MetaCreations
Encyclopedia
MetaCreations was a computer software
company founded in 1997 by the mergers of MetaTools, Fractal Design
Corporation, Ray Dream, Specular, and RTG. John Wilczak, and Mark Zimmer, headed up initial operations before Wilczak and Kai Krause
left the company in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
MetaCreations was best known for its graphics applications, notably Ray Dream Studio/Infini D
, Fractal Design Painter
, Bryce
, and Kai's Power Tools
. In 1999 MetaCreations invested itself heavily in the newly developed '3d on the Web' technology "MetaStream" and began restructuring from graphics applications to Internet technology. MetaCreations formed a subsidiary company called MetaStream, acquired Viewpoint Digital, and ultimately merged all operations together to become the Viewpoint Corporation. The newly formed Viewpoint Corporation divested itself of all former MetaCreations graphics products to push MetaStream technology. Viewpoint is now the Consumer Products division of Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation . Viewpoint’s NASDAQ stock ticker symbol changed from VWPT to ENLV to reflect the Company’s name change in January of 2008.
Today the former MetaCreations is a successful Internet marketing technology company. Viewpoint Corporation is probably best known for the Viewpoint Media Player
installed inside AIM
/AOL
packages to help provide better 3D visualization for product tours and configurators on the web.
division of the Viewpont Corp. It started out with the special effects on Virtuosity
, From Dusk Till Dawn
and Godzilla
. The studio made the 3-D Character Design and Visual Effects on Antz
and 3-D Modeling for Pushing Tin
as Viewpoint Data Studios. They also made the Visual Effects on Dungeons & Dragons
. In 2001 the studio went bankrupt and Viewpoint Corps could not fund the company and the studio was closed.
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
company founded in 1997 by the mergers of MetaTools, Fractal Design
Fractal Design
Fractal Design was a US software company, originally known as Fractal Software and founded in 1985. It merged into MetaCreations in 1997. It was initially known as Fractal Technology, and produced several best-selling creative software packages for the PC and Macintosh platforms. Its initial...
Corporation, Ray Dream, Specular, and RTG. John Wilczak, and Mark Zimmer, headed up initial operations before Wilczak and Kai Krause
Kai Krause
Kai Krause is a software and graphical user interface designer, best known for founding MetaCreations Corp., his Kai's Power Tools series of products, and for his contributions to graphical user interface design.-Biography:...
left the company in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
MetaCreations was best known for its graphics applications, notably Ray Dream Studio/Infini D
Carrara (software)
Carrara is a general purpose 3D figure posing, modeling, landscape design, rigid and soft-body dynamics, animation and rendering application. Carrara is now owned and developed by DAZ 3D...
, Fractal Design Painter
Corel Painter
Corel Painter is a raster-based digital art application created to simulate as accurately as possible the appearance and behavior of traditional media associated with drawing, painting, and printmaking. It is intended to be used in real-time by professional digital artists as a functional creative...
, Bryce
Bryce (software)
Bryce is a 3D modeling, rendering and animation program specializing in fractal landscapes. The name is taken from Bryce Canyon—a rugged region with many of the same landscapes that were first simulated with the software.- History :...
, and Kai's Power Tools
Kai's Power Tools
Kai's Power Tools are a set of API plugins created by Kai Krause that were designed for use with Adobe Systems Photoshop and Corel Photo-Paint. Kai's Power Tools were sold to Corel when MetaCreations was closed....
. In 1999 MetaCreations invested itself heavily in the newly developed '3d on the Web' technology "MetaStream" and began restructuring from graphics applications to Internet technology. MetaCreations formed a subsidiary company called MetaStream, acquired Viewpoint Digital, and ultimately merged all operations together to become the Viewpoint Corporation. The newly formed Viewpoint Corporation divested itself of all former MetaCreations graphics products to push MetaStream technology. Viewpoint is now the Consumer Products division of Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation . Viewpoint’s NASDAQ stock ticker symbol changed from VWPT to ENLV to reflect the Company’s name change in January of 2008.
Today the former MetaCreations is a successful Internet marketing technology company. Viewpoint Corporation is probably best known for the Viewpoint Media Player
Viewpoint Media Player
Viewpoint Media Player is a browser graphics rendering plug-in originally produced by Viewpoint Corporation, a subsidiary of the marketing company DG Fastchannel .-Description:...
installed inside AIM
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
/AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
packages to help provide better 3D visualization for product tours and configurators on the web.
