On April 10, 2001, at the
Macromedia User Conference (UCON) in New York, Discreet announced a
3ds max Shockwave exporter that includes support for rich character
animation from character studio, dynamic physics from reactor and
MultiRes mesh technology. With this integrated exporter, artists can
transfer 3D content directly from 3ds max into the Director 8.5
authoring environment for deployment in the Shockwave format. "With
the Shockwave Player already in use by more than 200 million Web
users, we are in a unique position to improve online entertainment,
E-merchandising and learning experiences by adding 3D," said
Macromedia senior director of product marketing Peter Ryce. "With the
platform in place, we needed to integrate Macromedia Director 8.5
with 3D tools that deliver the highest quality experience for
developers and artists; the Discreet 3ds max tool fit the bill
perfectly with its open technology platform, and existing base of
content creators." "Interactive 3D animation provides developers and
Web viewers expanded opportunities to experience 3D on the Web --
delivered in a scalable format, at minimum bandwidth," said Discreet
senior director of software products Phillip Miller. "With authoring
and playback solutions jointly developed by Macromedia and Intel, and
a strong bridge to Discreet's leading 3D content creation tools,
artists can now deliver the rich Web experiences that result in
increased online sales, site stickiness and customer satisfaction."