From: Andy Hamilton Subject: TECH: New Division Product FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW DIVISION PRODUCT ADDS READY-TO-USE VIRTUAL REALITY CAPABILITY TO CAD SOFTWARE REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 20, 1993 Q Division, Inc., a leader in virtual reality systems for professional applications, today announced a software package that allows engineers and designers to create virtual environments without additional software development. It provides realistic immersive viewing capability that enables users to evaluate designs for ergonomics, manufacturability, kinematics and other spatial properties in a way not possible with standard CAD systems alone. The software runs on both Division hardware and standard industry workstations such as those from Silicon Graphics Inc. Entry price for the software, for SGI workstations, is $3900. The new dVISE* virtual reality (VR) package is a component of Division's Virtual Design Environment*. Running as an application on Division's dVS software platform, the new product can import data from popular packages such as AUTOCAD, ProEngineer, MicroStation, Alias, MultiGen, Wavefront, 3D Studio and other popular modeling software. dVISE allows users to create virtual environments that can be easily viewed with existing user interfaces or head-mounted 3D viewers and other VR displays. "Our software allows designers to build virtual environments interactively without software development," said Peter Cornwell, president of Division. "dVISE enables participants in different locations to design and interact collaboratively. dVISE demonstrates Division's commitment to continually enhancing its product line with powerful systems that are also easy to use. The new software tool allows wider practical application of virtual reality, which enables a viewer to "step through" a computer display and enter a realistic artificial environment. Though widely promoted for entertainment applications, virtual reality can have even more impact in engineering, scientific, design, architecture, space and medical applications. It provides an "interactive experience" that can offer significant productivity benefits over two-dimensional computer displays or physical prototypes or mock ups. It allows users to enhance their existing design processes and create new ones that wouldn't be possible without interactive realistic visualization. Division's VR software operating environment, dVS, is based on distributed client server principles enabling geographically separated professionals to come together over networks in a virtual meeting room or a shared work space, making a potentially profound impact on business performance. Applications created with dVISE automatically adapt to the capabilities of different workstation configurations Q from flat screen, non-immersive desktop VR through workstations using stereo shutter glasses to fully-immersive audio and visual head-mounted displays. dVS also efficiently exploits the capabilities of multiprocessor workstations to yield direct performance benefits. Since applications also can be moved across different types of popular workstations, enterprises need not worry about lost application investment if different vendor computer products are installed. This is a unique capability provided by Division. Division, Inc. is headquartered at 400 Seaport Court, Suite 101, Redwood City, California, Tel: (415) 364-6067. The Division Group of companies specializes in providing technology, products and services for virtual reality applications. The company serves a worldwide installed base of its integrated VR systems. Its shares are trades on the London Stock exchange. dVISE is a trade mark of Division, Inc. Division recognizes all trade marks and registered trade marks of other manufacturers. [MODERATOR'S NOTE: Commercial postings are offered on this newsgroup as a public service. Their appearance here does not indicate endorsement by the moderators or by the USENET or its administrators.]