Virtual Reality News: 15 May 2003

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Visions of Virtual Reality & Interactive 3D in European Commission Supported Projects

an INFORM project event

If you have not yet received details of the VR/i3D meeting to be hosted by the European Commission in Luxembourg on June 24th and 25th (where you will have the chance to:

• arrange appointments with senior EC managers
• shape the Commission's vision of the future of VR/i3D,
• learn about the recently formed 3D Consortium initiative
• network and find partners

The meeting is very efficient (arrive Tuesday morning, leave Wednesday afternoon) and economical (participation as a delegate or demonstrator is at no cost).

Further information is published on the conference agenda page on El.pub: agenda28.htm

Users, Applications & Projects
01 USUN Reduces Design Errors & Raises Productivity
02 Second Life Open to the Public
03 Advantages of VR Training Are Numerous
04 Digital Mapping Camera

Products & Services
05 Flight Simulator
06 NavisWorks3
07 Most Advanced Virtual TV Broadcaster?
08 New Entry-Level Simulation Projectors
09 World's Highest Resolution Digital Projector
10 Casual People
11 Mend Holes in Image Sequences
12 Particle Flow Extension Software for 3ds max
13 Anark Studio 2
14 New Graphics Accelerator
15 DesignStudio Productivity Pack
16 SketchUp 3.0
17 OpenGL Shader Technology for CATIA
18 RenderBOXX and ServerBOXX

Companies & Markets
19 blaxxun is Back
20 VisionMax International Arrives
21 Sole UK Distributor for FastSCAN Cobra
22 ART VPS in Scandinavia
23 Sony Purchase
24 The Sims 2 in Development
25 Tapwave & Fathammer
26 Z/I Imaging & Wildcat4
27 Mobile Content
28 MultiGen-Paradigm Software Shipping

Standards & Organizations
29 OpenGL ES 1.0 Specification Expected in July
Worth Watching
30 Wireless Controllers

Events & Calls for Papers

228.01 USUN Reduces Design Errors & Raises Productivity

USUN Technology, a major Taiwanese supplier of automatic electromechanical integrated systems, has purchased 50 seats of SolidWorks 3D CAD software and standardized on SolidWorks as its global solid modeling platform to shorten USUN's design time, reduce errors, and improve the quality of its electromechanical equipment. The switch from 2D CAD software has helped reduce design errors by 35 percent while enhancing productivity by 40 percent, according to Chia Cheng Chen, general manager of USUN. USUN purchased SolidWorks through its authorized reseller SolidWizard. SolidWizard is providing ongoing software support and training to USUN.

URL: http://www.solidworks.com

228.02 Second Life Open to the Public

Linden Lab's private beta test of Second Life is now open to the public. Second Life is a new online society, designed to be shaped entirely by its residents who can explore an evolving 3D world, fly through a 3D living landscape full of houses, stores, clubs, sports arenas, and cities - all created by other residents. Linden Lab was founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale, former CTO of RealNetworks, to create a new form of shared 3D entertainment.

URL: http://www.secondlife.com

228.03 Advantages of VR Training Are Numerous

VP Defence Limited, a subsidiary of Virtalis, has delivered a VR trainer for the 7.62 mm General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). This builds follows the Close-Range Weapons Simulator installed at the Royal Navy's HMS Collingwood two years ago. Warrant Officer Bob Bainbridge of HMS Collingwood explains:

"The advantages of VR training are numerous. Not only can we help to reduce the environmental pollution caused by spent ammunition, but there are other major benefits, including a major reduction in expenditure on live ammunition, no need to air-tow targets and no reliance on the weather. In the year prior to the inception of the 20 and 30 mm VR trainers, the Royal Navy spent £1.5 million on live rounds. Naturally, as there is almost no cost associated with the use of Virtalis's trainers, we were able to fire approximately 30 times more rounds in the first year of operation and, of course, this is set to rise with the addition of the VR GPMG trainer. This kind of intensive training is no longer seen as extravagant, but good, cost-effective practice."

