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Perforce SCM 2005.1 Embraces Digital Content Creation

Perforce Software announced that the 2005.1 version of its software configuration management system (available beginning May 16) enables users to preview multiple versions of an image and increases productivity for technical and non-technical users.

Perforce SCM tracks and manages source code and digital asset development for software and game production environments. New to Perforce with the 2005.1 release, a thumbnail viewer enables digital artists to see differences quickly and easily between an image they are modifying and any version of it that is stored in the Perforce repository.

Perforce has a strong reputation among software developers, said Christopher Seiwald, president and chief technology officer of Perforce Software. The thumbnail viewer now makes Perforce the obvious choice among digital artists. The viewer, combined with our recently released integrations with Discreets 3ds Max, Adobes Photoshop and Alias Maya, brings SCM to digital content creation.

The built-in thumbnail viewer provides a small version of each revision of an image stored in Perforce, as well as a scalable preview pane so that users can see any version at a larger size without opening the file. All major image file formats are supported: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, PBM, MNG, PGM, PPM, XBM and XPM; a plug-in API is available for custom and proprietary formats.

The 2005.1 version also streamlines how artists and users of varying technical backgrounds interact with Perforce. The ability to set preferences for managing file access and the intuitive prompts that simplify sophisticated operations create a more comfortable SCM environment.

Since our adoption of Perforce at BioWare, almost every aspect of our development process has become linked to Perforce, said Trent Oster, BioWare's project director of the technology architecture group and producer of the award-winning PC role-playing game NEVERWINTER NIGHTS. A stable, high-performing source code and digital asset repository is key to managing the massive amounts of data required for current and next generation games, and Perforce delivers on all counts.

Interested developers may download and evaluate Perforce free from the Perforce Software web site without obligation for a 45-day trial. This offer includes free technical support during the evaluation period. A free, fully functional, two-user version is also available from the website. End-user licenses, including one year of support and maintenance, start at $750 per seat; volume discounts are available.

Headquartered in Alameda, California, Perforce Software (www.perforce.com) has international operations in Europe, Japan and India.

Bill Desowitz's picture

Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.

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