Sun Microsystems Issues Beta Version of Java 3D Programming Tool for Free Download, Testing.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1998--

1000s of Developers Already Working with Alpha Code;

Beta Code Is Now Available to Everyone for Free Testing

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW) today announced that it has made the beta version of its Java 3D(TM) application programming interface (API) available on the Sun(TM) Website (sun.com/desktop/java3d) for free download and evaluation to anyone interested in exploring the new technology.

The 3D development tool is based on open standards and is easy to use, making it an ideal choice for developers who want to create 3D content and leverage it across multiple platforms without enduring the steep learning curve of other 3D APIs.

The Java 3D API is a network-centric, scene graph-based API which enables programmers utilizing the Java (TM) programming language to quickly and easily add 3D content to their applets and applications. It is also useful to 3D developers who want to take advantage of the many benefits of applications development using Java technology.

Sun announced the Java 3D API specification last year at Siggraph '97 (Aug. 5, 1997). Since then, thousands of developers in a wide range of disciplines from games and educational software to data visualization to MCAD/MCAE and digital content creation (DCC) have been working with the alpha version of the API.

These developers have provided their feedback to Sun, which in turn has incorporated the most-requested features into this beta version of the API.

"Sun is blazing new trails with this powerful, open 3D graphics programming interface," said Ken Okin, vice president and general manager of the Workstation Products Group, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Public review of the early versions of this technology is critical to our development process.

"Unlike another proposed new -- and proprietary -- 3D graphics API for which a specification has not yet even been released, the Java 3D API has been in developers' hands for almost a year, resulting in some very exciting work."

Nearlife, Inc., a design firm that develops entertaining, interactive content using cutting-edge technology, used an early version of the Java 3D API to create its recently unveiled, high-profile Virtual FishTank exhibit at the Boston Computer Museum.

"Sun worked closely with us throughout our Java 3D implementation, tuning the API to help us do our work more quickly and easily," said Tinsley Galyean, director of Nearlife, Inc. "Sun was very ambitious in the features and capabilities it incorporated into the Java 3D API, and even with its robustness, we found it to be quick to learn and easy to use."

Because the Java 3D API is open, anyone can develop and implement to it. Some of the developers who have already demonstrated projects created with the Java 3D API include: -0-

--   DIVISION Inc. used the Java 3D API to provide viewing tools for
  large CAD visualization. The Java 3D API provided rapid viewing
  and manipulation of DIVISION's data.
--   Facet Decision Systems used the Java 3D API for its Cause&Effect
  business intelligence software, which provides complex decision
  support to analysts in a range of markets such as forestry, oil
  and gas, finance and environmental modeling.
--   Fakespace, Inc. used the Java 3D API to create a virtual
  environment demonstration running on its Immersive WorkBench
  Virtual Model Display. The demonstration is an interactive
  visualization that enables the user to manipulate virtual models
  as if they are real objects on a tabletop or workbench. The Java
  3D API interacts with Fakespace's VLIB software library to enable
  user interaction with stereoscopic visualizations on any
  platform.
--   Out of the Blue Design (OBD) created an exciting application
  utilizing Sun's Java 3D API which teaches the English alphabet
  with humor and drama. Users view a dancing 3D vowel that flips
  and flops in virtual space while a soundtrack makes various vowel
  sounds, which support the learning message.

-0-

Java 3D API Eases the 3D Development Process

The Java 3D API incorporates a high-level, scene graph model that allows developers to focus on the objects and the scene composition, freeing the programmer from complex coding procedures to specify the scene display. Software companies are no longer forced to have a handful of graphics gurus dedicated to 3D development work.

In addition, because the Java 3D API was built on the network-centric Java platform, this 3D programming tool allows users to do high-end 3D visualization over the network, regardless of the target platform. This network-centric design is increasingly important as development environments are becoming more collaborative.

To reduce the impact of potential bottlenecks caused by this more collaborative work environment, the Java 3D API incorporates geometry compression. This allows very large 3D models to be rapidly downloaded over the network for remote viewing and manipulation.

Pricing and Availability

The Java 3D API beta is available now for free download and evaluation. Sun does not recommend that users build mission-critical applications utilizing the Java 3D API as yet, since it is beta technology; users should be aware that if and when Sun releases future versions of the API, those future versions may contain modifications and changes from this beta release.

Interested parties can download the Java 3D API from this URL: sun.com/desktop/java3d

About Sun Microsystems

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer(TM)", has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., (Nasdaq:SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of high-quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet.

With more than $9.5 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the WorldWide Web at http://sun.com.

Note to Editors: Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.

Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Java 3D, HotJava and "The Network is the Computer" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.