Unlike real-life practice, the PC-hosted VR trainers have a playback feature, which enables the instructor to analyse the students' performance. Virtalis developed its own rugged tracking system for the VR GPMG in order that the movements of the gun are followed accurately. In addition, the system was developed using the company's own kRender system, a real-time 3D VR render package that runs on Windows 2000 and boasts a range of realistic visual effects for training applications, such as real-time shadowing, different fog densities, a dynamic seascape, rain, fire and smoke.

URL: http://www.vrweb.com

228.04 Digital Mapping Camera

3001 Incorporated has purchased the Digital Mapping Camera (DMC) system. 3001 offers consulting, GIS, remote sensing, digital photogrammetry and surveying services to the government and private sector and is a small business contractor for the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Global Geospatial Intelligence (GGI) contract. In addition, 3001 provides digital data to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the U.S. Navy and various state and local governments and organizations.

See also item #228.26 in this issue.

URL: http://www.ziimaging.com

228.05 Flight Simulator

Dutch-based TRC Development has announced the TRC 472 Flight Simulator, an Aircraft Training Device modeled after the original Cessna 172 Skyhawk. There's no difference between the original full panel of a Cessna Skyhawk 172, except for the position of the trim wheel and fuel switch. All other instruments are in exact position and you cannot tell the difference between the original aircraft panel and the TRC 472. It has a provision for the TRC Rudder Pedals, but one can also use any third party Rudder Pedals in combination. The complete TRC 472 is connected to a PC with one USB cable and is driven by commercially available Flight Simulator software.

URL: http://www.therealcockpit.com

228.06 NavisWorks3

NavisWorks has announced its latest major release, NavisWorks3 with significant enhancements intended to aid improvements in design understanding and quality. Along with product restructuring and enhancements in functionality that includes the introduction of photorealistic output, the company is introducing Freedom, a free viewer for NavisWorks3 .NWD files. NavisWorks3 moves to a scaleable plug-in architecture with the entry level Roamer3 at its core.

URL: http://www.navisworks.com

228.07 Most Advanced Virtual TV Broadcaster?

Televirtual is claiming to have created the world's most advanced virtual TV broadcaster. Tommi has been developed specifically to showcase broadcast TV potential within Televirtual's RAP real-time production software. Created to exploit the latest NVIDIA graphics rendering hardware, Tommi was constructed in Maya and exported into the RAP real-time system. The surface mesh sitting over the animation skeleton is made up of some 70,000 polygons. Tommi can interact with virtual or real-world scenes in real-time. She can be driven by motion-captured animation files, or key-framed animation scripts, all under keyboard control. Interfaced to natural-language speech technologies, she can generate real-time lip-synchronized speech animation, to accompany live, recorded or computer-generated voices. Facial animation and expressive gestures can be generated or triggered through real-time markerless facial tracking systems such as Image Metrics' Real Face. Tommi can play-back pre-designed facial gestures built as a series of morph targets, or, using her complex facial structure of bones and muscles, she can perform intuitive and unique gestures captured from a live actress in real time.

URL: http://www.televirtual.com

The difference between involvement and interaction is not yet well defined: the "virtual video-conference" and "digital shopper" are with us, but not yet widely used by us. What does the "avatar" have to do to build an active user community? What are the relative merits of photorealism compared with metaphors to represent humans in virtual environments? What is the breakthrough we are waiting for? These issues are of particular interest to the European Commission and will be discussed in a session at VR World Congress VI.

