16 June 2003
Reported, written and edited by David Duberman
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Tech
Soft America (TSA), a provider of core graphics component technology to the
engineering industry, has released version 9.0 of its HOOPS Stream Toolkit
(HOOPS/Stream) in the latest.
HOOPS/Stream
is the read/write SDK for the HOOPS Streaming Format (HSF), which provides the
foundation for the rapidly emerging OpenHSF Initiative visualization standard.
(www.openhsf.org), and the foundation for building custom streaming formats
such as the eDrawings design intent format from SolidWorks.
With
the 9.0 release, developers can create HSF files that include animation
information which acts on the visualization data in the file. These files can
be then played back in any of the HOOPS 3D Part Viewers or the HOOPS Stream Control
(all downloadable free from www.hoops3d.com) or any custom viewers built using
HOOPS components. To test this functionality and create animation data
directly, users can test-drive the new Animation Authoring capabilities
available in the new release of the HOOPS 3D Part Viewer demonstration
application downloadable from www.hoops3d.com.
Beyond
the new animation capabilities, key features and enhancements to HOOPS/Stream
include:
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New
from E-Book Systems is FlipPublisher ($299), which creates 3D page-turning
digital "FlipBooks" with rich media content such as text, audio,
video, photographs and music. Output lets users "turn" pages as if
reading a hard copy of a book, eliminating the need to scroll through
documents. Magazines, newsletters, novels, textbooks, catalogs, brochures,
portfolios, company manuals, financial reports and more can be created as a
"FlipBook" with FlipPublisher. Once a FlipBook is created, it can be
electronically delivered via the Web, or formatted onto CD-ROM for offline
delivery.
Features
include:
CDs
that are distributed are self-contained and launch automatically on the
reader's PC. No installation of software is necessary. Flipbooks posted online
can be viewed using a free version of E-Book System's FlipViewer 2.2, or
FlipViewer Lite 2.2. Readers can bookmark individual pages, and access
hyperlinks on the pages by simply clicking on the links.
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Eedo
Knowledgeware Corporation, a developer of browser-based knowledge transfer
solutions, last week released ForceTen Version 2.0. The software is designed to
let organizations deploy and update learning content and knowledge assets in
real-time across multiple databases and across multiple domains.
Enhancements
include development of soft-skill simulations and robust 'hard skills'
simulations via 3D models and animations that are easily integrated using
ForceTen's object-based tools.
Additional
features include:
http://www.eedo.com/english/products/forceten.html
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Oakland,
Calif.-based Reiss Studio, in cooperation with Curious Labs, the publisher of
Poser, has developed and released BodyStudio 2.0 for Windows. BodyStudio
integrates Poser 3D character animation technology into Discreet 3ds max. The
plug-in software allows Poser users to render and play Poser animations
directly inside of 3ds max.
New
features include:
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New
from Kajima Corp. is Windows-based REALS 2.0, a rendering and animation program
for architects. The new software is said to offer fast rendering, raytracing,
indirect light simulation, partial rendering, lighting effects such as glow
lighting, a large material library, a variety of special effects, panorama,
multiple object movement in an animation, and network animation.
REALS
is a stand-alone Windows application, priced at $429. It accepts 3D models in
standard DXF or 3DS file formats. Kajima has plans to develop direct
translators in the near future so that a variety of native CAD formats can be read.
A free, full-featured evaluation program is available for download at the
Cadalog.com Web site.
http://www.kajima.com/welcome.html
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Pinnacle
Systems has begun shipping Liquid chrome, a new $15,000 compositing and editing
system. Designed for professional postproduction, Liquid chrome combines three
components--Pinnacle Liquid editing software, the TARGA 3000 compositing
engine, and the K2 single-chip 3D DVE--into a turnkey editing solution.
Included are codecs for I-frame MPEG-2 4:2:2 up to 50 Mbps, uncompressed and
DV25 video formats, as well as real-time 2D and 3D DVE capability, four
real-time video streams, unlimited layering, and multi-layered effects without
interrupting workflow. Software includes the TitleDeko Pro character generator,
Commotion Pro image editing and compositing, Impression DVD Pro authoring, and
Pinnacle Liquid CX color correction.
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Calimetrics,
Inc. says it has demonstrated the commercial viability of its MLTM (MultiLevel)
recording technology to double the capacity of dual-layer DVD read-only discs
(DVD-9) with sufficient transfer rate to provide a cost-effective path to
extend DVD to next-generation high-definition (HD) video and interactive games.
