Black Sun Interactive offers free VRML browser for real-time 3D multi-user interaction on the Internet; Leading cyberspace technology developer to offer viewer, server and builder product set for Internet and Intranet virtual worlds.Interactive, Inc., an international leader in 3D multi-user interactive technology development, today introduced CyberGate(tm), a browser for 3D information visualization Representing data in 3D images in order to navigate through it more quickly and access it in a more natural manner. Although the term was coined at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, which has developed very advanced techniques, multidimensional cubes, or pivot tables, are a simpler form and multi-user interaction on the Internet. CyberGate is available for free download from the Company's website immediately. CyberGate is the initial offering in a product line which will include CyberHub(tm), a high-performance interaction server, and CyberKit(tm), a mass-market cyberspace Coined by William Gibson in his 1984 novel "Neuromancer," it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it! The term now refers to the Internet or to the online or digital world in general. See Internet and virtual reality. Contrast with meatspace. application builder. Black Sun is leading the industry in developing a complete range of highly integrated products designed to support real-time 3D multi-user interaction on the Internet. CyberGate is the first of the Company's products based on VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) A 3D graphics language used on the Web. After downloading a VRML page, its contents can be viewed, rotated and manipulated. Simulated rooms can be "walked into." The VRML viewer is launched from within the Web browser. , the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (virtual reality, language) Virtual Reality Modeling Language - (VRML) A draft specification for the design and implementation of a platform-independent language for virtual reality scene description. VRML 1.0 was released on 1995-05-26. http://vrml.org/. Wired. , the standard for 3D virtual worlds. CyberGate allows computer users to view VRML files on the Internet and is available for free download from http://www.blacksun.com. CyberHub is server technology that enables site managers to coordinate and support interaction in VRML worlds. CyberHub maintains the continuity of interaction in VRML worlds by constantly updating all CyberGate users accessing the server about changes and other users in the scene, and by coordinating with other servers on the 'Net. CyberGate users accessing the same CyberHub server can interact using a chat function, that allows them to identify each other, converse and exchange information. CyberHub can support several hundred simultaneous users with a single server or distribute support for the users of a large virtual world over multiple servers. CyberKit software provides drag and drop A graphical user interface (GUI) capability that lets you perform operations by moving the icon of an object with the mouse into another window or onto another icon. For example, files can be copied or moved by dragging them from one folder to another. assembly of reusable CyberCells into virtual worlds. CyberCells are predefined, customizable VRML objects which can be assigned behaviors taken from a library of re-usable JAVA scripts, and transmitted across the Internet as radically compressed CyberGenes(tm). The results: dramatically simplified construction of VRML worlds with greatly reduced transmission times, significantly faster rendering, while retaining multiple layers of customizability. Using CyberGate to View a 3D PointWorld CyberGate support for multi-user interaction, as well as CyberHub coordination and support for virtual worlds, is being showcased at Lycos' Point Communications site, http://www.pointcom.com. CyberGate users can view and interact with other users at PointWorld, a 3D representation of the leading Internet review service. Point's categorical That which is unqualified or unconditional. A categorical imperative is a rule, command, or moral obligation that is absolutely and universally binding. Categorical is also used to describe programs limited to or designed for certain classes of people. and hierarchical structure See hierarchical. of reviews easily lends itself to 3D VRML representation. The high volume of users that visit the site make it a true public cyberspace community. Point Communications is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lycos, provider of the world's fastest and most comprehensive Internet catalog. "Realistic, 3D interfaces will drive the next wave of explosive growth on the Internet. Until now, the Web, although compelling, has lacked a tangible, human interface. The availability of 3D changes all of that," said Franz Buchenberger, President and Chief Executive Officer of Black Sun. "Black Sun's visionary technology helps people work, play and interact better on the Internet. Our comprehensive product set enables Internet developers to add depth and perspective to all Internet resources currently available, and to build a strong infrastructure to create real life communities in the future." CyberGate Features o Standard -- Familiar browser functions include URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. text input line, back, forward and reload options Reload Option An employee stock option that grants additional options upon exercise of the original. Notes: The employee satisfies the exercise price of their current option with shares rather than cash. toolbar A row or column of on-screen buttons used to activate functions in the application. Many toolbars are customizable, letting you add and delete buttons as required. Toolbars may be fixed in position or may float, which means they can be dragged to a more convenient location in the . o Personal -- Choose from a selection of 3D "avatars" to represent yourself online, and use CyberCards to pick the information about yourself to share in different settings: business, personal, or fantasy. o Interaction -- Identify other people and objects in a world by pointing with the mouse cursor. Clicking delves into the information provided on the cards and initiates Chat sessions. Users can exchange text chat through a sidebar frame within the browser window, one-on-one or in discussion groups. o Navigation -- Use mouse movement or arrow keys Arrow keys are buttons on a computer keyboard that move the cursor in a specified direction. They are typically located at the bottom of the keyboard to the side of the numeric keypad, usually arranged in an inverted-T layout but also found in diamond shapes. to move within the 3D spaces, and point and click to jump within and between worlds. o Speed -- With Black Sun's CyberGene technology, download entire worlds in a matter of seconds like an HTML HTML in full HyperText Markup Language Markup language derived from SGML that is used to prepare hypertext documents. Relatively easy for nonprogrammers to master, HTML is the language used for documents on the World Wide Web. Web page and get real-time updates of movement. o Compatibility -- CyberGate can also be launched by any HTML browser that supports helper applications, when a person encounters a VRML file. o Help -- Black Sun has included both online Help and a link to Black Sun's site for questions and feedback. o Requirements -- Windows 95/NT systems with a minimum configuration of 75 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. 486, 12 Mb of memory, a 14.4 modem and Internet access See how to access the Internet. . "True cyberspace is only possible if 'Net users can freely interact with each other and share information in a realistic, meaningful way," said Bob Rockwell, Chief Scientist at Black Sun. "Building interactive capabilities into VRML is our top priority. That is why we are making our VRML extensions available to the development community, and are actively involved in the evolution of the VRML standard. In the same spirit, Black Sun is giving away CyberGate to all 'Net citizens and providing the tools developers need -- from creative and technical development with CyberKit through maintenance and tracking with CyberHub -- to make using the Internet a more rewarding experience." Black Sun's CyberGate and CyberHub will be commercially available in the summer of 1996. Black Sun will offer CyberKit software in the second half of 1996. -0- Black Sun Interactive, with offices in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden and Munich, is an international leader in cyberspace technology. Combining top talent from the US and Europe, Black Sun develops VRML-based client/server systems of unique scope and power: vehicles for shared virtual worlds. Black Sun's vision is of people everywhere meeting to work and play as naturally in cyberspace as they do in the real world. Black Sun, CyberGate, CyberHub, CyberKit, CyberCell and CyberGenes are trademarks of Black Sun Interactive. The Lycos "Catalog of the Internet" Copyright - 1994, 1995 Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University, at Pittsburgh, Pa.; est. 1967 through the merger of the Carnegie Institute of Technology (founded 1900, opened 1905) and the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research (founded 1913). . All rights reserved. This product or portions thereof is produced under license from Carnegie Mellon University, patent pending. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Pam Hamilton or Christa Degnan Collaborative Communications, Inc. 617/547-5445 plh@collaborative.com or degnan@collaborative.com |
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