Las Vegas: Alias, the Toronto-based makers of Maya software for 3D animation and FX, was at NAB2004 within one week of announcing that Accel-KKR, a tech-focused private equity firm, was finalizing a US$57.5 million deal that would back Alias' separation from parent Silicon Graphics.

"This is great news for us," explains Chris Ruffo, Alias industry marketing manager, who adds that whereas SGI is a hardware manufacturer looking to refocus on its core business, "We get to partner with a parent that can help our growth."

Ruffo says that the change in ownership has not resulted in any change in the Alias management team and there has been "virtually no disruption" overall.

Alias introduced its version six of Maya at the show, which offered new animation functionality, such as a more advanced system for creating hair, aimed at its film, TV and gaming clients.