LightWork Design Provides Higher Performance Photorealistic Rendering 

LightWork Design enhances multi-threading support with release of LightWorks 7.7

SHEFFIELD, UK (17 April 2007) - LightWork Design, the world's leading supplier of rendering solutions for developers of advanced 3D computer graphics software, has announced the release of a new version of LightWorks. LightWorks 7.7 builds upon the success of the existing LightWorks product with the addition of a number of enhancements to provide even higher-level performance photorealistic rendering.

"We continue to work closely with our technology partners to ensure that our customers can deliver applications that take full advantage of the latest advancements in computer hardware. Our LightWorks 7.7 multi-processing is designed for the latest generation of multi processor and multi-core systems and it delivers even higher performance photorealistic rendering"; commented Nick Lightfoot, Sales and Marketing Director at LightWork Design.

Key developments within LightWorks 7.7 include:

* Enhanced Multi-threading Support - enhancements have resulted in performance improvements, with considerable speedups in rendering times. For example Ray traced rendering is now between 3 and 4 times faster on a quad-processor than on a single processor and between 1.5 and 1.8 times faster on a dual processor, with a speedup of over 6 on eight processors; 

* Advances to LightWorks Final Gather - functionality has been increased meaning that LightWorks can match the fastest and best global illumination solutions. Support for multi-threading has now been included making LightWorks Final Gather noticeably faster than it has previously been on multi-processor machines; 

* Support for Microsoft Vista; 

* Enhancements to LightWorks Real-time - addition of new shaders, with real-time programmable shading support.

Partners and customers of LightWork Design have been encouraged by the latest developments in LightWorks and are confident of the value which these will add to users of LightWorks-based rendering applications, particularly the enhanced multi-processing support:

Dr. Rainer Zeifang, Director of R&D at CoCreate Software GmbH, commented, "Our recent integration of LightWorks allows CoCreate OneSpace Modeling to take advantage of the new breed of multi- processor systems as well as the latest graphics cards. We are confident that our continuing partnership with LightWork Design will allow us to keep ahead of hardware developments while continuing to deliver state of the art visualisation to our customers."

As Intel pushes the boundaries of chip technology, LightWork Design continues to respond to this challenge with graphics software that unlocks the full power of Intel multi-processor systems for both design professionals and those who need high performance visualisation. "Through its membership of the Intel� Software Partner Program, LightWork Design has been able to capitalise on Intel multi-core platforms to make the latest technology available to application developers," said Andrei Mazanov, EMEA Director, Intel� Software Partner Program, Intel Corporation. The Intel� Software Partner Program (www.intel.com/partner) provides a framework for collaborative solution development around Intel� architecture among the ISV community - from business planning and product development to marketing and sales.

About LightWork Design

LightWork Design is the world's leading supplier of rendering solutions for developers of advanced 3D computer graphics software. Established in 1989, LightWork Design has continually developed LightWorks to provide customers with innovative and market-focused solutions for the creation of powerful and easy-to-use rendering applications. Renowned for its physically accurate visualization of real-world objects and environments, LightWorks is the ideal choice for applications targeted at the AEC, Configuration, and Industrial markets. LightWorks is supplied as a complete solution which includes the SDK, support, training and consultancy services, to give customers fast and efficient access to leading-edge rendering technology, resulting in shorter development cycles, faster time-to- market for new products, and lower software development costs.

LightWorks is embedded in over 80 software applications and used by more than 1 million users worldwide, far more than any other renderer. Applications that incorporate LightWorks include: 3CAD from In.tres srl, Alibre Design from Alibre, ArchiCAD from Graphisoft, ARCHline.XP from CadLine, ARCHITREND from Fukui Computer, Cobalt from Ashlar, Configura and InstantPlanner from Configura Sverige AB, form.Z from auto.des.sys, ICEM Surf from ICEM, JetStream Presenter from NavisWorks, Lumen Designer from Lighting Technologies; Madric from CPU, MSC.visualNastran from MSC Software, NX from UGS, OneSpace Modeling from CoCreate, PowerShape from Delcam, Pro/CONCEPT, Pro/ DESKTOP and Pro/ENGINEER from PTC, Solid Edge from UGS, solidThinking from solidThinking Ltd., ThinkReal from Think3, trueSpace from Caligari, VectorWorks from Nemetschek NA and products from many other major CAD vendors.

www.lightworkdesign.com

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