GenArts buys assets of small Missouri firm

GenArts Inc., a Cambridge company that provides specialized visual effects software for the film, television, and video industries, said that it has bought the assets of wondertouch LLC, including the wondertouch product line called particleIllusion.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"With particleIllusion, visual effects artists have access to thousands of presets that they can use to create innumerable effects such as smoke, fire, explosions, watery ripples, sparkles, colorful artistic fantasies, and more," GenArts said in a press release.

GenArts said it will operate particleIllusion as a separate brand and added that Alan Lorence, the former chief executive of Missouri-based wondertouch and creator of particleIllusion, will join GenArts as a full-time developer.

Not only does the transaction give GenArts additional products it can offer its customers but it also gives GenArts access to particleIllusion's customer base, said a GenArts spokesman, who added that there is currently little overlap between the firms' customer bases. (Globe Staff)