URL: agenda28.htm

228.08 New Entry-Level Simulation Projectors

Christie has built on the MirageSIM projector, claimed to be the world's first 3-chip DLP simulation projector, by launching the Matrix line of entry-level simulation projectors expands Christie's simulation offerings. The Matrix 1500 is a single-chip DLP SXGA (1280x1024) simulation projector based on a Dark Metal DMD light engine with on/off contrast ratio 1000:1 and delivering 1500 ANSI lumens. The Matrix 2500 is a 3-chip 1.8" LCD SXGA (1280x1024) simulation projector based on dual 100W UHP illumination system with on/off contrast ratio over 700:1 and delivering 2500 ANSI lumens. The Matrix 3500 is a 3-chip 1.8" LCD UXGA (1600x1200) simulation projector based on quad 100W UHP illumination system with on/off contrast ratio 1000:1 and delivering 3500 ANSI lumens. Christie's Digital Color Management (DCM) system features a proprietary optical design with very tight tolerance for primary colors and together with the Custom Gamma Adjustment (CGA) ensures true color representation, color matching and uniformity across multi-screen images. The Minimum Processing Latency (MPL) feature, of less than one frame delay, enables fast simulator response time to user's commands providing images without loss of detail, flicker, smearing or motion artifacts. The Matrix 2500 and 3500 feature a Color Select Filter (CSF) that identically polarizes all three primary colors in LCD light engines - a main requirement to achieve passive stereo with two stacked units.

URL: http://www.christiedigital.com

228.09 World's Highest Resolution Digital Projector

JVC Professional Europe recently showcased its DLA-QX1G (QX1), claimed to be the world's highest resolution digital projector, at ITEC. The QX1 was displayed in a dome-based immersive training scenario projecting a simulated image of the inside of a Merlin helicopter cockpit onto a dome screen. It is driven by a system that provides native support for the projector's QXGA resolution, combined with real-time distortion correction using the Elumens SPY interface. As part of the ongoing collaboration between DT Media, Elumens and JVC, this demonstration aimed to provide highly optimized projector solutions for the visual simulation and training industry. The QX1 has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels which is 40 percent higher than SXGA (1280 x 1024) and a contrast ratio of >1,200:1 which is significantly higher than LCD or DLP projectors. The DLA QX1 utilizes 10-bit digital color processing and 12-bit gamma correction. The unit incorporates an adjustable color temperature, and is stackable up to 3 units - for larger venues or for increased brightness. In addition to simulation applications, D-ILA (QX1) projectors offers precision graphics displays in design, research, training, medical and the newly emerging Digital Cinema. The powerful high resolution projector is ideal for staging/rental, post production telecine transfer labs, screening digital dailies and HDTV applications such as theme parks, museums and other specialized applications that require exceptionally high-resolution imaging.

URL: http://pro.jvc.com/pro/qx1.htm
URL: http://www.jvcproeurope.com

228.10 Casual People

3D RPC (Rich Photorealistic Content) Casual People Volume 5 is now available. The library contains 16 3D people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds making them flexible enough to work in many environments. These fresh RPC individuals are engaged in different behaviors and poses typically seen in casual and leisure environments, such as looking at something in the sky or holding a mobile phone, while wearing today's popular attire and accessories. RPC Casual People Volume 5 is available at $219.00.

URL: http://www.archvision.com

228.11 Mend Holes in Image Sequences

RE:Fill, a plug-in set that mends holes in image sequences by intelligently filling user-specified regions has been released by RE:Vision Effects . RE:Fill can replace missing pixels in a number of ways: selecting the nearest "good" pixel, mirroring pixels about a hole's edge, or cloning from another "good" region... and the good region can come from another point in time or from another sequence altogether. RE:Fill supports 8 and 16 bits-per-channel processing. RE:Fill's plug-ins are After Effects compatible designed to work within Adobe After Effects, Discreet combustion, Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere and Pinnacle Systems Commotion, and other After Effects plug-in-compatible applications.

URL: http://www.revisionfx.com

228.12 Particle Flow Extension Software for 3ds max

Discreet has announced the availability of new Particle Flow Extension software for 3ds max customers registered under the Discreet Subscription Program, a component of the Autodesk Subscription Program. Discreet animators who create effects for game cinematics, films, and design visualizations now have particle flow tools integrated into 3ds max software to create realistic fountains, fog, snow, splashes, contrails, explosions and other environmental effects.

URL: http://www.discreet.com

Is motion tracking close to becoming "mainstream" in VR/i3D? Gaming has led in the widespread adoption of computer generated graphics - will "edutainment" be the first mass market for this medium of content creation? This will form the basis of a session at VR World Congress VI where it will be possible to meet potential project partners to bid for a European Commission funded project.

