Wave Issue 0303 2/7/03 Article 3-01

***Caligari Announces trueSpace6.5
(January 27)

Caligari Corporation, a provider of 3D multimedia authoring
software, today announced the latest version of trueSpace.
Version 6.5 features a new animation engine aimed at meeting the
needs of game developers and professional animators.

trueSpace is a modeling and design environment for projects
ranging from print/web design and concept presentation through
full character animation. The new animation engine in Version 6.5
will allow designers to use animation behaviors and built-in
physics on objects created in trueSpace.

The main new feature in trueSpace6.5 is its non-linear animation
capability, allowing users to compose animations using clips of
motion sequences. Users can define low-level behaviors using the
existing Key-Frame view and then edit, combine and blend the
created behaviors in trueSpace's new Clip-view editor. Caligari
believes that this ability to separate low and high level editing
will enable flexibility in viewing and experimenting with various
animation scenarios--such as accelerating game action
experimentation.

Additional animation features in trueSpace6.5 include improved
Inverse Kinematics (IK) for control of bones and joint movement,
as well as breakable objects that react with the environment.
Local physical environments can be assigned to any object in
order to create motion, causing, for example, leaves to swirl at
the passing of a car. Joints can now be assigned physical
properties allowing them to react to other objects and these
environments.

Caligari stated that enhancements have also been made to
trueSpace's core modeling environment, with the intent of
improving control over object detail and workflow. These include
the addition of selective surface subdivision surfaces, to enable
users to add detail such as wrinkles around a nose, without
significantly increasing the polygon count of the model, and
geometry paint, to enable users to place multiple copies of any
selected object on the surface of another with a single
brushstroke. A new surface healing tool closes gaps when
converting NURBS to polygons. The chamfers and fillets tools have
been expanded to handle mixed blends and new global and
interactive replace tools enable single-click replacement of
multiple objects.

Version 6.5 includes expanded support for the X and DXF formats
and now includes the DWG exchange file format for AutoCAD users.
Improved Viewpoint export allows a greater degree of
interactivity with Adobe Atmospheres, according to Caligari.

trueSpace6.5 will be available in February 2003 for $595.

www.caligari.com