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Munich, 5 March 2002. NXN Software presented extensions for Alienbrain 5.0 at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose. The additions addressed project and studio management as well as bug tracking for interactive entertainment, film animation and new-media production.
Gregor vom Scheidt, CEO of NXN Software, said increasingly complex games required more effective project control. The extensions were intended to improve visibility into production and deliver a faster return on investment.
PMX project planning
Alienbrain PMX integrated the system with Microsoft Project 2000 and 2002. Managers could plan projects, assign tasks and monitor delivery, including several parallel plans for one team. Tasks could be tied to individual files and assigned to staff through Alienbrain.
SMX studio reporting
The Studio Management Extension generated current reports on the status and content of every project managed with Alienbrain Team Productivity Server. Information appeared in a standard web browser inside the studio or over the internet. Reports showed which users and groups created or changed the most content and when production activity peaked.
BMX bug management
The Bug Management Extension integrated defect and request management into the production workflow. Teams could report, archive, delegate, track and resolve software bugs, feature requests and development tasks. Reporting supported quality control and resource planning.
GDC session
Vom Scheidt also moderated a GDC panel titled “Running a Digital Entertainment Studio with NXN Alienbrain” on 21 March 2002. WildTangent President of Content Development David Schwartz presented a case study on managing several projects and previewed the studio’s Spider-Man production.
Alienbrain was developed for the large visual assets used in game development, animation and design.
