History
Softimage was founded in 1986 by National Film Board of Canada filmmaker Daniel Langlois. Its first product was called the Softimage Creative Environment, later renamed to Softimage|3D. It was the first commercial package to feature Inverse kinematics for character animation. The software was eventually replaced by Softimage|XSI, originally codenamed "Sumatra".
The company became public in 1992 and was acquired by Microsoft in 1994. In 1998, after helping to port the products to Windows and financing the development of Softimage|XSI and Softimage|DS, Microsoft sold the Softimage unit to Avid Technology, Inc. who was looking to expand its visual effect capabilities.
Avid initially grouped many of its visual effects products, such as Elastic Reality and Avid Media Illusion, under the Softimage brand, but in 2001 discontinued most of these products. Until 2008, Avid's AlienBrain product was also branded with the name Softimage, even though it was developed by a separate company.
On Oct. 23, 2008, Autodesk signed an agreement with Avid Technology to acquire the brand and the 3D animation assets of Softimage for approximately $35 million, thereby ending Softimage Co. as a distinct entity. The video-related assets of Softimage, including Softimage|DS (now Avid|DS) continue to be owned by Avid.
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