VR News
Remo 3D™ v2.2: New OSG File Formats, VBS2 Integration and 64-bit Support
LINKÖPING, SWEDEN, February 29, 2012 -- Remograph, providers of products and services for the computer graphics, visual simulation and 3D modeling markets, today announced the release of Remo 3D v2.2. Remo 3D is an effective tool for creating and modifying 3D models intended for realtime visualization. The primary file format is OpenFlight®. Remo 3D is currently available for Microsoft® Windows® 7/Vista/XP/2000 and Linux.
This new version of Remo 3D brings support for importing and exporting models in the new OpenSceneGraph OSGB, OSGT and OSGX file formats, as well as the P3D file format from VBS2. As from this release, a 64-bit version will also be available in both Windows and Linux, allowing for handling of larger models. Furthermore, new sample models from EdgedSign are now included in the release. The full list of new features and improvements can be found in the release notes on our website:
http://www.remograph.com
About Remograph:
Remograph provides products and services for the 3D modeling, computer graphics and visual simulation industries. The company develops advanced and cost-effective solutions for end-users and developers of e.g. visual simulation systems, visual databases or virtual reality applications. Remograph is situated in Linköping, Sweden.
All trademarks referenced are properties of their respective owners.
iOptik contact lenses augment your eyes and allow for futuristic immersive virtual reality
A Washington-based company is looking to further decreasing the line between science fiction and reality with its eye enhancing iOptik virtual reality contact lenses.
We see a lot of amazing things in movies, particularly science fiction films where our hero is often sporting some insanely awesome technology that we would give almost anything to have. How many of us have ever dreamed of owning a real lightsaber, teleporting instantly to another location a la Star Trek, or having access to a virtual reality display system like the one used by Tom Cruise in Minority Report?
Well, while it might be awhile before you can actually hone your Jedi skills or beam yourself up to the mothership, a true immersive virtual reality display isn’t as far off as you think. What’s better, it won’t require some clunky optics or crazy set-up. In fact, this cutting edge technology would be small enough to fit in your eye like a contact lens, which is exactly what we have here in the iOptik contact lens.
Designed by Washington-based company Innovega, iOptiks are contact lenses that enhance your normal vision by allowing you to view virtual and augmented reality images without the use of any bulky apparatus. Instead of oversized VR helmets, digital images are projected onto tiny displays in full color that sit very near to your eye.
[...]
Virtual reality exercise boosts mental fitness
CBC News
Posted: Jan 17, 2012 12:48 PM ET
Exercise video games that work the mind as well as the body may offer more benefits for older adults than traditional exercise alone, a new study suggests.
Virtual reality-enhanced exercise or "exergames" combine physical activity with computer-simulated environments.
"The implication is that older adults who choose exergaming with interactive physical and cognitive exercise, over traditional exercise, may garner added cognitive benefit and perhaps prevent decline, all for the same exercise effort," Cay Anderson-Hanley of the Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and her co-authors concluded.
In the study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers looked at 101 volunteers age 58 to 99 from independent living facilities with access to an exercise bike.
Some participants raced on 3D tours against a "ghost rider," an avatar based on their last best ride. The others also rode identical stationary bikes without the virtual reality display for three months.
A total of 63 participants completed the study with an average of three rides per week.
[...]
Crytek Releases CryENGINE®3 SDK Free of Charge
Frankfurt (Germany) – August 17, 2011
Virtual Simulations Inc. Announces a 25% December Discount on Remo 3D
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Virtual Simulations Inc. is celebrating the holyday season by giving a 25% discount on all purchases of Remograph’s Remo 3D™ modeling / CAD software for the North, Center and South American regions.
QUÉBEC, CANADA; December 1, 2011 -- Virtual Simulations Inc. is pleased to announce that it will be giving a 25% discount on all purchases of Remo 3D from the 1st to the 31st of December. The discount is available to all clients on the American continent.
Remo 3D is the most affordable solution on the market for applications such as interactive Viz-Sim database authoring for markets including commercial and military aviation, vehicle training and other engineering applications. Remo 3D is also an attractive solution for academic organisations looking for an affordable multi-seats solution for teaching purposes to large classes. Remo 3D supports many 3D file formats, including the industry de-facto standard OpenFlight® and Autodesk® 3ds Max®, which makes it a polyvalent professional-grade design tool.
