Blue Planet Studio and Cynosure New Media Team Up to Provide 3D Animation for DARPATech 2005

SAN DIEGO, August 19, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) – Blue Planet Studio, Inc., a 3D animation and graphic design firm, and Cynosure New Media, Inc., a leading training development and multimedia production company, joined forces to produce 3D animation for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Special Projects Office (DARPA SPO).

Converting futuristic concepts into high-tech visualization, these animations were used to support SPO and VSO exhibits on display at the 24 th DARPA Systems and Technology Symposium (DARPATech 2005) held at the Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, CA, August 9 -11, 2005.

Two 3D animations were produced to depict how technology advancements in airship design, station keeping, and sensor payload can be used to improve the timeliness, persistence, and usefulness of surveillance platforms deployed over areas of interest.

Working collaboratively with DARPA SPO, Cynosure New Media handled scriptwriting and narration, while Blue Planet Studio provided the creative aspects of animation production, post-production editing, and special effects.

“Nothing contributes more to the success of a project than combining a great client with a team of extremely talented professionals, like Blue Planet Studio”, said, Paul Zimmerman, President of Cynosure New Media.

Cynosure New Media, Inc., a San Diego-based full service training development and multimedia production company, working through content provider, the Worldwide Center for Organizational Development (WCOD), will produce and host content to be deployed as part of the new HSBC Global Resources Business University .

43 modules of online content will be produced in support of the 20/20 MDS™ comprehensive training package, a blended learning solution that combines instructor-led training, on-going project work, assessment, and online presentations to allow students the means to progressively earn up to three levels of certification accredited by the Institute for Leadership and Management.

“Cynosure's combined excellence in instructional design and technology were key in the decision,” said Jon Warner, President of WCOD.

Content will be hosted on Cynosure's proprietary online content delivery system TrainingWay (www.trainingway.com).

“We're very excited to be working with a team the caliber of WCOD and HSBC. This experience goes a long way towards demonstrating the capabilities of TrainingWay,” said Paul Zimmerman, President of Cynosure New Media.

Cynosure New Media, Inc., has been contracted by IHS, Inc., to produce a 20-minute online software emulation of its soon to be released Haystack Gold parts and supplier management solution. This contract is another in a long history of producing Macromedia Flash-based online software emulations and tutorials for Cynosure.

“Last year we produced an product sales demo for USA Info Systems. We were excited to learn that following their acquisition by IHS that the company wanted Cynosure to produce the updated presentation,” said Paul Zimmerman, President of Cynosure New Media.

Product emulations of this type describe the features and benefits of a software product while demonstrating its operation and functional characteristics. The program serves as an end-user product tutorial while being a great tool for qualifying new sales.

Its third in a series of community college online student orientation programs, Cynosure New Media, Inc., will provide development services to College of the Canyons, part of the Santa Clarita Community College District.

Community colleges are finding it difficult to get students to take classroom-based orientation training. We provide an online alternative that is engaging for the student and can be re-visited at all times as a student's need for various types of information changes through the school year.

The online programs combine video, animation, text, graphics, and animation to portray campus life, student services, and every day college processes to a new or existing student in ways not possible in the traditional setting. Student can take the orientation at any time during their enrollment period. A short quiz at the end validates their mastery of the information and a resultant e-mail to the Counseling department confirms the student's attendance.

Similar projects produced by Cynosure are currently deployed at Miramar College in San Diego , and Pierce College in Los Angeles.

Teaming with San Diego training company IVID Communications, Cynosure toured the coal mines of West Virginia and Wyoming . Peabody Energy, the nation's leading producer of clean coal is launching its new nationwide training initiative and is looking to the instructional design and development capabilities of IVID and Cynosure to support this new initiative.

Peabody's goal is to increase training for new miners to help compensate for a shrinking pool of qualified candidates caused by equal parts of attrition do to retirement of the experienced workforce and expansion of the coal industry.