San Antonio, Texas -- October 10, 2005 -- NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, today announced the release of the fifth free update and the 64-bit port for Emmy® award-winning LightWave 3D®. Version 8.5 offers hardware support of OpenGL 2.0, the new Multishift™ tool with editable history, Photoshop-style texture blending modes, improved dynamics, and easier integration of third-party file formats. The 64-bit port of LightWave 3D for Windows XP Pro x64 OS, is also being made available as part of the release of the version 8.5 update. LightWave®'s 64-bit version leverages the increased memory available with 64-bit systems plus the power of the new processors and faster RAM access to provide digital artists with a streamlined workflow that allows them greater flexibility and creative freedom.
LightWave version 8.5 update is now available free to registered owners of LightWave [8].

"We're very pleased to bring our LightWave users a new level of display capabilities in OpenGL, and a quantum leap in content creation capability with 64-bit performance," said Jay Roth, president of NewTek’s 3D graphics division. "Accurate real-time display of many of the aspects of the final image without having to render will save a great deal of production time. With LightWave 64-bit and the new 64-bit dual-core platforms, content creators can complete their work in less time, or do more complex work than could previously have been done within a given time and budget. The 8.5 release is another milestone in major performance enhancements as our development team moves LightWave forward, demonstrating our commitment to rapid and innovative development."

"We're pleased that NewTek has used powerful development tools from Intel® and participation in the Intel® Early Access Program to optimize LightWave's performance for a wide variety of Intel® processors," said Melissa Laird, general manager of Intel's Developer Relations Division. "LightWave users can take maximum advantage of the enhanced performance offered by powerful new Intel® processors, including the latest multi-core technologies."

LightWave 3D, version 8.5 Includes:

• New OpenGL Hardware shader option using the hardware renderer in OpenGL video cards to display many of the render functions in real-time. Lights, light falloffs, blending images on surfaces, per-pixel lighting will all be available in real-time, with an option to turn this feature on and off.
• New Photoshop-style texture blending modes
• New Parts-to-Surfaces tool allows for easier integration of 3D objects created in other applications.
• New Multishift allows the user to do multiple bevels and extrusions in a single edit with a history profile that can be saved and applied to other meshes.
• Dynamics now launch a control window that allows you to switch to other applications while calculating dynamics in LightWave.
• Particle dynamics have been improved for accuracy, including interaction with collision planes. A new algorithm also allows large dynamic scenes to load up to 10x faster.
• 78 new configurable keyboard shortcut options.

Pricing and Availability

LightWave 3D version 9.0 is expected to be available in the 4th quarter for 795 € +VAT for a single user license. The following purchase options are available for a limited time:

LightWave Full seats:

• LightWave [8] full seat (with English printed manual), Vue 5 Infinite, free update to v9 (with electronic manual): 795 € +VAT /UK RRP: £499 +VAT

For registered owners of LightWave [7.5] or earlier:

• LightWave [8] upgrade (with English printed manual), Vue 5 Infinite, Duo USB dongle swap upon request, free update to v9 (with electronic manual): 449 € +VAT/UK RRP:  £299 +VAT

For Registered owners of LightWave [8]:

• LightWave 3D v9.0 upgrade (with electronic manual), Duo USB dongle swap upon request and Vue 5 Infinite: 395 € +VAT/UK RRP: £259 +VAT

Offers valid until October 31^st, 2005

For more information or to purchase, visit: www.newtek-europe.com or call NewTek Europe Sales at +33 (0)5 57 262 262.

About NewTek and NewTek Europe.

Newtek Europe is based near Bordeaux, in South West France and deals with Newtek product distribution, communication and technical maintenance for all customers around Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East.

With headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, NewTek Inc. is a leading provider of full-featured video editing, animation and special effects tools including Video Toaster™ and LightWave 3D®, winner of the 2003 Primetime Emmy® Engineering Award.

NewTek launched the desktop video revolution in 1990 with the release of the legendary Video Toaster™. The company's products are used worldwide on projects ranging from home video to feature film.
Recent television and film projects using LightWave 3D® include Fantastic Four, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D, Sin City, The Aviator, Aliens of the Deep, "I, Robot", Spiderman 2, Battlestar: Galactica, Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight. Recent game titles include Doom III, Unreal Tournament, and Age of Mythology. Recent game titles include Doom III, Burnout 3, Unreal Tournament, Serious Sam for XBox, Age of Mythology, Civilization III, Dead to Rights, Baldur's Gate II, EverQuest and Escape From Monkey Island.

Information about LightWave 3D^®:
http://www.newtek-europe.com/uk/products/lightwave/index.html

LightWave 3D^® artists interviews:
http://www.newtek-europe.com/uk/community/lightwave/index.html

LightWave 3D^® Projects List:
http://www.newtek-europe.com/uk/products/lightwave/projects.html

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LightWave, LightWave 3D and Video Toaster are registered trademarks of NewTek.
TriCaster and VT[4] are trademarks of NewTek, Inc.
All other products or brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Press contact:

Audrey-Jane Belin
Marketing & Communication Department
mail to: audrey.belin@newtek-europe.com

Newtek Europe
Europarc
17 avenue Léonard de Vinci
F-33600 PESSAC
Tel:+33 (0)5 57 262 262
Fax:+33 (0)5 57 262 261
www.newtek-europe.com
www.newtek.com