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NewTek, best known for its high-end LightWave 3D modeling, rendering and animation package, has announced Inspire 3D.
Built using the LightWave 3D engine, Inspire 3D is geared to the graphics, illustration and design community, in contrast to LightWave's traditional appeal to those involved primarily in the creation of films, television and games. “Our goal is to take the ‘fear factor’ out of making great 3D graphics,” said Jay Roth, president of NewTek’s 3D graphics division. “We want Inspire 3D to be both fun and easy to use, as well as create great 3D.”
Emphasizing a short learning curve and speedy creation, Inspire 3D uses "production wizards" to generate 3D scenes and animations. Content is provided to jump-start the creative process, including models, environments, lighting scenarios, textures, materials and animated sequences.
Inspire 3D is said to take full advantage of capabilities in current graphics cards, CPUs and operating systems, including Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. “One of the great advantages of 64-bit technology is the ability to access large amounts of memory and bandwidth quickly and effectively,” said Brian Marr, senior product manager at Microsoft Corp. “It’s great to see companies like NewTek seizing this advantage and bringing the power of 64-bit technology to the graphics community."
Inspire 3D will have a suggested retail price of $195 and will be available for Windows XP, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Macintosh OS X. A free public beta program for pre-release versions of Inspire 3D is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2005. More information about Inspire 3D and the beta program is available on the NewTek site.