EmmyblankAfter a year of receiving top honors for its impact on movies and video game development, SpeedTree has been named the recipient of a 2015 Engineering Emmy for its significant impact on the television industry.

The “Golden Age” of television has brought with it unprecedented levels of VFX on our home screens and with it the same bleeding edge technology that powers the biggest silver screen blockbusters.

SpeedTree’s vegetation modeling tools launched in 2002, but it didn’t find its way into theaters until 2009 when James Cameron’s Avatar marked the launch of SpeedTree Cinema. Since first making the leap to TV in 2011 on Sesame Street® SpeedTree has seen exponential growth in broadcast and cable. More than 30 television programs have used SpeedTree in many episodes including Game of Thrones, Penny Dreadful, Black Sails, and Bones.

“Our objective from the start has been to give the best tree and plant tools to as many artists and creators as possible,” said IDV Co-Founder Michael Sechrest. “Our growing adoption by the television industry, and this year’s Engineering Emmy represent major accomplishments in striving toward that goal.”

SpeedTree was awarded a Scientific and Technical Academy Award® from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in February, having been featured in over 50 feature films since its first appearance in Avatar. For it’s significant impact on real-time use, both in AAA games and for a host of indie games developed using our integration into Unity 5 and UE4, the software was recognized with a Develop Industry Excellence Award in the Design & Creativity Tool category this past July.

“The recognition of the television community is particularly gratifying,” said Mr. King. “We’re seeing not just increasing use in television, but a broadening array of types of uses. SpeedTree is making its way into documentaries, fantasies, and historical fiction as well as real-life dramas and sitcoms. We’re also getting into a good number of TV commercials, in fact. And our broadcast users are employing the full range of SpeedTree capabilities, including wind effects, growth and precision modeling. This is as much their award as ours.”

We at SpeedTree are proud to supply the tools necessary for innovation and efficiency and look forward to the next generation of television shows that are sure to capture the world’s imagination.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which is sponsoring the 67th annual Engineering Emmy program, names Mr. Sechrest, Co-Founder Chris King and Senior Software Architect Greg Croft as award recipients. The three will accept the award in a ceremony in Hollywood, California, on October 28.