URL: agenda28.htm

228.13 Anark Studio 2

Anark Studio 2, a new version of the company's multimedia authoring software has been announced with additional features and functionality including a flexible workspace, drag and drop behaviors and industry standard timeline, to allow real-time compositing and integration of 3D, video, images, audio and interactivity.

URL: http://www.anark.com

228.14 New Graphics Accelerator

3Dlabs has announced the availability of the Wildcat VP880 Pro workstation-class graphics accelerator through distributors and systems integrators. Packed with 256 MB of onboard memory and designed to fit into one standard AGP slot, the Wildcat VP880 Pro is priced at $499. The Wildcat VP880 Pro supports emerging shading languages and Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000.

URL: http://www.3dlabs.com

Competition to Win a Wildcat VP880 Pro

3Dlabs is launching a contest for designers, animators and modelers to win one of five new Wildcat VP880 Pro professional graphics accelerators. The contest, "Why you can't live without a Wildcat VP880 Pro" requires participants to describe in 100 words or less why they cannot complete a current design task unless they have Wildcat VP880 Pro. The contest starts May 1 and runs through May 31, 2003.

URL: http://www.3dlabs.com/procontest

228.15 DesignStudio Productivity Pack

Alias|Wavefront has introduced DesignStudio Productivity Pack, a combination of software and learning tools for computer aided industrial design (CAID). The new bundle includes the industrial design and styling software, DesignStudio, and self-paced learning resources a beginner needs for a successful start on digital 2D and 3D product design. It is geared toward making entry into the world of industrial design and digital styling easy for the new user and offers a complete solution for digitally sketching, painting, modeling and visualizing designs in one package. Under a limited time offer, the Productivity Pack is available on Windows platforms for $3,999 or Euro 4599 and includes a full seat of DesignStudio and three training tools.

URL: http://www.aliaswavefront.com

228.16 SketchUp 3.0

@Last Software has been presenting previews of SketchUp 3.0 which is scheduled for June 2003. SketchUp 3.0 includes Dimensions and Annotation, Curved Faces and Soft Edges, Material Transparency, Animation Export of AVI and MOV files, Filled Polygon Vector Output in EPS and PDF, VRML Export, Layer Control Palette and more.

URL: http://www.sketch3d.com/fosu/

228.17 OpenGL Shader Technology for CATIA

SGI has announced the availability of SGI OpenGL Shader technology for CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA Version 5 Release 11. The OpenGL Shader within Dassault Systemes PLM solutions is intended to allow manufacturing customers to increase the realism of digital mock-ups with no additional hardware costs, accelerate the design process and shorten time to market for their products. OpenGL Shader, an appearance-modeling tool for developers on the IRIX and Linux operating systems, provides an interface to support not only previous visual effects (including ClearCoat, ClearCoat 360, bump mapping, multiple textures, environment maps and volume shading), but also an array of new effects.

URL: http://www.3ds.com
URL: http://www.sgi.com

228.18 RenderBOXX and ServerBOXX

BOXX Technologies has announced its XXtreme series of 3DBOXX workstations, RenderBOXX rendering systems and ServerBOXX servers are now powered by the new AMD Athlon MP processor 2800+ with QuantiSpeed architecture and Smart MP technology. Designed for Microsoft Windows or Linux, 3DBOXX and RenderBOXX are available in single and dual processor configurations enhanced with NVIDIA Quadro4 XGL architecture and optimized for modeling and rendering 3D content and animation with software programs such as Maya, 3ds max, Softimage XSI, LightWave 3D, and Houdini.

URL: http://www.boxxtech.com

228.19 blaxxun is Back

blaxxun technologies GmbH has been re-founded. blaxxun technologies continues the blaxxun interactive product-family and plans to expand the range of offered products. The company has acquired existing installations as well as rights and intellectual properties regarding software, solutions, brands, marks, trademarks, logo-design marks and domains. Dr Wolfgang Salzmann is CEO and Klaus Eberle is COO.

