Munich, Germany and La Jolla, CA, USA, March 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MadCap Software, Inc. and Metaio GmbH today announced that the companies have partnered to provide the industry's first solution for bringing augmented reality to technical documentation. MadCap is the leader in multi-channel content authoring and a showcase company for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Visual Studio. Metaio is the worldwide leader in augmented reality (AR) research and technology. Through the integration of Metaio's software with MadCap Flare 11.0, users can scan content published by MadCap Flare with their mobile devices in order to display any type of additional material and graphics, including interactive 3D models and animations.
The MadCap-Metaio solution addresses the growing demand in the technology and industrial enterprise sectors to improve documentation around increasingly complex abstractions and processes--moving for example from a static 2D schematic to an interactive and dynamic 3D schematic with staged instructions. It also provides an avenue to richer content for companies that are required by government or industry mandates to publish paper manuals, enabling readers of these documents to access richer, up-to-the-moment content on the Web via their mobile devices.
Augmented Reality Via MadCap Flare and Metaio Creator Integration
MadCap Flare, MadCap's flagship software, is the most advanced single-source, multi-channel authoring and publishing solution available today, supporting the ability to publish to a number of devices and formats including print, Web, desktop and mobile. Version 11.0 of Flare, which launched on March 17, 2015, is integrated with Metaio Creator, the industry-leading augmented reality software, which allows users to create a complete AR scenario using a drag-and-drop interface that eliminates the need for specialized programming knowledge.
Now writers can create Flare-based content that allows users to scan an element of content with a mobile device and access additional material--such as audio, video, or 3D models and animations--from another source. The augmented reality is presented as an image that is embedded in Flare-based content and then exported to Metaio Creator. Once the content is published, end-users take advantage of the free Junaio browser to experience augmented reality from their mobile devices. Significantly, because both Flare and Junaio support multiple channels, information can be accessed from Web-based or desktop Help, as well as print manuals.
"We have seen tremendous demand, particularly across the industrial enterprise sector, to provide a richer, more interactive 3D experience with technical documentation," said Metaio CTO and Co-Founder Peter Meier. "MadCap Software, with its widely adopted, state-of-the-art multi-channel publishing Flare software, was a natural partner to align with in enriching online and print technical guides with 3D, audio and video through the augmented reality provided by our industry-leading Metaio Creator software."
"Metaio shares our commitment to creating a superior experience for users by providing the most advanced capabilities for delivering modern informational content," said Anthony Olivier, MadCap founder and CEO. "Through the integration of Metaio Creator, a leading innovator in augmented reality, with MadCap Flare for cutting-edge multi-channel publishing, we are setting a new standard in providing interactive, multimedia content designed to enhance usability, collaboration, and innovation."
Availability and Pricing
MadCap Flare 11.0 featuring Metaio Creator integration is available today, separately and as part of MadPak, the industry's most comprehensive technical authoring suite and the only one featuring six fully integrated, XML-based products to create a seamless experience for documentation professionals, translators, and other content authors. Standalone pricing for Flare is $999 per license, and subscription options start at $67 per month. MadPak pricing is $1,699 per license, and subscription options start at $108 per month. For more information on MadCap Software's enterprise multi-user and floating license models, visit:
- Flare: www.madcapsoftware/products/flare/pricing.aspx.
- MadPak: www.madcapsoftware/products/madpak/pricing.aspx.
Maintenance (support and subscription) fees start at $199 per year for the Bronze Level, $299 for the Gold Level, and $499 for the Platinum Level. Discounts for multiyear maintenance contracts are also available.
About Metaio
The worldwide leader in augmented reality (AR) research and technology, Metaio develops software products for visually interactive solutions between the real and the virtual world. Based on the Metaio Augmented Reality platform, digital and 3-D content can be integrated seamlessly into the real world through the user's camera view. Serving over 100,000 developers and powering over 1,000 apps for enterprise, marketing, retail, publishing and industrial cases, over 30 million consumers use Metaio's AR software. Learn more at www.metaio.com.
About MadCap Software
MadCap Software, Inc. is a trusted resource for the thousands of companies around the globe that rely on its solutions for multi-channel authoring and publishing, multimedia, and translation management of their professional documentation. Whether delivering technical, medical, marketing, business, or human resources content, MadCap's products are used to create corporate intranets, Help systems, policy and procedure manuals, knowledge bases, instruction manuals, user guides, and more to any format, including high-end print, online, desktop, mobile or responsive HTML5. MadCap services include product training, consulting services, translation and localization, and an advanced developer certification program. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, MadCap Software is home to some of the most experienced software architects and product experts in the content development industry.Learn more about MadCap Software at www.madcapsoftware.com.
MadCap Software, the MadCap Software logo and Doc-To-Help are trademarks or registered trademarks of MadCap Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other marks are the properties of their respective owners.