TSA Releases HOOPS Stream Toolkit v9.0 SDK for Emerging OpenHSF Visualization Standard; New Support for Animation, External File Referencing and Additional Compression.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 2003

Tech Soft America (TSA), the leading provider of core graphics component technology to the engineering industry, has significantly advanced their HOOPS Stream Toolkit (HOOPS/Stream) in the latest version 9.0.

HOOPS/Stream is the read/write SDK for the popular HOOPS Streaming Format (HSF), which provides the foundation for the rapidly emerging OpenHSF Initiative visualization standard. (www.openhsf.org), and the foundation for building fully custom streaming formats such as the eDrawings design intent format from SolidWorks.

With the 9.0 release developers can now create HSF files which includes animation information which acts on the visualization data in the file. These files can be then played back in any of the HOOPS 3D Part Viewers or the HOOPS Stream Control (all downloadable free from www.hoops3d.com) or any custom viewers built using HOOPS components. To test this functionality and create animation data directly, users can test-drive the new Animation Authoring capabilities available in the new release of the HOOPS 3D Part Viewer demonstration application downloadable from www.hoops3d.com.

Beyond the new animation capabilities, key features and enhancements to HOOPS/Stream include:

-- Compression Improvements

Additional algorithms enable even further file size reductions

to produce compact, efficient HSF files.

-- External file reference support

This is particularly useful for representing large assemblies

which may be made up of many distinct HSF's.

Robert Lansdale, CEO of Okino Graphics commented, "The ability to animate HSF files through attached XML data is a significant leap forward for the HSF format and the OpenHSF Initiative. Okino was the first company to provide conversion of keyframed animation data between major 3D file formats starting in 1997 and thus in 2003 our refined animation pipeline can move complex procedural or keyframe animation from Maya, 3DS MAX, Softimage/3D, Softimage/XSI, Kaydara FilmBox, Lightwave and Biovision into the HSF WEB streaming file format. I have long been a supporter for the open, free HSF WEB streaming file format and am very happy to see the addition of the new animation capabilities in addition to the higher file compression ratio."

Added Gavin Bridgeman, HOOPS Product Manager for TSA, "The marketplace continues to demand more and more intelligent viewing files which can still be efficiently transmitted over networks. By adding animation, external file references and added compression to HOOPS/Stream we continue to set the pace with powerful, flexible streaming toolkits."

About Tech Soft America

Tech Soft America (TSA) provides premier customer driven development tools, consulting and support services enabling their partners to rapidly deliver world-class technical software. TSA develops the HOOPS 3D Application Framework, HOOPS Stream Toolkit and HOOPS Net Server, which dramatically simplify the design, development and maintenance of high-performance, interactive 2D and 3D applications built for desktop or browser-based applications running, Windows, Unix and Linux, Windows CE-based handheld devices. HOOPS 3D technology has been incorporated into over 150 commercial software applications, from such leaders as Dassault Systemes, PTC, SolidWorks, Autodesk/CAiCE, MSC.Software, CADKEY, Fluent, Bentley/Infrasoft, COADE, ITI/Transcendata, Proficiency, Minitab, SPSS, and Landmark Graphics. The company maintains corporate headquarters in Oakland, California and can be reached at http://www.hoops3d.com.

HOOPS is a registered trademark.