Virtual Reality News: 9 May 2002Virtual Reality News: 9 May 2002
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The Web3D Consortium is holding an Open Meeting for its members and interested non-members on Thursday, 16 May 2002, at the Sun Research Center in Santa Clara. Among the subjects to be discussed are the new CAD Working Group, headed by Intel, and the new Java Rendering Working Group, headed by Alan Hudson and Rick Goldberg. In addition there will be reports on the X3D standard which is coming to fruition and presentations from some member companies. The Web3D Consortium is a non-profit organization with a mandate to develop and promote open standards to enable 3D Web and broadcast applications.
URL: http://www.web3d.org
The Web3D Consortium will be represented in "Standards - the Great Debate" at VR World Congress V in Paris, France on 9th and 10th September.
Users, Applications
& Projects
01 Human Simulation Software
02 Northwest Selects E&S
03 Avenger Trainer System
04 Knowledge-based Engineering Automation
05 Visual Processing Architecture
Products &
Services
06 Texture Maps Added
07 Plug-and-Play Tracker with USB Interface
08 News on Projectors & Their Lamps
09 MovingChart
10 Macromedia Integrates WebCharts3D into ColdFusion MX
11 CFD Software
12 Sun Graphics Accelerator based on Wildcat
Companies &
Markets
13 Opticore & 3Dlabs
14 Cyper Acquisition Complete
15 Boeing Autometric & Idelix
Patents, Standards & Benchmarks
16 Benchmarks for 3ds max and SolidWorks
Opportunities & Appointments
17 VP Marketing, Anark
18 Evans & Sutherland Appointment
Worth Watching
19 Intel Media Center Reference Design
20 Interactive Game Service
21 IBM & Viacom
22 Wouldn't it be better in 3D?
Events & Calls
for Papers
23 2002 European Simulation Interoperability Workshop
24 SIGGRAPH 2002
25 VR World Congress V
26 Collaborative Virtual Environments 2002
27 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics
28 More Events
Boston Dynamics has been awarded a contract by the US Army Soldier Systems Center to measure and validate the accuracy of its physics-based human simulation software, Digital Biomechanics. The contract follows on a contract the Army awarded Boston Dynamics earlier this year to develop Digital Biomechanics for virtual prototyping of next-generation soldier equipment. Digital Biomechanics is thought to be the first human simulator to model the effects of equipment on soldiers engaged in simulated tasks, from walking, running, and crawling, to completing a virtual obstacle course. Digital Biomechanics uses advanced control technology and physics-based models to provide human simulation that obeys the same laws of locomotion, balance, and loading as real people do in the physical world. Digital Biomechanics is currently used by a variety of military and commercial customers. Sony Corporation uses Digital Biomechanics to engineer advanced mechanisms and behavior for its humanoid entertainment robots. Sarcos Corporation uses Digital Biomechanics to prototype advanced robotic exoskeleton devices funded by DARPA.
URL: http://www.bdi.com
Evans & Sutherland has been chosen by Northwest Airlines to provide the visual system for its new A330-300 flight simulator. The simulator is located at the Northwest Airlines Training Center in Eagan, USA and installation should be completed during the second quarter of 2003. Last month E&S reported FYQ1 sales of $32.6m against $39.6 in 2001, but losses fell from $6.1m to $3.2m.
URL: http://www.es.com
See also "Opportunities & Appointments" in item 191.18.
The Aviation and Missile Research Development Engineering Center (AMRDEC) in support of the Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) Project Office, has chosen CG2's VTree SDK as their development toolkit for advancing the Avenger Trainer System. The Avenger Trainer System is used to train gunners to perform tasks necessary to acquire and engage hostile aircraft. Comprised of a student station, referred to as the TableTop Trainer (TTT), a scenario generator, and an instructor station, the Avenger Trainer System is a comprehensive training environment.