Calimetrics
developed “ML HD-DVD” discs using industry-standard DVD mastering and
replication equipment currently utilized in a large-scale manufacturing
operation. This demonstrates that ML HD-DVD is commercially viable and can be
implemented in a high-volume production environment with no major changes to
manufacturing infrastructure. The discs were tested and proven to meet DVD-9
standards for data integrity under specified stress conditions.
Calimetrics
has developed proprietary ML codes and error correction algorithms for
implementation in a single integrated circuit (chip) to add HD capability to
DVD players. With ML HD-DVD technology incorporated into the electronics of an
existing DVD system, consumer electronics makers can offer the market
high-definition video players without any changes to the optics and mechanics
of a standard DVD player. Thus, HD-capable DVD video players that also read
existing DVD libraries can be built using currently available components.
Proposed blue laser-based systems for with HD capability will require two
lasers, adding to both complexity and cost.
On the DRM
front, the proprietary ML format is said to provide flexibility, revocability
and multiple levels of security that can be tailored by content owners for
their specific applications.
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Join leading developers to exchange ideas and advance the state of the art of games at the Game Developers Conference in March 2004.
For more information on speaking and submitting proposals to the 2004 Game Developers Conference, visit:
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Activision, Inc.'s Star Trek Elite Force II
has gone gold and is headed to retail. Set in the Star Trek: The Next
Generation universe, players take command as head of the elite Hazard Team in
the first-person action game. Gamers will arm themselves with an array of
weaponry as they hack, battle and vaporize a relentless onslaught of enemies
including hordes of nightmarish creatures, new alien species and familiar
franchise staples such as the Borg and Romulans. The title was developed by
Ritual Entertainment,.
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Best
of Show: Half-Life 2 (Valve LLC/Vivendi Universal Games for PC): interaction
with NPCs, vehicle driving, object manipulation and cinematic action sequences
Best
Original Game: Full Spectrum Warrior (Pandemic Studios/THQ for Xbox/PC): for realism
and squad-based gameplay.
Best
PC Game: Half-Life 2
Best
Console Game: Halo 2 (Bungie Studios/Microsoft for Xbox)
Best
Peripheral/Hardware: EyeToy (Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 2)
Best
Action Game: Half-Life 2
Best
Action/Adventure Game: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Ubi Soft
Montreal/UbiSoft for All Game Systems):
Best
Fighting Game: Soul Calibur 2 (Namco for All Console Systems)
Best
Role Playing Game: Fable (Big Blue Box/Microsoft for Xbox)
Best
Racing Game: Gran Turismo 4 (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment for
PlayStation 2)
Best
Simulation Game: Full Spectrum Warrior
Best
Sports Game: Tony Hawk's Underground (Neversoft/Activision for All Console
Platforms)
Best
Strategy Game: Rome: Total War (Creative Assembly/Activision for PC)
Best
Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game: The EyeToy Games (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
for PlayStation 2): Scheduled to hit store shelves this holiday season at under
$40, Sony's EyeToy is essentially a USB camera that maps the player's physical
movements into games. Because the games Sony developed to go with the device
require only intuitive body movements, not complicated button combos, the
EyeToy should be fairly accessible to non-gamers. Sony Computer Entertainment
of America's chief Kazuo Hirai drew laughs from the normally jaded E3 press by
flailing his arms in front of the EyeToy in a demonstration of a window washing
game. Sony said it will bundle 12 mini-games with the EyeToy, but executives
hope that developers will integrate the device into future games.
Best
Online Multiplayer: City of Heroes (Cryptic Studios/NCSoft for PC): upcoming
massively-multiplayer superhero-based role-playing game developed by San
Jose-based Cryptic Studios (to be published by NCSoft) lets players create and
customize a superhero from scratch and set out in the metropolis of Paragon
City to do just about anything.
Special
Commendation for Graphics: Half-Life 2
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Vincent
John Vincent, virtual reality (VR) / new media pioneer and cofounder of
JesterTek Inc. and Vivid Group Inc. was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at
the 2003 Canadian New Media Awards to recognize his 20 years of new media
vision, creativity, excellence, and industry advocacy.
"This
is an honor I share with my amazing creative collaborator, and business
partner, Francis MacDougall," states Vinent John Vincent. "We have
worked as one team on everything we have accomplished in the VR and New Media
fields. It has been a great journey so far, and I look forward to what we can
accomplish next."
