Chris Shaw ONLINE: The MR Toolkit Version 1.3 is now available 24 Feb 1994 20:57:25 GMT Computing Science, U of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds A N N O U N C I N G The MR Toolkit Version 1.3 The Minimal Reality (MR) Toolkit is a subroutine library that supports the development of Virtual Reality (VR) user interfaces and other forms of three dimensional user interfaces. The MR Toolkit is currently licenced by more than 150 sites worldwide, with users on every continent except Antarctica. The MR Toolkit provides support for common VR devices, such as Polhemus Isotrak Tracker and FASTRAK, Shooting Star ADL-1, Ascension Technology Bird and Flock of Birds 3D trackers, the VPL DataGlove, the Virtual Technologies CyberGlove, the VPL EyePhone, the Virtual Research HMDs (Flight Helmet and EyeGen3) support for SGI Videosplitter, SGI Multi Channel, and sound synthesis equipment. This toolkit also supports the distribution of the user interface over multiple workstations, data distributed over several workstations, numerous interaction techniques, physical and virtual geometry management, and real-time performance analysis tools. The current version of the MR Toolkit is callable from C, C++ and FORTRAN programs on SGI, DEC, and IBM workstations. Some elements of the MR Toolkit will also run on Suns and other UNIX platforms. The experience of our users indicates that working GL programs can be converted into working VR programs in about an hour. The features now available in this release are: New MOTIF hand calibration program for gloves A MOTIF pseudo-tracker to replace any trackers you don't own Simple VR viewers for Wavefront .obj and Alias Separated .tri files The Panel Package - User can use glove to interact with buttons, menus, sliders & text on a 2D rectangle placed in 3D space. The Peer package - allows intelligent multi-person VR interaction. Comes with a Multi-Player HANDBALL game that allows you to play virtual handball with other people on the Internet. Includes texture-mapped faces! OML - the Object Modeling Language - is a procedural programming language for describing the geometry and behaviour of 3D objects used in computer animations and virtual worlds. A platform-independent graphical programming language which allows intelligent event management. Comes with nifty demos, including a 3D dungeon game. JDCAD+ can be used to generate OML code for the geometry, provides a quick tool for geometrical design. JDCAD+ - is a highly interactive 3D modeling system (no coding) using six-degrees of freedom input devices to make 3D models. Provides a quick tool for geometrical design. JDCAD+ can be used to generate OML code for the geometry. OML can be used add behaviours and/or add/change geometry of 3D objects. The toolkit is available at no cost to licenced academic and research institutions. To get version 1.3 of the MR toolkit, you must sign the licence form and mail it back to the University of Alberta. The person signing it should be a full-time "responsible person" at your organization, with a title such as Professor, Director, Manager, etc. If you are interested in the MR Toolkit, you can either ftp the PostScript copy of the licence from menaik.cs.ualberta.ca ... Address: 129.128.4.241 cd pub/graphics and get the file "licence.ps" Or, you can email lloyd@cs.UAlberta.ca, and he will email you the PostScript licence form. Mail the signed licence form to: Professor Mark Green Department of Computing Science 615 General Services Building University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2H1 The MR Toolkit is distributed by blind FTP, so please include your email address in the licence form so we can tell you how to get the MR Toolkit. If you're using MR Toolkit, we're interested in your opinion. Ideas for new features or critics are welcome. We would like to know of applications using the MR Toolkit. How are you using the Tookit? -- Chris Shaw University of Alberta cdshaw@cs.UAlberta.ca CatchPhrase: Bogus as HELL !