SCOTTSDALE, AZ, USA, Feb 19, 2020 – Open Design Alliance (ODA) announced the release of IFC SDK 2020 Update 2. IFC SDK is a complete solution for reading, visualizing and creating IFC data for BIM applications.

“Through ODA, the industry has come together to build a standard, high-quality solution for IFC,” commented Neil Peterson, ODA President. “ODA is committed to supporting new versions of IFC as they are published by buildingSMART. We are pleased to offer a production-grade, ready-to-use solution for the 4×2 IFC-Bridge extension.”

Sergey Vishnevetsky, ODA Development Director, said, “IFC SDK 2020u2 also includes Standard Data Access Interface (SDAI) support. Users of other SDAI-compatible IFC toolkits can now migrate easily to our solution.”

IFC SDK 2020u2 contains additional enhancements including full integration of our Common Data Access (CDA) API for generic access to model tree and property information across multiple engineering formats. The SDK and full release notes are available for download at www.opendesign.com.

About Open Design Alliance

ODA builds SDKs for people who work with complex engineering data. We offer solutions for proprietary and open engineering formats including data access, visualization, cloud development, publishing and more. Learn more at www.opendesign.com.

TRIESTE, Italy, Feb 19, 2020 – Early bird registration for ESTECO TX20 and ESTECO UM20 Europe is now open.

Register now and attend the first ESTECO Technology Experience on 30 September 2020. Our new big event – which this year combines with the ESTECO Users’ Meeting Europe on 1 October – turns the spotlight on our state-of-the-art technology, innovation drivers and vision for the future.

Get your ticket now and reserve your seat for both events.

The ticket includes access to over 40 talks, parallel sessions and the exhibition area. It’s a great opportunity to meet our experts and developers and network with the growing VOLTA and modeFRONTIER community. As an ESTECO TX20 participant, you’ll also enjoy a dinner in a regal setting by the Gulf of Trieste, Italy.

The early bird rate expires on 15 May 2020. Secure your ticket now and dive into our optimization and simulation data management technology.

About ESTECO

ESTECO is an independent software provider, highly specialized in numerical optimization and simulation data management with a sound scientific foundation and a flexible approach to customer needs. With more than 15 years’ experience, the company supports leading organizations in designing the products of the future, today. ESTECO smart engineering suite brings enterprise-wide solutions for design optimization, simulation data management and process integration and automation with the aim of helping companies excel across this innovation journey. Over 300 international organizations across many different industries have chosen ESTECO to consolidate specialized expertise, streamline teamwork and boost product development. Founded in 1999, the company is headquartered in Trieste (Italy), with offices in Michigan (USA), Pune (India) and an international network of channel partners. For more information, visit www.esteco.com.

PARIS, France, Feb 19, 2020 – E-on software, a leading global developer of software for the creation, animation, rendering, and integration of natural 3D environments in the computer graphics, VFX, architecture, and gaming industries, announced the immediate availability of the PlantCatalog offering, including an ever-growing 3D vegetation collection together with specific standalone and plugin tools.

The full information and PlantCatalog Species details are available online at https://info.e-onsoftware.com/plantcatalog.

The Collection

Designed by the company’s internal 3D vegetation modeler, botanist and landscape architect, in collaboration with several botanic gardens throughout the world (such as Jardín Botánico “La Concepción” de Malaga, the Bedgebury National Pinetum, Forest England, and Viveros Guzmán), the PlantCatalog species are the most realistic, versatile, customizable and botanically accurate vegetation models currently on the market.

The vegetation models are fully procedural, i.e. they are not mere static 3D models. Generating an instance of a given species will always yield a different model, still, retaining the botanical accuracy of the given genus.

Each species includes preconfigured presets (including maturity, health or seasonal variation) together with a plethora of dedicated parameters allowing the artist to fine tune each model to his liking. All species are also wind and breeze enabled.

The procedural definitions ship as HD (High polygon count) for hero trees, LD (Low polygon count) for mid-range, and widespread populations, and RT (dedicated Real-time specifications) for usage in any real-time engines.

The Tools

Together with the vegetation collection e-on software released PlantCatalog Exporter, a dedicated application that allows the artist to browse the entire collection, select the preferred preset, edit any given parameter and export the result to his application of choice.