Interested parties are invited to visit our Remo 3D section for more information on available packages and pricing at:
http://www.virtasim.com/Remo3DPR120111
For additional information contact:
Marc Bernatchez, President
Virtual Simulations Inc.
e-mail: press@virtasim.com
www.virtasim.com
Phone: 418-476-8010
About Virtual Simulations Inc.
Virtual Simulations inc. based in the city of Québec, Canada, is a privately held company incorporated in 2005 and operating in the field of virtual reality simulations. The company is composed of people who possess over 15 years of experience in the field of virtual reality. The company provides services ranging from marketing VR products and project consulting to the development of complete turnkey VR systems for its clients. For more information, visit www.virtasim.com.
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Simthetiq announces the launch of Simthetiq eStore
MONTREAL, Canada (November, 2011)
Simthetiq is proud to announce the official launch of the Simthetiq eStore. Users can now access an ever-expanding library of immersive and accurate 3D models and environments, pre-configured and optimized for the simulation and serious gaming industries. In following industry standards, file formats such as Presagis’ OpenFlight and VBS2’s p3d are available for all models within the library. Visit www.simthetiqestore.com to find out more.
About Simthetiq
Simthetiq is the leading developer of real-time COTS 3D military models and geo-specific synthetic environments for advanced training, research and gaming applications. Complimented by rapid-response support and development services, Simthetiq offers easy integration using popular formats and platforms including Openflight, VBS2 (Virtual Battlespace 2), Cry Engine, One SAF, CDB (Common Database Format), also ensuring greater compatibility utilizing DIS (Distributed Interactive Simulation) enumeration. Visit and discover the various cost-effective 3D solutions offered at http://www.simthetiq.com
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Simthetiq Wins Contract to Develop a Virtual Environment for Toronto’s New Streetcar Simulator
Montreal, Canada (August, 2011)
Simthetiq announced today that it has been awarded a contract from FAAC Incorporated to develop a 3D virtual environment for a new streetcar simulator for the Toronto Transit Commission training facility. FAAC, under subcontract to Bombardier Transportation, will besupplying the training simulator to be delivered to TTC in conjunction with the new Light Rail Vehicle being designed and delivered by Bombardier.
As part of the project, Simthetiq will be developing two virtual environments, one of which will include 35 km of bi-directional track located in downtown Toronto. This complex virtual urban environment will be built using CAD and GIS Data provided by the City of Toronto and complimented with video footage and reference photos gathered on site by the Simthetiq team. Existing city locations will be modeled as high fidelity 3d replicas which will include a segment of the St Clair route and St Clair West station, a Spadina tunnel section, the Dundas West surface station, and the Ashbridges Yard, which is currently being designed.
In order to increase the training capabilities and realism of the visuals in the streetcar simulator, Simthetiq will configure the virtual environment to include a vast amount of interactive and static key components. These will consist of typical and specific 3D content for simulating real world visual occlusion, resulting in an improved training experience. This content will include buildings, vegetation, background scenery, overhead wires, signals, named street signs and circulation lights to name a few.
About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.
About FAAC
FAAC is a world leader in providing simulation based training solutions for military, law enforcement, security, municipal and private industry applications. FAAC is member of the Training and Simulation Division of Arotech Corporation (NasdaqGM: ARTX). For more information on FAAC Incorporated visit their website at www.faac.com.
About Simthetiq
Simthetiq is the leading developer of real-time COTS 3D military models and geo-specific synthetic environments for advanced training, research and gaming applications. Complimented by rapid-response support and development services, Simthetiq offers easy integration using popular formats and platforms including Openflight, VBS2 (Virtual Battlespace 2), Cry Engine, One SAF, CDB (Common Database Format), also ensuring greater compatibility utilizing DIS (Distributed Interactive Simulation) enumeration. Visit and discover the various cost-effective 3D solutions offered at www.simthetiq.com
Except for the historical information herein, the matters discussed in this release include forward-looking statements, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary materially. These risks and uncertainties are detailed in Arotech’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Eight of the World's Top Ten Miners Utilise Simulation Training from Immersive Technologies
Eight of the world's top ten miners utilise simulation training from Immersive Technologies as a key tool for the recruiting, training and optimisation of their operator workforce.
