Nomura Sells Cambridge Animation

Cambridge Animation Systems, developer of Animo 2D software, has been purchased from Japanese investment bank Nomura by a digital media consortium that includes an original founder of the company. The new owners are moving the company to a new and larger facility in Cambridge, England. Over the past 18 months the new management team placed in the company by Nomura has completely reorganized Cambridge Animation Systems, expanded Cambridge's line of products and set up a growing reseller network worldwide. This restructuring of the business and the promise of growth made the company an attractive investment, according to Peter Florence, leader of the purchasing consortium and a founder of Cambridge Animation Systems in 1990. This year Cambridge has released a new version of its Inkworks 3D cartoon rendering program, new software called Swiffworks that delivers Macromedia Flash output to 3D animators, and Animo 4, a major upgrade of the company's flagship software.