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Submitted by marcbe on Thu, 09/25/2008 - 12:45.
09-22-2008 Concord, Mass., September 22, 2008 - Dassault Systèmes (DS) (NASDAQ: Virtual Earth-3DVIA is designed for both professionals and consumers to “For anyone interested in a fun way to create and expand their own In addition to the 3D remix functionality, a number of additional “Through our continued collaboration with Dassault Systèmes, we are now For more information and to download the application, go to About Virtual Earth The Virtual Earth platform is Microsoft’s next-generation integrated set About 3DVIA 3DVIA is Dassault Systèmes' brand for lifelike 3D product experiences. About Dassault Systèmes As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, SolidWorks and 3D VIA are registered About Virtual Earth The Virtual Earth platform is Microsoft’s next-generation integrated set About 3DVIA 3DVIA is Dassault Systèmes' brand for lifelike 3D product experiences. For more information about 3DVIA, go to: http://www.3dvia.com. About Dassault Systèmes As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, SolidWorks and 3D VIA are registered
Submitted by marcbe on Wed, 09/24/2008 - 12:05.
September 18, 2008 Some of you might remember way back in the day when you could get the 3D VR glasses, like the ones packaged with a TNT2 Ultra from ASUS. They were pretty neat for their time, but by no means very good. They were troublesome to get working properly and game support was pretty flaky as well. Hence why they pretty much disappeared from the market shortly after. Good try right? Well Nvidianvidia is bringing this whole idea back this year, hopefully with a much better experience for the user. Quoting and interview that Maximum PChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_PC recently had with Nvidia, we have the following direct response: “The Nvidia GeForce Stereoscopic 3D driver works at the lowest level by taking 3D game data and rendering each scene twice – once for the left eye and once for the right eye. Each eye image is offset from each other for the correct viewing. The GPU then sends this data to a 3D Ready display. These displays show the left eye view for even frames (0,2,4,etc) and the right eye view for odd frames (1,3,5,etc). Nvidia 3D glasses then synchronize back to the 3D Ready display and present slightly different images to each eye resulting in the illusion of depth and an incredibly immersive experience for games.” This new stereoscopic technology will be better experienced on displays with fast refresh rates (120Hz). So do not expect to get a really good experience from an out-dated display. Display factor aside, Andrew Fear – the product managerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_manager for the new technology, says you will need at least a GeForce 8800GT8800gt or better, a 32bit copy of Windows Vistawindows vista (64bit support coming later) and of course a pair of Nvidia’s own stereoscopic 3D glasses. [...]
Submitted by marcbe on Wed, 09/24/2008 - 11:46.
By Chris Nuttall
Tom Anderson has come up with a video-game device that can simulate with unprecedented accuracy how he has been banging his head against a brick wall for the past five years. The Novint Falcon controller is a strange contraption featuring three motorised arms attached to a ball. The arms create subtle resistance to allow games players to feel three-dimensional objects and be jolted by the impact of explosions, bullets and tight turns on a racing circuit. But his difficulty in selling the idea of the $150 Falcon to game publishers, hardware manufacturers, console makers, retailers and the public has been a source of great frustration. Until, that is, he came up with a new business model that broke the impasse. “For the past five years I’ve been telling everybody that we’re going to get games [designed to be played with the controller] but people were sceptical,” he says. “They said: ‘How are you going to get game support when you don’t have an installed base [of players using Falcon], and how do you get an installed base if you don’t have games that support it?’” Mr Anderson decided the solution to this conundrum would be to force a breakthrough with the games publishers. “Instead of telling publishers, ‘We want you to support the Falcon,’ we said, ‘We want to buy the 3D touch rights to your game.’ [...]
Submitted by marcbe on Tue, 09/23/2008 - 09:28.
By Jonathan Sidener University of California San Diego researcher Jurgen Schulze showed off a new view of a protein molecule yesterday, filling a virtual-reality lab with 12-foot-high green, yellow and blue strands that looked much like an explosion of giant pasta spirals.
