Maxon today announced that Cinebench 2003, the company’s popular tool for benchmarking 3D performance of CPU and Graphics Cards, has been optimized for Apple’s new G5 desktops. “Cinebench 2003 G5 is a technology study,” notes the press release. “With the support of Apple, Maxon has optimized crucial parts of the Cinema 4D render engine to achieve speed increases of approximately 20% on the new G5. The company also states that they expect new compilers and tools to be released during the first quarter of 2004, allowing production quality G5-optimization for Cinema 4D and BodyPaint 3D. In related news today, Anark and Maxon announced a sales and marketing alliance, further expanding the companies’ respective digital media and 3D technologies sales channels.