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Lotus Concept Car Contest
Lets Kids' Creativity Flow
Youngsters will use revolutionary Cosmic Blobs 3D graphics software to
create the car of the future in contest judged by Lotus engineers and
designers
PARIS, September 15, 2005 - Group Lotus plc, the UK-based sports car
manufacturer famous for the Elise and Exige, and Dassault Systèmes
(NASDAQ:
DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D and
Product Lifecycle Management solutions, today announced they will
invite children to try their hand at designing the next great
automobile. Contestants in the Cosmic Blobs "Blob Master" Design
Competition won't use complicated high-end computer-aided design (CAD)
software to pursue their dreams, but rather Cosmic Blobs®, the most
powerful 3D graphics software ever invented for kids.
Cosmic Blobs combines the simplicity of modeling clay and the hidden
power of advanced computer graphics design software to let young
people easily create beautiful and imaginative 3D designs. Equally
educational and fun, Cosmic Blobs has no text menus or dialog boxes
and is ideal for shaping the futuristic visions of aspiring car
designers.
Finalists will be judged by actual Group Lotus engineers and
designers, renowned for their skill of blending beauty and
performance, as seen in the award-winning Lotus Elise, which weighs a
mere 1,984 pounds and goes from zero to 60 mph in under five seconds.
"Unlike the other arts, product design has not always been easy to
nurture at a young age," said Russell Carr, chief designer at Lotus.
"Aspiring painters have water colors, aspiring musicians have pianos,
and aspiring chefs have their kitchens. In the same way, Cosmic Blobs
and Lotus for the first time can move young designers away from pencil
and paper to provide an environment to realize their boldest ideas."
Contestants start with a digital model of a basic chassis and can
push, pull, stretch, bend, and color blob-like shapes to design their
dream car.
The chassis model is available in the special Concept Car section of
the Cosmic Blobs Website at
.
Contest co-sponsors include Apple Computer Inc. and ATI Technologies
Inc., the world leader in graphics acceleration technology. Contest
entries will be judged on their visual style, uniqueness, originality
and practicality as a concept car. Prize packs include Apple iPods,
graphics cards from ATI, Lotus branded merchandise (including model
cars) and Cosmic Blobs software.
"This contest helps our young customers make meaningful connections
between creativity and common sense and between pure esthetics and
practicality,"
said Steven DeBenedictis, product manager for Cosmic Blobs.
"Automobiles reflect many combinations of style, appearance and
functionality resulting from the imagination of creative designers and
the planning from skilled engineers. The Blob Master Design Challenge
is an opportunity for young people to try their hand at bringing
beauty and performance together in the same way that Group Lotus
engineers do every day."
The contest begins today and runs through Oct. 15. One winner will be
chosen from each of the three contest age ranges and be crowned an
official Blob Master. The age ranges for the contest are: 7-9, 10-13,
and 14-18. Winning designs will be revealed the week of Oct. 24. More
information, including contest rules and a trial version of Cosmic
Blobs software, are online at
.
About Group Lotus plc:
The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Ltd,
which has two operating divisions - Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering:
Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy
services to many of the world's OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a
full engineering service from initial concept and project design
through development to full production prototype build. Lotus Cars
builds and commercializes Lotus sports cars, Elise and Exige, and
manufactures the advanced composite front and rear crash structures
for the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. For more information about Group
Lotus plc, Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, visit
.
About Dassault Systèmes
As world leader in 3D and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management)
solutions, the Dassault Systèmes group brings value to more than
80,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market
since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application
software and services that support industrial processes and provide a
3D vision of the entire life cycle of products from conception to
maintenance. Its offering includes integrated PLM solutions for
product development (CATIA®, DELMIA®, ENOVIA®, SMARTEAM®), mainstream
3D design tools (SolidWorks®), and 3D components (Spatial/ACIS®).
Dassault Systèmes is listed on the Nasdaq (DASTY) and Euronext Paris
(#13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges. For more information, visit
.
Cosmic Blobs is the result of sustained efforts to share the power of
3D computer graphics with everyone, including children. The Cosmic
Blobs team is a dedicated group of programmers, mathematicians,
artists, and visionaries - all kids at heart. For more information,
visit
Cosmic Blobs is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation in
the U.S.
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