REPEAT/35 Internet Companies Form VRML Consortium; Mission to Make 3D an Essential Component of the World Wide Web; VRML Consortium to Guide Evolution of VRML Specification and Formalize VRML Standard Process.

SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 18, 1996--The VRML Consortium Inc. today announced that 35 Internet leaders including 3Dlabs Inc., Apple Computer Inc., Axial Systems Inc., Black Sun Interactive Inc., Construct Internet Design Co., dFORM Inc., Division Ltd., First Virtual Holdings Inc., IBM Corp., Integrated Data Systems, Intel Corp., Intervista Software Inc., Kinetix, Microsoft Corp., Mitsubishi Electric  Research Labs Inc., Netscape Communications Corp., Oracle Corp., ParaGraph Int'l, S3 Inc., SENSE8 Corp., Silicon Graphics Inc., Sony Corp., Superscape Inc., Template Graphics Software Inc. and Visible Decisions Inc. have come together to form the VRML Consortium.

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is the open standard for interactive 3D content on the World Wide Web. The VRML Consortium is a non-profit California-based corporation dedicated to the goal of making 3D a key component of the Internet and Enterprise environment.

"The VRML Consortium will tap the power of the VRML community to keep pace with the development momentum of VRML," said Rikk Carey, co-author of the VRML 2.0 specification and interim president of the VRML Consortium. "The VRML Consortium is the solid foundation on which we intend to build the future of 3D on the Internet and Intranet."

The VRML Consortium succeeds the VRML Architecture Group (VAG) in managing the community-driven VRML standard process. An interim board of directors for the VRML Consortium has been formed to allow the Consortium to become a legal entity, accept members, and call for elections of a board of directors.

The interim board has also created the VRML Review Board (VRB), a key working group that will set priorities for the continued evolution of VRML and manage the formation of other working groups to address open issues in the VRML specification.

In addition to the Charter members noted above, the Consortium's Voting Members include Advanced Visual Systems Inc., Curve Inc., Dimension X, Naval Postgraduate School, Nichimen Graphics, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Worlds Inc. Brown University, Croatian Academics and Research Network, and San Diego Supercomputer Center have joined as Affiliate Members.

Charter and Priorities

The VRML Consortium is focused on the development and promotion of VRML as the open standard for interactive 3D content and applications on the Web. Its members are committed to working within the process to advance and promote adherence to the VRML specification. This effort will be enhanced by Consortium-sponsored VRML conformance tests to ensure interoperability of member products.

The Consortium will also apply its multivendor perspective to educate the computer industry about the applications and benefits of VRML. Targeting business, consumer and scientific interests, the Consortium will demonstrate VRML as a horizontal technology, spanning a wide range of applications.

Top priorities for the VRML Consortium will be to promote use of the current VRML 2.0 specification and to form working groups. Open to any interested individual or Consortium member, the VRML Consortium Working Groups are technical committees assigned to research and propose solutions to specific technical issues relating to VRML.

Initial working groups will include: VRML 2.0 core specification, External Authoring Interface, Binary Format, Avatar Standards, and Multi-user Shared Worlds.

Membership and Schedule

Membership in the VRML Consortium is open to any interested organization. The VRML Consortium has a one-member, one-vote system giving all charter and voting members an equal say. All changes of the VRML specification must be ratified by a majority vote. This process is designed to promote a single standard for 3D with maximum collaboration between member organizations.

Information about VRML Consortium processes and membership is available at http://vag.vrml.org/consort/ .

Voting to replace the interim board of directors and to fill the vacant VRB slots will open on Jan. 30, 1997 at the World Movers VRML 2.0 Developers Conference in San Francisco and close on Feb. 23, 1997. Results of this election will be announced on Feb. 24th at the VRML 97 Symposium in Monterey, Calif.

Quotes from the Consortium Working Group

"One of the exciting things about the creation of the Consortium," said Bob Rockwell, Chief Scientist for Black Sun Interactive, "is the way small companies like ours have been able to play a significant role in helping to shape the future of VRML. This has been a community effort from Day One, and the commitment of all those involved to hearing and weighing all points of view has been exemplary."

"The formation of the VRML Consortium indicates the momentum and growing significance of 3D on the Internet," added Lisa Goldman, president of Construct Internet Design Co. "Construct is honored to work collaboratively with industry leaders, academics, and government organizations toward our shared interest in keeping VRML robust and open."

"VRML is growing up," noted Tony Parisi, co-creator of VRML 1.0, president of Intervista Software, and interim vice president of the VRML Consortium. "The VRML Consortium will provide the resources and stability that are required for the development of an open platform for cyberspace."

Kate Seekings, program manager for Microsoft's Internet Platforms and Tools Division, said: "The VRML Consortium is a great step forward for the whole VRML community. Microsoft will continue to play an active role in the Consortium and the community, strengthening our already significant commitment to enabling high performance VRML worlds on the Internet."

"Faculty and students at the Naval Postgraduate School working on large-scale virtual environments are glad to be joining the VRML Consortium," said Don Brutzman of the Naval Postgraduate School. "We see this partnership of commercial companies, academics and users as a crucial enabler for research and results using interactive 3D graphics across the Internet."

"The formation of the VRML Consortium is a very important step for developers who are committed to creating open standards for the Internet and Intranet," added Lea Lucente, evangelist at Netscape Communications Corp.

"Netscape is committed to the development of open standards and will continue to support the development community in these efforts as exhibited with the Netscape ONE(TM) open network environment platform, a standards-based platform for Internet and Enterprise solutions."

David Frerichs, VRML Product Line Manager at Silicon Graphics, said, "Silicon Graphics is proud to have contributed to the growing VRML industry. The VRML Consortium will ensure that VRML is a strong, open standard for the Internet by providing a forum of cooperation between product developers and content creators."

CONTACT: VRML Consortium Inc.

Deepak Kamlani, 510/277-8110

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