Virtual Reality News: 17th January 2003Virtual Reality News: 17th January 2003
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"It won't be long until the entire computing experience will be 3-dimensional" - Dave Orton, President and COO, ATI Technologies.
"Facilitating interactions between people is the Internet's killer application" - Tom Melcher, CEO of There, Inc.
"3D CAD software lets us immediately spot and anticipate design issues and resolve them before we try the part out on a plant floor. That is an invaluable benefit and it helps us achieve our production and quality goals" - Joe Domijan, Crown Cork & Seal's manager of three-piece metals engineering.
"We can simulate construction of projects in a 3D computer environment that allows our engineers to better predict potential construction conflicts before any physical construction begins. This is a significant time saver, and since there is so much information contained in the design it's easy to communicate our intent to the extended team" - Rich Tiede, corporate CAD manager, Sear-Brown.
"We can see various opportunities to use this technology for rendering 3D volumetric data generated by our earth science models and for displaying the 3D clusters and structures of the galaxies in our astronomy lab. Since the system offers such a different view of the data, we also believe there are many other applications that will become obvious as we get familiar with the technology." - NASA research scientist, Dr David Kao.
Users, Applications
& Projects
01 Schlumberger Oilfield Services
02 NASA Ames Research Center
03 Sear-Brown A/E/C
04 Crown Cork & Seal
05 LeTourneau Inc Equipment Group
Products &
Services
06 SGI Altix 3000
07 Walkinside 3.0 for SGI
08 FBX for QuickTime & Video Training Magazine
Companies &
Markets
09 Ascension to Sell Wanda 3D Navigation Device
10 RTT VR Conference in Germany
11 ATI Technologies and There
12 Vega Prime on Orad
13 On-line Demonstrations of Geomagic Software
14 ViewSonic Selects DDD
15 ART VPS Ltd and Man and Machine
16 LightWork Design Spins-Off
17 Entrada & Cimmetry
18 SEOS and ISO9001:2000
People
19 Autodesk
20 Oregon3D
21 Kaon Interactive
Events & Calls
for Papers
22 SGI VizSummit
23 Solid Edge Global Summit
24 Web3D 2003 Symposium
25 IEEE VR2003
26 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics
27 Casa'2003
28 Joint IPT/EGVE '03 Workshop: Call for Papers.........NEW!
29 Vision, Video and Graphics 2003
30 SIGGRAPH 2003
31 More Events
Schlumberger Oilfield Services recently opened a new Collaborative Virtual-Reality Center in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. to support real-time reservoir management activities and initiatives in the Middle East and Asia Region. The Oasis iCenter is a secure networked environment for collaboration, integration and interpretation of Geoscientific data. It features a three-channel passive stereo, curved screen, rear-projected visualization installation.
Schlumberger commissioned Barco for the total visualization concept: from the need assessment and design consulting, to developing the mechanical structure and defining the screen composition for a match with the chosen projection technology. The solution is a combination of a proprietary developed, tailor made Barco PASCAD screen with three dual-stacked BarcoReality SIM 6 projectors with built-in proprietary WARP 6 Non-Linear Image Mapping. "The Oasis iCenter offers an interactive work environment for our customers to easily evaluate, develop and manage their complex reservoirs and enhance their ultimate recovery," said Chakib Sbiti, president of Schlumberger Oilfield Services for the Middle East and Asia.
Actuality Systems, Inc. has completed the sale of its Perspecta 3D system at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. The 360-degree display will be used as part of the center's work in 3D imaging of scientific data in the fields of earth science and astronomy. The Perspecta 3D system, which allows 360-degree visualization of objects, organisms, and data, consists of a dome-like spatial display and a programming interface for development of new applications. Perspecta takes standard 3D imaging data and illuminates 100 million volume pixels within its transparent Lexan dome.
Sear-Brown, a 650-person architecture, engineering, planning, and construction firm with 14 offices nationwide, is using Autodesk Building Systems software on several institutional and industrial design projects. The projects include a large-scale engineering design for a university in the Rochester, N.Y. area as well as engineering services for a large chemical manufacturing plant. Sear-Brown has adopted Autodesk's building information modeling method because it allows engineers to visualize complex mechanical building systems in 3D, which results in better coordinated construction drawings. With this tool, Sear-Brown's engineers can also evaluate whether their new design parameters would conflict with other building systems or existing structures, and develop exact routing paths for newly engineered piping and ductwork.
