Illuminate Labs' Beast and Turtle technology to assist Autodesk in Maya and Max game development.

Autodesk has bought Illuminate Labs, a privately held maker of lighting technology for game development. Illuminate Labs' Beast middleware solution and Turtle plug-in for Autodesk Maya software enable faster iteration on a game's creative intent, and more realistic in-game lighting. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

In welcoming Illuminate Labs customers and employees to Autodesk, Marc Stevens, VP Games, Autodesk Media & Entertainment said, "Technological progress is a mainstay of the games industry. Autodesk is committed to helping game developers be more competitive with modern pipelines. We want our customers to spend less time building workflows and solving redundant problems, and more time realizing their creative vision for the game."

Magnus Wennerholm, previously Illuminate Labs CEO, said, "In just a few years, Beast and Turtle have become production-proven technologies for in-game lighting. Leading game developers like Sony Computer Entertainment, Nintendo America and THQ/Heavy Iron rely on these tools to help deliver higher visual quality in their games. My team and I are excited about the technology development opportunities that Autodesk has to offer. I believe that this acquisition will benefit both Autodesk and Illuminate Labs customers." Wennerholm and the Illuminate Labs team are joining Autodesk Media & Entertainment."

Autodesk plans to develop and sell Illuminate Labs' technology and support Illuminate Labs customers. Autodesk anticipates that Beast middleware will continue to be licensed as a standalone product. Autodesk plans to incorporate Turtle into future offerings, and discontinue licensing it as a standalone product.

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