Autodesk sigue creciendo, ahora se hace con Softimage

Tras la adquisición hace unos años de Maya, uno de los competidores de 3D Studio, Autodesk anuncia hoy que llegará a un acuerdo para hacerse con Softimage, que ha ido creciendo poco a poco y hasta convertirse en una de las pocas alternativas reales a 3D Studio y Maya. Actualmente se usa bastante en videojuegos, Capcom, UbiSoft y Konami en Metal Gear Solid 4 (hay un extenso making of en la web de Softimage) son ejemplos claros. Otros muchos juegos que han utilizado las herramientas de alguna manera son Devil May Cry 4,  Ninja Gaiden 2, Appleseed Ex Machina (la película), Ryu ga Gotoku (Yakuza), Lost Planet y Virtua Fighter 5.

Autodesk has announced that it has reached a deal with Avid to acquire substantially all of the assets of the Softimage business unit for USD 35 million.

Montreal-based Softimage is best known for its XSI range 3D animation tools, used by Ubisoft and Capcom among others, and Autodesk has confirmed that it will continue development on a number of titles, while also integrating some technology into its own products in the future.

Autodesk Media and Entertainment senior VP Marc Petit said of the deal: "Softimage has been developing state-of-the-art 3D technology for more than 20 years, and its products are recognized as best-of-breed in the entertainment industry. Upon the completion of this acquisition we will be adding Softimage technology and products to our portfolio, and welcoming one of the most talented teams in the industry to Autodesk Media and Entertainment.

"Both will help us accelerate the work of our Games Technology Group, as we build the next-generation of real-time, interactive 3D authoring tools for games, film and television."

Gary Greenfield, CEO and chairman of Avid Technology, added that he felt Autodesk would make "a great home" for the Softimage business.