The latest version of Softimage|XSI 3D digital character and visual effects software, announced during SIGGRAPH last month, has been rebuilt to take full advantage of both multi-processor and multi-core 32- and new 64-bit platforms. In company tests, v5.0 could easily handle ten times the detail in scenes containing more than a billion polygons. A new set of migration tools for Maya users features interface layouts and navigation modes that let artists transfer their existing skills and muscle memory to XSI and migrate in days, not weeks. This version also has a tightly integrated and fast mental ray v.3.4 renderer. Coolest of all is the Gator property transfer system that moves fully textured and animated attributes from one dissimilar model to the next. It does in seconds what used to take you days, if not weeks. Three different packages, priced for varying budgets, are expected to ship this month: XSI Foundation ( $495), XSI Essentials ( $1,995) and XSI Advanced ( $6,995).
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