Caligari introduces interactive 3D viewing applications for Windows; Freeware "viewSpace" available now for 3D presentations and "wander-throughs".LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 1994--In a breakthrough move designed to bring 3D technology to the broadest base of graphics users, Caligari Corp. (Mountain View, Calif.) today introduced viewSpace, a free fully-functional, three-dimensional viewer that enables any Windows user to view and interact with any 3D object or scene that can be imported via any trueSpace-supported format, including DXF DXF - AutoCAD File (file extension) DXF - Data Exchange Format DXF - Drawing Interchange Format and 3D Studio. Available now and downloadable via CompuServe, America Online, the Internet or direct from Caligari, viewSpace allows users to explore and even "wander around" models or scenes in real-time, regardless of whether they have Caligari trueSpace or another compatible 3D graphics package installed on their computer. "In the past, PC applications costing thousands of dollars have produced walkthroughs or flythroughs of 3D models as linear 2D flics or videos that could be simply started, played and stopped. Sure, they're photorealistic, but they're still just 'movies.' But viewSpace is a first-generation 'wander-through' product, where users can render, view and explore models freely, and stop at any point just to walk around and actually become part of the scene in real-time--all for free," said Jack Strange, vice president of sales and marketing at Caligari Corp. "viewSpace is a breakthrough for the entire 3D graphics industry." Models created in supported formats such as 3D Studio, AutoCAD DXF, LightWave, Imagine, WaveFront and Caligari trueSpace can now be interactively joined by a common graphical user interface and rendered at any screen resolution. About viewSpace While users cannot create, edit, save or export any objects in viewSpace, they can perform a myriad of operations that allow them to view and fully interact with three dimensional models and scenes. viewSpace provides select, move and rotate tools that allow users to take any object and position it anywhere in the scene. Viewers can phong render or photorealistically raytrace objects at any time or change their viewpoint perspective to any angle (top, side, close or far). With animation playback controls, viewers can start and stop existing animations and see not only what the camera sees but what the camera is doing, too. This gives viewers the ability to look down on or move within the scene. viewSpace supports multiple views with sub-windows. "Wander-Through" applications for viewSpace The applications for viewSpace in graphics, CAD, multimedia and sales presentations are endless. For example, viewSpace enables the office furniture salesperson to present a customized modular office system for prospective clients and allow the clients to freely explore the space from every angle. They can infinitely rearrange objects in the environment on the fly to vividly experience other possibilities. Another example is the exhibit house designer who needs to rearrange the seating configuration of a trade show booth for customers on a laptop computer. They can do so using simple points, clicks, drags and drops. Architectural firms will appreciate viewSpace because it enables them to create interactive "wander-throughs" rather than simple flythroughs for client presentations to help visualize the flow of a new building or to do detailed line-of-sight studies. Typically, only one or two people in a firm are dedicated or trained to create visualizations, but the interactive viewer is a highly usable--and free--way to distribute this kind of power to all users. Pricing and Availability viewSpace is available now as freeware via CompuServe, America Online and the Internet. Customers who do not have modems can order viewSpace on diskette direct from Caligari for a shipping and handling charge. viewSpace will be included in Caligari trueSpace version 2.0 when it ships during the first quarter of 1995. About Caligari Corp. Caligari Corp. was founded in 1986 as Octree Software initially developing 3D applications for the Amiga The First Amiga The A1000 was the first Amiga model, which was introduced in 1985 by Commodore. For years, Amigas were considered the best example of affordable graphics computers, providing sophisticated features available only on much higher-priced systems. (Image courtesy of Amiga, Inc.). Caligari Corp. is headquartered at 1955 Landings Dr., Mountain View, CA, 94043. Phone: 800-351-7620 or 415-390-9600. Fax: 415-390-9755. -0- Note to Editors: Caligari, Caligari trueSpace and viewSpace are trademarks of Caligari Corp. Other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. CONTACT: Caligari Corp.
Jack Strange, 415/390-9600
McLean PR
Kim Haas, 415/513-8800
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