On the university project, Sear-Brown faced a tough design challenge: renovate the existing chilled water system and substantially increase the system capacity without adding any new pumping equipment. In addition, all renovations needed to be coordinated with the existing campus underground piping network, which increased the design challenge even further. After an intense field investigation, Sear-Brown designers created a 3D model of the existing intricate underground piping network, using the Building Systems solution. This was then used as a base plan and reference frame to accurately lay out new 3D pipe for the expansion of the more efficient chilled water system.
On the chemical plant project, Sear-Brown was asked to design a high performance ventilation system. The team began by conducting a thorough evaluation of the existing facility, focusing on key elements of the existing structure, including existing process piping layouts. Based on the survey, Sear-Brown created a 3D model of existing conditions to help better define potential spatial constraints. Using this model as the base plan and reference frame, a newly engineered ventilation system was accurately modeled around existing 3D features. Creating the model with Autodesk Building Systems prior to starting construction allowed Sear-Brown to deliver a more comprehensive design with more detail provided for the construction phase.
SolidWorks' 3D CAD software is set to improve the machines that produce one-third of the world's food cans and one-fifth of its beverage cans. Crown Cork & Seal is a $7.2 billion global packaging product supplier that makes everything from soda, food, and aerosol cans to plastic bottles and lipstick cases for customers around the world. It has 208 plants in 45 countries and produces about half of the aerosol cans and one-fifth of the beverage cans in North America, generating roughly 2 billion beverage cans in November of 2001 alone.
The company's global research and development operations is to migrate from static 2D designs to 3D solid modeling and streamline the overall design cycle from as much as 20 weeks down to eight. Its engineers use SolidWorks to retrofit existing machines used for aerosol, food, and beverage can production. SolidWorks reseller Fisher/Unitech provides Crown Cork & Seal with software training and support.
URL: http://www.crowncork.com
URL: http://www.funtech.com
URL: http://www.solidworks.com
The LeTourneau Inc Equipment Group has implemented a Solid Edge CAD system from EDS. The Texas-based manufacturer of mining, forestry and intermodal equipment evaluated several popular mainstream systems and purchased 25 licenses of Solid Edge for its combination of CAD and design management capabilities. For several years, the LeTourneau Inc. Equipment Group has wanted to make the move from its old 2D system to the more productive environment of 3D solid modeling. But a requirement to include a design management system prevented the move, until now.
URL: http://www.solidedge.com
URL: http://www.letourneau-inc.com
SGI has announced the Altix 3000 family of servers and superclusters which combine SGI's supercomputing architecture with Intel Itanium 2 processors and the Linux operating system. Each node runs a single Linux operating system image with up to 64 Itanium 2 processors and 512GB of memory. With multiple nodes using the SGI built-in cluster interconnect, data is transmitted up to 200 times faster than with conventional clustering methods. A key component of SGI's software suite is the SGI ProPack, a set of high-performance Linux optimizations that enhances overall system scaling, data handling and resource management while maintaining binary compatibility with existing 64-bit Linux applications running on the Intel Itanium 2 processor.
URL: http://www.sgi.com
VRcontext has launched Walkinside 3.0 for SGI. This 3D software enables the user to visualize the complex projects (e.g. nuclear power plants, offshore drilling/production platforms, process facilities) into interactive, virtual worlds. The application is designed to run on the SGI IRIX 64 bit operating system and offers features including automatic support of stereoscopic mode in a multi-channel environment, fast loading time and high quality imagery.
URL: http://www.walkinside.com
URL: http://www.vrcontext.com
URL: http://www.sgi.com
Kaydara Inc has announced FBX for QuickTime, a free real-time viewing solution that supports content from any major 3D package. Based on Kaydara's FBX format, a royalty-free 3D authoring and interchange format, FBX for QuickTime allows producers and artists to visualize and sign off on 3D content using QuickTime. By adding the FBX component to QuickTime, content creators have a new way to work with high-end 3D and no longer need to rely on an individual application for their 3D project review or transport.
