Discreet Unveils 3ds max 6

New Version to Incorporate Dedicated New Tools Specific for Film, Games and Design Visualisation 3D Professionals

London, UK, July 28, 2003 - Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), today announced the newest version of its acclaimed 3D modelling, animation and rendering solution 3ds max® 6 at the SIGGRAPH Exhibition in San Diego, California. This major software release for 3D and 2D graphic professionals will offer advanced customer-driven capabilities that enable the professional 3D artist, developer and designer to evolve to a higher level of quality, sophistication, and productivity - as they create top-selling games, motion picture visual effects, or intricate visualisations for building design, industrial or government simulation.

The many new features in 3ds max 6 have been included following feedback and requests from leading film effects, design visualisation, and game development customers, including SEGA Corporation Japan. Designers and animators across all professional design industries will enjoy the depth and breadth of the new 3ds max 6 features to create their 3D designs with more creative tools and speed.

"SEGA is pleased to have been a guiding force in the development process for Discreet 3ds max 6, including providing direction on the new schematic view feature", states Mr. Toshihiro Nagoshi, Officer of SEGA Corporation. "This close connection between SEGA and Discreet encourages us to continue using Discreet's 3ds max as a part of our game development pipeline. SEGA appreciates this strong relationship with Discreet and will continue supporting 3ds max as a user and a part of the development teams."

New features in 3ds max 6 will include: advanced schematic view for easier viewing and better management of complex scenes; included mental ray® rendering software; vertex colour painting; design visualisation tools and interchange support with Autodesk and other computer-aided design (CAD) and CAD-related solutions; integrated reactor® 2 complete physics-with stuntman and vehicle dynamics; distributed network texture baking, and features that rovide greater accessibility to the software for power users. Also included in the release will be a particle flow system for creating realistic fountains, fog, snow, splashes, contrails, explosions and other environmental effects.

Discreet 3ds max is used by 80% of all game developers, producing best-selling titles such as: Grand Theft-Auto, Tom Clancey's Splinter Cell, Star Wars:Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter Nights - and continues to lead the game development industry. 3ds max is also used in a growing list of blockbuster films including: X-Men II, Bulletproof Monk, The Core, Final Destination II, Jason vs. Freddy. In addition, 3ds max is the specialty design visualisation tool of choice, used by architects and product designers, with the distinction of being the first-ever 3D design software to be used by the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation at Taliesin West (Scottsdale, AZ). When Discreet snowboard enthusiasts hit the slopes this winter, they will see radical Anime-style 3D design appliqués on the "Punch" and "Chopper" line of Burton Snowboards - all designed and rendered in Discreet 3ds max.

"3ds max 6 is a very powerful release, incorporating top customer requests that will inspire artists and animators across all design industries," said Nick Manning, Software Territory Manager, Discreet. "Discreet is pleased to deliver a solid, stable and rich release to our customers as part of our continued dedication to 3D professionals."

3ds max 6 is expected to be available in Autumn 2003, in English, with pricing at £2695 (VAT not included). German, French, Spanish, Italian versions will be available later in 2003. Upgrade pricing from 3ds max 5 is £595, and £995 from 3ds max 4. Customers are encouraged to join the Discreet Subscription Programme, which gives them access to new software feature extensions, upgrades and e-learning content for an annual fee. For more information, visit http://www.discreet.com/subscription/ for programme details, and resellers for pricing information.