Alias Buys 3D Developer Kaydara, Mac Products To Continue

< A href="http://www.alias.com">Alias and 3D developer Kaydara announced today an agreement for Kaydara to be acquired by the Maya maker. Kaydarais products include MotionBuilder and FBX for QuickTime, both available for the Mac platform. Kaydara also offers some platform independent technologies.

Kaydarais products will be offered under the Alias brand name, and Alias says that MotionBuilder and the FBX product line, a line of 3D plugins that allows 3D data to be shared between applications, will continue to be offered as standalone products. Additionally, Alias says that all of the platforms currently supported by Kaydara will continue to be supported.

Other aspects of the two companiesi technology portfolios will be leveraged across Aliasis existing product line.

Alias itself recently was bought out from SGI, becoming an independent company owned by Accel-KKR and Ontario Teachersi Pension Plan. The buyout was orchestrated with Aliasis management team.

"The future for Alias is incredibly positive," Doug Walker, president of Alias, said in a statement. "This is our first major step taken since becoming an independent company and operating in an environment enabling Alias to deliver significant new value to our customers in a shorter period of time. Weire in a unique position to push the science of 3D further and faster than we ever have before, and weill continue to evaluate organic growth opportunities and additional strategic acquisitions in the design and entertainment markets."

Alias entered the Mac platform with Maya in 2001, bringing platform parity to the Mac platform more recently with the release of Maya Unlimited for the Mac.

The purchase is expected to be complete within 60 days.