The PlantCatalog Exporter standalone application allows users to export to any 3D application using generic export formats such as Alembic, FBX, 3DS, OBJ, C4D, LWO, etc. It also offers a variety of export presets, custom tailored for specific host applications such as Unreal, Unity, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema4D, LightWave, Modo, ZBrush, Blender, LumenRT and more!

Plants are exported fully rigged and fully textured, with UV maps (incl support for UDIMs) and displacement, and with all their preset LODs. Breeze or wind animated plants can be exported as a fully rigged mesh or as a cloud of animated vertices (MDD style).

Additionally, e-on also provides importer plugins for 3ds Max and Maya. These plugins allow for loading, editing health, maturity and season as well as published parameters and converting native PlantCatalog content within the host application, without going through any baking or exporting process.

Finally, the PlantCatalog vegetation assets are natively compatible with VUE and PlantFactory, the company’s flagship solutions, and can be accessed directly within the software content browsers. Loading the PlantCatalog assets within PlantFactory will allow the artists to customize their asset without limits!

Pricing and Availability

The PlantCatalog vegetation collection currently comprises a total of 60 species (59 HD, 34 LD, 20 RT), with new batches released every quarter.

The PlantCatalog Exporter is a 64-bit application, designed for 64-bit versions of Windows 8, Windows 10 and Intel Mac OS X 10.15+ platforms.

The importer plugins are currently compatible with 3ds Max and Maya 2019-2020 (windows only). The importer plugins will automatically generate native materials for a subset of renderers:

1. In 3ds Max, the plugin can generate native materials for V-Ray Next, Scanline and ART Renderer.
2. In Maya, the plugins can generate native V-Ray Next materials.

The plugins will also generate host-generic material sets, and therefore should be compatible with any 3rd party renderer (such as RenderMan, Arnold, Corona, Octane, RedShift etc.)

Other host applications and renderers will be supported soon while the company continues to expand its interoperability developments. Any new importer plugin released will be available for free to all PlantCatalog licensees (while their license is still valid).

The PlantCatalog comes in 2 commercial offerings. Both include the entire vegetation collection and subsequent collection updates, but access to the associated integration tools is only part of the uppermost package:

PlantCatalog: the full perks version retails for $249.95 per year. It is dedicated to all CG artists – from the VFX, Gaming or ArchViz industries and includes:

1. the full plant collection in HD, LD and RT quality,
2. new plant species added every quarter,
3. the PlantCatalog Exporter standalone application,
4. all PlantCatalog importer plugins for 3rd party 3D applications.

PlantCatalog Creator is an affordable edition of the PlantCatalog collection, dedicated to VUE and PlantFactory Creator users only. It retails for $99 per year, and includes:

1. the full plant collection in HD, LD and RT quality,
2. new plant species added every quarter.

For environment artists needing full digital environment creation power, e-on software also offers an Enterprise Solution that includes VUE, PlantFactory, the PlantCatalog collection, all importer and integration plugins (for 3ds max, Maya, Cinema4D and LightWave), and 25 seats of network rendering licenses (more information here).

The company also recommends reading the new set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), dedicated to the PlantCatalog products and licensing.

About e-on software

E-on software is the leading developer of solutions for the creation, animation, rendering and integration of natural 3D environments (VUE and PlantFactory). E-on software products are used worldwide by the film, television, architecture, game, science, educational and entertainment industries.

E-on software products were used in feature films such as “Dr. Strange,” “Kubo and the 2 Strings,” “Jupiter Ascending,” “Minions,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Croods,” “Dragons 1&2,” “Hunger Games,” “Hugo,” “Tintin,” “Super 8,” “Thor,” “Avatar,” “Clash of the Titans,” “Sucker Punch,” “Despicable Me 1&2,” “The Wolf Man,” “2012,” “Lovely Bones,” “GI Joe – The Rise of the Cobra,” “Land of the Lost,” “Terminator 4, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Indiana Jones 4,” “Monster Vs Aliens,” “Australia,” “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “KungFu Panda,” “Pirates of the Caribbean 2” and TV series such as “Spartacus,” “Smallville,” “Battlestar Gallactica,” “Caprica,” “Stargate Atlantis,” “Stargate Continuum,” “The Vampire Diaries” and more. Read more on these stories in e-on software’s Spotlights section: https://info.e-onsoftware.com/meetourusers

E-on software was founded on the premise that powerful graphics tools should never get in the way of the designer’s creativity. By investing significant resources in research and development, e-on software is able to deliver cutting-edge, user friendly technologies that produce stunning digital nature scenery. In 2015, e-on software was acquired by Bentley Systems and now operates as an internal venture subsidiary.