URL: http://www.blaxxun.de

VREfresh reported the demise of blaxxun in issue #185 of April 2nd, 2002. The company, headquartered in Munich, Germany, was founded in 1995. The blaxxun platform was used to build interactive communities and commercial users included BMW, Canal+, IBM, Intel and Lycos Bertelsmann. blaxxun partnered with hardware and software providers including Computer Associates, Einsteinet, Elsa, Intershop, Oracle, Sun and wapme Systems.

URL: http://www.VREfresh.com

228.20 VisionMax International Arrives

VisionMax International Limited (VMIL), a UK-based joint venture company, has been established to develop the international business for the VisionMax range of scalable image generators. The range of PC-cluster systems have been developed by Hi-Tech Media Co.,Ltd of Korea (HTM) and are delivered with the NOVA Infinity multi-channel visualization software. This visualization package allows direct import of popular 3D modeling, animation and simulation software packages and allows users to display images across single or multiple planar, cylindrical or spherical displays. The software has a range of features that support perspective correction, non-linear distortion correction, seamless edge-blending and, active and passive stereo.

The VisionMax systems support general media including real time 3D graphics, TV, Video, DVD and common movie formats and can be delivered in a range of configurations depending on user requirements. HTM has installed ten systems in Korea, including an active stereo CAVE for EWHA Women's University, Seoul, a 3-channel Wall with InterSense tracking system for LG Auto Design Department and a number of multi-channel passive stereo systems. VMIL will focus its marketing efforts on developing an international reseller network and working with OEM partners. The directors of the VMIL are Ben Vaughan and Bong-Soo Youn. Mr Youn is the Founder and Chief Executive of Hi-Tech Media Ltd. Mr Vaughan has been in the Visualization Industry for more than a decade. He was the head of External Affairs for Virtuality Group, a co-founder and VP of Retinal Displays Inc and a Vice-President of InterSense Inc.

URL: http//www.visionmaxint.com

Experience indicates that not all workers are prepared to wear even light-weight headsets to experience 3D for anything but short periods. Is the answer monitors that display three-dimensions - or augmented reality with overlay projections? This subject is of considerable interest to the European Commission (EC). You can arrange appointment with EC managers at VR World Congress VI to discuss how you can participate in supported projects in their Sixth Framework Programme.

URL: agenda28.htm

228.21 Sole UK Distributor for FastSCAN Cobra

Virtalis has been named as sole UK distributor for the new FastSCAN Cobra, a non-contact digitiser, for fast scanning 3D objects from Polhemus. The FastSCAN Cobra, acquires 3D surfaces by gathering measurements made by sweeping a handheld laser scanning wand over an object. The object's image appears on the computer monitor linked to the system and the finished scan is processed. Any overlapping sweeps are combined during this processing, reducing the time to develop surface models. The system can be used with virtually any opaque object with low metal content and the 3D data can then be saved in industry standard formats for loading into other programs. The FastSCAN Cobra is 50% smaller and 30% cheaper than its forerunner.

URL: http://www.vrweb.com
URL: http://www.polhemus.com

Scanning is increasingly important to the Culture and Heritage market (a major theme in the European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme of supported projects. A session at VR World Congress VI will consider the creation of 3D content by using scanning. Extreme accuracy in texture and colour as well as dimension is required for virtual artefacts to provide a satisfactory interactive 3D experience to preserve real objects. How good is scanning - and how good will it get? How can organisations collaborate to share the cost of creating content in this fashion?

URL: agenda28.htm

228.22 ART VPS in Scandinavia

ART VPS has selected Man and Machine to manage its reseller channel and distribute its 3D visualization products in Scandinavia. Man and Machine Sweden AB is owned by Mensch und Maschine GmbH.

URL: http://www.artvps.com

228.23 Sony Purchase

Sony Pictures Digital has struck an agreement to purchase Sonic Foundry's desktop software products and related assets for $18 million cash and assumption of certain trade payables, accrued liabilities and capital leases associated with the desktop software business.

URL: http://www.sonypictures.com
URL: http://www.sonicfoundry.com

228.24 The Sims 2 in Development

The next generation of the #1 PC game of all time, The Sims, is in development at Electronic Arts' Maxis studio. For the first time, players will control their Sims over an entire lifetime. All of this takes place in a 3D world. The Sims 2 will be on May 13th at E3 and is scheduled to ship in early 2004.

