Virtus and The Smithsonian Institution Unveil 3-D Website.

SIGGRAPH, New Orleans, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 1996--The Smithsonian Institution and Virtus Corp. today unveiled a three-dimensional online representation of the Smithsonian's 150th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit, the largest 3-D website in the world.

To replicate the exhibit in 3-D online, Virtus products Virtus WalkThrough Pro and 3-D Website Builder were used exclusively. The website can be accessed from the Smithsonian home page http://www.si.edu/ or the Virtus home page http://www.virtus.com.

The site enables visitors to "walk through" the exhibit, giving them an opportunity to experience this unique sampling of the Smithsonian's 16 museums in a virtual environment. The 3-D website allows anyone in the world with a PC and an Internet connection to visit the exhibit, even if they are not in a city to which the exhibit is traveling.

"The Smithsonian has always embraced an encouraged technological innovation as a means to advance the quality of life in America," said Peter House, webmaster and chief architect of the Smithsonian 3-D site. "The Internet eliminates geographical barriers to viewing and participating in national treasures like the Smithsonian. With this technology, many more people have the opportunity to take full advantage of historic events like the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary."

Visitors to the Smithsonian's 3-D 150th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit site will find three online galleries to tour: Discovering Gallery, Imagining Gallery and Remembering Gallery. The Discovering Gallery focuses on human discovery and exploration in science and nature. It features items such as Air Exploration, where visitors can view Amelia Earhart's flight suit, Chuck Yeager's jacket or the Wright Brother's engine. There is also a stone from Mars, and mammoth and mastodon teeth on display. Other rooms in the Discovering Gallery include Imprints of the Past, where fossils are on display; The Evolving Earth, which features minerals, rocks and meteorites; Life on a Living Planet, which documents animals; The Pursuit of Discovery, which documents American land and sea expeditions; and Space Exploration, which features icons from the American space program.

The Imagining Gallery depicts visual arts and crafts, including paintings by Picasso and Georgia O'Keefe, a chair from Frank Lloyd Wright, and a Hopi vessel. The Imagining Gallery includes The American Vision, spotlighting American paintings; Creativity Around the World, featuring arts and crafts from many cultures; Transforming the Ordinary, addressing beauty in design; and Reinventing Tradition, which looks at the changing aesthetics in art.

The Remembering Gallery documents history and culture from ancient to modern times. Visitors can see such historically significant displays as Abraham Lincoln's top hat and the Jarvik artificial heart, as well as icons of 20th century entertainment, including the M.A.S.H. signpost and Minnie Pearl's hat. The Remembering Gallery includes Ancient Cultures, featuring ancient artifacts like Clovis Points and Egyptian Funerary Stela; Leading the United States, with displays of artifacts from American presidents and first ladies; The Civil War, which includes the tables and chairs used by Grant and Lee at Appomattox; Celebration of Community, showing items of custom and ritual, such as the Eagle Feather War Bonnet from the Pawnee Indians; American Inventors and Inventions, featuring the light bulb from Thomas Edison and photographs of George Washington Carver, Albert Einstein, and Jonas Salk; and American Pastimes, with images from the world of arts and entertainment, including Dorothy's ruby shoes from the Wizard of Oz, and Indiana Jones' jacket and hat.

In addition to touring and viewing these exhibits, visitors can simply click on a display to generate an HTML document with information explaining the history and significance of the exhibit.

"The compelling feature of this site, in addition to its aesthetic and educational value, is that it was built with tools that run on computers common in homes and offices across the country," said David Smith, Virtus president. "This is a great example of just how far web technology has come in a very short period of time. The Smithsonian primarily used 3-D Website Builder in developing this site, which is a drag-and-drop, easy-to-use product that can be purchased right off the shelf. The Smithsonian site demonstrates just how accessible this leading-edge technology is to the typical user."

Since its inception in 1990, Virtus Corp. has pioneered the development of tools for creating navigable 3-D environments on the desktop computer. Virtus continues to lead the field by extending its 3-D technology to the World Wide Web. Virtus' board of directors includes noted author, Tom Clancy, and Dr. Frederick Brooks, author of the Mythical Man Month and founder of the Virtual Reality Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The company is based in Cary, N.C. and privately held.

CONTACT: Virtus Corp.

Ashley W. Sharp, 919/467-9700, ext. 3035

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Katy Dunn Communications

Katy Dunn, 919/832-4001

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