The Hindu : Softimage to offer products on open platform

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 20, 2003

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Softimage to offer products on open platform

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD JUNE 19. After going through a trough of nearly three years, all animation markets are looking up — be it the film, games or commercials. In fact with improving productivity and more 3-D animated films under production globally than ever before in history, the picture is encouraging, feel global players such as Softimage.

Softimage Co, a subsidiary of Avid Technology Inc, is one of the nine companies acquired by the latter in the last decade of consolidation and is an industry leader in 3-D animation, 2-D cel animation, and offers popular software such as `SoftimageXSI' and `behaviour.'

Speaking to the The Hindu here on Thursday, Michael Stojda, Managing Director, Softimage, said, "All markets are tending to pick up now.'' India offered `huge potential,' and the company was bullish on the Asia Pacific region, which contributed 40 to 50 per cent of its revenues last year. Globally also, there has been a 60 per cent growth in the last two quarters.

There has been a lot of demand coming from TV channels, media companies, feature films and even universities, and competitiveness has led to improved productivity and cut in production costs.

Softimage has been able to sell 600 licences. Technology is the key to competition, he says pointing out Softimage has got seven new patents granted in the last quarter. Softimage is also the first to offer all of its products on the open platform. Its focus has been on `open platform,' `service excellence' and delivering the best of breed products and helping customers with tools and services to create 3-D content in the most efficient manner possible.

While Shaf Broadcast has been partnering Softimage in India, IBM has been working to certify. We have 14 offices to extend support to softimage. We have invested in Linux and working with universities also, says, Quentin Staes-Polet, Digital Media Solutions, Asia Pacific, IBM.

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