Vincent
and Francis graduated from U of Waterloo in 1985. They co-founded the Vivid
Group, and invented the Mandala VR system, a video gesture analysis/control technology,
which keyed a user's live real-time video image into 3D computer-animation
worlds on the screen in front of them. It allowed the user to manipulate
animated objects, and navigate virtual worlds with their video image. They had
installations at the Smithsonian Institute, Canadian World Expo Pavilions,
Disney, and other galleries, museums, science centers, and entertainment
facilities. Now known as the Gesture Xtreme system, there are over 600
installations worldwide.
Vincent
also gained renown as the pioneer of VR performance in over 200 VR performances
around the world.
The
technology has also been applied as the first Interactive Virtual Set for TV
production (1988) and is now used in the industry, and as an interactive
virtual videoconferencing system (1989). The system is now also being used as a
rehabilitation exercise system for physiotherapy and disabilities. http://www.irexonline.com
In 1999
they created the first stereo camera-based VR control system. This JestPoint
system enables the computer to see in 3D space and deduce the distance and
composition of the moving objects in front of its "eyes," allowing
users to control all aspects of dynamic onscreen content on large screens with
hand gestures from any distance. JestPoint has been installed in retail
locations and windows, trade shows, museums, and advertising.
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Nearly
1,000 digital design pioneers will gather at the 10th Flashforward conference
and Flash Film Festival in New York City, July 9-11. Featuring Macromedia Flash
development, the show will offer four half-day workshops, 22 seminars, 20
Q&A sessions, 17 Ask the Experts sessions, and 11 Technology Showcase
sessions. In addition, the three-day event includes a Flash technology
exhibition area and a Flash Authors Book Signing Reception and Networking
Party.
On
the evening of July 10, the 10th Flash Film Festival showcases 60 Flash
projects and awards winners in 16 categories including best animation, motion
graphics, interactivity, art, application, education, commerce, experimental,
game, cartoon, story, technical merit, 3D, typography, and the People's Choice
award. View the finalists' work online at the address below.
Session
titles include Rich Application Development, Video, The Flash Communication
Server, Remoting, Interface Design, E-Learning, ActionScripting, Audio, 3D,
Wireless Flash Applications, The Drawing API, The Making of a RIA, Interface
Design, Storytelling, XML, Deconstructing the Rich Interactive Experience,
Design and Marketing, ColdFusion, Data Visualization, Usability, OOP &
Design Patterns, Creating Usable Interfaces for RIAs, Workflow, Component
Development, The First Ever All-Flash E-Commerce Site, Game Development,
Developer Resource Kits, Photoshop and Flash, Accessibility, Macromedia
Central, 3D Vector Rendering with Maya 5, Visualizing Data with Charts, Graphs,
and Maps, Templates for Rich Media Storytelling, The Creation of Flash
Illuminations, Flash Avatars - Developing Interactive Conversational Agents
Using [V] Host Technology, Compressing Dynamic Video Content, Enhancing
Animation with Toon Boom Studio, and Unlimited-Resolution Images in Flash.
http://www.flashforward2003.com
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GDC
Europe's Mobile Day brings together leaders from the mobile communications
industry with Europe's leading game developers. Network operators, content
aggregators, technology and infrastructure providers and game developers
explore next generation technology, platform issues, and current business
tactics.
GDC
Europe, 26-29 August 2003, Earls Court, London, UK
GDC Europe
Mobile Day, 26 August 2003, Earls Court, London, UK
GDC Europe
Mobile Day Sessions Include:
Mobile
Operator Spotlight Session: Robert Tercek, Machines That Go Ping, Bradley De
Souza, mm02 (UK), Luis Ezcurra, Telefonica Moviles (Spain), Tim Harrison,
Vodafone Live (UK), Martin Péronnet, i-mode/Bouygues Telecom, Alan Welsman,
Orange (UK)
Mobile
Games: Japan and the Future: David "DC" Collier, Gamelet.com
Case
Study: China: Norbert Chang, Enorbus Entertainment
Great
Mobile Game Design: Matthew Bellows, Wireless Gaming Review
Cross-Media
Mobile Games: Monique Van Dusseldorp, Van Dusseldorp Partners
Designing
Multiplayer Games for Mobile Audiences: Dan Scherlis, Etherplay
Practical
Implementation of Mobile Multiplayer Games: Graham Thomas, CEO, Cash-U
http://www.gdc-europe.com/mobile
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- David Duberman
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