From bdel@WELL.SF.CA.USMon Nov 14 16:26:34 1994 Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1993 16:02:43 -0700 From: Ben Delaney To: Multiple recipients of list VIRTU-L Subject: New York VR Expo & Summit This is the preliminary program for the November New York Virtual Reality Expo and Summit, Cosponsored by Meckler and CyberEdge Journal. NEW YORK VIRTUAL REALITY CONFERENCE AND FINANCIAL SUMMIT *%*%*%*%*%*%*%* Co-Sponsored by CyberEdge Journal and Meckler Corporation November 29, 30 and December 1, 2, 1993 *%*%*%*%*%*%*%* Preliminary Program and Overview WHO SHOULD ATTEND Attend this conference if you are: 1) A business or organization currently developing or researching Virtual Reality 2) An organization or individual planning or researching future Virtual Reality development 3) A representative of the investment community interested in high growth, high-technology for both early and later stage deals. PRECONFERENCE COURSES Monday, November 29 Preconference workshops are offered for those who wish to learn about constructing worlds with one of the major commercial Virtual Reality software packages. For organizations considering in-house research or development, there is also a tutorial "How to Set Up a VR Lab." Half-Day Workshops Morning 8:30-12:00 1. Building Virtual Worlds Brian Blau Overview: This tutorial will give participants detailed instruction on the tools and techniques used to construct virtual world applications using some of today's state-of-the-art hardware and software. On hand will be experts from the field who will assist participants in database design, programming techniques and overall application and system development. Prerequisites: This tutorial is technical in nature. All participants should have recent experience in programming in C/C++ or in the following areas: virtual reality systems, 3D computer graphics, simulations and object oriented programming. Presenter: Brian Blau is a Visual Systems Scientist at the Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida. He holds a BS and MS in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida where he participated in the design and development of their first virtual environment system. He has extensive experience in virtual world construction, networking and computer graphics. 2. StrayLight PhotoVR Software Tutorial Tony Asch Overview: This tutorial will give participants an in-depth understanding of StrayLight's PhotoVR technology and applications. Attendees will gain a knowledge of PhotoVR's capabilities and technical methodologies. The group will create a PhotoVR world from scratch, starting with CAD databases and finishing with a photorealistic virtual environment. Prerequisites: Except for the final brief segment on PhotoVR programming, this tutorial does not require computer programming skills. Participants with experience in multimedia production, computer animation, video production, CAD systems, and design will benefit most from this tutorial. Those with some knowledge of computer graphics and C language programming will gain additional insight from the final segment on PhotoVR programming. Presenter: Tony Asch is President and founder of StrayLight Corp. and is responsible for much of the technology within PhotoVR. He has over 20 years of hands-on experience with interactive computer graphics, simulation, and rendering. In addition to his computer science background, Mr. Asch holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Mr. Asch will be joined by members of StrayLight's technical team for several presentations. 3. VREAM Software Tutorial Edward R. LaHood Overview: The VREAM Virtual Reality Development System is a complete Virtual Reality software development package which allows users to develop fully interactive virtual worlds on a personal computer, without the need to write complex computer programs. This tutorial will provide participants with a thorough understanding of the VREAM Virtual Reality Development System. Prerequisites: No prerequisite experience in computer programming or 3D graphics is required. Presenter: Mr. Edward LaHood is the founder and president of VREAM Inc., a virtual reality software company based in Chicago, IL. Mr. LaHood has been involved in the computer industry for 14 years, developing software applications for a variety of computer platforms. Prior to founding VREAM, Mr. LaHood worked as computer consultant for Andersen Consulting and McKinsey & Co. A group of VREAM experts will be joining Mr. LaHood in presenting the various sections of this tutorial. 4. "Setting up a VR Lab" Chair: Dr. Hilary McLellan, Kansas State University Presenters: Tom Coull, Sense8 Corporation; George Zachary, Silicon Graphics, Inc., Walter Greenleaf, Greenleaf Medical; John Trimble, Prairie Virtual Systems. This session provides an overview of the factors that must be considered when establishing a virtual reality lab, including computer hardware and interfaces, software, setting up a database, building VR applications, where and how to purchase VR technology, costs, and support services that are available. This session will provide an overview of planning considerations for establishing and operating a VR lab, with tips for how to make the process easier. AFTERNOON 1:30-5:00 5. Division Software Tutorial Division, Inc. Overview: Attendees will be introduced to the productivity benefits of Division's Virtual Design Environment. Operating on SGI or Division's PROVISION 100, dVISE provides a ready- to-use integrated, semi-immersive or fully immersive VR extension to popular design automation products such as AUTOCAD, Alias, Wavefront, MultiGen and 3D Studio. Users can perform interactive visualization and evaluation for manufacturing with kinematics and other spatial properties, create multi-participant virtual classrooms for training, engage in complex simulations, and solve difficult problems using data visualization. Prerequisites: Participants should have a background in design automation and be conversant with populate CAD packages and PC or UNIX workstation facilities, such as windows-based graphic user interfaces. 