OAKLAND, CA (February 14th, 2001) -- Digital Element, an Oakland-based software engineering firm specializing in 3D programming capabilities, announced today that it has secured a license from AnimaTek International, Inc. to be the exclusive publisher of AnimaTek's World Builder line of award-winning 3D landscape creation and animation software. Under the license, Digital Element will immediately take over customer service and support, product development, sales and marketing from AnimaTek. AnimaTek's World Builder, first published in 1995, is used by film and television animators, video game designers, Web developers, architects and landscape designers to create ultra-realistic, animated 3D landscapes and scenery. It has won several industry awards, including Animation Magazine's Golden Pixie Award and the PC Format Gold Award. "No one understands AnimaTek World Builder's rich history better than Digital Element, and we are committed to providing the smoothest transition possible for every end user and distributor," said Digital Element's president, Don McClure. "We have no plans to change the current pricing or availability at this time." McClure continued, "We are also especially pleased to have licensed the rights to develop AnimaTek's World Builder. This will allow Digital Element's world-class software engineers to improve even further what is already hard at work on improving what is already one of the best 3D landscape creation and animation packages available today and turning it into an even better product for animators, designers and developers to create any scene they can imagine." More information about Digital Element, AnimaTek World Builder, or the transition is available at www.digi-element.com. ABOUT ANIMATEK WORLD BUILDER First published in 1995, Animatek World Builder is a high-end comprehensive solution for modelling, animating and rendering ultra realistic, fully functional 3D landscapes for use in computer graphics, architecture, game development and movie production. Its proprietary features allow users to create incredibly complex scenes with breaking waves, volumetric light, wind-blown trees and grass- all on an ordinary desktop workstation. The product comes in Standard, as a stand-alone application, and Professional, as a plug-in for Discreet's 3D Studio Max, versions. It is priced at $799 for the Standard version and $999 for the professional version. ABOUT DIGITAL ELEMENT Founded in 1999 in Oakland, CA, Digital Element is a software engineering firm specializing in 3D programming capabilities. In addition to its Technology-on-Demand program, which provides 3D programming services to a diverse array of organizations, Digital Element develops and sells software products and services to film and television animators, video game designers, Web developers, architects and landscape designers. For more information about Digital Element, please visit www.digi-element.com.