E-on software is based in Paris, France. For more information visit https://info.e-onsoftware.com/

About Bentley Systems

Bentley Systems is a global leader in providing engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley users leverage information mobility across disciplines and throughout the infrastructure lifecycle to deliver better-performing projects and assets. Bentley solutions encompass MicroStation applications for information modeling, ProjectWise collaboration services to deliver integrated projects, and AssetWise operations services to achieve intelligent infrastructure – complemented by comprehensive managed services offered through customized Success Plans.

Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,500 colleagues in over 50 countries, more than $700 million in annual revenues, and since 2012 has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions. For more information, visit www.bentley.com.

TUSTIN, CA, USA, Feb 19, 2020 – Luxion, a leading developer of advanced rendering and lighting technology and maker of KeyShot, the first real-time ray-tracing and global illumination program for 3D rendering and animation, today announced the release of KeyShot 9.1. This release continues with the focus in KeyShot 9 on flexibility and creative freedom with features that address workflow speed, material control, and render output.

KeyShot 9 introduces UV Unwrap to create maps to accurately apply textures and labels to objects.

With KeyShot 9, Luxion introduced real-time GPU ray tracing and AI denoise, RealClothTM technology, and tools to streamline model and material import. KeyShot 9.1 builds on these features with Unwrap UV to aid in the position and application of textures and labels, Name Templates to improve the filename options for render output workflow, and KeyShot Network Rendering with GPU support to scale up the rendering power to make use of all available networked graphics cards.

KeyShot 9.1 Feature Highlights

The following highlights the top features in KeyShot 9.1. More details and examples of the new capabilities in KeyShot 9 are available at keyshot.com/whats-new/. The entire list of features and improvements in KeyShot 9, along with information on how each feature works, is available in the KeyShot 9 What’s New Guide. Key new features include:

Unwrap UV

Unwrap UV is a KeyShot Pro feature and the latest addition to the new KeyShot 9 Tools Menu. Unwrap UV enables KeyShot users to generate UV maps, a 2D representation of a 3D surface, which allows textures or labels to be accurately wrapped on the object’s surface. KeyShot’s Unwrap UV shows a preview of the object, provides options for one-click Quick Unwrap, for simple, shelled objects, or Advanced Unwrap, for defining Seams, Charts, and Direction, with Position Charts to adjust the size, scale, and rotation of the UV map after the object has been unwrapped. More information about using Unwrap UV is available here.

Name Templates

With Name Templates, KeyShot users now have precise control over the file name of the rendered image, animation, KeyShotXR, or Configurator. This provides the flexibility to automatically generate custom file names for the scene, with custom naming options that include the Revision, Scene Name, Active Camera, Current Date, and more. Custom Name Templates allows the use of filenames that match an organization’s naming convention or file structure. Additionally, it allows easier file navigation in the render output folder when rendering jobs that contain multiple images. More information about using Name Templates can be seen here.

KeyShot Network Rendering with GPU Support

Users of KeyShot 9 Network Rendering now have the added option of all available networked GPUs to power their rendering pipeline. This capability allows them to select their preferred target render mode, either by inheriting the selection from the existing scene or specifying GPU or CPU Mode. The updated 9.1 KeyShot Network Monitor shows the type of rendering “nodes” available on the network, allowing KeyShot users on the Mac to take full advantage of GPU rendering on a KeyShot 9.1 “worker” machine. More information on KeyShot Network Rendering with GPU is available here.

KeyShot for SOLIDWORKS

With this release, Luxion is introducing a new edition of KeyShot – KeyShot for SOLIDWORKS. This limited edition of KeyShot brings the features of KeyShot Pro along with direct SOLIDWORKS file import. All the features of KeyShot Pro are included with file support only limited to the import of SOLIDWORKS files (.sldprt, .sldasm). This edition is available exclusively to SOLIDWORKS users for a price of $1495. More information and download is available at keyshot.com/keyshot-for-solidworks/.

