Autodesk eliminated a major source of competition by acquiring Alias Systems in 2006, and now it has bought out another provider of 3D animation solutions. The company has signed an agreement to acquire Softimage from Avid Technology Inc. Paying approximately $35 million, Autodesk will gain control of substantially all assets of Avid’s Softimage business unit.
Founded in 1986 by Daniel Langlois, Montreal-based Softimage develops 3D technology for the film, television and games markets. The comapany’s flagship product is SOFTIMAGE|XSI, a full 3D animation software solution used by a number of leading media and entertainment companies, including Digital Domain, Ubisoft, SEGA Corp., CAPCOM, Animal Logic and The Mill. Autodesk
‘Softimage has been developing state-of-the-art 3D technology for more than 20 years, and its products are recognized as best-of-breed in the entertainment industry,’ says Marc Petit, senior VP of Autodesk Media & Entertainment. ‘Upon the completion of this acquisition we will be adding Softimage technology and products to our portfolio, and welcoming one of the most talented teams in the industry to Autodesk Media & Entertainment. Both will help us accelerate the work of our Games Technology Group, as we build the next generation of real-time, interactive 3D authoring tools for games, film and television.’
Upon completion of the acquisition, Autodesk intends to continue developing and selling Softimage’s core product line, including SOFTIMAGE|XSI (Including XSI Essentials, XSI Advanced, XSI Academic, XSI Mod Tool and the XSI software development kit), SOFTIMAGE|Face Robot, SOFTIMAGE|Cat and SOFTIMAGE|Crosswalk. Autodesk also plans to integrate certain Softimage technology into future versions of its own solutions and products. For further information go to www.autodesk.com/softimage.
