From: Kenneth Pimentel Subject: SOFTWARE: Sense8 announce low-cost VGA WorldToolKit Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1993 23:08:00 -0800 ***** Product Announcement ***** Sense8 announces low-cost VGA version of WorldToolKit. With the advent of inexpensive local-bus VGA boards and PCs capable of reasonable 3D graphics performance, Sense8 has officially announced a low-cost, VGA-only version of WorldToolKit, code-named "Mercury", which will sell for under $1,000. Mercury will be designed to work with standard VGA boards and other accelerated VGA boards (such as S3-based boards). The DOS library will be available for several common compilers such as Msoft C, Zortec C, Mware C, and Borland. Mercury will be targeted at C programmers interested in experimenting with VR using the most popular professional toolkit available (WorldToolKit). WorldToolKit is currently in use at JPL, NASA Ames, NTT, CMU, Sandia National Labs, IST, Samsung, Nottingham University, and hundreds of other sites across the world. Mercury will provide 80-90% of WTK ver 2.0 functionality (over 400 functions) and will be code compatible with the professional version of WorldToolKit running on high-end PCs, Sun, SGi (and soon DEC Alpha) platforms. Mercury will allow developer's to start small using stereo-VGA boards and to then grow their application to other hardware platforms as additional performance is required. Drivers for Sound-blaster compatible boards and other common inexpensive VR devices will be provided. Mercury will be officially released in the 3rd Quarter of 1993. Within a few months, Sense8 will be selling Beta versions to selected developers. If you are interested in being part of this program, please send email to: well!kp or well!sense8!kpiment Sense8 will keep a log of all interested parties and in a couple months details of the product will be sent to everyone on the list. You can also call Sense8 and have your name and address entered into the database. Please let the assistant know you are interested in the Mercury project. Sense8 4000 Bridgeway, Suite 101 Sausalito, CA, 94965 ph: (415) 331-6318 fx: (415) 331-9148 [MODERATOR'S NOTE: Commercial postings are offered on sci.virtual-worlds as a public service. Their appearance here does not necessarily indicate endorsement by the moderators or by the USENET or its administrators. -- Mark A. DeLoura]