ParaGraph Announces Next Generation VRML 2.0 Authoring Tools; Internet3D Space Builder and Internet3D FontMagic Available Now for Windows 95.

CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1996--ParaGraph International announced today the immediate availability of Internet3D Space Builder 2.0 (ISB) and Internet3D FontMagic (IFM) for Windows 95.

ISB is ParaGraph's next-generation authoring tool that allows anyone to easily create sophisticated 3D Internet Home Spaces and publish them for millions of Internet surfers to visit using standard VRML 2.0 browsers. IFM quickly converts text created with any TrueType font into industry-standard VRML 2.0 for simple publishing on the Internet or inclusion in more complex VRML Spaces.

Together, the software packages are first to natively support the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML 2.0) Internet standard. Both products may be purchased from ParaGraph's Web Site at www.paragraph.com or by calling 800/810-0055. ISB costs $89.95 ($69.95 for Downloadable version) and IFM costs $29.95 ($29.95 for downloadable version). ParaGraph will publicly demonstrate and sell ISB and IFM at Internet World in New York, December 11-13, at booth no. 3465 (downstairs).

VRML 2.0 Spaces give Web authors a new medium to enhance their sites. For applications such as online shopping and galleries, the use of 3D increases the amount of information that can be efficiently communicated to Web surfers and increases the retention of those visitors. Bandwidth concerns are addressed through sophisticated texture tiling that give spaces created with ISB a richly textured appearance using very small (10 K) textures. 3D Internet Spaces can be viewed by millions of Web surfers using standard VRML 2.0 browsers, such as the Silicon Graphics Cosmo Player, Intervista's WorldView 2.0, and Sony's Community Place Browser.

Internet3D Space Builder

Internet3D Space Builder is the first PC-oriented VRML 2.0 authoring tool for creating highly sophisticated 3D Internet worlds. Internet3D Space Builder combines powerful 3D creation, advanced texturing and publishing functions with an intuitive interface that enables Web site developers to quickly create VRML 2.0 worlds of unlimited complexity.

Internet3D Space Builder's capabilities include: -0- -- Advanced shape creation (including Boolean operations); -- Easy object manipulation; -- Drag and drop scene assembly; -- Integrated multimedia including URL links, sound and movies; -- Import of VRML 2.0 and .3DS files in addition to ParaGraph's

.MUS and D96 files;

Sophisticated texture mapping combined with ParaGraph's digital ink technology for drawing and editing give users unrivaled flexibility in decorating their worlds. ParaGraph's Internet Digital Ink technology (IDI) allows the integration of pen/tablet-created artwork for an unmatched artistic `look' on VRML 2.0 Web sites.

Internet3D FontMagic

Internet3D Font Magic is the first VRML 2.0 authoring tool for creating 3D interactive text, logos and billboards for Web sites and virtual spaces. Internet3D Font Magic is elegant in its simplicity, especially compared to previous solutions that created 3D type in proprietary formats. A user can simply type in text, select any installed TrueType font, and then interactively adjust color, bevel, depth and light source. The program then outputs lighted 3D text in the industry standard VRML 2.0 format. Once created, this text can be viewed online by any VRML-enabled browser and incorporated into an existing HTML page or VRML world scene.

Internet3D Space Builder and Internet3D FontMagic extend ParaGraph's Internet3D family of Web authoring software. Virtual Home Space Builder, the first member of ParaGraph's Internet3D family, is the easiest VRML 2.0 authoring tool available on the market today, and will sell over 125,000 units in 1996. Internet3D will offer users the complete set of tools necessary to create and publish 3D multi-user VR Internet sites. Internet3D components will include software for creating and publishing 3D Web Spaces, populating sites with behavior-rich objects and personal avatars, and publishing these multi-user sites for anybody to visit.

Quotes

"ISB is the next step in ParaGraph's plan to provide users with a complete VRML solution which lets everybody easily create a world, populate it, and enjoy it together with friends over the Internet," said Stepan Pachikov, CEO and Chairman of ParaGraph International.

"Internet3D Space Builder, as a PC content creation tool, will enable vast numbers of people to easily create their own VRML 2.0 worlds, which anyone on the Internet can view using Silicon Graphics' cross-platform Cosmo Player," said Kai-Fu Lee, VP and General Manager, Web Products Division at Silicon Graphics. "We are pleased that ParaGraph is committed to the VRML 2.0 standard, and are happy that ParaGraph is helping bring 3D on the Internet into the mainstream."

"VRML 2.0 authoring tools have the potential to define a new era for the Internet," said Dr. Gary Schultz, principal analyst and president of Multimedia Research Group, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) -- one of the industry's leading firms for multimedia market analysis. "ParaGraph International has definitely established itself as a company to watch in the VRML space -- their alliances with Apple Computer, Disney Online, IBM and Silicon Graphics all point to a company with the potential to be a leader in VRML 2.0 authoring tools."

Company Overview

Founded in 1989, ParaGraph International, Inc. is a leader in the development of Internet Virtual Reality (IVR) and Internet Digital Ink (IDI) software technologies and products that enable millions of home pages to have 3D and multi-user communications in a variety of formats. ParaGraph brought the first VRML 1.0 and VRML 2.0 authoring tools for the PC to market (Virtual Home Space Builder 1.0 and 2.0).

ParaGraph's engineers have taken a leadership role in the development of all three critical IVR standards and standards proposals, including VRML 2.0, VRML Avatars ("Living Worlds") and the VRML Binary File format. ParaGraph's patented compression and recognition technologies enable efficient multi-user implementations of digital ink over the Internet.

ParaGraph's team of 100 world-class scientists, engineers and digital artists is located in the Silicon Valley and Moscow. ParaGraph's corporate customers include many of the world's most respected corporations such as Apple, Disney Online, IBM, Microsoft, Mitsubishi and others.

For more information on ParaGraph International and its products, contact the company at 1688 Dell Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008; or visit the web site: http://www.paragraph.com -0-

Note to Editors: Press Contact Information (screen shots are also available for this product). All products and names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. ParaGraph is the registered trademark of ParaGraph International. Internet3D, Virtual Home Space Builder and Home Space are trademarks of ParaGraph International.

CONTACT: ParaGraph International, Inc.

John Poluektov, 408/364-7740

[e-mail]

www.paragraph.com

or

Horizon Communications

Jonathan Hirshon or Josephine Mong, 408/982-2555

[e-mail] or [e-mail]

www.horizonpr.com