URL: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qt/components.html
URL: http://www.kaydara.comKaydara has also announced availability of the first MOTIONBUILDER Video Training Magazine (VTM), Introduction to MOTIONBUILDER. Created by Jason Busby of 3D Buzz, this introductory VTM is the first in a series of complimentary monthly MOTIONBUILDER VTMs, which will cover everything from a basic introduction and the user interface to advanced character animation techniques. The Introduction to MOTIONBUILDER VTM is currently available through the Kaydara.
URL: http://www.kaydara.com
URL: http://www.3DBuzz.com
Ascension Technology Corporation has acquired worldwide sales and distribution rights for the Wanda 3D Navigation Device. A hybrid mouse-joystick "wand" with three programmable buttons, Wanda was designed to manipulate 3Dobjects in a virtual environment using an embedded 6 degrees-of-freedom sensor. Wanda can be used as an add-on to several Ascension motion trackers-MotionStar Wired, MotionStar Wireless, Flockof Birds, pcBIRD and pciBIRD. Wanda tracks up to 3 meters in any direction, making up to 144 measurements per second, using a RS 232 interface. The device itself measures 14cm x 5cm x 5cm with a 3m cable.
The fourth RTT VR Conference will be held February 20-21 2003 in Bad Reichenhall, Germany. The RTT VR Conference addresses VR managers and users in the automotive and aircraft industry. Trends in VR software technology and applications are shown and discussed. Experts from the areas styling, design and construction as well as IT managers and researchers will speak about the effective use of Virtual Reality technology in industrial processes and provide insights into future trends.
ATI Technologies and There, Inc., an entertainment and communications software company have reached a strategic marketing and development agreement. The agreement will pair There's immersive 3D world with ATI's graphics products. The agreement will include cross-promotions between the two companies including bundling of the There software in ATI products and the integration and distribution of ATI graphics products in the development and promotion of the There environment.
URL: http://www.there.com
URL: http://www.ati.com
Orad plans to make MultiGen-Paradigm's Vega Prime software toolkit for realtime 3D application development available on Orad's DVG scalable visualization cluster. Vega Prime is a cross-platform, extendable and scalable development environment that includes MultiGen-Paradigm's advanced low-level scene graph (VSG), as well as a high-level abstraction API. Enabling Vega Prime on the Orad DVG will allow users to access the performance of the DVG system. Vega Prime users will be able to run on an unlimited number of Orad's DVG nodes. Vega Prime scenes with large polygon counts or texels can be visualized on DVG due to its board-independent scalability.
URL: http://www.orad.tv
URL: http://www.multigen-paradigm.com
Raindrop Geomagic is to begin offering on-line demonstrations of Geomagic Studio reverse engineering and custom design software and Geomagic Qualify computer-aided inspection (CAI) software. Demos will alternate each week between Geomagic Studio and Geomagic Qualify. No software installation is required, but participants need a fast Internet connection. A maximum of one hour has been allotted for the demonstration and a Q & A session.
DDD Group plc has been selected by ViewSonic Corporation to be a technology and market development partner that will help develop a range of 3D display products based upon ViewSonic's LCD and plasma display technologies. Prototypes of an 18-inch 3D LCD display and a 42-inch 3D plasma display showing 3D content including animation, videos and games were demonstrated by ViewSonic at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month.
URL: http://www.ddd.com
ART VPS Ltd and Man and Machine are expanding their distribution partnership for ART VPS's range of virtual photography 3D solutions, adding Belgium and The Netherlands to the existing agreements covering the United Kingdom. ART VPS's PURE PCI card is based on hardware and software that utilizes accurate 3D rendering methods to produce lighting, realistic textures, and lifelike reflections on a variety of materials. Architecture and industrial design groups use ART VPS products to deliver photographic quality images from CAD data. Customers include Bombardier Aerospace, Nikon Corporation, Procter & Gamble, and Shell for industrial design and manufacturing; HDR Architecture, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Walt Disney Imagineering and WAT&G for architectural visualization.
LightWork Design, the supplier of software for rendering, simulation and verification solutions, has spun-off of its MachineWorks Division into a separate and independent company, MachineWorks Ltd. As an independent company, MachineWorks will be focused on continuing to develop and market its range of CNC simulation and verification solutions. The spin-off leaves LightWork Design to concentrate solely on its visualization software, LightWorks.