Additional Features

Additional features and improvements include GPU mode rendering improvements, including independent CPU/GPU switching for Render output and Real-time View, Curve Color Randomize node and AxF material support, render layer support for multi-GPU systems, and greatly improved and optimize memory usage. User Interface updates include improved Material Graph node arrangement, improved handling of locked parts, and improved responsiveness on startup and save. Material improvements include DPI sizing option for u3m, Flip Normals option for Fuzz, consistent brightness for Scattering Media in Product and Interior Lighting modes, and greatly improved caustics. Additionally, scenes saved in Performance mode will open in Performance mode, Models may be added to Favorites, support for 32-bit EXR HDRI files has been added, KeyShot Scripting has been updated to Python 3.8. A thorough overview of all new features, updates, and improvements is available in the KeyShot 9.1 Release Notes.

Availability

KeyShot 9.1 is available immediately for current KeyShot 9 users. KeyShot 9 is also available for purchase at keyshot.com and through all certified KeyShot resellers. KeyShot 7 or 8 users with active annual maintenance may upgrade to KeyShot 9 at no charge. Other customers may upgrade to KeyShot 9 for an incremental fee. For more details on pricing or current license, customers may contact sales@luxion.com. For information on the new features in KeyShot 9, please visit keyshot.com/whats-new/ or follow Luxion on Facebook or Twitter.

About Luxion

Luxion is a leading developer of advanced 3D rendering and lighting technology. KeyShot is the first real-time ray tracing application that uses a physically correct render engine based on scientific research in the areas of scientifically accurate material representation and global illumination. Addressing the visualization needs of designers, engineers, marketing professionals, photographers, and CG specialists, KeyShot breaks down the complexity of creating photographic images and animations from 3D digital data. Luxion’s customer list includes many of the Fortune 1000 product manufacturers and major industrial design companies including Google, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Fossil, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret, HP, Microsoft, Philips, Under Armour, Adidas and many more. Please visit keyshot.com for more information and follow Luxion on Facebook or Twitter.

FRIEDRICHSDORF, Germany, Feb 19, 2020 – Maxon, the developers of professional 3D software solutions and Red Giant creators of unique tools for editors, VFX artists, and motion designers, are pleased to announce the completion of all financial and regulatory agreements required to complete their merger. Additionally, key appointments in executive leadership have been revealed.

“After months of planning and hard work, we’re proud to announce the merger of our two companies is officially completed,” stated David McGavran, CEO. “We are excited to begin our partnership with Red Giant which shares with us a great tradition of outstanding products, innovation and superior customer experience. Our newly formed and seasoned executive team is thrilled to start integrating the talented teams and processes of both companies.”

The new executive team includes leaders from both Maxon and Red Giant, making this a true fusion of the two companies. Together they are expected to bring remarkable synergies across all areas that will result in greater reach, product innovation and customer service. Also, later this year Enrique Glas, who currently serves as Vice President Corporate Finance and Controlling with Nemetschek, will be joining the executive team to bring best of class leadership to the finance department.

Executive Team Appointments

The leadership team assuming new or expanded roles at Maxon will be directly reporting to McGavran, and include:

1. Chad Bechert, Chief Strategy Officer and Member of Advisory Board
2. Philip Losch, Chief Technology Officer
3. Stu Maschwitz, Chief Creative Officer
4. Enrique Glas, Chief Financial Officer
5. Gesa Häfner, Global Head of Employee Experience and Legal
6. Robert Sharp, Global Head of Sales
7. Paul Babb, Global Head of Community and Customer Experience
8. Aharon Rabinowitz, Global Head of Digital Experience
9. Karen Gauthier, Global Head of Products
10. Ozlem Zaimoglu Akinbosoye, Global Head of Operations
11. Nicolas Burtnyk, CEO Redshift

Information and bios of the executive team are available on the Maxon website Leadership page.

