MetaCreations

MetaCreations was founded in 1997 by the mergers of MetaTools, Fractal Design Corporation, Ray Dream, Specular, and Real Time Geometry Lab (RTG).{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB862347500209275000|title=Ex-Soviet Scientist Aims To Reshape 3-D Graphics|first=David |last=Bank |date= April 30, 1997 |newspaper= The Wall Street Journal |url-access=subscription}} John Wilczak and Mark Zimmer led the initial operations. Wilczak left the company in 1998. The software and GUI designer, highly valued creative head for his contributions to the public brand appearance,{{Cite journal|url=https://www.heise.de/ct/artikel/Super-statt-Normal-285586.html|title=Zukunftsweisendes von Kai Krause|first=Dr Jörn|last=Loviscach|journal=C't |lang=de |date=11 April 1997|volume=1997 |issue=5 |page=78 }} Kai Krause (MetaTools, Goo-Series, KPT, ...) left shortly afterwards in 1999.

In 1999, MetaCreations invested itself heavily in the newly developed '3d on the Web' technology "MetaStream" and began restructuring from graphics applications to Internet technology. MetaCreations formed a subsidiary company called MetaStream, acquired Viewpoint Digital, and ultimately merged all operations together to become the Viewpoint Corporation. (The name Viewpoint derives from Viewpoint DataLabs International, Inc. which was a 1988 founded enterprise that specialized in the area of digitalisation and modelling for the movie industry like for Star Trek, and it got under the hood of Computer Associates in 1998.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}) The newly formed Viewpoint Corporation divested itself of all former MetaCreations graphics products to push MetaStream technology.

In 2000, Enliven bought all not-yet-possessed shares of Viewpoint Digital Inc. from Computer Associates International Inc. which held about 17.7% of the full daughter Metastream Corporation at that time.{{Cite web|url=http://www.secinfo.com/dsvr4.59wh.htm|title=SEC Info - Enliven Marketing Technologies Corp - '8-K/A' for 9/8/00|website=www.secinfo.com}} In the process of this Viewpoint got declared the Consumer Products division of the Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation. Further Viewpoint’s NASDAQ stock ticker symbol changed from VWPT to ENLV to reflect the Company’s name change in January 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.enliven.com/press/ticker-change-to-enlv-121807.aspx/|author=Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation|title=Viewpoint Corporation Announces Ticker Change to "ENLV"|accessdate=2008-04-04|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20081120203301/http://www.enliven.com/press/ticker-change-to-enlv-121807.aspx/|archivedate=2008-11-20 |type=Press Release}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Viewpoint+Corporation+Changes+Name+to+Enliven+Marketing+Technologies...-a0172553351|title=Viewpoint Corporation Changes Name to Enliven Marketing Technologies Corporation.|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305131234/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Viewpoint+Corporation+Changes+Name+to+Enliven+Marketing+Technologies...-a0172553351 | archive-date=5 March 2016 |type=Press Release}} Enliven was then acquired by DG FastChannel for $98 million, in a stock-for-stock transaction.{{Cite web |title=Ad Services Supplier DG Fastchannel Buys Digital Marketer Enliven For $98 Million |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ad-services-supplier-dg-fastchannel-buys-digital-marketer-enliven-for-98-million/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.cbsnews.com |date=9 May 2008 |language=en-US}}

• Ray Dream Studio and Specular Infini-D were succeeded by Carrara, which was sold to Eovia and subsequently acquired by Daz 3D.
• MetaTools' Bryce was sold to Corel and subsequently acquired by Daz 3D.{{cite web|date=January 14, 2002 |title=Bryce 5.0 |url=http://reviews.cnet.com/illustration/bryce-5-0/4505-3633_7-6161215.html |first=Rick |last=Popko |website=CNET|access-date=May 31, 2009}}{{cite web |url=http://www.corel.co.uk/uk/pdfs/press/uk_daz_bryce.pdf |title=DAZ PRODUCTIONS ACQUIRES BRYCE® FROM COREL

|website=Corel Corporation UK |type=Press Release |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304024742/http://www.corel.co.uk/uk/pdfs/press/uk_daz_bryce.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2012 }}

• Fractal Design's Poser was sold to Curious Labs, which was itself acquired by e-Frontier and finally Smith Micro Software.
• MetaCreations' Canoma was acquired by Adobe Systems. It was discontinued and its technology folded into other products.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
• Fractal Design's Painter was acquired by Corel.
• Fractal Design's Expression reverted to its original developer, Creature House, who later sold the product to Microsoft. It is now sold as Microsoft Expression Design, part of the Microsoft Expression Studio suite.
• Kai's Photo Soap, Kai's Power Goo (later SuperGoo), and Kai's Power Show were acquired by ScanSoft, Inc.. They have been discontinued.
• In 1999 Minolta marketed the Minolta Dimâge 3D 1500, a modular digital camera based on the Minolta Dimâge EX 1500 incorporating MetaCreations' MetaFlash technology to achieve 3D image-capturing capabilities.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}

{{Reflist|1}}

• [http://www.mprove.de/script/99/kai/ The Interface of Kai Krause's Software @mprove] mprove: The Interface of Kai Krause’s Software

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Category:Software companies based in California

Category:Defunct software companies of the United States

Category:Apple Design Awards recipients