Pixar's RenderMan® at SIGGRAPH 2007 

Announcing RenderMan Pro Server 13.5, New Licensing, & Certified Courseware

EMERYVILLE, CA - (August 3rd, 2007) Pixar Animation Studios (NYSE: DIS), will unveil at the SIGGRAPH 2007 convention in San Diego its latest RenderMan Pro Server 13.5 software, an updated licensing policy substantially increasing render throughput on multi-processor computers, and a preview of Pixar's new Certified RenderMan Courseware package.

Described by beta testers as one of the most significant RenderMan releases ever, RenderMan Pro Server 13.5 is optimized for batch rendering at the highest levels of performance, memory, and systems efficiency. Among the many new features are accelerated stereo rendering, advanced shader authoring techniques, and enhancements to point cloud controlled photon effects facilitating photon mapping for a wide variety of light sources and surfaces. Additional features include major multi-threading performance improvements, optimized depth of field, and support for ray-traced Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) including render-time Booleans and ray-traced ambient occlusion.

Shipping soon after SIGGRAPH 2007, RenderMan Pro Server 13.5 increases the number of threads available per license from 2 to 4 and allows up to 4 parallel renders per host machine, dramatically increasing performance on multi-processor machines.

Pixar is also pleased to announce the upcoming availability of official Certified RenderMan Courseware, that will offer unprecedented insight into the actual production techniques used by the finest feature animation artists and visual effects TD's. This comprehensive training resource together with an accompanying certification program is being developed in conjunction with Escape Studios (www.escapestudios.com/renderman) and will be available for training institutions, studios, and students later in the fall of 2007.

RenderMan Pro Server 13.5, together with the new RenderMan Studio 1.0 and RenderMan for Maya 2.0 is the most comprehensive production rendering solution available, delivering the advanced technologies used in the film industries most renowned visual effects and animated features, including Pixar's latest Ratatouille. Pixar is proud to showcase these tools, together with presentations from Pixar's customers and partners on booth #727 at SIGGRAPH 2007. For more information about Pixar's RenderMan please visit renderman.pixar.com or contact rendermansales@pixar.com.

About Pixar 
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. Creator of some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and Ratatouille, the Northern California studio has won 20 Academy Awards® and its films have grossed more than $3.9 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The next film release from Disney-Pixar is WALL-E (June 27, 2008)