URL: http://www.thesims.com
URL: http://www.info.ea.com

228.25 Tapwave & Fathammer

Tapwave Inc has licensed a customized version of Fathammer's X-Forge 3D Game Engine for use in their upcoming mobile entertainment gear. X-Forge will be promoted and offered to the professional game development community through Tapwave's developer program. The X-Forge 3D Game Engine is a cross-platform SDK and suite of development tools. In addition to Tapwave's enhanced version of PalmOS, X-Forge supports Symbian OS, Microsoft Pocket PC and Smartphone 2002, Mobile Linux and other popular mobile operating systems.

URL: http://www.fathammer.com
URL: http://www.tapwave.com

228.26 Z/I Imaging & Wildcat4

Z/I Imaging Corporation, an Intergraph Company, is to integrate the latest 3Dlabs Wildcat4 graphics accelerator in the company's ImageStation photogrammetric hardware solutions - the ImageStation workstation and the ImageStation Stereo Softcopy Kit (SSK). ImageStation SSK is a low-cost option that brings specialized, high-performance photogrammetry to desktop PCs through an easy-to-install hardware and software bundle. The kit includes ImageStation photogrammetric software applications for photogrammetric project setup, model orientations, stereo display, feature collection, and DTM collection and editing. The hardware components of the package are 3Dlabs' Wildcat4 7110 graphics accelerator, StereoGraphics' CrystalEyes stereo glasses and emitter and Immersion's 3D SoftMouse for precision digitizing.

URL: http://www.ziimaging.com

228.27 Mobile Content

Humans on the move interface with data all the time: the wrist watch, the telephone and automobile instruments are examples. The scale of adoption of the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) indicates the demand for data to be available all the time and everywhere. The early adopters of "3D on the move" are playing games: what applications will take us beyond ways of passing time to a mobile generation of the information society - and what compromises, forced by physical dimension and technological capacity, will be acceptable to the nomadic consumer of information? This is the debate at a session at VR World Congress VI intended to influence the thinking of the European Commission in funding support for future projects.

URL: agenda28.htm

SavaJe Technologies, developers of a universal open Java applications platform and operating system for wireless devices, has licensed the ARM Swerve i3D Graphics Client to embed into the SavaJe technology platform. The ARM Swerve i3D Graphics Client, developed by ARM in collaboration with Superscape, generates and manages interactive 3D scenes on wireless handsets. The software solution enables download of compressed 3D applications to ARM core-based wireless devices over 2.5G and 3G cellular networks.

URL: http://www.arm.com

"Mobile operators that do not learn how to manage content will miss out on significant revenue streams and be relegated to simple bit carriers" - CIT-Online. The company's report deduces: mobile media is no longer an optional extra, it's part of the core service that consumers expect all mobile operators to provide; mobile media is forecast to generate over 30% of ARPU by 2012; simply offering mobile media without a clear market strategy will result in costly mistakes and lost market share; mobile media will only be successful if it is developed as a media package in collaboration with media companies that have existing routes to market. Priced at £1,250, Mobile Media: Future Markets can be ordered now for mid-May delivery.

URL: http://www.cit-online

228.28 MultiGen-Paradigm Software Shipping

MultiGen-Paradigm's Creator v2.6 is now shipping. Creator is a toolset for the generation of optimized object models, high fidelity terrain and synthetic environments for use in realtime 3D visual simulation, simulation based training, and urban simulation. Creator v2.6 is currently available for MicrosoftWindows XP Professional and 2000 Professional users.

URL: http://www.multigen-paradigm.com

Vega Prime v1.2 is also shipping. Vega Prime is an extendible, cross-platform, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) C++ development environment that includes MultiGen-Paradigm's low-level scene graph VSG (Vega Scene Graph), as well as a high level abstraction API, delivering a range of features designed for visual simulation, sensor simulation, simulation based training, and urban simulation. Vega Prime 1.2 is currently available for Microsoft Windows XP Professional and 2000 Professional, Sun Microsystems Solaris Operating Environment and Red Hat 8.0 Linux users.

