For more information, contact
Deeje Cooley
415-244-0828
mailto:deeje@puppettime.com
http://www.puppettime.com/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PUPPETTIME(R) ANNOUNCES FEATURE COMPLETE RELEASE OF PUPPETTIME PRODUCER(tm)

3D Internet Company Achieves Major Milestone With Revolutionary Web
Animation Technology

NEW YORK (July 20th, 1999) - At Macworld Expo, PuppetTime, Inc. today
announced that PuppetTime Producer is now feature complete, and that
a time-limited beta version has been released for user testing and
evaluation.

PuppetTime Producer is an easy-to-use 3D character animation program
that implements the concept of digital actors. Users can create
compelling 3D animations in minutes simply by choosing the
characters, typing the dialog, and selecting the actions. 3D modeling
or animation experience is not required because the digital actors,
or puppets, know how to draw and animate themselves, and have many
animations, costumes, and emotional states to choose from.

"I started PuppetTime three years ago," says Deeje Cooley, Chairman
and CTO, "because I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars and
hundreds of hours learning to make 3D animations in the traditional
way. Today, with this release of PuppetTime Producer, we have a
program that does for animation what PageMaker did for publication
layout. For the first time, anyone who wants or needs 3D animations
can make them in minutes."

Sophistication Made Simple

PuppetTime Producer includes a number of sophisticated features that
simplify the 3D animation process for non-animators. Puppets
automatically create their own mouth shapes (visemes) from dialog
text, using the MacOS Text-To-Speech technology. The user can then
overdub his or her own voice speaking the dialog, giving the puppet
characters unique inflections and personalities. Sound and MIDI
QuickTime movies may be imported for use as sound effects and
background music.

Many Output Options

A finished animation may be saved in a number of different file
formats. Saved as a PuppetTime track inside a QuickTime movie, the
fully rendered 3D animation will be compressed as low as 1k per
second. The animation can be rendered to video, using any of the
video codecs, at up to 30 frames/sec. It can also be used to generate
an animated storyboard (animatic) and to print a set of storyboards
from a color printer.

Broad Consumer Application

PuppetTime Producer has a wide range of applications. Small
businesses can create compelling character animations for their
websites. Creative directors can create storyboards and animatics to
previsualize TV ads and scenes for TV, film, and theater. Sales
people can animate their corporate mascot as a unique "spokesperson"
to create attention grabbing PowerPoint presentations. Students can
make animations that reflect their social studies curriculum, and to
develop their own storytelling and creative skills.

Availability and Pricing

A time-limited beta version is available for testing and evaluation
at (http://www.puppettime.com/) Screen shots are available at
(http://www.puppettime.com/screenshots/) The consumer 1.0 release of
PuppetTime Producer will be available in mid-August at a price of
US$125. Education institutions and school districts are invited to
inquire about discount pricing.

PuppetTime, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California,
develops and markets 3D Internet animation software for web content
design, creative visualization, business presentations, and education
curriculum development.