set created by artist and photographer David Campbell. The product is the twelfth in a series of texture libraries created for use by 2D and 3D graphics artists. PANORAMICA is a collection of beautifully photographed and post-processed panoramic land and sky backgrounds, in full hemispherical and 180/240/360-degree formats. Matching 3D models are included for the various size textures. Also included is a set of six stop-action animated cloud formations, suitable for video and other applications.

The Macromedia Flash Player has been integrated into Liberate's open, standards-based interactive television platform for commercial deployment. The integration of the Macromedia Flash Player makes it possible for the more than one million Macromedia Flash developers to create compelling content and applications for interactive TV on the Liberate TV Platform software.

NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of 3D animation and video products, has released a maintenance update for the immensely popular LightWave 3D version [7]. LightWave [7] was announced and released on August 13, 2001 during SIGGRAPH, and has been embraced by the 3D-user community since that announcement. Only a month later, the LightWave development team has completed massive speed increases and optimizations for both the Intel SSE2 instruction set and the Apple AltiVec instruction set (also known as the Velocity Engine), allowing for an unprecedented performance improvement.

pmG Worldwide LLC has released an advance version of messiah:studio, the company's new, integrated 3D animation, rendering and developers' package. Featuring an all new intuitive interface and highly stable and efficient architecture, the advance version of messiah:studio is on sale right now for US$1,395 (MSRP $1795) and is expected to ship the first week in October 2001. Purchasers of the advance version will automatically receive the final version of the software when it ships on November 26, 2001.

Alias|Wavefront, an SGI company, announced that Maya for Mac OS X has shipped. This much anticipated release of the 3D animation and effects software package on the Macintosh platform will make 3D graphics more accessible to professional graphics artists. With this first release of Maya for Mac OS X, all of Maya Complete becomes native to the Macintosh. Features unique to this version include support for QuickTime, tear off menus in the hot box, and a fully Aqua interface. Alias|Wavefront is offering a special order promotion that will continue until the end of the year.

Pinnacle Systems, Inc., announced the immediate availability of CineWave 1.2, the newest version of the company's award-winning professional video creation solution. CineWave version 1.2 contains many new features including CineOffline, support for 16-bit YUV and 8-bit RGBA codecs, and HD qualification and support for Final Cut Pro 2 with most popular HD formats. CineOffline allows CineWave users to maximize costly storage space by using offline qualities to reduce the size of the media within a project.