Autodesk Buys Swedish Lighting Technology Firm

San Rafael-based Autodesk Inc. announced Wednesday it has acquired Illuminate Labs, a privately held maker of lighting technology for game development.

The Gothenburg, Sweden company provides the Beast and Turtle plug-in technology for Autodesk Maya software, enabling more efficient game production and more realistic in-game lighting.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"We welcome Illuminate Labs' customers and employees to Autodesk," said Marc Stevens, vice president of games at Autodesk Media & Entertainment. "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."

He said advanced lighting solutions help game developers achieve their aesthetic goals, enhancing the game's design and story.

"Lighting brings games to life by defining environments, establishing mood, creating atmosphere and guiding players," Stevens said. "Illuminate Labs' lighting technology and workflow tailored to game development are some of the most advanced in the industry. They complement Autodesk's games middleware offering." 

Former Illuminate Labs chief executive Magnus Wennerholm said 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.