CYCORE COMPUTERS ANNOUNCES 'CULT EFFECTS' FOR FILM

CYCORE COMPUTERS ANNOUNCES 'CULT EFFECTS' FOR FILM AND VIDEO POST PRODUCTION ::Developers of Industry Standard Plug-In Allow Motion-Graphics Designers to ''Paint'' in After Effects for the First Time Uppsala, Sweden, March 1 - Cycore Computers, the creators of the industry-standard Final Effects software for the film and video industries, today launched its new software for film post production, Cult Effects (CE). The new plug-ins -- designed for use with Adobe After Affects 3.1/4.0 -- address motion-graphics designers' need to ''paint'' directly on film. Now users can paint without leaving After Effects, dramatically increasing design efficiency and workflow. In addition, Cult Effects comprises a broad mix of 18 effects filters, including advanced fractal-based simulations, camera lens distortions, electrical discharges that can be animated, and easy-to-use color tools and gradients. ''Just CE Paint alone is an absolute essential for every serious After Effects user,'' said Tim Sassoon, special effects supervisor and owner of Sassoon Film Design. ''From minor touch-ups and dust removal to full scene painting, CE Paint is fast, easy to use, and non-destructive. Truly amazing.'' Cult Effects' Paint filter allows special-effects artists to ''paint'' directly on film for the first time in After Effects using a tablet or a mouse. CE Paint is vector based, non-destructive, and supports both Wacom and Creation Station tablet's pressure stylus and erase functions. Every paint stroke is recorded in real-time and can be animated. Paint settings can be modified interactively and through a contextual menu within the composition window, allowing work flow to progress uninterrupted. The filter also contains animation and compositing options, including onion skinning and matte painting. CE Paint is optimal for all kinds of film and video ''painting,'' from removing scratches to animating a signature and full scene painting. ''Cult Effects is an extremely powerful set of plug-ins for Adobe After Effects,'' said Stephen Kilisky, senior product manager for Adobe After Effects. ''Used together, these two products provide exciting new capabilities that designers and visual-effects artists have been asking to see in After Effects. Cult Effects' new filters are not only easy to use, but provide After Effects users with even more options for creating spectacular visual effects.'' Cult Effects also features four filters that provide fractal-based effects. Designers and animators can use fractals to create real-world objects that do not contain simple geometric shapes. Using Cult Effects, all fractals can be animated with full user control to form anything from caustics and clouds to flowing lava, water, or gas. Users can also create textures and patterns or give rasterised text or graphics a natural, rough, or fragmented look. Distortion effects, such as fun house mirrors or waving flags, are easy to make. Additional filters provide the ability to animate electrical discharges that give the impression of being trapped or bounced inside a sphere or appear to outline objects in the way. The ''add'' or ''remove'' camera lens distortion filter is great for performing manipulations in ''flat'' space or distorting CG animation to match live footage. ''We believe Cult Effects widely expands the range of tools that motion- graphics designers have at their disposal to create spectacular special effects,'' said Jerry Petterson, vice president, research and development, Cycore Computers. ''From lightning simulations to flowing lava, Cult Effects makes creating realistic, studio-based effects a painless and easy process.'' Additional Features Cult Effects' 18 filters also include: the ability to change from one selected colour to another while leaving others unaffected, extraction of temporal changes of an effect or anything that contains motion, extraction of colour differences when matching a clean plate with foreground footage, simulation of film grain, and realistic shadows that can be coloured through transparent areas. A variety of colour tools are also available. Pricing and Availability As a special introductory offer, Cult Effects will be available for pre- order at a discounted rate until March 19, 1999. Customers pre-ordering before March 19 will receive the product for US dollars 595, including free shipping and handling via Federal Express. Cult Effects can be used with Adobe After Effects 3.1/4.0 on either Mac or Windows platforms and can be pre-ordered at http://www.culteffects.com A fully functional demo of the product is also available for download from the Cult Effects Web site. The product will begin shipping in late March 1999. About Adobe After Effects Adobe After Effects is considered the software tool of choice for motion-graphics designers and visual-effects artists who want to produce professional quality work for film, video, multimedia, and the Web. After Effects 4.0 continues that tradition by providing a robust, feature-rich product that delivers tight integration with all Adobe applications, greater creative control, and enhanced productivity. About Cycore Computers Based in Uppsala, Sweden, Cycore Computers specializes in the development of special effects and 3D technologies for both the Internet and the video and film post-production industries. Cycore's Cult3D(R) Animation is the industry's first real-time, multi-platform 3D-rendering engine for the Internet. Creators of the award-winning Final Effects(TM) and Studio Effects(TM), Cycore's Cult Effects product is a plug-in for Adobe After Effects used in the video and film post-production industries. Cycore Computers has a US sales office in San Mateo, Calafornia. For more information on the company, please visit Cycore on the World Wide Web at either http://www.culteffects.com or http://www.cult3d.com Contact: Lisa Melsted, lmelsted@brodeur.com, +1 617-587-2817 or Lisa Newman, lnewman@brodeur.com, +1 617-587-2838 both of Brodeur Porter Novelli, or Sten Kaiser of Cycore