Virtual Reality News: 1 May 2002Virtual Reality News: 1 May 2002
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Users, Applications
& Projects
01 Visualization at General Motors
02 Siemens Serves Surgeons
Products &
Services
03 IS-900 Tracking Family
04 Flat-Panel Monitor
05 Photorealistic Automobiles
06 Human Simulation for Vega Prime
07 Bentley Model Streaming
08 Savings on trueSpace5
09 E-factory for Academic Institutions
10 HOOPS 3D Application Framework v7.0
11 Microsoft Streaming Online Video into 3D Stereoscopic
12 4D Data Mining
Companies &
Markets
13 Bentley to go Public?
14 GameCom/Ferris & VR Group
15 Cimmetry & MatrixOne
16 Virtual3D Joins PLM World Partner Program
Patents & Standards
17 Patent: Raindrop Geomagic
Opportunities
18 Marie Curie Fellowships at Salford
Events & Calls
for Papers
19 2002 European Simulation Interoperability Workshop
20 SIGGRAPH 2002
21 VR World Congress V
22 Collaborative Virtual Environments 2002
23 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics
24 More Events
Mechdyne Corporation and InterSense have teamed to deliver an advanced visualization solution to speed General Motors' time to market with new vehicle designs. The visualization system is utilized at GM's Advanced Vehicle Development Center (AVDC) in Warren, MI, USA for virtual testing of automotive designs. "We take the completed design from our styling group then perform crash, thermal and stress analysis in the visualization center", states Jack McRobb, GM's Operations Manager at the AVDC. "The virtual testing allows us to interactively perform vehicle analysis as our design team adds detailed structural components to the vehicle design," says McRobb.
The "Wall" configured with three Christie Digital 5000 Projectors presents a rear projected, 24 ft. wide passive stereo image which is tracked over a 10 x 20 ft. area with an InterSense IS-900 wide area tracking system." The tracked tools that InterSense provides give GM Engineers the ability to move and rotate the analysis perspective in 3D and easily pass control to other design team members in the same environment.
URL: http://www.mechdyne.com
URL: http://www.isense.com
The surgeon looks at the MR image on the monitor to check the location of a brain tumor that lies slightly less than seven centimeters beneath the patient's skull, in the right quadrant about half way down. He marks the patient's head for the incision, looks at the monitor, checks the mark, checks the monitor again and then begins to cut. During the thousands of surgical procedures performed each year, many surgeons -- regardless of their years of experience -- may well come to rely on a Siemens technology that essentially renders the patient transparent to the surgeon. The Siemens augmented reality prototype employs a head-mounted display (HMD) that carries three miniature cameras. Two of the video cameras capture a stereoscopic view of the surgical site; the third camera is used for viewpoint tracking, in combination with optical markers framing the surgical site.
"The ability to look inside the patient and see the tumor in three-dimensional space from different angles helps the surgeon determine the best route to the tumor," notes Frank Sauer, Ph.D., project manager in the Imaging and Visualization Department. "The dynamic viewpoint provides a very direct and intuitive understanding of even complex anatomy." Dr Sauer has been working with Gregory J Rubino, M.D. of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine for nearly one year. According to Dr Rubino, who is investigating the new technology's clinical applications, "Augmented vision can support surgical planning in a very intuitive and efficient way."
URL: http://www.scr.siemens.com
URL: http://www.ttb.siemens.com
InterSense has announced its latest IS-900 product family member designed for precision 6-DOF tracking with flight, vehicle and desktop simulation systems. The IS-900 SimTracker is based on the same technology used for the Virtual Workbench Tracker (VWT), Virtual Environment Tracker (VET) and Studio Camera Tracker (SCT). New features include the SoniWing Assembly, an ultrasonic position referencing system, similar to SoniStrips, that is factory calibrated allowing simple set-up for tracking over cockpit, small dome and desktop settings. Also included are Advanced Inertial Components, High Accuracy Head Tracking and Wireless Sensor Options.
Planar Systems is launching a flat-panel monitor featuring a viewing area measuring 23.1 inches diagonally. Planar has built in 1600 x 1200 (UXGA) resolution, 160-degree viewing angle, both analog and digital (DVI) inputs, a USB hub and intuitive set-up and on-screen controls. The manufacturer's list price for the product is $3,600. The display comes bundled with the Benwin GX-6A multimedia speaker system, featuring two flat-panel satellite speakers and a powered subwoofer.
