SIGGRAPH '99, LOS ANGELES, August 10, 1999 -Cycore, the award winning, Sweden-based software developer of Cult3D® web animation technology, and Discreet, the creator of the best-selling 3D Studio MAX modeling and animation software, today announced the compatibility of Cult 3D 4.0 and 3D Studio MAX® Release3, the latest versions of their 3D web animation and modeling technologies. The powerful technology combination accelerates and better customizes the process of building and posting high-quality, interactive 3D objects to web sites.

Designed to speed productivity and streamline collaborative work environments, 3D Studio MAX R3 features a rebuilt renderer and many improvements for character animation, organic modeling and advanced texturing. Cult3D's integration with 3D Studio MAX R3 software makes it possible for artists to take immediate advantage of 3D Studio MAX R3's new enhancements, giving them the industry's most advanced solution to interactively produce 3D animated objects for their captivating web sites.

Capable of exporting 3D Studio MAX R3's enhanced 3D models, Cycore's new Cult3D Exporter gives web designers greater control over how an object is compressed, as well as the ability to customize polygon reduction. And, adding a new dimension of innovation to 3D web technology, Cult3D now features advanced sound capability, allowing web designers and e-commerce vendors to create and post to web sites interactive 3D objects that "speak" to web users.

Using new, efficient voice-compression technology licensed from Voxware, a division of Lucent Technologies, Cult3D sound makes it possible for e-commerce vendors to reach out -both visually and audibly- to online customers without soaking up bandwidth. E-commerce vendors can now include voiceovers, product explanations and recorded training instructions with any Cult3D object posted on the web.

"The use of 3D Studio MAX and Cult3D together will allow companies to display eye- and ear-catching 3D products on their web sites more quickly and easily," said Bengt Starke, CEO of Cycore. "Offering customers a chance to test out and hear about products while they're viewing them online makes the purchasing experience more personal, which can translate into increased sales and profits for companies."

"The Internet's rapid expansion is making it more and more important for companies to host content that grabs and maintains attention; and 3D scenes that are both interactive and animated are extremely compelling components for doing just that," said Phillip Miller, senior product manager for 3D Studio MAX at Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc. "3D Studio MAX R3 software gives Web artists all the tools they need to produce incredible 3D, animated creations, and Cycore's Cult3D 4.0 provides a direct method for getting them onto the Web with high quality and great interactive speed."

For more information on Cult3D 4.0, contact info@cult3d.com.

The Cult3D development tool and plug-in are available FREE for download at www.cult3d.com. Organizations pay a one-time licensing fee of $3600 that enables them to post an unlimited number of Cult3D objects to Web sites or Web stores.

The Cult3D viewer can be used with Netscape 2.0 (and higher) or Internet Explorer 4.0 (and higher) and the following operating systems: Windows 95, 98, and NT; MacOS (PowerPC); UNIX (Linux, HP/UX, AIX, Sun); and BeOS.

For more information about 3D Studio MAX R3 software, point your browser to www.ktx.com.

3D Studio MAX is available for a US List price of $3,495 from Authorized DiscreetTM Resellers. Upgrades from 3D Studio MAX R2.x will be available for $795 US List price. The Character Studio® R2.2 software patch is a compatibility release to run with 3D Studio MAX R3 and will be included on the 3D Studio MAX R3 CD.

About Cycore
Founded in Uppsala, Sweden with U.S. headquarters in San Mateo, California and Canadian headquarters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Cycore specializes in the development of special effects and 3D technologies for both the Internet and the video and film post-production industries. Cycore's Cult3D® Animation is the industry's first real-time, multi-platform 3D-rendering engine for the Internet. Creators of the award-winning Final Effects™ and Studio Effects™, Cycore's Cult Effects contains 18 new filters for Adobe After Effects used in the video and film post-production industries. For more information on the company, please visit Cycore on the World Wide Web at www.cycore.com.

About Discreet
Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., develops systems and software for visual effects, 3D animation, editing and production used in the creation of digital moving pictures for video, HDTV, the Web, broadcast graphics, interactive games and feature films, including the last three years' winners of the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Discreet products are used extensively in film and video postproduction, games and multimedia, broadcaster's graphics, programming and on-air event coverage. Software by Discreet is also popular with designers and architects for 3D visualization and conceptualization. Discreet was recently recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a Scientific and Engineering Award for flame* and inferno*.