Current Disposition of MetaCreations Products
- Ray Dream StudioRay Dream StudioRay Dream Studio was a low-end 3D modeling software application. Initially developed by Ray Dream, Inc. in 1989-1991 for the Macintosh, it was acquired and upgraded over the course of mergers with Fractal Design and MetaCreations...
and Specular Infini-DInfini-DInfini-D was a 3D computer graphics program developed by Specular International. It was continued by MetaCreations when Specular merged with them, developing up to version 4.5, then combined with Ray Dream Studio to create Carrara...
were succeeded by CarraraCarrara (software)Carrara is a general purpose 3D figure posing, modeling, landscape design, rigid and soft-body dynamics, animation and rendering application. Carrara is now owned and developed by DAZ 3D...
, which was sold to EoviaEoviaThe Eovia Corporation was founded in November 2000, with offices in both the US and France. The company's 3D computer graphics software products were aimed towards professional and amateur artists with a focus on remaining accessible in price and usability....
and subsequently acquired by DAZ 3DDAZ 3DDAZ 3D Inc. is a developer and broker of 3D graphics software and content. DAZ is most known for its popular line of articulated 3D figures and the large, enthusiastic community that has developed around them.DAZ is notable for its business model of giving away a product and generating...
. - MetaTools' BryceBryce (software)Bryce is a 3D modeling, rendering and animation program specializing in fractal landscapes. The name is taken from Bryce Canyon—a rugged region with many of the same landscapes that were first simulated with the software.- History :...
was sold to Corel and subsequently acquired by DAZ 3DDAZ 3DDAZ 3D Inc. is a developer and broker of 3D graphics software and content. DAZ is most known for its popular line of articulated 3D figures and the large, enthusiastic community that has developed around them.DAZ is notable for its business model of giving away a product and generating...
. - Fractal Design's PoserPoserPoser is a 3D CGI rendering and animation software program optimized for models that depict the human figure in three-dimensional form, mostly used to pose and animate the figures in a similar way as a mannequin...
was sold to Curious Labs, which was itself acquired by e-Frontier and finally Smith Micro SoftwareSmith Micro SoftwareSmith Micro Software, Inc. , founded in 1983 by William W. Smith, Jr., is a diversified developer and marketer of both enterprise and consumer-level software solutions and services...
. - MetaCreations' CanomaCanomaCanoma was a 3D-modelling application for Windows and Macintosh which is now no longer supported by its company.Released by MetaCreations Corp. in 1999, this application allowed users to create 3D models based on one or more photographs taken from various angles. This process is known as...
was acquired by Adobe SystemsAdobe SystemsAdobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
. It was discontinued and its technology folded into other products. - Fractal Design's PainterCorel PainterCorel Painter is a raster-based digital art application created to simulate as accurately as possible the appearance and behavior of traditional media associated with drawing, painting, and printmaking. It is intended to be used in real-time by professional digital artists as a functional creative...
was acquired by Corel. - Fractal Design's Expression reverted to its original developer, Creature HouseCreature House ExpressionCreature House Expression was a vector graphics editor initially developed by Creature House in Hong Kong, then Ray Dream, then Fractal Design Corporation and later MetaCreations as a companion to then-Fractal Design/MetaCreations Painter. At the time, Creature House was an independent Hong Kong...
, who later sold the product to MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
. It is now sold as Microsoft Expression DesignMicrosoft Expression DesignMicrosoft Expression Design is Microsoft's commercial professional illustration vector and raster graphic design tool for web images based on Creature House Expression, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2003. It is part of the Microsoft Expression Studio suite...
, part of the Microsoft Expression StudioMicrosoft Expression StudioMicrosoft Expression Studio is a suite of tools for designing and building web and Windows client applications and rich digital media contents.- Overview :...
suite. - Kai's Photo Soap, Kai's Power Goo (later SuperGoo), and Kai's Power Show were acquired by ScanSoft, Inc.. They have been discontinued.
Viewpoint Datalabs International
Viewpoint Datalabs was an American special effects/visual effectsVisual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
division of the Viewpont Corp. It started out with the special effects on Virtuosity
Virtuosity
Virtuosity is a 1995 techno-thriller film directed by Brett Leonard. The movie tells the story of a virtual villain's successful attempt to escape into the "real world". SID 6.7, the villain program portrayed by Russell Crowe, is eventually transplanted into an android body and escapes...
, From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
and Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. The studio made the 3-D Character Design and Visual Effects on Antz
Antz
Antz is a 1998 American computer animated action adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation. It features the voices of well-known actors such as Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, and Danny Glover as...
and 3-D Modeling for Pushing Tin
Pushing Tin
Pushing Tin is a 1999 comedy-drama film directed by Mike Newell. It centers on a cocky air traffic controller who quarrels over proving "who's more of a man" with fellow employee Bell...
as Viewpoint Data Studios. They also made the Visual Effects on Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
. In 2001 the studio went bankrupt and Viewpoint Corps could not fund the company and the studio was closed.
External links and references
- MetaCreations: A Chronology (Scroll down)