Kickstand LLC, an innovator of advanced character animation and custom pipeline technology, today announced the worldwide availability of StretchMesh 1.5 software for Autodesk® Maya® software. For a limited time, StretchMesh 1.5 is being offered at the introductory per-seat price of $199.

A powerful surface deformation plug-in designed to seamlessly integrate with Maya 3D modeling and animation software, StretchMesh introduces new techniques into the character pipeline and gives polygonal geometry a “stretchy” quality for better control over the movement and skin elasticity of 3D modeled characters.

Implemented as a standard deformer in Maya software, StretchMesh 1.5 features advanced relational vertex and shape preservation technology, offering animators and technical directors working in feature film, broadcast and game development the ability to create smooth character deformations using Maya software.

StretchMesh 1.5 takes advantage of multi-threading in Maya 2009 software, and incorporates several new features for advanced character animation, including:

– Greater flexibility and performance when animating collisions with primitive sphere and primitive curve colliders.

– The ability to paint an influence on a collision object for per-vertex control over collision behaviors.

– Curve attractors provide the ability to pull vertices toward the closest point on a curve.

– A “Scale Safe” mode which allows users to scale a mesh while safely preserving its initial shape.

StretchMesh 1.5 is priced at $249 (USD) per seat, but is being offered at an introductory per-seat price of $199 (USD) through September 30, 2009. Educational pricing and site licensing is also available; please contact Kickstand for more details. StretchMesh supports Autodesk Maya version 8.5 or higher on Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems. For more details, please visit www.kickstandlabs.com/tools or call 1-888-KCK-STND (1-888-525-7863).

About Kickstand
Kickstand LLC is an innovative character research and development company producing custom animation and pipeline technology for leading visual effects and film studios worldwide. Founded by experts in feature animation, video game development, television, and commercial production, Kickstand specializes in commercial and custom software development for advanced 3D modeling and animation and offers consultation services to help solve complex production pipeline issues, create technical assets, and develop specialized tools for 3D modeling and animation. For more information about Kickstand, please visit www.kickstandlabs.com or call 1-888-KCK-STND (1-888-525-7863).