Designed to meet the present and future demands of increasingly complex 3D production environments, 3ds Max 8 software will allow UTV to increase the overall productivity of its animation division by 20 – 30 per cent.

Over the next three months, UTV plans to expand its Toons division to house 200 animation technicians at its facility in Mumbai. Additionally, the company expects to migrate at least 80 per cent of all future projects to 3ds Max 8.

Coming in close on the heels of their $10 million outsourcing partnership with US-based BKN New Media Inc., this deployment takes on added significance for UTV as it highlights the company’s commitment to the global market and growing its international profile as well.

In addition to this UTV Toons is also currently executing projects such as Tripping the Rift, a popular animated sitcom in the US, Magic Cellar for the South African Broadcasting Corp., and Freej the first animation project funded by Dubai’s media city.

UTV Toons animation and new media vice president Jyotirmoy Saha said, "Although we have been using 3ds Max for a while now, we felt that it was absolutely necessary for us to expand our facilities in order to service our current and future projects. We chose 3ds Max 8 in addition to offering a 30-40 per cent improvement in rendering time, as it also comes equipped with enhanced features such as advanced character development, modeling, texturing and scripting tools. This coupled with the high level consulting and domain expertise that Autodesk Media and Entertainment offers, is a compelling reason to partner with them."

"We‘re delighted that UTV Toons has selected 3ds Max 8 software. UTV has always been a quality conscious customer, keen to deliver the best to the Indian and global markets. Having begun our association with them in 2002, we have witnessed their business grow over the years and rise to an impressive leadership position. We foresee a long standing relationship with UTV and look forward to partnering with them in their long term growth plans," Autodesk Media and Entertainment regional sales manager – animation and desktop video, South East Asia and India said Raman Madan.