URL: http://www.multigen-paradigm.com

228.29 OpenGL ES 1.0 Specification Expected in July

At a meeting held in Cambridge, UK, the OpenGL ES 1.0 Specification was agreed upon by Khronos OpenGL ES Working Group Members and is now ready for final review and ratification by Khronos Promoting Member vote. On track with milestones set a year ago, the public release of the OpenGL ES 1.0 Specification is expected in July. The availability of this royalty-free, open-standard, 3D-capable graphics API is expected to enable many new classes of content-hungry platforms, each with many millions of potential new users. In a related statement, Khronos members Texas Instruments and Symbian announced a collaboration to develop a Symbian Multimedia Framework plug-in based on OpenGL ES 1.0 to enable superior graphics handling on TI's OMAP processor family. Also of note, Khronos member Fathammer has integrated the TI Graphics Library into its X-Forge 3D Game Engine SDK, enabling significantly improved performance and superior gameplay on TI OMAP processor-based mobile devices.

URL: http://www.khronos.org

Members of Khronos wil be interested in the formation of the 3D Consortium, a not-for-profit initiative of, originally, Itochu, NTT Data, Sanyo, Sharp and Sony, which now has 80+ member companies worldwide. Key to the success of the consortium is recognition of the need for the organisation to be truly global (as are the technologies and their users). The consortium seeks to develop the market for 3D, work towards common data and content formats to facilitate data exchange and interoperability and create opportunities for collaboration. European VR/i3D companies will be attracted by the expanded market with export potential, a multi-continental influence in standards making and opportunities for bi-directional technology exchange. There will be a presentation by the 3D Consortium and a Question & Answer Session at VR World Congress VI.

URL: agenda28.htm

228.30 Worth Watching: Wireless Controllers

VREfresh will be at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, May 14-17, and looks forward to seeing RF chipset products and controller reference designs, which offer a technology mix ideal for wireless controllers. RFWaves, a fabless semiconductor company, has a product with the ability to simultaneously operate up to 16 controllers.

URL: http://www.rfwaves.com

228.00 Events & Calls for Papers

Why go to E3?

For the first time ever, consumers and game enthusiasts will get a first-hand virtual look inside the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo), the world's preeminent interactive entertainment trade show, the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) announced today. The E3Insider web site will launch on May 14th. E3 is a trade show, but E3Insider will give consumers the ability to experience the event and get a feel for the trends being seen and the products being showcased. The new site will feature news from exhibitor booths, interviews with industry professionals, video clips, photo galleries and stories about the show. Visitors to the Web site will be given a look at some of the more than 1,350 never-before-seen computer and video game titles and related products that will debut during the show's three days. E3Expo is owned by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). IDSA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $6.9 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2002, and billions more in export sales of American-made entertainment software.

URL: http://www.e3insider.com

VREfresh will be at E3 - particularly looking to see how gaming technologies and techniques will be transferred to social and commercial applications.

IVA 2003

International Working Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVA): Kloster Irsee, Bavaria, Germany - September 15-17, 2003. Call for contributions: Submission deadline is May 16, 2003.

URL: http://www.sigmedia.org/iva03

For details of the following events, see the VREfresh web site.

May 7-9: Casa'2003, New Jersey, USA
May 7-10: 3D Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
May 13-18: Laval Virtual Reality International Conference, Laval, France
May 18-22: 2003 Bentley International User Conference, Maryland, USA
May 22-23: Joint IPT/EGVE '03 Workshop, Zurich, Switzerland
June 3-5: EurographicsUK 2003, Birmingham, England
July 10-11: Vision, Video and Graphics 2003, Bath, UK
July 14-18: CREATE, New York, USA
July 27 - 31: Siggraph 2003, San Diego, California, USA
September 1-6: Eurographics 2003, Granada, Spain
September 15-17: IVA 2003, Germany
October 15-17: VSMM 2003, Montreal, Canada

URL: http://www.vrefresh.com

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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

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