Perforce Software today announced integrations between Perforce SCM, its software configuration management system, and three popular graphics applications: Discreet’s 3ds max, Adobe’s Photoshop, and Alias’ Maya. The new integrations encourage collaboration during the creative process and enable artists and developers to version, store and manage their code and digital assets more efficiently.

The Perforce Plug-in for Graphical Tools, P4GT, provides users with intuitive functionality to version their code or digital assets from within the familiar environment of leading graphical design tools (see screenshot). Fully integrated with Perforce, P4GT is a self-installing plug-in that requires no special setup knowledge from the user.

“For years, Epic has used Perforce to manage and distribute the source code for the Unreal Engine,” said Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. “We also use Perforce for our game textures, models, and animations, but in the past that meant artists had to use an external application to track their files. With P4GT, our artists can stay focused in their preferred art tools, with the comfort that the rest of the dev team can access the latest version of their work. In the end, this makes for a faster and more efficient development process.”

With the Perforce drop-down menus in Photoshop, 3ds max, and Maya, users can:
—Know precisely which files are managed by Perforce.
—Check-in and check-out files.
—Access multiple versions of their work.
—View a complete revision history of all digital assets without having to leave the graphical tool’s familiar environment.
—See the status of all other digital assets and software code in the Perforce repository.

“Data management is extremely important to our customers and it is imperative that we support the tools that 3ds max users want. Perforce is very well respected by the engineers that build the top games with 3ds max and we expect the same reaction from artists managing their art assets,” commented Dan Prochazka, industry manager for 3D animation software at Discreet. “Discreet is thrilled to see Perforce handle asset development integrity and do so as effectively as they have software development integrity.”

“P4GT is the first in a series of enhancements that strengthens Perforce’s ability to handle digital assets, particularly for users in the games and entertainment industries,” said Nigel Chanter, chief operating officer of Perforce Software. “In this arena, we have always beaten the competition with solid version control capabilities but now we’ve made it easier for artists—non-traditional SCM users—to work more effectively with programmers.”

Availability & Pricing

P4GT is available now for Windows 2000 and XP platforms and requires Perforce Server version 2004.2. There are no special licenses to purchase, install, or configure. Interested artists and developers are invited to download and evaluate Perforce free from the Perforce 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; volume discounts are available. For additional price and license information, send e-mail inquiries to info@perforce.com or visit www.perforce.com.