Interactive Data Visualization, developers of foliage middleware solution SpeedTree, announced that its company's product has been licensed by BioWare (
Mass Effect,
Neverwinter Nights) for use company-wide in the development of future titles.
The SpeedTree software delivers highly realistic digital trees and plants, with adjustable wind effects, user-configurable LOD transitions, and an included library of hundreds of tree, plant and marine models representing more than 170 core species. The tool has already found use in a number of highly regarded next-generation titles, such as THQ's
Siants Row and Bethesda's
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, both for the Xbox 360. In addition, developers of Webzen's upcoming MMOFPS
Huxley are also utilizing the SpeedTree technology.
This latest news adds to a wealth of new SpeedTree licenses recently announced by IDV. In January, the company announced that its technology had been licensed by six different game developers for titles to be released later in 2007 and into 2008, including independent developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment for the forthcoming
Stargate Worlds MMORPG.
“Within days of downloading the software, we had beautiful, shadowed, deciduous trees running in our upcoming title, Dragon Age,” said Trent Oster, Eclipse Engine project director for BioWare. “Based on the visual quality and the ease of integration, we signed a multi-game, company-wide licensing deal for SpeedTree.”