The finding comes following a review of recent figures released from the business review site, Forbes.com, which listed the world's largest mining companies based on a new, more comprehensive measure -of combining levels of market capitalisation, sales, profits, and assets.
The top 10 mining companies on the list include; Vale, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Anglo American, China Shenhua, Freeport Copper, Barrick Gold, Norilsk and Newmont. These miners currently have implemented, in their training programs, approximately 40% of Immersive Technologies' globally deployed population of 270 Advanced Equipment Simulators and 615 interchangeable cabins known as Conversion Kits.
Peter Salfinger, Chief Executive Officer of Immersive Technologies said, "I believe these figures are no coincidence. Mining companies looking to increase site safety and profitability search out suppliers that have a record of successfully deploying high quality products and services that deliver quantifiable results to mining operations. Immersive Technologies maintains a keen focus on understanding the needs of the mining industry to ensure our customers are benefiting from the industry's best training products, support and structured approach to implementation on site."
"We are proud of our relationships with all of our customers, but the fact that eight of the world's top ten mining companies are long-term and repeat customers, speaks volumes and is recognition of our goal to make every operator safer and their employer more profitable with our simulation technologies."
Immersive Technologies' products account for 90% of all advanced surface and underground mining simulator sales, and it is the only simulation company to have exclusive alliance agreements with five of the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including Caterpillar and Komatsu.
Immersive Technologies is the world's largest and most proven supplier of surface and underground mining equipment simulators to the global mining industry.
The company has achieved this unique position by focusing on its mission to make every mining and earthmoving equipment operator in the world safer and their employer more profitable through its simulation technologies. Immersive Technologies' Advanced Equipment Simulators are helping hundreds of mining companies around the world to increase their equipment operators' safety and site profitability through effective simulation training.
Immersive Technologies' provides its customers with the most effective mining equipment simulators available. This is made possible through the formal exclusive licensing and technical information alliances Immersive has established with the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), including: Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu, Liebherr and P&H Mining Equipment.
These unique alliances provide Immersive Technologies with exclusive access to the OEM's proprietary and confidential machine technical information that is required to correctly simulate the OEM's machines and is not available through other public, or dealer channels.
Immersive Technologies is dedicated to provide outstanding service. To deliver on this commitment the company has customer sales and support offices located close to its customers in Perth and Brisbane Australia, Salt Lake City USA, Calgary Canada, Santiago Chile, Lima Peru, Johannesburg South Africa, Jakarta Indonesia and Kolkata India.
Immersive has the global mining experience, innovative technology, product range, OEM relationships, proven support commitment and industry vision to partner with you to ensure your simulator training solution delivers the significant results you expect.
3D Characters and Animations from Rocketbox Libraries now Available for Unity
Rocketbox now Offers Their Highly Realistic 3D Assets as Unity Packages, Making Usage with the Unity Development Platform Easy and Comfortable
HANOVER, GERMANY – Rocketbox Studios, well known for highest quality prefab 3d characters and animations, announced that their complete product portfolio is available directly in Unity’s native unitypackage file format from now on. This offers the large group of Unity developers the opportunity to use the assets directly inside of Unity, without the need to export them from a 3d software package. Shaders, textures and animations are already set up for convenient usage in Unity right out of the box – allowing the user to create astonishingly realistic scenes with lifelike animated characters within a very short development timeframe.
Both Rocketbox and Unity Technologies supply clients with the tools and resources for building sophisticated and interactive real-time applications for many different industries, like for example training simulation and game development, VR, architecture, medical, film and visualization. This is well reflected by the large library of available assets that were created at Rocketbox, ranging from Civilians, Soldiers, Special Forces and Law Enforcement Characters, to Medical and Work Uniforms, Middle Eastern style characters, Animals and many others. The newest Complete Characters HD series of characters even features a facial animation setup for visualization of realistic speech and expression of emotions, while still maintaining technical specifications for running smoothly in real-time applications.