Until now, researchers have had to view such computer-generated images on flat screens or inside lower-resolution 3-D environments.
UCSD's new StarCAVE, unveiled yesterday, brings new levels of realism to virtual reality. Schulze, who helped develop the lab, hopes the new tool will help unlock mysteries such as how proteins fold, or assemble. Being able to walk through high-resolution, 3-D protein molecules and zoom in and out could lead to new drugs or new understanding in other sciences, Schulze and others at UCSD say. StarCAVE pushes the limits of video-game industry graphics hardware and HDTV technology to create a tool for serious science. Fields such as astronomy, structural engineering and archaeology stand to benefit from virtual exploration and collaboration, said Thomas DeFanti, director of visualization at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, or Calit2. DeFanti's team built the original Cave Automated Virtual Environment, or CAVE, at the University of Illinois and Chicago in 1991. The StarCAVE represents the third generation of virtual reality rooms. Beyond university and high-tech research, virtual reality advances could lead to new technologies, such as 3-D phone booths or virtual reality environments instead of office cubicle walls, DeFanti said. “There are a number of medical applications such as CAT scans and brain imaging,” he said. “It's much easier for non-experts to understand a 3-D medical image than a 2-D image.” The Cave, as the researchers call it, is a five-sided room with each side made up of three rear-projection screens. Two projectors behind each screen create stereo high-definition images. The polarized lenses direct slightly different images to the viewer's left and right eyes to create the 3-D images. The system produces 68 million pixels per frame of video – 34 million for each eye – including the pixels displayed on two screens that make up the room's floor. “We're producing 20/40 resolution,” DeFanti said, referring to the well-known measure in which 20/20 is normal human vision. “Previous virtual reality environments are at 20/140.” [...]
Submitted by marcbe on Mon, 09/22/2008 - 11:51.
13:22 22 September 2008 We already know that living in space is no picnic: astronauts frequently suffer sickness and disorientation. Now it seems that zero-gravity can also adversely affect their ability to judge size and distance. The new finding, from a study by French and US researchers, may have implications for the way astronauts pilot spacecraft and perform tasks while on spacewalks. NASA has long suspected something goes wrong with our visual perception when in space. Some of the Apollo astronauts reported difficulties judging distance while on the moon, for example: far-off rocks and features seemed closer than they really were. It is also well-known that space-shuttle pilots perform better with flight simulators and training aircraft than they do landing the shuttle after real missions. Confused senses Some researchers have suggested that these effects could be the result of confinement or the absence of easy landmarks, such as trees or buildings, but the new study pins the blame on the lack of gravity. Humans orientate in 3D by using otoliths, small crystals of calcium carbonate and protein that shift on hairs in the inner ear. Forces acting on these grains as a person moves mean they can sense acceleration and gravitational pull. The researchers suggested that living in zero gravity would interfere with this process. "When you arrive in microgravity, you don't have this system any more telling you whether you're tilted," Gilles Clément of France's National Centre for Scientific Research in Toulouse, the lead author on the paper, told New Scientist. This, he suggests, impacts an astronaut's sense of perspective, causing them to misjudge common markers that are used to perceive size and distance, like an object's vanishing point. This would render them unable to accurately assess an object's dimensions. [...]
Submitted by marcbe on Mon, 09/22/2008 - 11:34.