6. Dimension Software Tutorial Ian Andrews OVERVIEW: This workshop will introduce designers to virtual world creation, using Superscape VRT3 virtual reality software, which has been developed specifically as an integrated design system for nonprogrammers. Fundamental to the design philosophy of Superscape has been the commitment to making it a fast, easy to use and cost-effective design tool for people who may not have had programming experience. Participants will be given an overview of the software and its functionality and will then be led, step-by-step through the design and building of a complete virtual world from an empty space to the creation of a dynamic textured virtual environment. PREREQUISITES: With no prerequisites, the workshop is suitable for those who have a general interest in virtual reality, designers who anticipate using the technology in their own workplace and those who are considering which VR software to implement. Emphasis throughout the session will be building practical virtual reality applications. PRESENTER: Ian Andrews is founder and managing director of Dimension International, a UK-based company and the publishers of the Superscape range of virtual 7. Virtus Software Tutorial To Be Announced Day-Long Introductory Workshop 8:30-12:00 1:30-5:00 This day-long preconference workshop is designed to discuss key elements of virtual reality technologies and concepts. These sessions are for: 1) firms or individuals who are learning about VR for the first time and who have not previously attended a VR Conference 2) those who desire an in-depth overview and review before the start of the general conference. Presenters include: Bernie Roehl, Ph.D.; University of Waterloo, Mark Long, David Sarnoff Research Center Frank Biocca, Ph.D., Center for Research in Journalism and Communication; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Louis M. Brill, Illuminations Don Morris, Magic Edge David Smith, Virtus Steve Glenn, SimGraphics Myron Krueger, Artificial Reality Corporation Carolina Cruz- Neira, Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois Monday Evening 7-9 p.m. First Annual VR Video Festival Virtual reality demonstration videos from around the world will be featured during this first of an annual series of festivals. General Conference Sessions Tuesday, November 30, 1993 Opening 8:45-9:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions "A" SESSIONS - Tuesday Morning INTERNATIONAL PROJECT OVERVIEWS The scope of virtual reality research and commercialization is international. This session will provide a look at significant VR projects at worldwide sites. The links between the nascent VR industry and its research roots are still strong as evidenced by these presentations. "A" Session Session 1A "A Description of Projects at the National Advanced Robotics Laboratory"; Salford, England. Robert Stone, Ph.D. Session 2A "A Discussion of the Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HIT) and Its Educational Projects" Dr. Bill Winn, College of Education, University of Washington "Work at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center" Chris Codella, Ph.D. "Feedback Technologies for VR and Teleoperations" Beth Marcus, Ph.D.; EXOS "Distributed Synthetic Environments for Collaborative Work-- The Virtual Reality Research at SICS" Lennart Fahlen, Swedish Institute of Computer Science TUESDAY AFTERNOON HEALTH & SAFETY First in what will certainly be an ongoing series at Meckler's VR Conferences, this session's speakers will present current knowledge regarding health and safety issues the virtual reality industry must research and understand (and communicate to clients). "A Survey of Medical Issues and Virtual Reality Technology" Erik Virre, Ph.D., M.D.; Research Fellow Robarts Research Institute and University of Western Ontario "Virtual Reality Health and Safety Research at SRI" Tom Piantinida, Ph.D.; SRI International Others to be announced November 30 "B" SESSIONS - Tuesday Morning BUILDING A BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM: EXPERIENCES FROM THE VR INDUSTRY Similar to the early stages of any business ecosystem, leading Virtual Reality firms have identified an innovation that can lead to revolutionary products or services, are working to deliver customer value via those products and services, and are designing businesses that can serve the potential market. This session's speakers provide a look at the process by which the VR field is moving from a random collection of elements to a structured business community. 1B "Division's IPO; Related Business and Product Developments" 2B "Financing and Fund Raising" Chet Dagit, Director of Business Affairs; WorlDesign Session 3B "The World's First VR Production Studio" Ian Capon, Virtual "S" Ltd., London 4B TBA 5B "Market Research Lessons" Carrie Heeter, Ph.D.; Michigan State University "B" Sessions - TUESDAY AFTERNOON MEDICINE AND BIO-MEDICAL APPLICATION Virtual Reality development within the biomedical marketplace will be a complex process affected by both technological and sociological factors. Technical developments such as authoring tools are needed for rapid development in this field. From the societal standpoint, health care reform and insurance reimbursement are issues that developers must anticipate when planning products. The acceptability of this technology on the part of the medical profession and patients will be another key social factor which must be addressed. 