Graphics and animation: US company takes first UK trial

The US company that provided computer animation and graphics for the multi-billion dollar World Trade Center insurance litigation is working on its first trial in the UK, a criminal case under way in Scotland.


Denver-headquartered Z-axis acted alongside leading New York law firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz for claimant Silverstein Properties in the World Trade Center case. It provided high-tech exhibits, demonstrating how the two towers were built, how strong they were and how they would react to aircraft impact.


In December 2004, a US court ruled that the attacks constituted two separate events, raising the total coverage provided to Z-axis's client by nine insurance companies from $1.1 billion to $2.2 billion.


Other high-profile cases Z-axis has worked on include the Oklahoma bombing, the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster and the tobacco industry litigation. The firm has developed its own patented presentation software, VuPoint. to go alongside the off-the-shelf products it uses.


Cindy Buxton, Z-axis' London-based trial specialist, said the company plans to build up its UK business - in the US, it has acted in cases ranging from construction disputes to patent litigation.


She said: 'When the other side see the visuals, [the evidence] is often so compelling that they settle.'