Tech Soft America Announces Version 4.5 of the HOOPS 3D Application Framework.

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 1999--

Tech Soft America (TSA), developers of the HOOPS 3D Application Framework (HOOPS/3dAF), today announced the immediate availability of version 4.5 of the software.

The HOOPS/3dAF provides an extensible, modular base architecture enabling the rapid development of world-class CAD/CAM/CAE applications for the PC, UNIX and LINUX platforms. HOOPS is the core graphics component in shipping applications from companies such as Parametric Technology Corp. (PTC), SDRC, Mechanical Dynamics, MicroCADAM, Tecnomatix, Fluent, Tecoplan, ITI, Pam Systems, Ansys/Centric, Minitab, and over 150 other organizations worldwide.

Specific highlights of the HOOPS 4.5 Release include: -0-

--   Level-of-Detail Module (LOD). The LOD implementation in HOOPS
     balances speed with accuracy, so that visually, the LOD
     computations produce smooth graphics that do not interrupt the
     eye. In some situations, LOD can produce several orders of
     magnitude better performance while maintaining the visual
     integrity of the model.
--   Support for OpenGL display lists. Performance enhancements of up
     to 100% have been achieved, with the best results coming from
     large, complex models.
--   New Platform Support for HPUX 11, IRIX 6.5 and Linux LIBC6
--   Integration with Parasolid v 11.0. This update to the previous
     Parasolid integration enriches the bridge connecting HOOPS with
     Parasolid, resulting in an even tighter coupling of the two
     tools. This integration of leading components helps Parasolid
     developers build graphically rich products far faster than would
     otherwise be possible.
--   Integration with ACIS 3D Toolkit from Spatial Technology. This
     modeler integration provides ACIS developers with the most
     advanced, extendible and robust graphics solution available to
     complement the ACIS kernel.
--   Integration with the Qt UI toolkit from Troll Tech
     (http://www.troll.no) for the rapid development of cross-platform
     applications.
--   The HOOPS/MVO Class Library is a set of platform-independent C++
     objects that implement much of the common functionality found in
     CAD/CAM/CAE applications. The library also serves as a foundation
     for building custom objects. The HOOPS/MVO Class Library is
     platform and GUI independent and has been designed to integrate
     seamlessly with the various HOOPS/GUI components. The library has
     been expanded to cover an even wider range of commonly used
     functionality such as support for cutting and capping planes, new
     selection routines, text annotation, analysis contour mapping,
     hidden-line removal rendering, and direct model manipulation.
     This library is provided in open-source form enabling developers
     to rapidly customize and extend this layer to address their
     specific application needs.
--   Reference Applications are supplied which take advantage of the
     new HOOPS MVO's on all Unix platforms and the PC, including
     sample applications using the Qt GUI toolkit, MFC, and the
     Parasolid and ACIS modeling kernels. Open-source for the MVO
     layer and UI integrations are provided.

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Robert W. Bean, President and CEO of Cadkey Corporation, stated, "Design and manufacturing engineers utilizing advanced CAD solutions require an increasing level of superior graphics and visual performance and HOOPS has proven to be an excellent tool for us to rapidly respond to that market requirement. We look forward to releasing the HOOPS-based version of our CADKEY products, especially in light of the new Level of Detail capabilities, as this will continue to illustrate our commitment to delivering best-in-class technology to our customers."

"We've been impressed with the power of HOOPS 4.5. In particular, the new HOOPS MVO class library has enabled COADE to quickly incorporate a wide range of graphics functionality into our products so we can rapidly focus on the true value-add development. Without question, the HOOPS 3D Application Framework is helping us build better products faster," said David Little, Senior Software Consultant, COADE Inc.

"At PVM we are committed to delivering the most interactive program to the FEA community. By leveraging the power of the HOOPS 3D Application Framework, we can deliver richer, more interactive graphics. This allows us to focus on our core competency, continuum mechanics. Our use of HOOPS, integrated with the ACIS solid modeling kernel, has given us a great jumpstart in our development. We looked at other graphics solutions to complement ACIS and found the HOOPS framework to be by far the most robust," said Pedro V. Marcal, President, PVM Corp., San Diego.

"We're confident that the advances in this latest HOOPS release will greatly aid the growing number of HOOPS licensees in rapidly developing successful, world-class applications. In particular, we are pleased to take another sizeable step toward the completion of our Large Modeling Visualization strategy for HOOPS with the introduction of our Level-of-Detail functionality," said Jim Merry, Director of Marketing for TSA.

About Tech Soft

Tech Soft America (TSA) provides premier customer driven development tools, consulting and support services enabling their partners to rapidly deliver world-class technical software. Current product offerings include the HOOPS 3D Application Framework, the Parasolid solid modeling kernel and the ParaHOOPS 3D Application Framework.

TSA develops the HOOPS 3D Application Framework, a high-level, object oriented application framework that dramatically simplifies the design, development and maintenance of high-performance, interactive 2D and 3D graphics applications built for PCs and UNIX workstations. HOOPS encapsulates highly optimized data structures and algorithms for the creation, editing, storage, manipulation, querying, rendering and printing of the 3D graphical information needed for the rapid production of advanced, commercial-grade graphics applications.

Many of the world's leading technical software applications, including; Pro/Mechanica, CADDS5, Optegra Visualizer, ICEMSurf, and EPD.Connect from PTC, CAMAND from SDRC, Helix Design System from MicroCADAM, ADAMS from Mechanical Dynamics, Fluent5, Rampant and Cortex from Fluent, Excaline from Tecnomatix, IGES/Works and STEP/Works from ITI, the PAM_SYSTEM series of applications from PAM System International are currently shipping with HOOPS. Globally, over 100 commercially shipped applications rely on the HOOPS Graphics System as their core graphics subsystem.

The company maintains corporate headquarters in Alameda and can be reached via the World Wide Web at http://www.hoops3d.com.