6B "The Challenge of the Biomedical Market," Walter Greenleaf, Ph.D., Greenleaf Medical Systems 7B "Surgical Simulators" Jonathan Merrill, M.D. High Techsplantations 8B David Hon, Ixion VR DEVELOPMENT FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Virtual Reality applications for persons with disabilities are already available. The "Wheelchair VR" allows a user to travel within a computer generated world from the viewpoint of the wheelchair-user. Other applications use VR technologies as assistive devices. This particular niche market has been particularly interested and active in exploring the potential of virtual reality for specific applications that show promise for improving the quality of life for clients with different needs. Moderator: Dr. William Healey Chair, Department of Special Education, University of Las Vegas Session 9B "An International Overview of VR Development for the Disabled" Harry Murphy, Ph.D. Session 10B "The Development of the Virtual Wheelchair" John Trimble, Prairie Systems "C" Sessions - TUESDAY AFTERNOON VR SOFTWARE Virtual Reality software spans a broad continuum-from desktop to supercomputing laboratories. This session provides gives examples of VR software from that extremely broad continuum--from a Mac platform to supercomputers and from an emphasis upon audio to that upon visual. An example of intelligent software is also provided-the use of which will be important to many VR market niches. Moderator: Andrea Auld, Megacognition "The Importance of 3-D Audio; The Characteristics of Focal Point Software" Bo Gehring "Neural Network Software: To Create Smart Opponents and Virtual Teammates" Steve Lane, Katrix "Software to Emulate a Suite of Standard Virtual Environment Hardware Devices" William Sherman, Virtual Reality Coordinator, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign "C" SESSIONS Tuesday Afternoon NETWORKING This session addresses the integration of virtual reality and telecommunications. Speakers will describe current projects and will forecast how multiple-user immersion environments-- networked over long distances--will be employed in industry, education, and entertainment. Tom Hargadon, Moderator STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon University The Fortuna Project, Norway University of Waterloo Reception 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday Evening KEYNOTE "European Markets and Applications" Dr. Robert Stone, Technical Manager The National Advanced Robotics Research Centre Salford, England "A" Sessions - Wednesday Morning BUSINESS APPLICATIONS Applications and/or products that are already being used in diverse business settings. The presenters and their firms are likewise diverse-representing a variety of VR configurations and software capabilities. "VIM(tm) - Immersive Displays: From LBE to Home Cable TV Entertainment" Jim Shuck, Director of Commercial Business Kaiser Electro-Optics, Inc. "VRTrader(tm), Real Time Stock Market Visualization in Three Dimensions" Peter Rothman, Senior Partner, Avatar "Three Case Studies in Virtual Reality Systems," Ian Andrew, Dimension International "Virtus' Utilization by the Film Industry" David Smith, President, Virtus "VR in the Convention, Event and Advertising Agencies" David Polinchock, CyberEvent Group, Inc. "Graphical Data Capture in the Field: Handheld Field Device Links with Desktop VR: A Description a Project with British Gas" Maurice Raynor, Data Plan IT Limited; London "VR Software Development for the Financial Industry" Peter Tinker, Paul Cutt, Pin Fong; Xtensory, Inc. "A" Sessions - Wednesday Afternoon INVESTMENT & VR The commercialization of innovative technologies can require considerable market and financial risks. Virtual Reality entrepreneurs must understand the investment community's requirements in order to attract and acquire the requisite capital for growth. These presenters will describe the investment community's view of VR. Further, the presenters will offer advice to Virtual Reality businesses as how to best proceed in order to obtain financial backing. 16A "A Broad Investment View of Virtual Reality" Tony Perkins, Editor The Red Herring (Investment & Technology Newsletter) 17B "Venture Capital Investment Experiences in Virtual Reality: From W Industries to VPL" William Bottoms, Senior Vice President Patricof & Company: New York & Palo Alto 18B "An Investment Banking Perspective" "A" Sessions - Wednesday Afternoon LEGAL AND FINANCIAL PITFALLS FOR THE START-UP VIRTUAL REALITY COMPANY This session will outline legal and financial issues affecting new high tech companies, with an emphasis on companies in the virtual reality field. Included are discussions of market forces, entanglements of patent law, intellectual property audits and emerging theories of liability for purveyors of virtual reality technologies. Session Chair: Curtis Karnow; Landels, Ripley & Diamond Robert Yoches, Esq.; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett, & Dunner; Washington, D.C. "B" Sessions - WEDNESDAY MORNING VIRTUAL REALITY FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY The "public play" Virtual Reality market is expected to reach $137 million by 1997. Entertainment equipment will have sales of $81 million by that same year. This session features overall entertainment