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

FRAMESTORE CFC SELECTS BODYPAINT 3D AS ITS WEAPON OF CHOICE FOR 3D PAINTING

Europe's largest visual effects and computer animation company joins MAXON's merry band of BodyPaint 3D users

MAXON and Framestore CFC - March 3rd, 2005 - MAXON today announced that Framestore CFC - the largest visual effects and computer animation company in Europe - is now using BodyPaint 3D as its default 3D paint app.

Framestore CFC - whose credits include "Troy," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "Blade 2," and "Walking With Dinosaurs" - switched to using BodyPaint 3D after tests proved MAXON's revolutionary app would cut production times dramatically at the London-based studio.

Huge time-savings are being made at Framestore CFC thanks in chief to BodyPaint 3D's complete feature set. Whereas previously Framestore CFC used several 3D paint apps on each creature or character map, now all the texture magic is done using just the one app, BodyPaint 3D.

Framestore CFC's first production which exclusively uses BodyPaint 3D as the default 3D paint app is entitled 'The Last Dragon' (US title - 'Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real'). This stunning example of CG wizardry is due to be aired in the UK and US in March 2005. A 35-strong team from Framestore CFC delivered 167 shots - some 35 minutes of CG - in 25 weeks, making the production one of the fastest turnarounds the company has ever delivered.

"BodyPaint 3D has all the tools we need. Before, we were having to use several 3D apps for texturing. Using just one to do everything is a big time saver. We're knocking days off of schedules and still managing to increase the quality of our final maps. There are so many useful features in the app. The fabulous Projection Paint and RayBrush modes have really changed the way paint our creatures and characters," said Daren Horley, Senior 3D Artist at Framestore CFC.

Framestore CFC has improved the image quality of its final character maps using a bunch of features unique to BodyPaint 3D.

A shining star in BodyPaint 3D is the unique RayBrush mode. Unlike other 3D apps, which use a reduced quality display mode while you are painting, BodyPaint 3D's RayBrush feature allows you to view the models in glorious raytrace quality while you paint. Because it works in realtime, that means you get to instantly see what your textures look like in full render quality. RayBrush eliminates the annoyance of having to paint and then render to see how the textures really look.

Also helping Framestore CFC to weave its movie magic is BodyPaint 3D's unrivalled support for projection painting. In particular, you can cut and paste while in Projection Paint mode - this allows parts of an image, such as a hand painted texture or a photo, to be copied and projected directly onto the 3D mesh, saving hours of texture time and giving
photorealism a boost.

Armed to the teeth with powerful tools, easy to use, and sporting direct connections to 3ds max, CINEMA 4D, LightWave and Maya, BodyPaint 3D is the weapon of choice of many major film studios. MAXON is delighted to have Europe's biggest visual effects house on board.

About Framestore CFC
Framestore CFC was formed in December 2001 through the union of two of the most creative and dynamic companies in the industry: FrameStore and The Computer Film Company (CFC). The company is now the largest visual effects and computer animation company in Europe, with over 30 years of combined experience in digital film and video technology. The company has won numerous international awards including two Technical Academy Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, three BAFTA Craft Awards and eleven Primetime Emmy Awards. For more information visit www.framestore-cfc.com.

About BodyPaint 3D
BodyPaint 3D is an advanced 3D painting application for creating high-quality detailed textures. BodyPaint 3D runs as a standalone program or can be integrated seamlessly into CINEMA 4D, providing artists with the unprecedented ability to add detail to surfaces at any point during the production process. BodyPaint 3D is compatible with all popular 3D software packages. For more information or to download a demo, please visit MAXON's website at www.bodypaint3d.com.