CityEngine firm acquired

The 3D building tool CityEngine has been acquired by a geographic information systems company.

Procedural, which has licenced the CityEngine to firms such as Blizzard, Rockstar North and THQ, is now owned by the Californian group Esri, the company has announced.

Esri, founded in 1969, builds software that can help companies address “social, economic, business, and environmental concerns at local, regional, national, and global scales”, using its geography-based tech. The group will integrate CityEngine into its 3D urban environment creation suite, known as ArcGIS.

However, CityEngine is said will remain available as a standalone product, and staff at the acquired firm have been hired by Esri.
“Many [geographic information system] problems can only be solved in 3D, particularly in the area of urban development,” said Esri chief Jack Dangermond.

“Procedural’s unique capabilities for generating high-quality 3D data, using the same GIS data our users already have, makes them a perfect match for Esri.”