ArchVision has announced RPC (Rich Photorealistic Content) Automobiles Volume 1, a Smart Content collection that extends the company's RPC content offerings beyond trees, shrubs, and people. The new Automobile collection has a list price of $799 and features the BMW 328, Peugeot 406, Ford F150, Toyota Celica, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Golf, Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Volkswagen Passat. As an added consumer bonus, until May 31, 2002, purchase of the RPC Automobiles Volume 1 collection includes a license of RPC 3.0 for 3ds max or Autodesk Viz; RPC 3.0 is required to utilize this new Smart Content.
Boston Dynamics is porting its human simulation software to run on MultiGen-Paradigm's Vega Prime toolkit for real-time 3D application development. By making DI-Guy and PeopleShop operable with Vega Prime, Boston Dynamics and MultiGen-Paradigm continue to provide the visual-simulation marketplace with integrated tools for building real-time applications that feature realistic people and vehicles. DI-Guy and PeopleShop are used by organizations worldwide, including all branches of the US military, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, DaimlerChrysler, ICT, Hitachi, and others.
The products add people to their real-time simulations, including an optimized run-time motion engine, a library of human motion data, textured human models with multiple levels of detail, and the DI-Guy API. PeopleShop provides a GUI to DI-Guy so subject-matter experts and training specialists can build training scenarios without writing code.
URL: http://www.bdi.com
Bentley Systems has added Bentley Model Streaming to its Content Management and Publishing line of products. Bentley Model Streaming increases the value of architectural and engineering data by making it visible to all project participants over the Web. It functions with any 3D models created with MicroStation, Bentley applications such as MicroStation TriForma and PlantSpace, as well as AutoCAD(R) 3D models.
Any 3D model created by intelligent 3D applications such as Intergraph PDS and Rebis AutoPlant, can also be hosted by Bentley Model Streaming. Based on VizStream technology from RealityWave, Bentley Model Streaming is complimentary to local desktop viewing applications. Desktop products are appropriate for local viewing, but they require the entire design to be present. Bentley Model Streaming views a published model that is optimized for access over the Internet by users equipped only with a Web browser. Since the model is never downloaded, Bentley Model Streaming can be productive over low bandwidth connections, even with very large 3D facility models. (See also 190.13)
Using Animation Master, 3dsMax, Lightwave, Maya, Bryce, Blender, Softimage, Rhino, Merlin3D, Carrara, CorelDraw, Zbrush, Strata3D, Cinema4D, Electric Image, Amapi 3D, Inspire 3D, Form Z, Ray Dream, Ashlar Velum, Poser or AutoCAD? Caligari is making trueSpace5 3D software available for a limited 30-day period for $299 to users of these products.
EDS has reported the availability of its E-factory suite of software for all academic institutions belonging to the Partners for the Advancement of CAD/CAM/CAE Education (PACE) program. With the E-factory software from EDS PLM Solutions, students at PACE institutions will now have access to the same software General Motors engineers use to quickly create accurate 3D factory layout models, effectively analyze factory layouts for material handling efficiency, and deliver 3D factory layout views to improve design communication.
PACE is a network for collaboration between GM, EDS, Sun Microsystems, and selected academic institutions worldwide. In addition to the E-factory software suite, EDS PLM Solutions also provides PACE Institutions with Unigraphics, Teamcenter Engineering and Solid Edge software.
URL: http://www.eds.com
Tech Soft America (TSA) has announced HOOPS 3D Application Framework (HOOPS/3dAF) v7.0. This latest release includes new graphics performance, functionality enhancements and major component integrations driven by TSA's 150+ OEM customers, including SolidWorks, PTC, EDS-PLM Solutions, Fluent, Mechanical Dynamics, CADKEY, COADE, Infrasoft, Spatial, ITI/Transcendata, Minitab, SPSS, Surpac, Mintec, and Caterpillar. HOOPS/3dAF is an extensible, high-level framework that simplifies the design, development and maintenance of interactive 2D/3D applications. Applications based on HOOPS/3dAF range from lightweight, browser-based viewers to high-end CAD and CAE applications running on Windows, UNIX, LINUX, and Windows CE based handheld devices.
TDV Technologies Corp (TDV) has announced 3D software that converts Microsoft streaming online video into a 3D Stereoscopic viewing experience - claiming to be the first to accomplish this "on-the-fly" real-time 2D to 3D conversion.