URL: http://www.cg2.com
Knowledge Technologies International (KTI), a designer and developer of advanced knowledge-based technologies, and Tech Soft America (TSA), a provider of component technology to the CAD/CAM/CAE industry, have announced a technology licensing agreement, which instigates the use of components from the HOOPS 3D Product Suite within future releases of The ICAD System software. KTI also has become a member of the OpenHSF Initiative. The ICAD System is a knowledge-based engineering automation solution, focusing on capturing design and manufacturing intent through the application of knowledge.
ICAD captures the generic product geometry as well as the non-geometric information such as product structures, development processes and manufacturing rules that combine to make-up the overall product design. All product design information is captured, so that as the functional requirements change, the model can generate new designs or configurations. For example, at Airbus UK, the design of Wing spars was reduced from 480 man weeks to 12 - a 97.5% lead-time reduction. Similarly, Jaguar Cars saw a 94% lead-time reduction in XK8 body panel development, and their collaborative headlamp program was reduced from 8 weeks to only 2 days.
URL: http://www.openhsf.org
URL: http://www.KTIworld.com
URL: http://www.hoops3d.com
3Dlabs has made public "Visual Processing Architecture" that combines the architectural strengths and programmability of general-purpose CPUs with extreme levels of hardware parallelism. This architecture, which has been in development for two years and has patents pending, enables advanced software rendering techniques to be accelerated in real time to produce interactive imagery with high levels of realism. 3Dlabs expects to ship board-level products based on the first Visual Processing Unit (VPU), a chip codenamed the P10, during the third quarter of 2002.
The architecture implements an optimized graphics pipeline, replacing previously inflexible pipeline stages with highly programmable SIMD (single instruction, multiple data) processor arrays. The P10 VPU combines over 200 SIMD processors throughout its geometry, texture and pixel processing pipeline stages to deliver over 170Gflops and one TeraOp of programmable graphics performance together with a full 256-bit DDR memory interface for up to 20GBytes/sec of memory bandwidth.
A new category has been added to the VREfresh Directory of Suppliers. At the initiative of Marlin Studios, Texture Maps has been included in the Directory.
Ascension Technology Corporation has announced the Nestof Birds, a version of DC magnetic technology that brings a plug-and-play tracker with a USB interface for a wider range of applications and environments. The Nest of Birds features 4-sensors that simultaneously track the location of arms, heads, bodies or objects in real time. Ideal for interactive broadband use, the Nest of Birds supports many graphics applications including VR, interactive gaming and virtual web presences. It is also optimized for CAVE environments with Ascension's Environmental Analyzer scanning program determining the best measurement frequencies to achieve optimal tracking performance in different environments.
A dual-extended range transmitter option is available for wider coverage of up to 12' x 14'. Ascension's new tracker also makes possible the multi-user VR interaction many envision as the Internet's destiny. It presents a compact desktop form factor with a single chassis housing both electronics and power. Its lower cost makes it accessible to the "prosumer" market.
ViewSonic is offering a one-year limited warranty on its projector lamps, compared with the existing industry standard of 90 days. ViewSonic has also announced that a three-year warranty and one full year of its Express Exchange service will come standard with all its projectors at no additional charge. At the same time ViewSonic has unveiled two projector upgrades on its PJ750 and PJ1065 models. The PJ750-2 offers 2,200 lumens of brightness and 1024 x 768 XGA resolution at an estimated street price of $3,495. It weighs seven pounds, features "eco-mode" for extended lamp life and low noise levels. The PJ1065-2, a fourteen-pound wall or ceiling mountable projector, now features 3,500 lumens and 1024 x 768 XGA resolution. It costs $5,995 (ESP).
StageTools has announced MovingChart, a tool for editors and producers to add 3D charts and graphs directly to video shows. The resulting chart is fully anti-aliased. MovingChart will make bar, area, line, marker and pie style charts. The data can be animated, as well as the chart itself in full 3D. Data can be imported from any spreadsheet or text file. The resulting chart can be drawn over a moving video background. The Windows version is available now. MovingChart at $199.