market discussions and business lessons already learned in this rapidly developing segment of the virtual reality industry. Chair: Dr. Diana Hawkins, Interactive Associates Session 11B "Status of VR Entertainment Industry at the End of 1993" Diana Gagnon Hawkins, Ph.D., Interactive Associates 12B "The Future of Out-of-Home Entertainment" Michael Dulion, Iwerks Session 13B "VRCheck: Lessons from the World's Largest Operator of VR Equipment" Andy Halliday, Edison Brothers Mall Entertainment 14B "New BattleTech Experiences and Sites" Jordan Weisman (invited), BattleTech 15B Don Morris, Magic Edge "Personal Flight Simulators for Interactive Entertainment" "B" Sessions - WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON "MIRROR WORLDS," OR INSIDE THE VIDEO With this type of virtual reality system, users see electronic or video duplications of themselves which they control by manipulating their image. This provides a second-person experience in which the viewer stands outside the imaginary world but communicates and interacts with characters or entities inside it. 16B 1:30-2:00 "The Mandala System" Vincent John Vincent, The Vivid Group Session 17B Dean Friedman, InVideo System, Subsidiary of Dean Friedman Productions Session 18B Tim O'Donnell, President, CCG Immersive Systems Session 19B "The CyberTron" Anthony Asch, StrayLight "C" Session - WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON CONSUMER ENTERTAINMENT The VR consumer market is currently $25 million, but this segment of the Virtual Reality industry will rise to $164 million by 1997. The speakers in this session will address the current home/consumer entertainment market and project its future virtual reality development. Session Chair: Mark Long, Zombie, Inc. Mark Johnson Williams, Program Manager of Sega Jeff Braun, President Maxis (tentative) Steve Tice, President, SimGraphics Michael Knox, Park Place Productions "C" Session - WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON DEFENSE CONVERSION AND VIRTUAL REALITY Under the auspices of the Defense Conversion, Reinvestment, and Transition Assistance Act of 1993, a U.S. government-wide effort called the Technology Reinvestment Project (TRP) has been designed to stimulate economic growth; develop "Dual Use" Technologies (military and commercial); and maintain national security. This government effort will greatly expand and accelerate the commercialization of VR technologies or products. Moderator: Tim Dowding, A&T Session 19C "ARPA/TRP and Defense Conversion" Tim Dowding, A&T; Lou Tedeschi, President DDSI, Inc. Session 20C "Transitioning Air Force Virtual Reality & Simulation Technologies to the Commercial Sector" Joe Mattoon, Armstrong Laboratories, Williams Air Force Base Session "D" Sessions - Wednesday Afternoon HARDWARE Hardware components of virtual reality systems are many and diverse. This session provides an eclectic look at only a few of the various hardware products that support the production of a virtual environment. "A Family of Products: The Polhemus Technologies and Their Diversification" James Krieg, Polhemus "Stereoscopic 3-D Projection System for Virtual Reality" Carl Tuny, Marketing Manager; VRex, Inc. SIMULATIONS Real-time simulations technology and its research are of value to the virtual reality industry. This session provides speakers who are knowledgeable about the integration of traditional simulations techniques and technologies within virtual reality products. "Using the Real-Time Simulations' Knowledge Base for Virtual Reality Development" Roy Latham, Editor and Publisher, Real- Time Graphics Evans & Sutherland Jeff Edwards, Market Manager for Commercial Business Group Greystone "D"SESSION - WEDNESDAY MORNING THE BUSINESS OF VIRTUAL REALITY The Virtual Reality industry of today bears a striking resemblance to the Computer Graphics industry of 25 years ago. In 1969, it was difficult to find any large computer graphics companies (more than $10 million/yr.), since total industry revenue was about $100 million (equal to about $300 million in 1993 dollars)and we forecast VR revenues in 1993 to be about $145 million. Carl Machover, President Machover Associates Corporation Session Chairman Scheduled panelists are: Bo Gehring, President, Focal Point Andy Halliday, Edison Brothers Mall Entertainment Edward R. LaHood, President, VREAM Beth Marcus, President, EXOS Jim Shuck, Kaiser Steve Tice, President, SimGraphics Wednesday Evening Session KEYNOTE "Virtual Reality Markets and Applications" Ben Delaney, Publisher and Editor, CyberEdge Journal THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2 VENTURE CAPITAL FORUM Investors and entrepreneurs have found the "Venture Capital" forum to be a successful mechanism. Private investor groups, entrepreneurial networks and a number of states-- from Maine to Iowa--have organized this type of forum. Previous venture capital forums have been organized for geographical areas or for specific business interests. Meckler's New York Virtual Reality Expo is the first "Venture Capital Forum" expressly designed to bring the virtual reality business community together with the investment community. Presenters will be representatives of Virtual Reality businesses ready to expand. Each business will have a presentation time- slot. Presenters will provide an oral summary which will highlight the important points about their respective businesses that will lead the potential investor to an understanding of why the venture will succeed. The audience will be individual, corporate, and venture capital investors as well as other financial organizations. Be Tehre! (I mean Be THERE!)