Computers, +46-18-65-65-60, sten@cycore.com Web site: http://www.culteffects.com ::Developers of Industry Standard Plug-In Allow Motion-Graphics Designers to ''Paint'' in After Effects for the First Time Uppsala, Sweden, March 1 - Cycore Computers, the creators of the industry-standard Final Effects software for the film and video industries, today launched its new software for film post production, Cult Effects (CE). The new plug-ins -- designed for use with Adobe After Affects 3.1/4.0 -- address motion-graphics designers' need to ''paint'' directly on film. Now users can paint without leaving After Effects, dramatically increasing design efficiency and workflow. In addition, Cult Effects comprises a broad mix of 18 effects filters, including advanced fractal-based simulations, camera lens distortions, electrical discharges that can be animated, and easy-to-use color tools and gradients. ''Just CE Paint alone is an absolute essential for every serious After Effects user,'' said Tim Sassoon, special effects supervisor and owner of Sassoon Film Design. ''From minor touch-ups and dust removal to full scene painting, CE Paint is fast, easy to use, and non-destructive. Truly amazing.'' Cult Effects' Paint filter allows special-effects artists to ''paint'' directly on film for the first time in After Effects using a tablet or a mouse. CE Paint is vector based, non-destructive, and supports both Wacom and Creation Station tablet's pressure stylus and erase functions. Every paint stroke is recorded in real-time and can be animated. Paint settings can be modified interactively and through a contextual menu within the composition window, allowing work flow to progress uninterrupted. The filter also contains animation and compositing options, including onion skinning and matte painting. CE Paint is optimal for all kinds of film and video ''painting,'' from removing scratches to animating a signature and full scene painting. ''Cult Effects is an extremely powerful set of plug-ins for Adobe After Effects,'' said Stephen Kilisky, senior product manager for Adobe After Effects. ''Used together, these two products provide exciting new capabilities that designers and visual-effects artists have been asking to see in After Effects. Cult Effects' new filters are not only easy to use, but provide After Effects users with even more options for creating spectacular visual effects.'' Cult Effects also features four filters that provide fractal-based effects. Designers and animators can use fractals to create real-world objects that do not contain simple geometric shapes. Using Cult Effects, all fractals can be animated with full user control to form anything from caustics and clouds to flowing lava, water, or gas. Users can also create textures and patterns or give rasterised text or graphics a natural, rough, or fragmented look. Distortion effects, such as fun house mirrors or waving flags, are easy to make. Additional filters provide the ability to animate electrical discharges that give the impression of being trapped or bounced inside a sphere or appear to outline objects in the way. The ''add'' or ''remove'' camera lens distortion filter is great for performing manipulations in ''flat'' space or distorting CG animation to match live footage. ''We believe Cult Effects widely expands the range of tools that motion- graphics designers have at their disposal to create spectacular special effects,'' said Jerry Petterson, vice president, research and development, Cycore Computers. ''From lightning simulations to flowing lava, Cult Effects makes creating realistic, studio-based effects a painless and easy process.'' Additional Features Cult Effects' 18 filters also include: the ability to change from one selected colour to another while leaving others unaffected, extraction of temporal changes of an effect or anything that contains motion, extraction of colour differences when matching a clean plate with foreground footage, simulation of film grain, and realistic shadows that can be coloured through transparent areas. A variety of colour tools are also available. Pricing and Availability As a special introductory offer, Cult Effects will be available for pre- order at a discounted rate until March 19, 1999. Customers pre-ordering before March 19 will receive the product for US dollars 595, including free shipping and handling via Federal Express. Cult Effects can be used with Adobe After Effects 3.1/4.0 on either Mac or Windows platforms and can be pre-ordered at http://www.culteffects.com A fully functional demo of the product is also available for download from the Cult Effects Web site. The product will begin shipping in late March 1999. About Adobe After Effects Adobe After Effects is considered the software tool of choice for motion-graphics designers and visual-effects artists who want to produce professional quality work for film, video, multimedia, and the Web. After Effects 4.0 continues that tradition by providing a robust, feature-rich product that delivers tight integration with all Adobe applications, greater creative control, and enhanced productivity. About Cycore Computers Based in Uppsala, Sweden, Cycore Computers specializes in the development of special effects and 3D technologies for both the Internet and the video and film post-production industries. Cycore's Cult3D(R) Animation is the industry's first real-time, multi-platform 3D-rendering engine for the Internet. Creators of the award-winning Final Effects(TM) and Studio Effects(TM), Cycore's Cult Effects product is a plug-in for Adobe After Effects used in the video and film post-production industries. Cycore Computers has a US sales office in San Mateo, Calafornia. For more information on the company, please visit Cycore on the World Wide Web at either http://www.culteffects.com or http://www.cult3d.com Contact: Lisa Melsted, lmelsted@brodeur.com, +1 617-587-2817 or Lisa Newman, lnewman@brodeur.com, +1 617-587-2838 both of Brodeur Porter Novelli, or Sten Kaiser of Cycore Computers, +46-18-65-65-60, sten@cycore.com Web site: http://www.culteffects.com