Autodesk Acquires Pieces Of AI Specialist Grip Entertainment

California-based middleware giant Autodesk has acquired "certain technology assets" and staffers from Montreal-based AI specialists Grip Entertainment, absorbing them into its existing line of AI products. Grip's existing products include a Character Control System based on visual behavior trees, and a Digital Extra System for managing large numbers of NPCs rapidly. Autodesk said the acquisition will augment the company's existing Kynapse middleware, which focuses on virtual perception and information gathering, by strengthening the reasoning and decision making portion of the AI pipeline. "The acquisition accelerates Autodesk's strategy to offer a more complete, simplified solution for the creation of believable interactive characters," Autodesk VP for games Marc Stevens said in a statement. "This transaction will enable us to offer game developers a more comprehensive AI solution." As part of the move, Autodesk will acquire all of Grip's current staff of developers, including co-founders Dr. Paul A. Kruszewski and Aaron Davey. Financial details of the acquisition were not discussed. The acquisition follows Autodesk's late-October investment in cloud-based 3D renderer Otoy, as well as a $36 million purchase of of user interface specialists Scaleform in February. Autodesk acquired Kynapse maker Kynogon back in 2008.