GreenPoint Inc, a developer of the XML-enabled interactive web visualization solutions, says Macromedia has integrated WebCharts3D into Macromedia ColdFusion MX. GreenPoint's WebCharts3D delivers charts and graphs as Macromedia Flash content or interactive images in browsers and mobile devices. It is claimed the proprietary GreenPoint technology, including caching, resource management, API emulation and font rendering, enables WebCharts3D to serve the needs of the most demanding projects. Evaluation versions of GreenPoint's products can be downloaded.
Fluent Inc has released POLYFLOW 3.9. This software, created to aid in the simulation of laminar flows through dies and molds during such processes as extrusion, blow molding, glass forming, and fiber spinning, features new enhancements that help simplify and automate much of the user's work, while further extending the capabilities of the software. The viscoelastic modeling capability in POLYFLOW 3.9 widens possibilities for modeling tricky viscoelastic flows. Elasticity-based remeshing capabilities provide further flexibility in the modeling of flows, which deform in three dimensions.
Sun Microsystems has introduced the Sun XVR-500 graphics accelerator, an entry-level addition to its line of graphics solutions for workstations and servers. Earlier this year, Sun unveiled the Sun XVR-1000, a graphics accelerator for the high-end Personal Visualization market. The Sun XVR-500 graphics accelerator doubles the geometry performance and improves texture mapping performance by 50 percent over Sun's current entry-level offerings. The new accelerator is Sun's most affordable high performance graphics card for MCAD/MCAE, GIS and entry-level visualization applications. The Sun XVR-500 graphics accelerator is based on 3Dlabs' Wildcat architecture and costs $1,195.
URL: http://www.sun.com/desktop
URL: http://www.3dlabs.com/A week ago, Ed Zander, president and chief operating officer at Sun resigned. The fourth senior executive to resign from Sun in two weeks, Mr Zander said he was stepping down after 15 years in hopes of becoming a chief executive officer elsewhere.
3Dlabs' Wildcat III 6110 and 6210 graphics cards have been tested and certified by Opticore, Sweden. This latest certification on Opus Realizer and Opus Studio demonstrates an ongoing commitment between 3Dlabs and Opticore's customers which include Honda, Nokia and Volvo.
URL: http://www.opticore.com
URL: http://www.3dlabs.com
American Electric Automobile Company Inc has completed the acquisition of Cyper Entertainment Inc of Seoul, Korea, a privately held 3D Digital Animation Production Company providing its services to the television, commercial and film industries. Established in January 2000, Cyper currently has 47 employees and a facility producing 3D digital animation. In order to establish a staging point for its entry into the vast North American market, `Cyper Entertainment and Animation Corporation' has been registered as a wholly owned subsidiary of AEAC, to focus on marketing, production and administration of Cyper's North American operations. In addition, AEAC will be changing its name to one more appropriate to the animation industry.
URL: http://www.cyper.com
URL: http://www.cyper.co.kr
IDELIX Software Inc is partnering with Boeing Autometric to integrate their Pliable Display Technology (PDT) into future versions of Autometric's data production and mapping products. Pliable Display Technology (PDT) is a lens-display technology that is changing the way information is displayed on a variety of platforms ranging from PCs, Internet, and handheld/wireless applications. Developed by IDELIX, PDT addresses a user-interface challenge of working with high-density data sets and images on a limited-size screen display by enabling detail-in-context viewing and editing. PDT adds capabilities to digital imaging, geographic information systems & remote sensing, seismic, medical imaging, handheld and wireless devices, computer-aided design, electronic media, in-vehicle navigation, and electronic games. PDT is data-format-independent and hosts an application programming interface that supports all common operating systems.