About Maxon 

Headquartered in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, Maxon is a developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions. Its award-winning Cinema 4D and Redshift 3D software products have been used extensively to help create and render everything from stunning visual effects in top feature films, TV shows and commercials, cutting-edge game cinematics for AAA games, as well as for medical illustration, architectural and industrial design applications. In 2019, Cinema 4D was awarded a Scientific and Technical Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Maxon has offices in Germany, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan and Singapore. Maxon products are available directly from the website and its worldwide distribution network. Maxon is part of the Nemetschek Group. For moreinformation, visit https://www.maxon.net

About Red Giant

Red Giant is a software company made up of talented artists and technologists who collaborate to create unique tools for filmmakers, editors, VFX artists, and motion designers. Our company culture is focused on finding balance between work and life – we call it “the double bottom line” – this philosophy helps us ignore complexity in favor of building simple tools that yield giant results. Over the last decade, our products (like Magic Bullet, Trapcode, Universe and PluralEyes have become the standard in film and broadcast post-production. With over 250,000 users, it’s nearly impossible to watch 20 minutes of film or TV without seeing our software in use. From our experiences as artists and filmmakers, we aspire to not only provide tools for artists, but inspiration as well. Watch our films, learn from over 300 free tutorials, or try our software at www.redgiant.com.

WASHINGTON, USA, Feb 18, 2020 – In 2015, the United Nations (U.N.) set 17 sustainable development goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and driving peace and prosperity worldwide by 2030. While leaders have seen some progress, they’ve also made it clear: we aren’t on track, and time is running out. Calling for new partnerships to support government efforts, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said, “Science is our great ally in the efforts to achieve the goals.”

Today, Engineering for Change (E4C), in collaboration with global software company Siemens, has announced a new call to action for socially minded engineers and hardware innovators to address two of the U.N. sustainable development goals focused on zero hunger and clean water. Applications open on March 4, for Innovate for Impact: Siemens Design Challenge, a competition that gives individuals the opportunity to develop solutions to address fundamental human needs for clean water and adequate food supply. The winning solutions will be awarded with $10,000 each. Interested participants can learn more about the issues, access online training,  review best practices, case studies in human centered design, and submission criteria for the Challenge at http://bit.ly/InnovateForImpact.

E4C will coordinate the application and evaluation process, share human-centered design principles and a variety of other tools and resources with applicants, while Siemens will provide free access to and training on cutting-edge technology tools for digital design and engineering, including Solid Edge software and a new co-creation platform developed with Siemens’ Mendix platform for low-code application development. Siemens software is widely used by the world’s leading companies to design, engineer and manufacture all types of products and infrastructure.

“Innovate for Impact: Siemens Design Challenge brings together the ingenuity of engineering communities focused on changing the world and the resources of a top global software company,” says E4C President Iana Aranda. “By applying human-centered design thinking and powerful digital technologies, engineers and other innovators will be well equipped to address the challenges of clean water and zero hunger and improve the quality of life around the world. We are grateful and fortunate for Siemens’ support in this vital endeavor, and excited to see the proposed solutions.”

“We are proud to partner with E4C to provide engineers with platforms to expand what’s humanly possible, creating new spaces to dream, innovate and develop technology to drive sustainable development goals,” says Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton. “Those who accept this challenge will get to use software and technology that have already reduced product development cycle times by half. But instead of speed to market, engineers can now focus on speed to society, delivering the solutions needed to advance a more equal world in time for 2030.”

The co-creation platform and application for the challenge open on March 4, World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development. During the “plan and learn” pre-application phase of the challenge, prospective applicants can review and consider participation in one of two tracks: zero hunger and clean water. They can either design a postharvest off-grid preservation technology to reduce farm-to-table food loss in lower resource settings that lack electricity. Or, applicants may choose to design a very low-cost, energy-efficient, scalable technology for desalinating brackish water.

Once they have decided on a track, familiarized themselves with available resources, and submitted an application with their proposed solution, accepted applicants will enter the design phase of the challenge. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 3, 2020. Over the course of the challenge, participants will be asked to:

1. Submit a 30-second video introducing their team and product concept
2. Research and explore the needs of their end user
3. Design their concept in 3D CAD software
4. Iterate their design based on their research and provide justification for decisions
5. Simulate how their product works
6. Submit a video pitching their product concept.

Winners will be announced in July 2020. For more information about Innovate for Impact: Siemens Design Challenge, please visit http://bit.ly/InnovateForImpact

About Engineering for Change (E4C)

Engineering for Change (E4C) is a knowledge organization dedicated to preparing, educating and activating the international engineering workforce to improve the quality of life of underserved communities worldwide. E4C provides access to resources, talent and platforms that accelerate the development of impactful solutions and infuse engineering rigor into global development. Our diverse, global community of over 1 million people is comprised of engineers, technologists, social entrepreneurs and development practitioners.

