and '''Animator''', also referred to simply as "Alias", the precursor to what is now '' in
1999 . PowerAnimator ran natively on
MIPS based
SGI Irix and
IBM AIX systems up until the late
1990s .
The software itself featured one of the most complex
User Interface s ever created, which allowed for an incredible amount of control over scene parameters, but made many tasks, such as
Animation , cumbersome and non-intuitive. It was also expensive as well, apart from the enormous cost of SGI systems at the time. The standalone software retailed for $7,500, but was also sold with other modules, and a PowerPack containing all modules that retailed for $30,000 US.
- '' - Provides information to help you create basic animations, build skeletons, bring creatures to life using Inverse Kinematics, produce particles and special effects, and deform time using time warps.
- '' - General tools that you'll use throughout modeling, animating, or rendering workflows.
- '' - Explains how to exchange 3D model data between Alias 9.0 and CAD packages.
- '' - Explains how to translate Alias files to games platforms such as Nintendo 64, Sony Playstation, and Sega Saturn.
- '' - A thorough course in learning how to use the Alias design and animation software.
- '' - Tools to create and modify NURBS curves and surfaces, as well as construction and evaluation tools.
- '' - Tools to create and modify polygons and polysets.
- '' - Tools to define the look of your scene, create special effects, define how the scene will render, and create final rendered images and animations.
- ''
In 1997, John Gibson, Rob Krieger, Milan Novacek, Glen Ozymok and Dave Springer
were presented
with the Scientific and Engineering Award for their contributions to the geometric modeling component of the PowerAnimator system.
"The Alias PowerAnimator system is widely regarded in the computer animation field as one of the best commercially available software packages for digital geometric modeling. Used by many motion picture visual effects houses, it has been a benchmark for comparison of modeling tools and has had a major influence on visual effects and animation."
The software's most notable contribution to the entertainment industry was in game development, in particular included as a part of
Nintendo 64 's SGI-based developers kit and used for modeling, texturing, animation and realtime effects, of notable titles:
Other titles include:
PowerAnimator was used to create the water creature in the 1989 film ''Abyss'', as well as the T-1000 character in s many visual effects. PowerAnimator also served as the solution used to produce South Park episodes digitally before eventually production was moved to Maya.
