SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- February 19, 2001 -- Today, at flashforward2001, Electric Rain, Inc.® unveiled its newest contribution to the world of 3D vector graphics. They have announced the development of a 3D Studio Max® Plug-In version of their popular Swift 3D product, allowing users of this high-end modeling software to export directly to the Macromedia® Flash™ (SWF) file format, as well as other types of vector-based files. After their April 2000 release of Swift 3D v1.0, the demand was huge for a version that worked seamlessly with 3D Studio Max.

3D Studio Max, by Discreet®, is the industry leader in high-end 3D design and animation, but it lacks the ability to render files to the Macromedia Flash (SWF) file format. Because Max, and other tools like it, export raster-based files only, 3D objects and animations created in these programs are not able to take advantage of low-bandwidth vector-based solutions like Macromedia Flash, and therefore have not made a significant presence on the Web. Electric Rain has responded with the development of Swift 3D Max Plug-In.

“Flash is prompting a convergence between the Web and the big screen experience,” said Mike Soucie, President of Electric Rain, Inc. “3D animations have long been a staple for movies and television, and 3D Studio Max has provided a brilliant tool to create those 3D effects. But with the bandwidth issues of the Web, designers have been frustrated trying to integrate 3D content into their sites. The Swift 3D Max Plug-In is Electric Rain’s response to the pressing demand for an efficient, vector-based 3D solution that doesn’t handcuff Max users or Flash designers.”

On February 21st, the final day of the flashforward2001 event, Dave Klein, V.P. of Marketing for Electric Rain, Inc., will demonstrate the Swift 3D Max Plug-In to an eager flashforward2001 audience. The preview of the Max Plug-In will be a much-anticipated part of the ‘New Tools’ session at flashforward2001. This one-hour program features innovative design tools that complement popular vector graphic authoring applications such as Macromedia® Flash™ and Adobe® LiveMotion™ software.

The highlight of the Swift 3D Max Plug-In demonstration will be the rendering capabilities of their new software. Swift 3D relies on Electric Rain’s RAViX™ rendering technology to convert raster-based images to low-bandwidth vector files. RAViX II is the newly developed core of the Swift 3D Max Plug-In, and it offers significant speed and file size improvements over the first generation engine.

“Electric Rain is highly sensitive to the needs of Flash designers,” commented Klein. “When 3D Studio Max users within the Flash community began requesting a plug-in, we began developing it. And when Swift 3D users asked for faster rendering speeds, we created RAViX II. The 3D industry has acknowledged the fact that our products provide the highest quality exports. At the same time, we realized using the Swift 3D standalone as a file converter for 3D Studio Max was not taking advantage of all the features of Max that a plug-in would address. Our new Swift 3D Max Plug-In will deliver the solution – an integrated tool for 3D Studio Max users to publish their 3D content to the Web using the bandwidth-friendly SWF file format.”

Electric Rain expects to release the Swift 3D Max Plug-In in early spring 2001; a price has not yet been determined. Information on the Swift 3D Max Plug-In and RAViX II rendering technology can be found at www.erain.com. For more information please call Electric Rain at 1-888-613-1500.

About Electric Rain, Inc.
Electric Rain, Inc. is a fast moving 3D and multimedia software company with a vision of bringing easy-to-use 3D and multimedia tools to the masses. Through the release of its stand-alone application, Swift 3D v1.0, and the company's proprietary RAViX rendering technology, Electric Rain has quickly become the industry leading developer and supplier of 3D to vector solutions. The company is located at the base of the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado. More information about Electric Rain and its products and technologies is available at www.erain.com.

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For More Information Contact:
Ed Wunsch - Electric Rain, Inc.
P (303) 543-8233
F (303) 543-8225
E ewunsch@erain.com