URL: http://www.machineworks.com
URL: http://www.lightworkdesign.com
Entrada Software, Inc has licensed Cimmetry's Visualization and Collaboration technology to be embedded in the Company's eChange Solutions offering. Entrada is an enterprise software company providing solutions for document management and product traceability. Cimmetry is offers Visualization and Collaboration solutions for the A/E/C, Engineering, Manufacturing and Electronics markets.
URL: http://www.entradasoftware.com
URL: http://www.cimmetry.com
SEOS has achieved registration to ISO9001: 2000, a new set of standards issued by the International Standards Organization (ISO), significantly enhanced and extended from the previous ISO9001: 1994 version. It offers a common sense approach to the management of an organization, using 8 simple management principles, to help organizations develop and improve their quality management systems, based around their business processes.
URL: http://www.seos.com
Steven Scheid has been appointed to Autodesk's Board of Directors. Mr Scheid joins Autodesk's board after a career in finance and investment services. Most recently, Scheid served as Vice Chairman of the Charles Schwab & Co., Inc and President of the Schwab Retail Group.
Scott Gaerisch has joined Oregon3D as Director of Sales and Rick Verbeck has joined as Chief Technologist. Both Gaerisch and Verbeck come from SGI. While at SGI, Gaerisch opened the Oregon SGI office and Verbeck worked for the last nine years as a Direct Sales Systems Engineer.
Kaon Interactive Inc. has announced two additions to its management team: Bill Martin, Vice President of Sales and Chris Burns, Chief Financial Officer.
URL: http://www.kaon.com
SGI VizSummit will be held in Paris, France on February 3-5, 2003. Opening sessions include presentations by Steve Coggins, Bob Bishop and Dr Eng Lim Goh - all of SGI. Customer success stories include "Using Virtual Reality for Genome Analysis" at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development. "Science Discovery and Outreach with Collaborative Visualization" by David Hughes of SGI is sure to be fascinating. Themes include Edutainment and Museums, Astrophysics and Planetariums, Public Experiences, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Application, Biology and Medical Application and more.
URL: http://www.sgi.com
The Fifth annual Solid Edge Global Summit is set for February 19-21, 2003 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort near Orlando, Florida. Keynotes from EDS PLM Solutions executives, Voyager Program exhibition, Solid Edge user presentations, hands-on training, business management conference, developers' conference, social activities and more is on the agenda.
The Web3D 2003 Symposium, the annual winter meeting of the Web3D Consortium, is scheduled for March 9-12, 2003, in Saint Malo, France. Keynote speakers are Joern Ostermann of AT&T Labs, Victor Ostromoukhov, University of Montreal, and Olivier Avaro of France Telecom.
URL: http://www.web3d.org
IEEE VR2003: Los Angeles, USA - March 22 to 26, 2003.
2003 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics: California, USA - April 27 to 30, 2003.
URL: http://movesinstitute.org/I3D.html
URL: http://siggraph.org/i3d
The 16th International Conference on Computer Animation and Social Agents (Casa'2003). Rutgers University - May 7-9, 2003.
Seventh Immersive Projection Technology Workshop together with the Ninth Eurographics Workshop on Virtual Environments in Cooperation with ACM Siggraph: May 22-23, 2003 - Zurich, Switzerland.
URL: http://www.ipt-egve.ethz.ch
URL: http://www.eg.org/EG/Publications/WSPubl
Vision, Video and Graphics 2003: July 10-11, 2003 - Bath, UK. The intersection of computer graphics and computer vision promises many new application areas and raises new fundamental questions. This conference is a response to this developing area, and its purpose is to promote cooperation between the graphic and vision communities. Original papers related to the following themes are invited Image based rendering (view synthesis from other images), Models from images and video, for graphics and visualization, applications, Augmented reality, Video augmented environments, Graphics models for vision applications and more. Submission deadline is March 7, 2003.
SIGGRAPH 2003, the 30th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, which will be held 27 - 31 July, in San Diego, California, USA, has issued its Call for Participation looking for both first-time and veteran contributors in three areas: presentations, experiences, and services. The presentations are Courses, Educators Program, Papers, Sketches and Applications, and Web Graphics. The experiences are Art Gallery CG03: Computer Graphics 2003, Computer Animation Festival, and Emerging Technologies: Electronic Speedway. The call is also seeking volunteers and support for services, which are GraphicsNet, International Resources, Pathfinders, and Student Opportunities.
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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