“Rocketbox is very happy about working with Unity Technologies on the task to speed up the production pipelines for our mutual customer base. We had many requests from software developers using Unity about the possibility of receiving our products in the unitypackage format, ready to use” says Markus Wojcik, CEO of Rocketbox Studios. “Of course we are always looking for ways to make the life of our customers easier, so they can concentrate on the core aspects of their products” he continues, “This matches perfectly with Unity Technology’s vision that is realized with the extremely user friendly and powerful Unity development platform.”
"Rocketbox provides a robust full feature model set that works right out of the box with Unity,” said Davey Jackson, Director of Simulation and Visualization for Unity Technologies. “Their LOD files, models, animations and textures import directly into the Unity Framework with no need for modification. The level of quality and detail in the models and the ease of use make Rocketbox's characters a great choice for Unity-based projects.”
The new products are presented for the first time during I/ITSEC in Orlando, Florida (November 28 - December 1, 2011) at the Rocketbox booth # 2823 and also in joint presentations at the Unity booth # 2363.
For more information about licensing content from Rocketbox Libraries, please visit www.rocketbox-libraries.com - assets are available individually or in various bundles.
About Rocketbox Studios
Rocketbox is an art studio that is specialized in 3D characters and animations, offering model libraries of highly realistic animated human characters and animals. The assets are optimized for real-time applications like simulations, games and virtual worlds as well as for rendering. Rocketbox is also available for creation of custom 3D Graphics and Motion Capturing and – the company was founded in 2003 and is located in Hanover, Germany.
Website: http://www.rocketbox-libraries.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rbxlibraries
Twitter: http://twitter.com/rbxlibraries
About Unity Technologies
Unity Technologies is the creator of Unity, an intuitive and flexible development platform used to make wildly creative and intelligently interactive 3D and 2D content. The “author once, deploy everywhere” capability ensures developers can publish to all of the most popular platforms. Unity Technologies boasts a thriving community of 700,000 registered developers including large publishers, indie studios, students and hobbyists. Unity Technologies aggressively re-invests in its award winning 3D development tools and democratization initiatives, such as the Asset Store digital content marketplace and Union game distribution service, in order to remain at the forefront of innovation. Unity Technologies is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Canada, Denmark, Lithuania, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Japan and Korea. For more information, visit: http://unity3d.com.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unity3d
Twitter: http://twitter.com/unity3d
Virtual training for real combat
By Pete Carey
Posted: 09/26/2011 12:00:00 AM PDT
The system is designed to precisely mirror how the soldiers would react (QUANTUM3D )
[...]
The system -- a kind of flight simulator for soldiers -- offers a vision of what gaming software might be like a few years from now when the technology becomes more affordable.
Shah was instructing me in the use of the system, dubbed ExpeditionDI, in a conference room in Quantum3D's South San Jose headquarters.
ExpeditionDI is the first wearable infantry simulatortraining platform that immerses wearers in combat situations, according to the company. It comes with a high-resolution head-mounted display, a battery-powered computing backpack and a microphone headset for communicating with other squad members. A gaming-type engine controls a vivid virtual reality world.
Designed for a squad of nine or more soldiers to train together, the simulator can be set up anywhere in four hours. The idea is to teach soldiers collaboration, communication and the lay of the land before they head out on a mission.
The most dangerous time for soldiers is when they're in a new environment, according to Quantum3D President Arthur Yan.
"The first goal is to save lives," Yan said. "Nearly 40 percent of fatalities occur during the first three months."
Yan said the simulator has obvious applications for civilian first responders. Police SWAT squads could use it to practice for dangerous confrontations, or firefighters could practice entering burning buildings.
"We plan to go into law enforcement and firefighting in the future," Yan said. But for now, the company's customers for ExpeditionDI are the military forces.
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... the system was designed to precisely mirror "how the soldiers would react, hold a weapon and interact with each other. And every action is recorded, so after the training they can play it back."
The system can be programmed to reflect the physical characteristics and abilities of the soldiers using it, including their skill with a rifle and their walking speed. It also includes two other weapons -- an M4 carbine equipped with a grenade launcher and an M249 heavy machine gun.
The training scenes are provided by the government and are based on actual towns.
Quantum3D has developed simulation software to help train pilots, vehicles operator, and helicopter pilots. The company has been developing ExpeditionDI since 2003.
Contact Pete Carey at 408-920-5419.