From PIERRE@division.demon.co.uk Tue Oct 11 07:55:48 1994 Return-Path: Received: from mx5.u.washington.edu by stein2.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.4/UW-NDC Revision: 2.30 ) id AA28658; Tue, 11 Oct 94 07:55:48 -0700 Received: from post.demon.co.uk by mx5.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.9/UW-NDC Revision: 2.30 ) id AA26724; Tue, 11 Oct 94 07:55:43 -0700 Received: from division.demon.co.uk by post.demon.co.uk id aa06056; 11 Oct 94 12:46 GMT-60:00 Received: from charon.division.demon.co.uk by division.demon.co.uk (AIX 3.2/UCB 5.64/4.03) id AA11847; Tue, 11 Oct 1994 12:31:51 +0100 Received: From GEORGE/WORKQUEUE by charon.division.demon.co.uk via Charon-4.0-VROOM with IPX id 100.941011115001.448; 11 Oct 94 11:51:38 +500 Message-Id: From: Pierre duPont To: ukvrsig@mailbase.ac.uk, diderot@hitl.washington.edu, pcmike@aol.com, avatarp@well.sf.ca.us, scivw@u.washington.edu, scivwa@media.mit.edu, PCVR@fullfeed.com, sgerencser@delphi.com, 100071.116@compuserve.com, stearman@world.std.com Date: Tue, 11 Oct 1994 11:49:46 BST Subject: COMMERCIAL: Division's Gulfstream Press Release Reply-To: schiffd@division.com, dupontp@division.demon.co.uk X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail/Windows (v1.11a) Priority: A Status: OR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Doug Schiff, VP of Marketing, Chapel Hill, NC +1 919-968-7797 Pierre duPont, Marketing Director, Bristol, UK +44 454 615554 Division's VR Gives Gulfstream Customers An Inside Look at Future Business Jets Trade Show Exhibit Demonstrates the Value of Virtual Reality for Marketing Chapel Hill, NC -- 7 October, 1994 -- How does a company create a sales display to show different design configurations for a product that is nearly 45 feet long, six-foot-two in height and more than seven feet wide? The answer for Gulfstream, the leading manufacturer of long-range business jets, is virtual reality technology from Division in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At this year's National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) show, customers will be able to tour two virtual models of the passenger cabin for the Gulfstream V, the company's newest aircraft that will fly for the first time in November 1995. The virtual interiors will complement a full-scale physical mock-up of the aircraft within the Gulfstream booth. Division used its dVISE authoring software to create virtual interiors that include wood-grain tabletops and woven carpets. To ensure accuracy, computer-aided design (CAD) data for the Gulfstream V was imported into the dVISE environment. Customers in the Gulfstream booth will don a head-mounted display, grab a 3-D mouse, and immerse themselves in the Gulfstream V cabin. They'll be able to do more than simply move around inside. Thanks to the power of Division's ProVision 100 computer and its dVS operating system software, they will be able to convert a tabletop into a computer workstation table, fold down conference tables, open doors, and turn on lights and music -- all in real time. "Division's virtual reality technology brings a whole new dimension to our exhibit," says Bill Boisture, executive vice president of marketing for Gulfstream. "There's nothing like the real thing -- an actual Gulfstream V cabin -- but this is the next best option. People get an idea of what it's like to be inside the cabin and to experience the Gulfstream V." The VR technology that Gulfstream will use combines two defining characteristics: it is interactive (the virtual environment responds immediately to human input and movement) and it is immersive (the user becomes an active part of the virtual world). Over the past few years, key technological innovations have made applications such as Gulfstream's possible: . Greater processing power allows real-time display of images within the large databases that are characteristic of VR environments. The Pixel-Planes graphics board in the ProVision 100 VPX system being used for the Gulfstream exhibit has a peak performance of more than 500,000 textured polygons per second, providing interactive response time for complex databases. . Authoring tools such as dVISE are making it easier for those without programming skills to develop intricate virtual worlds and then run applications efficiently using specialized operating systems such as Division's dVS. . Texture mapping, which provides effects such as wood grain paneling and carpeted interiors, and collision detection have become part of virtual worlds, adding to the realism of the experience for the user. . The cost of turnkey VR systems has been reduced substantially: Division offers a complete, immersive system starting at GBP 25,000, or software-only solutions for as little as GPB 4,400. "We now have the ability to combine high levels of image fidelity with real-time interaction," says Charles Grimsdale, CEO of Division. "As a result, we can create environments that give people a good feel for what it is like to be inside a futuristic house, to sit at the controls of a new car, or to be inside the interior of a corporate jet." VR technology is especially effective for demonstrating products -- such as houses, buildings and vehicles -- that cannot be transported easily or economically to sites that are convenient to customers, or which would otherwise require expensive mock-ups or models. For instance, Matsushita Electric Works in Japan uses Division's VR systems at trade shows to allow customers to experience an advanced living environment, including lighting, heating and acoustics. Volvo has used a Division system with a simulator at trade shows to demonstrate its vehicles' safety features. Over the next few years, VR marketing applications are expected to increase dramatically, spurred by continued improvements in image quality and the descending price of hardware. Applications that could emerge include "virtual" showrooms for houses and cars at shopping malls, mobile marketing presentations for manufacturers of large products, and even fully immersive home shopping. While it wouldn't replace the real thing, a virtual test drive in a Rolls Royce would be much more fulfilling than just looking at the pictures. The Division Group of companies specializes in providing virtual reality technology, products, and services for professional virtual reality applications. Headquartered in Bristol, England, Division has US offices in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Redwood City, California, and a major distributor in Japan. The company has sold integrated virtual reality systems and services to a world-wide customer base of professional users, who include British Telecom, GTE, Nynex, Glaxo, Shell, DoD, DRA, McDonnell Douglas, NASA, and Matsushita. Its shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange. Photographs are available on request. ============================================================= email: dupontp@division.demon.co.uk Pierre duPont phone: +44 454 615554 Marketing Director fax: +44 454 615532 Division Limited 19 Apex Court, Woodlands, Almondsbury, Bristol BS12 4JT UK