5 x 5 mm LGA-28 device also features extended power-supply range and support for power management GENEVA, Sept. 12 -- By providing a choice of analog or digital absolute angular-rate outputs, the LY530AL MEMS gyroscope from STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM), a world leader in MEMS, enhances design flexibility, eases integration and saves external components. With a full-scale range up to +/-300 degrees/second, the new ST gyroscope measures fast angular displacements in applications such as intuitive man-machine interfaces or enhanced GPS for car navigation Measuring 5 x 5 x 1.5 mm, the 16-pin LGA device also has a power-down pin to maximize overall system efficiency ensuring very low power consumption. Other features that streamline design and save components include an integrated low-pass filter, on-chip IC interface, and wide operating voltage range from 2.7V to 3.6V. In addition, a built-in self-test capability allows correct device operation to be verified by the customer without movement. The LY530AL is a single-axis sensor leveraging ST's proven MEMS technology to achieve stable sensitivity and output over temperature, as well as high survivability of shock and vibration. Hence the device withstands demanding industrial and consumer environments, including use in game controllers, virtual reality transducers, motion controls, pointing devices, and vehicle navigation functions such as dead-reckoning and map-matching. Samples of the LY530AL, in RoHS-compliant ECOPACK(R) packaging, are available immediately from $2.50 per unit. Full production is scheduled for Q4 2008.
Submitted by marcbe on Sat, 09/20/2008 - 12:59.
Immersive Technologies Media Contact Richard Calautti, Marketing Communications Manager, Immersive Technologies -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Immersive Technologies to Showcase Products at MINExpo MINExpo International 2008 is the mining industry's premier exhibition for mining equipment, technology and services, with over 1,200 exhibitors and 36,000 attendees expected from around the world. Immersive Technologies' breakthrough technology has revolutionized the way the mining industry manages the skills shortage, development and upskilling of its heavy equipment operators. Staff now learn in highly realistic simulators allowing the transition to the real machine to be completed faster and with more confidence. Immersive Technologies' training simulators can replicate over 55 machine models. Each day at MINExpo will see different simulators in operation including Komatsu WA1200-3 Wheel Loader, Caterpillar 785C, 789C, 793C, 793D, 797 Off Highway Trucks, Liebherr T282B Off-Highway Truck, Hitachi EX5500-5 Hydraulic Front Shovel and a Drag Line. "MINExpo provides Immersive Technologies the opportunity to showcase its products and demonstrate how mines can benefit from increased safety and productivity while reducing unscheduled maintenance. The result is a lower cost per tonne", said Peter Salfinger, Chief Executive of Immersive Technologies. "All products on display have benefited from Immersive Technologies' unique exclusive alliances with the Original Equipment Manufacturers", Salfinger said. Visit Immersive Technologies at MINExpo International 2008 on Booth 8471 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Centre between 22 - 24 September 2008. ### About Immersive Technologies We have exclusive licensing and technical information alliances with the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), including: Bucyrus, Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu and Liebherr. Our customer support offices are located in Perth and Brisbane Australia, Salt Lake City USA, Johannesburg South Africa, and Santiago Chile. http://www.immersivetechnologies.com/news/news/2008/news_2008_09.htm Regards
Submitted by marcbe on Fri, 09/19/2008 - 15:19.
Inside virtual Ford Ford engineers climb into the CAVE to test the design of instrument layouts.Ford is taking a page from Hollywood filmmakers to speed the product-development process and bring cars to the market faster. The automaker is using virtual design tools--similar to the technology used to generate moving images in The Polar Express, Shrek and other animated movies--to make the interiors of its cars more comfortable and help bring them to the market eight months to 14 months quicker than it did several years ago, and at a lower cost. Automakers are notoriously reluctant to let anyone, (especially reporters) into their development chambers, but Ford recently let us check out--and play with--some of the design tools in what it calls the Immersive Virtual Review lab. We arrived at the nondescript building nestled on Ford's campus in Dearborn, Mich., and were escorted inside. After a brief, classroom-style presentation on why this is important, we went inside the lab. It's kind of dark, like being back stage on a set somewhere in Southern California, and three stations were set up. First up is the CAVE (Cave Automated Virtual Environment). Yes, it's actually called that, and it's a