Perforce Software Inc. today announced the upcoming release of Perforce SCM 2005.1, the latest version of its software configuration management system. The update will enable users to preview multiple versions of an image and promises to increase productivity for users in the field of digital content creation.
Perforce SCM tracks and manages source code and digital asset development for software and game production environments. New features available in version 2005.1 include a thumbnail viewer that allows digital artists to quickly and easily distinguish differences between an image they are modifying and any version stored in the Perforce repository.
"Perforce has a strong reputation among software developers," says Perforce president and chief technology officer Christopher Seiwald. "The thumbnail viewer now makes Perforce the obvious choice among digital artists. The viewer, combined with our recently released integrations with Autodesk’s 3ds max, Adobe’s Photoshop and Alias’s Maya, brings SCM to digital content creation."
The built-in thumbnail viewer provides a small version of each revision of an image stored in Perforce, as well as a scalable preview pane so that users can see any version at a larger size without opening the file. All major image file formats are supported and a plug-in API is available for custom and proprietary formats.
Among the studios to integrate Perforce SCM into their pipelines is BioWare, developer of the award-winning PC role-playing game Neverwinter Nights. "Since our adoption of Perforce, almost every aspect of our development process has become linked to Perforce," notes Trent Oster, project director for BioWare’s technology architecture group and producer of Neverwinter Nights. "A stable, high-performing source code and digital asset repository is key to managing the massive amounts of data required for current and next-generation games, and Perforce delivers on all counts."
Perforce version 2005.1 will be available to licensed users later this month. Interested developers can download and evaluate Perforce free from the Perforce Software web site without obligation for a 45-day trial. This offer includes free technical support during the evaluation period. A free, fully functional, two-user version is also available from the web site. End-user licenses, including one year of support and maintenance, start at $750 per seat with volume discounts available. For more information, go to www.perforce.com.
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