MetaCreations

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MetaCreations
Company typeSoftware Developer
FoundedFractal Design Corp (1991); Harvard Systems Corp (1987)
HeadquartersCarpinteria, CA
Footnotes / references
Rebranded Viewpoint Corporation in 1999

MetaCreations was a computer software company that was best known for its graphics applications, notably Ray Dream Studio/Infini D, Fractal Design Painter, Bryce, and Kai's Power Tools.

History[edit]

MetaCreations was founded in 1997 by the mergers of MetaTools, Fractal Design Corporation, Ray Dream, Specular, and Real Time Geometry Lab (RTG).[1] John Wilczak and Mark Zimmer led the initial operations. Wilczak left the company in 1998. The software and GUI designer, highly valued creative head for his contributions to the public brand appearance,[2] Kai Krause (MetaTools, Goo-Series, KPT, ...) left shortly afterwards in 1999.

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 name Viewpoint derives from Viewpoint DataLabs International, Inc. which was a 1988 founded enterprise that specialized in the area of digitalisation and modelling for the movie industry like for Star Trek, and it got under the hood of Computer Associates in 1998.[citation needed]) The newly formed Viewpoint Corporation divested itself of all former MetaCreations graphics products to push MetaStream technology.

In 2000, Eliven bought all not-yet-possessed shares of Viewpoint Digital Inc. from Computer Associates International Inc. which held about 17.7% of the full daughter Metastream Corporation at that time.[3] In the process of this Viewpoint got declared the Consumer Products division of the Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation. Further Viewpoint’s NASDAQ stock ticker symbol changed from VWPT to ENLV to reflect the Company’s name change in January 2008.[4][5] Enliven was then acquired by DG FastChannel for $98 million, in a stock-for-stock transaction.[6]

Products[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bank, David (April 30, 1997). "Ex-Soviet Scientist Aims To Reshape 3-D Graphics". The Wall Street Journal.
  2. ^ Loviscach, Dr Jörn (11 April 1997). "Zukunftsweisendes von Kai Krause". C't (in German). 1997 (5): 78.
  3. ^ "SEC Info - Enliven Marketing Technologies Corp - '8-K/A' for 9/8/00". www.secinfo.com.
  4. ^ Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation. "Viewpoint Corporation Announces Ticker Change to "ENLV"" (Press Release). Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  5. ^ "Viewpoint Corporation Changes Name to Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation" (Press Release). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Ad Services Supplier DG Fastchannel Buys Digital Marketer Enliven For $98 Million". www.cbsnews.com. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  7. ^ Popko, Rick (January 14, 2002). "Bryce 5.0". CNET. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  8. ^ "DAZ PRODUCTIONS ACQUIRES BRYCE® FROM COREL" (PDF). Corel Corporation UK (Press Release). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2012.

External links[edit]