URL: http://www.tdv3d.com
Simulations Plus Inc, a provider of oral drug absorption predictive software to the pharmaceutical industry, has released an upgrade of its QMPRPlus software for predicting critical properties of new drug-like chemical compounds from their molecular structure. The new version includes a "4D Data Mining" module that enables scientists to visualize complex relationships among molecules and their properties that affect ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination). The 4D visualization is achieved with a 3D plot and the use of color to convey a fourth dimension of information. The 4D Data Mining Module also incorporates a new mathematical tool that enables researchers to reduce complex molecular data to simpler forms.
Bentley Systems has filed with the American SEC for a public offering of its shares. Shares in the company are currently owned by the founders, employees, and Intergraph.
GameCom, Inc has entered a strategic alliance with VR Group, VR Group has been engaged to market GameCom/Ferris' products and custom VR capabilities to targeted clients in the United States and Europe. Additionally, the companies will share and leverage intellectual properties to create new VR solutions in a variety of fields.
URL: http://www.GameComFerris.com
URL: http://www.VRGroup.com
Under a new OEM agreement, MatrixOne will offer Cimmetry's AutoVue as a means of providing customers and their supply chains access to Web-based, real-time, visual collaboration early in the design phase to improve engineering products and processes. In a published article, Dee Sandford, PDM manager at Autoliv, a $4 billion air-bag and seat belt manufacturer, and a MatrixOne customer using AutoVue, said: "AutoVue is clearly a critical part of our PDM solution. It is being used all across our company."
VirtualE3D, developers of VCollab visual collaboration software, has joined the PLM World Partner Program, bringing visual collaboration capabilities to EDS PLM Solutions software users.
Raindrop Geomagic has been issued a US patent for its process of automatically generating 3D digital models from scanned point-cloud data. The wrap process now protected under U.S. patent 6,377,865 is used throughout the Raindrop Geomagic product line.
Two fellowships a year, offered at the University of Salford, UK, are available in the application of Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies to real-world domains, in particular Virtual Prototyping for manufacturing, medical and surgical applications, urban regeneration and the creation of intelligent virtual agents or synthetic characters. Active fields include the modeling of soft tissue and deformable surfaces, virtual prototyping, virtual agent architectures including emotional systems, interactive narrative, and synthetic characters for training and education.
Research training will be supplied in supporting technologies such as physically-based modelling, constraint propagation and the integration of AI technologies, from agents and planning to neural nets and ALife. Prospective fellows should have a first degree in computer science, IT or engineering, with good programming abilities. Fellows with a background in graphic arts or practical experience in computer games may also be considered. This is an EU funded Marie Curie Fellowship and guidelines apply.
URL: http://www.cordis.lu/improving/fellowships
Email CVs by May 13, 2002 to s.a.richardson@salford.ac.uk
190.19 2002 European Simulation Interoperability Workshop
The 2002 European Simulation Interoperability Workshop (Euro SIW) is sponsored by the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) in cooperation with The Society for Computer Simulation - Europe International Training Equipment Conference (ITEC, Ltd.). The 2002 Euro SIW will be held June 24-26, 2002 at the University of Westminster, UK.
URL: http://www.sisostds.org/siw/02euro/index.htm
190.20 SIGGRAPH 2002
ACM SIGGRAPH is dedicated to the generation and dissemination of information on computer graphics and interactive techniques: San Antonio, Texas, USA - July 21-26, 2002 (exhibition 23-25).
190.21 VR World Congress V
VR World Congress V will be held in Paris, France on September 9th and 10th, 2002 and offers an exceptional opportunity to identify project partners to make proposals to the European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme (the budget for the 5th was $3.5bn). A copy of the current working draft agenda is available. The delegate fee for this not-for-profit event is just $150 and, as numbers are limited, early registration will be essential.
190.22 Collaborative Virtual Environments 2002
ACM Collaborative Virtual Environments 2002: Bonn, Germany - September 30-October 2, 2002. CVE 2002 is a conference dedicated to the design, development and use of collaborative virtual environments (CVEs). Submission deadlines for Papers, Posters, Panels, Workshops, and Tutorials is May 1st 2002.
190.23 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics
2003 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics: California, USA - April 27 to 30, 2003. Papers Deadline: 15 September 2002.
URL: http://movesinstitute.org/I3D.html
For extensive information about events relevant to the European VR/i3D community, see the events pages on El.pub: for Europe: base05.htm, for the rest of the world: connone.htm
| About VREfresh news Each edition of virtual reality news is now published on a separate page, ensuring that links (particularly from VREfresh) continue to remain current. To view news from previous issues, please use the navigation buttons below. |
VREfresh Email alerter of news items and associated URLs, send an email with your name, organisation, country (and for the US a zip code) to the Editor via the link above. |
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