Boulder, CO - December 3, 2002 - Today Electric Rain, Inc.® announced the release of Swift 3D MAX Version 2.0, the next generation plug-in allowing Discreet 3ds maxT and Autodesk® VizT users to render scenes to the SWF file format as both vector and raster output. Swift 3D MAX enables 3D content developers working with 3ds max to create Web-optimized output in the SWF file format, as well as AI, EPS, SVG and Toon Boom's PNT format.

"Discreet 3ds max is the premier 3D modeling and animation software application of choice for 3D artists in large part because of its versatile and open technology that supports a vast selection of internal and third-party applications," said Dan Prochazka, 3ds max Product Manager at Discreet. "Swift 3D MAX 2.0 further extends the power of 3ds max-allowing designers to more effectively harness the Web as an accessible medium for 3D design."

New Vector Rendering Capabilities

Swift 3D MAX 2.0 features the industry-leading
RAViX III rendering engine with features including:

• Transparency - Renders objects with opacity control
• Reflectivity - Support for reflective materials
• Advanced Specularity - Gradated specular highlights
• Multiple Shadows - Overlapping shadows from any light source
• Patent-Pending SmartLayerT Technology

SmartLayer technology works in conjunction with the Swift 3D Importer plug-in for Macromedia Flash MX, enabling users to render scenes with elements separated into individual layers.

• Render layers for colors, outlines, shadows, highlights, reflections and transparencies
• Separatete layers for stationary and moving objects, eliminating duplication of static frames and reducing file size
insert Swift 3D MAX renderings directly into Flash MX libraries
• Textured Raster Export to SWF

Swift 3D MAX 2.0 also supports textured renderings for raster-based output to the SWF format, with per-frame cropping guaranteeing maximum optimization.

"After seeing what our Swift 3D standalone users have produced with RAViX III, we're looking forward to having our technology in the hands of the 3ds max and Viz crowd," commented Mike Soucie, CEO of Electric Rain, Inc. "We're confident that Version 2.0 of our 3ds max plug-in is going to raise the bar in the 3D-to-vector industry in terms of quality, flexibility and power."

Swift 3D MAX is available on the Windows platform and is compatible with Discreet 3ds max and Autodesk Viz versions 3.0 and above. The SRP for Swift 3D MAX is $295.00 USD for the full version and $149.00 for the upgrade, with a special $129.00 upgrade offer through December 20, 2002. Swift 3D MAX 2.0 is currently available from the Electric Rain Web site at http://www.erain.com.

About Electric Rain

Electric Rain is the industry-leading supplier of 3D-to-vector software solutions for Macromedia Flash. Electric Rain's product line includes Swift 3D standalone and Swift 3D plug-ins for 3ds max and LightWave 3D.

About Discreet

Discreet empowers moving media professionals to realize the visual experience, transforming their most evocative and ambitious visions into reality. Its range of award-winning systems and software is developed for digital media creation, management and delivery-across all disciplines from visual effects and editing to animation, game development, web/interactive design, and design visualization. Discreet is based in Montreal, Quebec and is a division of Autodesk, Inc., the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company. Product and corporate information is located on the Internet at www.discreet.com.

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For More Information Contact:
Carrie Cochrane - Electric Rain, Inc.
P (303) 543-8233
F (303) 543-8225
E ccochrane@erain.com