SOFTIMAGE has announced that the latest upgrade to their flagship SOFTIMAGE|3D animation system was available for download from their Web site. This upgrade represents a milestone for SOFTIMAGE, as it is the first upgrade the company has chosen to distribute on-line (rather than wait 6-8 weeks for reproduction, duplication and distribution). The new version 3.9 adds numerous new features and enhancements to the software, including: new tools for selecting polygons and editing polygonal meshes; an update to SOFTIMAGE's .xsi file format; enhanced output for Sony PlayStation format; improvements to editing envelope weights; and new texturing tools. The upgrade also delivers a refined user interface which should increase functionality and improve workflow. This upgrade comes shortly before the release of SOFTIMAGE's next-generation animation software, Sumatra, is due to be released. Scheduled for an April release (the software will most likely be released during the NAB conference), Sumatra brings new and exciting features such as the Animation Mixer, Multipass Rendering, and Interactive Regional Rendering to animators who choose to take advantage of the system.





Read more about Sumatra in Jade Ohlhauser's article

"Inside Sumatra" in Visual Magic Magazine.