SPEC/GPC's Application Performance Characterization (SPECapc) project group has released two new benchmarks for systems running 3ds max 4.2 and SolidWorks 2001Plus software. Both benchmarks are available for free on SPEC's GPC News web site. SPECapc members' initial results for SPECapc for 3ds max 4.2 are available on the site today; results from SPECapc for SolidWorks 2001Plus are expected to be released May 15. The benchmark was originally developed by CAT Production, a German computer animation and special effects studio, and updated by SPECapc. SPECapc for SolidWorks 2001Plus is a new benchmark developed by SolidWorks. It represents typical working patterns of a SolidWorks 2001Plus CAD/CAM user and runs on Microsoft Windows 2000. The benchmark uses different-sized CAD/CAM solid models, the largest of which is an engine model with 2.25 million vertices. SPECapc is a project group of the Graphics Performance Characterization (GPC) Group, which in turn is part of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC). SPEC is a non-profit corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse a standardized set of relevant benchmarks that can be applied to the newest generation of high-performance computers.
URL: http://www.spec.org
URL: http://www.CAT-zentrum.de
A VP of Marketing is sought by Anark Inc of Boulder, CO, USA as it prepares to launch a new generation of high end digital media authoring software. The company has just closed an additional $8.1 million of venture capital funding and is preparing to make a bold run into the 3D, broadcast quality tools market. A "robust compensation package and great benefits" are offered. Contact the company's consultant, Randy Stickrod in confidence.
Email: stickrod@ix.netcom.com
Evans & Sutherland has appointed Tim Stanish as Director, European Sales and Business Development. He will be responsible for sales and marketing of E&S's military simulation products in Europe and the Middle East. His most recent position was as Head of the Defence Business Unit for Global Crossing Government Markets.
URL: http://www.es.com
Intel Corporation has been demonstrating the Intel Media Center Reference Design which is intended to help hardware and software developers accelerate the development and production of powerful, scaleable, interactive consumer products that integrate the capabilities of a number of previously discrete devices. The Reference Design includes hardware and software to support multiple audio and video applications, content and back-end systems. Products based on the design will provide broadband Internet access, DVD playback, personal video recording, interactive gaming, TV reception, MP3 audio, content storage, video on demand and home networking in a single device. The reference design is also supported by the Microsoft Windows XP Embedded and Windows CE.net operating systems.
URL: http://www.intel.com
Videotron Ltee, the largest cable operator in the province of Quebec with over 1.5 million subscribers, has launched BlueStreak Technology's interactive game service on its "illico" digital platform. BlueStreak allows the deployment of iTV applications, via IP and MPEG network infrastructures, to current generation digital set-top boxes. BlueStreak offers a multimedia application framework optimized to support gaming and iTV applications like content browsing, enhanced TV, mail and chat, all in the constrained embedded environment of iTV.
URL: http://www.videotron.com
URL: http://www.bluestreaktech.com
IBM and Viacom have announced a technology and consulting initiative to lay the foundation for future digital entertainment services and enhance the performance of Viacom's technology infrastructure. The deal includes MTV Networks, Showtime Networks, Paramount, CBS and Viacom Corporate. Working with IBM, Viacom will establish a cross-enterprise computing platform capable of supporting digital media as well as computing services delivered on demand. IBM will also provide the technology skills and systems management processes to help Viacom evolve its computing infrastructure.
URL: http://www.viacom.com
URL: http://www.ibm.com
Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions has announced its newest GeoMedia products, version 5.0. GeoMedia technology is broadly implemented in government and commercial enterprises worldwide. It connects and integrates geospatial and business information throughout the enterprise and provides tools to develop custom client applications. The GeoMedia 5.0 product suites provides a boost to user productivity with improvements including more CAD-like data capture and edit commands, expanded export options to popular GIS or CAD formats for performing local analysis or distribution, and enhanced application generation tools for the Web. In addition, a configurable, ready-to-run Web GIS application increases performance of large map data files over the Web.
191.23 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
191.24 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).
191.25 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.
191.26 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.
191.27 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. |
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