SAN ANTONIO – June 25, 2010 – NewTek, manufacturer of
industry-leading 3D animation and video products, today
announced that Joe Zeff Design, a leading design studio
delivering computer-generated illustration for publishing
companies, advertising agencies and major corporations, used
LightWave 3D® software to illustrate the cover images for
Newsweek and Time magazines that are on the stands now.
Focusing on such controversial subjects as President Obama
and the Gulf Coast BP oil spill for Newsweek and "The Broken
States of America-how the financial crisis of the states affects
all of us" for Time, the artists at Joe Zeff Design were able to
create incomparable illustrations using LightWave 3D. According
to company president Joe Zeff, whose team created the Newsweek
cover in a matter of hours, producing the illustrations under
such stringent deadlines would not have been possible without
LightWave 3D.
"We have used LightWave 3D to create covers for dozens of
magazines-from Rolling Stone and Fortune to Time and Newsweek,
as well as advertising images for Porsche, M&M's, Pepsi and
Mercedes-Benz," said Zeff. "It is the most relied-upon piece of
software in our studio. We couldn't imagine working without it."
To produce the Newsweek cover, artist Ed Gabel mapped a
photograph of the presidential seal onto a 3D object and used
LightWave to create the illusion of dripping oil oozing into the
hollow spaces of the seal. Zeff then lighted and surfaced the
oil model to achieve the desired look and feel, delivering a
near-final render to the client in less than a day. Working
under such unforgiving deadlines makes repurposing existing
assets critical to the design process. Zeff was able to re-use
the surfacing and lighting from the cover illustration to
generate additional images for the interior pages of the
magazine.
Currently working with various publishers to branch into new
markets, Zeff continues to rely on LightWave 3D to develop new
types of content for the Apple iPad.
"We use LightWave because it's the best tool we've come across
for producing realistic print graphics," said Zeff. "The
excitement surrounding the iPad and other tablets has stimulated
the market for turning those print graphics into animations, and
LightWave puts us in a great position to capitalize."
About LightWave 3D
NewTek LightWave 3D combines a state-of-the-art renderer with
powerful, intuitive modeling, and animation tools. Tools that
may cost extra in other professional 3D applications are part of
the product package, including unlimited render nodes, hard-body
and soft-body dynamics, hair, fur, cloth simulation, and more.
LightWave is enjoyed worldwide, as a complete 3D production
solution for print, visual effects in film, television,
broadcast graphics, games, visualization, and Web, and is
responsible for more artists winning Emmy® Awards than any other
3D application.
Pricing and Availability
LightWave v9 is available now, at the suggested retail price of
US$895. LightWave v9.6 is also available as a free update to
registered LightWave v9 owners. Registered owners of LightWave
3D [v8 or earlier] are eligible to purchase an upgrade for
US$495.
About Joe Zeff Design
Joe Zeff Design creates computer-generated illustration for
print and animation for publishing companies, advertising
agencies and major corporations. The company is best known for
its innovative magazine covers, advertising imagery, corporate
communication, information graphics and diagrams, and
dimensional typography. Its principals Joe Zeff and Ed Gabel,
began working together in 1997 at Time magazine, using LightWave
to create information graphics and opening the door for
newspaper and magazine artists worldwide to embrace CGI for
charts and diagrams. The company's website www.joezeffdesign.com
About NewTek
Benefiting producers and artists with cost-effective and
groundbreaking technologies, NewTek is a worldwide leader in 3D
animation and special effects tools, portable live production
and video editing including LightWave 3D®, the TriCaster™
product line and 3PLAY™. NewTek has won numerous industry
accolades, including two Emmy® Awards. NewTek products have been
used in blockbuster films and television shows, including
"Avatar," "RepoMen," "Angels and Demons," "Battle for Terra,"
"The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," "Tropic Thunder," "V," "FlashForward,"
"Lost," "Fringe" and more.
NewTek is privately owned and based in San Antonio, Texas.