E4C was founded by ASME, IEEE and Engineers Without Borders-USA and is now supported by a variety of partners and sponsors ranging from industry, academia, non-profits and multilateral organizations.

About Siemens USA

Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed company Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. For more than 160 years, the company has innovated and invented technologies to support American industry spanning manufacturing, energy, healthcare and infrastructure. In fiscal 2018, Siemens USA reported revenue of $23.7 billion, including $5.0 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/siemensUSA

UTRECHT, Netherlands, Feb 17, 2020 – Ultimaker, the global leader in desktop 3D printing, recently strengthened its leadership team with four new talents to drive its worldwide growth even further.

Sebastiaan Verhaar, CCO, Mariska van IJzerloo, CPO, Siebe Beintema, CIO and Paul Heijmans, VP Application Software

Sebastiaan Verhaar, CCO at Ultimaker 

To capitalize on the success of Ultimaker’s regional commercial teams in the APAC, EMEA, and US, and to drive this growth even further, Sebastiaan Verhaar is appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Verhaar will help galvanize Ultimaker’s global sales efforts. He has over 16 years of experience with companies like Equinix and Google, setting up and growing successful international sales and business development teams in a range of sectors including Internet data services, telecommunications, enterprise software, SaaS, Cloud and IoT. While witnessing Ultimaker’s rapid growth from a distance the last few years, Verhaar is very excited to play a major role in taking Ultimaker’s profit-making to exciting new heights.

Mariska van IJzerloo, CPO at Ultimaker 

Ultimaker’s ambitious growth plans require the strengthening and broadening of the global organization. To support this vision, Mariska van IJzerloo joined Ultimaker in late 2019 as Chief People Officer (CPO). She is responsible for HR, People and Leadership Development, and Sustainability. Van IJzerloo has more than 15 years of leadership at globally innovative and engineering companies, such as REEBOK, DENSO, Arcadis and Ampelmann. Besides strategic HR, leadership, talent acquisition, and talent development, Van IJzerloo’s expertise lies with guiding the further globalisation of ambitious scale-ups. According to Van IJzerloo, steep organizational growth happens only when the people of the organization grow as well, and she is driven to encourage a healthy and inspiring environment for all Ultimaker employees to flourish in.

Siebe Beintema, CIO at Ultimaker 

As the new CIO for Ultimaker, Siebe Beintema will help to further define the company’s IT Strategy to support the growth and development of the IT and IT-related teams. Beintema brings years of expertise to Ultimaker, with past positions in IT Management and as a CIO for companies such as Thomas Cook and Lefebvre Sarrut Group/Sdu. Within the last five years, Beintema participated in the acquisition and integration of various Belgian and Dutch companies. He will be responsible for IT management, web development, ERP, as well as software and services delivery platform. Driven by sharing new and innovative solutions for the company with his colleagues and clients, Beintema is eager to support the continuous growth of Ultimaker.

Paul Heijmans, Vice President Application Software R&D at Ultimaker  

Siebe Beintema will work closely alongside Paul Heijmans, who is appointed as VP Application Software R&D. Heijmans will lead the R&D application software department and will report to Dick Moerkens, CTO at Ultimaker. He brings over 20 years of experience in software engineering to Ultimaker, that includes developing custom software, building software products, to building and running software as a service. Heijmans will focus on shaping and executing Ultimaker’s software strategy, the development of Ultimaker Cura and other future software related services.  Heijmans is proud to be a part of the team that delivered this accessible, open software that serves as a key accelerator in the global adoption of 3D printing.

About Ultimaker

Since 2011, Ultimaker has built an open and easy-to-use solution of 3D printers, software and materials that enable professional designers and engineers to innovate every day. Today, Ultimaker is the market leader in desktop 3D printing. From offices in the Netherlands, New York, Boston, and Singapore – plus production facilities in Europa and the US – its global team of over 400 employees work together to accelerate the world’s transition to digital distribution and local manufacturing. For more information, visit https://ultimaker.com.

LAKE MARY, FL, USA, Feb 17, 2020 – FARO (NASDAQ: FARO), the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement and imaging solutions for 3D manufacturing, construction BIM, 3D design and public safety forensics applications, announced that after market close on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, it will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019. In conjunction with the release, Michael Burger, President and CEO, and Allen Muhich, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. ET.

