SAN ANTONIO – August 1, 2012 –  NewTek announced today the creation of the LightWave 3D^® Group, a division of NewTek, Inc., based in Burbank, Calif. The new division will focus on delivering visualization and 3D products for a range of industries—from architecture, computer-aided design and product development to advertising, game development and feature films. NewTek also announced former NewTek VP and Head of 3D Development Rob Powers has been promoted to president of the LightWave 3D Group. Powers will leverage his extensive experience in the visual effects and film production industries to accelerate growth worldwide for the LightWave 3D Group with new product offerings, strategic partnerships, and targeted sales and marketing initiatives.

“LightWave 3D has been the secret weapon in production pipelines for the past 20 years,” said Jim Plant, president and CEO, NewTek. “The formation of the LightWave 3D Group and the promotion of Rob Powers to president of the group was an executive decision to ensure that NewTek is well positioned for 20 plus more years of incredible growth,” continued Plant. “Rob’s passion for LightWave coupled with his unrivaled film production experience makes him the ideal person to lead the 3D team in new directions.  It’s an exciting time for both the company and the industry.”

For more than two years, Powers has lead the development and implementation of many new features in NewTek LightWave™ 10 and LightWave 11, acting a liaison between studios, 3D artists and NewTek to incorporate productivity enhancements such as the VPR (Virtual Preview Renderer), anaglyph stereoscopic  3D preview  and many other features including advanced flocking, instancing, workflow improvements and interchange support.

Prior to joining NewTek, Powers worked with James Cameron, serving as animation technical director and virtual art department supervisor for “Avatar,” and as CG supervisor for “Aliens of the Deep.” Powers also worked with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson as virtual art department supervisor for “The Adventures of Tintin.” He worked on Disney’s “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and Jet Li’s “The One,” and was the lead animator of the famous 3D dancing baby on “Ally McBeal.” NewTek also enlisted Powers to create the first 64-bit Windows animation using LightWave 3D, which was presented by Bill Gates in his keynote address.

Powers graduated from the University of Southern California’s Cinema Production program, and attended the Academy of Motion Pictures, American Film Institute.

About LightWave

LightWave 3D combines a state-of-the-art renderer with powerful, intuitive modeling, and animation tools. Tools that may cost extra in other professional 3D applications are part of the product package, including 999 free cross-platform render nodes, support for Windows and Mac UB 64 and 32-bit operating systems, free technical support and more. LightWave is enjoyed worldwide, as a complete 3D production solution for feature film and television visual effects, broadcast design, print graphics, visualization, game development, and Web. LightWave is responsible for more artists winning Emmy Awards than any other 3D application.

For more information about LightWave or the LightWave 3D Group, please visit: www.lightwave3d.com, Twitter, YouTube or connect with us on Facebook.

About NewTek

Clients include: “The X Factor,” ESPN X Games, New York Giants, NBA Development League, Fox News, BBC, NHL, Nickelodeon, CBS Radio, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports, Turner Sports, John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, MTV, TWiT.TV, USA TODAY, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NewTek products have been used in feature films and television shows, including “Hunger Games,” "Avatar," "The Adventures of Tintin," "The Walking Dead,” "Fringe," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and more.

NewTek is privately owned and based in San Antonio, Texas. For more information on NewTek please visit: www.newtek.com, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr or connect with us on Facebook.

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