DAZ Productions Inc., a developer of professional quality 3D software and models, has announced the first release of the DAZ|Studio Software Development Kit (SDK) with the latest version of its free digital art software, DAZ|Studio 1.3. By exposing the majority of the DAZ|Studio API, the DAZ|Studio SDK enables third-party developers to completely integrate their own technology directly into DAZ|Studio. With this digital 3D art market now open to third-party developers, the growth potential for a variety of new DAZ|Studio features, tools and plug-ins is virtually unlimited. "Consumers across the globe demand engaging content and intuitive tools with which to manage it all," said Josh Darling, director of external development for DAZ Productions. "By fully exposing the DAZ|Studio API, third-party developers will be able to push their own technology to its limits without wasting time trying to deal with constraints of the main application itself. The DAZ|Studio SDK will unlock the potential for outside developers to successfully deploy truly robust plug-ins and add-on tools to the end-user.” New third-party plug-ins are already available for sale or bundled with the release of DAZ|Studio 1.3. A sampling of these plug-ins include: - Importer/exporter for BVH motion-capture files created by GMCC Software and bundled with DAZ|Studio 1.3. - FBX file-format exporter created by Bruce Lamming of MetaGin Designs and available for sale on the DAZ Productions website at: www.daz3d.com/shop.php?op=itemdetails&item=3630. - Power Pose a full-body inverse kinematics (IK) pose tool created by Steve Huang of Opportunity International and bundled with DAZ|Studio 1.3. - Mesh Deformation Tool (D-Form) created by John Brugioni. The SDK itself provides developers with the ability to add new functionality, interfaces, scene components, render engines, file I/O and much more to DAZ|Studio, including the ability to integrate new components into the native file structure. The SDK also enables developers to load DAZ|Studio with full functionality from other applications making it possible to directly import/export data as well as host live DAZ|Studio content in other applications.