Interested parties can access the conference call by dialing (877) 876-9173 (U.S.) or +1 (785) 424-1667 (International) and using the passcode FARO. A live webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of FARO’s website at: https://www.faro.com/about-faro/investor-relations/events

A replay of the webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of the company’s web site approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and remain available for approximately 30 calendar days.

About FARO

FARO is the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement and imaging solutions. The Company develops and markets computer-aided measurement and imaging devices and software for the following vertical markets:

1. 3D Manufacturing – High-precision 3D measurement, imaging and comparison of parts and complex structures within production and quality assurance processes
2. Construction BIM – 3D capture of as-built construction projects and factories to document complex structures and perform quality control, planning and preservation
3. Public Safety Forensics – Capture and analysis of on-site real world data to investigate crash, crime and fire events, plan security activities and provide virtual reality training for public safety personnel
4. 3D Design – Capture and edit 3D shapes of products, people, and/or environments for design purposes in product development, computer graphics and dental and medical applications

FARO’s global headquarters is located in Lake Mary, Florida.  The Company’s European regional headquarters is located in Stuttgart, Germany and its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters is located in Singapore. FARO has other offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the Netherlands, Switzerland, India, China, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, and Australia.

More information is available at http://www.faro.com

WATERLOO, ON, Canada, Feb 17, 2020 – Maplesoft, a provider of high-performance software tools for engineering, science, and mathematics, announced that they will be starting direct operations in Japan as of April 1, 2020. Maplesoft Japan will provide sales and technical support for Maple, the technical computing and calculation management software, and MapleSim, the advanced system-level modeling and simulation tool, as well as related products.

“With expert staff dedicated exclusively to supporting Maple and MapleSim customers, our new office will offer increased services and support to our Japanese customers in both the commercial and academic markets,” says Takashi Iwagaya, Vice President, Technical Strategy, Maplesoft.

Maplesoft’s parent company and current reseller in Japan, Cybernet Systems, will continue to be the first point of contact for Japanese customers for some Maplesoft products and offerings. These include MapleMBSE, which supports a model based systems engineering approach to requirements management, the Maple Design of Experiments Toolbox, and the MapleCLASS package for universities.

During the transition period, Cybernet Systems will continue to be the point of contact for all sales and support questions. After April 1, the two companies will continue to collaborate closely, resulting in improved products, access to Cybernet Engineering Consulting Services, and enhanced services that will be accessible to all users of Maplesoft products in Japan.

“We are excited to be offering Maplesoft solutions directly to our many Maple and MapleSim customers in Japan while continuing to work closely with Cybernet Systems,” said Dr. Laurent Bernardin, President and CEO, Maplesoft. “We look forward to strengthening our current relationships with customers in Japan, and supporting them as they use our tools to develop innovative engineering solutions for their customers and enhance STEM education for their students.”

For more information about Maplesoft, visit www.maplesoft.com.

About Maplesoft

Maplesoft has provided mathematics-based software solutions to educators, engineers, and researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for over 30 years. Maplesoft’s flagship product, Maple, combines the world’s most powerful mathematics engine with an interface that makes it extremely easy to analyze, explore, visualize, and solve mathematical problems. Building on this technology, the product line includes solutions for education and research, system simulation, calculation management, and systems engineering.

Maplesoft products provide modern, innovative solutions to meet today’s technical challenges, from exploring math concepts on a smartphone to reducing development risk in complex engineering design projects. Maplesoft products and services are used by more than 8000 educational institutions, research labs, and companies, in over 90 countries.

Maplesoft is a subsidiary of Cybernet Systems Group.

TROY, MI, USA, Feb 17, 2020 – Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR), a global technology company providing solutions in product development, high-performance computing, and data intelligence, will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2019, ended December 31, 2019, after the market close on Thursday, February 27, 2020. On that day, management will hold a conference call and webcast at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) to review and discuss the Company’s results for the fourth quarter and full year. A recorded version of this webcast will be available after the call and accessible at http://investor.altair.com.

About Altair

Altair is a global technology company that provides software and cloud solutions in the areas of product development, high performance computing (HPC) and data analytics. Altair enables organizations across broad industry segments to compete more effectively in a connected world while creating a more sustainable future. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.