Ilion Animation Studios and Pyro Studios Deliver a Unified Creative Vision With Autodesk Tools

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — December 17, 2009 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), has announced that its 3D modeling, animation and rendering software was a primary tool used by Ilion Animation Studios and Pyro Studios to help create the “ Planet 51” video game and movie. The software was used throughout the pipeline of both the game and film to help produce a visually rich and believable alien world with the look of 1950s America. To date, “Planet 51” is the biggest budget animated film produced in Europe.

Planet 51: The Movie

The film team at Ilion Animation Studios used Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya software to help create the “Planet 51” movie – at the beginning of production for pre-visualization and later for the final layout. Autodesk software was also used to help model over 500 unique characters and over 100 different locations on the planet, as well as to help create visual effects for the film.

Planet 51: The Game

Production on the “Planet 51” game began approximately four years into the development of the film. A unique level of openness existed between the film and game studios, as they are owned by the same holding company and both have Autodesk products at the core of their respective pipelines. Pyro Studios had access to the entire film script and all assets of the movie from the beginning of the game’s production.

“We looked at all the elements of the Planet 51 world and one thing that stood out was the special characteristics of the vehicles,” explained Luis Fernando Fernandez, head of development at Pyro Studios. “The alien cars behaved very differently than earthly cars; they could float, jump and travel at super speeds. We thought the unique cars would be a perfect focus for the game play, and developed an open-world driving game.”

A large majority of the models created by Ilion Animation Studios for the movie were digitally transferred to the team at Pyro Studios for reuse in the video game. As both studios were working in Autodesk software, the transfer of assets was greatly simplified. The models were first resized and then reanimated in Autodesk 3ds Max software for the game.

“We wanted to make something really big, with a large open environment and a lot of variety in the game play,” explained Fernandez. “Having access to the film script and 85 percent of the digital assets was fantastic. It allowed us to develop a rich game that complements the movie and enhances the Planet 51 experience. Gamers can freely explore key locations from the film, but aren’t tied to the movie’s plot points.”

About Planet 51

Planet 51 is a galactic-sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot there. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders. With the help of his robot companion Rover and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum. The film is directed by Jorge Blanco, written by Joe Stillman, and produced by Guy Collins and Ignacio Perez Dolcet.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 14 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Maya and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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