stand with a raised chair that simulates the interior of a car. We're handed Blues Brothers-style virtual-reality glasses and ascend to take a seat in the virtual world. Now, we're in a Ford Flex, surrounded by tall buildings on a street in downtown Anywhere, U.S.A. It's pretty real too. The point is to see how the Flex's interior works, without building a clay model or larger-sized mock-ups, which automakers call "bucks." In the virtual world, you can check out the layout of the instrument panel, test visibility by gawking out the windows and in general see whether it's ergonomically friendly. It's like a video game, but for Ford, it's far from fun and games. Ford used this technology to make a critical change in the placement of the navigation screen in the Flex as it evolved from the original concept's interior to production. After a few minutes inside the faux Flex, we get off the stand, tripping slightly down the small ladder as our eyes readjust to the room. Next on the agenda is something Ford calls an open-volume station, and the idea is to get a more detailed feel for the interior. We take a seat inside a virtual Lincoln MKS. Again we're in a downtown setting, with cars and people entering the scene. In this session, we're fitted with a weighty headset that looks like the contraptions doctors use to stabilize people's vertebrae, and a leather, clawlike glove. Here there's more interaction, and we pound on the top of the virtual dashboard and reach out and grab the steering wheel. The focus is to design an interior that's comfortable for people of all sizes. This is where the participants are really more like guinea pigs, and Ford engineers use this to study what drivers can and can't reach. It saves time, because engineers can make the testers any size--a middle-aged guy can become a pregnant woman, for example. [...]
Submitted by marcbe on Fri, 09/19/2008 - 12:45.
We have received many requests to simplify the press release and news submission process at VResources. Indeed, many companies use Email lists to submit their latest press release to multiple information sources such as VResources.org. With this in mind, VResources now supports receiving news announcements and press releases directly from emails.
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Each time you have something new to submit:
We hope that you will find this new service useful. Note: As with all forms of content submissions on VResources, the news item sent by Email will be put on hold for approval by the VResources staff. Your news item will be visible online once approved.
The VResources team.
Submitted by marcbe on Fri, 09/19/2008 - 10:24.
DI-Guy Brings Enhanced Human Characters to MÄK’s Simulation and Visualization Products Cambridge, Mass., September 17, 2008 ― VT MÄK, (MÄK), a company of VT Systems Inc (VT Systems), and DI-Guy, a company of Boston Dynamics, today announced the integration of the DI-Guy product into MÄK Stealth and VR-Forces. Under a partnership agreement, MÄK has licensed DI-Guy for use in MÄK’s simulation and visualization products. This new DI-Guy functionality, distributed exclusively by MÄK, is available immediately at no additional charge. With these new features, users can bring their simulations to life by populating their scenarios with more realistic human characters. Using the VR-Forces graphical user interface (GUI), users can select specific characters to add to their scenario from DI-Guy’s library of models. They can assign these characters animations from hundreds of motions that model human behavior, like walking or swimming. These motions are derived from live motion capture for a realistic effect. The DI-Guy characters and actions can be displayed in 3D in the MÄK Stealth and VR-Forces 3D GUI. DI-Guy is the leading commercial-off-the-shelf software used for adding remarkable, life-like humans to real-time simulation. DI-Guy features hundreds of life-like characters that perform thousands of activities. The characters available include soldiers, civilians, flight deck crew, policemen, emergency responders, opposing forces, suspects, cyclists, people in wheelchairs and even horses. VR-Forces is MÄK’s software toolkit for generating and executing battlefield scenarios. It can be used as a tactical leadership trainer, threat generator, behavior model testbed, or computer generated forces application. The VR-Forces 3D GUI allows users to drag and drop models directly within the 3D scene to interactively create, place and task entities. Entities can be rotated and moved into position behind doors, on the stairs between floors, under a bridge overpass, anywhere in the 3D scene. VR-Forces customers include RUAG, the Thales Watchkeeper UAV program, and Raytheon’s DDG 1000 program. The MÄK Stealth provides a 3D view of the virtual battlefield. A key component of after action review, the MÄK Stealth excels at visualizing non-visual information like fire and detonation lines, trajectory histories, sensor volumes, and entity labels. [...] |
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