Videogame Technology to Be Integrated in Visualization Tools for Other Content-Creation Products

Autodesk said today that it had acquired Bitsquid, the Swedish creator of the Bitsquid 3D game engine. The acquisition firms up Autodesk's support for game development, setting the stage for the creation of a new Autodesk 3D game engine, but the company said technology from the Bitsquid engine will also show up in other products, presumably including Maya and 3ds Max.

"The Bitsquid acquisition brings to Autodesk both the expertise and the technology that will enable us to deliver a groundbreaking new approach to 3D design [and] animation tools, and we welcome the team and community to Autodesk," said Autodesk Media & Entertainment Senior VP Chris Bradshaw in a prepared statement. Bradshaw described technology that would improve real-time 3D visualization, allowing designers to virtually walk through their created environments in the same way gamers now navigate videogame worlds.

More information on the new Autodesk 3D game engine will be available later this year, the company said.

In related news, over the weekend, Autodesk dropped the desktop subscription price for its Maya LT 3D animation and modeling software aimed at indie game developers from $50 to $30 a month.