New Version Extends Dynamics, Rendering, Scripting, Character Animation Capabilities and Company Introduces New Streamlined Product Offerings

FRIEDRICHSDORF, Germany — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 1, 2010 — MAXON Computer, a leading developer of professional 3D software, today announced the immediate availability of CINEMA 4D Release 12, the next generation of its highly-acclaimed professional 3D software application. The comprehensive CINEMA 4D Release 12 builds on more than two decades of 3D graphics development excellence and boasts dozens of new productivity enhancing features including improved rendering, enhanced dynamics, new deformers and superior character animation capabilities to allow digital artists to intuitively and easily create high-end 3D images and animations.

“Today’s release marks a significant milestone in the development of MAXON‘s professional 3D software and is a testament to more than two decades of programming excellence,” remarked Harald Schneider, CEO and co-founder of MAXON Computer. “Our development team made every effort to bring customer requested features that are easy to use, stable and powerful. Creative professionals from all industries will find unparalleled solutions to help them meet the challenges of today’s fast-paced production environments and create award-winning content.”

Key Highlights of CINEMA 4D Release 12:

[Editors’ Note: Not all features are included in every configuration. Please see a Product Comparison Chart on the MAXON web site for more information.]

• Powerful New Dynamics: CINEMA 4D now includes a comprehensive and easy-to-use rigid body dynamics system based on the production-proven Bullet engine. Objects can be connected via hinges, springs and complex joints and with a simple click can be transformed into soft bodies.
• Enhanced Rendering Features:
  • Linear Workflow and Color Profiles: Adopting a linear workflow is now as simple as activating a checkbox. Colors and lighting are mixed in a more realistic way, resulting in higher-quality images with less effort. Color profiles are now integrated throughout CINEMA 4D for accurate color representation.
  • IES lights: It is now possible to apply accurate light falloffs using the IES data directly from lighting manufacturers. Photometric intensities based on Lumen and Candela are also supported.
  • True Units of Measurement: CINEMA 4D now supports units, ensuring that calculations are accurate and scene scaling remains consistent. Units are automatically converted and scaling/unit information is automatically stored within each document.
  • Render Queue: Batch rendering has been streamlined with this augmented render task manager, complete with logging capability.
  • Picture Viewer: CINEMA 4D's breakthrough picture viewer now includes full-screen playback, a histogram display and navigator.
• New Character Tools: The Inverse Kinetics (IK) system features new dynamic properties. CINEMA 4D Studio also includes a powerful, integrated pose-mixing and morphing system.
• New Deformers: Several new deformers have been added to include options for modifying objects based on a low-poly cage or within the screen space.
• Python: Extensive support for the powerful Python language is now fully integrated allowing users greater functionality to create scripts, expressions and plugins for unlimited creative workflow.
• Others: A variety of other new features include double precision, dual transforms, OpenGL 3 support, new architectural shaders, and an parametric spline L-system.

This release also marks a widespread reorganization across the CINEMA 4D R12 product line with the introduction of four editions offering a proven workflow and feature sets targeted to professional 3D animators, motion graphics artists, architects and designers.

Paul Babb, president and CEO, MAXON US adds, “The product line reorganization is a practical step that gives all customers, from hobbyist to studio professional, clear choices when deciding on the features they need to deliver high impact, creative results,” he said. “Customers will also benefit from the streamlined and condensed product structure as it allows our team to better focus on developing new, exciting functionality."