Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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  US: Diana Lee  
  UK: Perry Stacy  
  JAPAN: Toshihide Miyata  
  Germany and all other countries:  Joachim Heller  

March 12, 2003

CINEMA 4D R8.1 ARRIVES

Free update delivers HDRI, new particle effects and dozens of other new features

March 12, 2003 - MAXON today released CINEMA 4D R8.1, the latest version of its modeling, rendering and animation software. In addition to maintenance fixes, the update boasts dozens of new features &emdash; most notably HDRI and new particle effects &emdash; and is available free to all owners of CINEMA 4D R8. Download the update at www.maxon.net.

	PC-Screenshot - click picture to enlarge. For high-res screenshots please visit our pressroom.

The new Release 8.1 updates not only the core CINEMA 4D application but also the optional CINEMA 4D modules if installed.

Some of the new features are targeted specifically at MAXON's optional CINEMA 4D modules, demonstrating the company's commitment to a modular system that enables users to pay for extra features as they need them.

Full support for HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imagery) is an eagerly awaited improvement to the Advanced Render module. This new feature enables users to take full advantage of special 96-bit HDRI photographs which represent the complete brightness range of the environment they were taken in. This produces lighting as natural as the original environment itself, leading to dramatic gains in realism.

	Mac-Screenshot - click picture to enlarge. For high-res screenshots please visit our pressroom.

The new particle effects bolster the Thinking Particles module. These include the Blurp operator, which can fragment an object and then rebuild it into an entirely new shape, as well as MatterWaves, which gives users the ability to control particle emission using lights or textures.

There are also key gains in the core CINEMA 4D application. OpenGL is faster, with new support for hardware-accelerated lighting. 20 new nodes have been added to the popular XPresso expressions editor, giving users further opportunities to automate animation. And output to Flash and ShockWave 3D has been enhanced to generate better results in less time.


For users who need to import models from NURBS applications such as Rhino, there are two further reasons to be cheerful. Import has been optimized to combat seams. And problem areas such as groups of long, thin triangles are now rendered smoothly thanks to a new shading algorithm.

Click here for more details about the new features and enhancements.

"There is something for everyone in this free, exciting update to CINEMA 4D", said Paul Babb, CEO at MAXON. "The new HDRI feature, which alone is great news for CINEMA 4D users, raises the render quality to new heights. And visual effects artists will find more ways to make the impossible happen with the help of the new features for particles.

"With CINEMA 4D R8.1, we've strengthened not just the core application but most of the optional modules too. Our policy is to enable all 3D artists to custom-tailor their ideal solution at an unbeatable price. The update confirms this."

Pricing and Availability
CINEMA 4D R8.1 is available immediately as a free downloadable update to all owners of CINEMA 4D R8 at www.maxon.net.