From: avatarp@well.sf.ca.us (Peter Rothman) Subject: ANNOUNCE: VR OVER THE INTERNET - Shareware VRML Browser Date: 7 Aug 1995 21:39:36 GMT Message-ID: <40616o$353@nkosi.well.com> Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA DIVE LABORATORIES, INC. 2501 Mission Street Santa Cruz CA 95060 408-469-1720 408-469-1722 FAX e-mail: info@divelabs.com Web Site: http://www.divelabs.com DIVE Labs Demonstrates Virtual Reality Over the Internet Shareware VRML Browser Supports Head Mounted Displays and Advanced Graphics Accelerators For Immediate Release Monday, August 7 1995 Contact: Peter Rothman DIVE Laboratories, Inc. 408-469-1720 Santa Cruz, California(DIVE Labs demonstrated its shareware Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) Browser for the first time today. The software, which runs under Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, supports head tracking head mounted displays and advanced graphics accelerators such as those incorporating the 3D Labs GLint chip. According to Peter Rothman, President of DIVE Laboratories, "the beta version of the VRML Browser will be made available free of charge from DIVE Labs World Wide Web site (http://www.divelabs.com) and bundled with a commercial version of DIVE Labs AmberGL virtual world development environment. A commercial version of the browser will be available directly from DIVE Labs and from select retailers for less than twenty five dollars." Unlike other existing VRML Browsers, the Amber Browser supports a true immersive virtual reality capability using Virtual I/O's i-glasses and DIVE Labs server software. Future releases of the Browser software will allow users to interact with three dimensional objects using a glove interface and will read a variety of 3D object formats. Additionally, the Amber browser will support specialized features allowing users to enter shared multi-user virtual environments by connecting to DIVE Labs' server software. Amber environments will support communication between participants and complex interactions with virtual objects. The Amber Browser was completely developed using DIVE Labs' AmberGL software, a virtual environment development system for OpenGL platforms, originally developed for high end military simulations. AmberGL is a fully featured virtual environment development system which currently supports OpenGL under Windows NT, GL under IRIX, and a real-time server implementation. AmberGL will be made available in a shareware version from DIVE Labs Web site starting September 1st 1995. Commercial versions will be available direct from DIVE Labs and from retail outlets for less than $200. The Amber VRML Browser will be shown in several booths at SIGGRAPH 95 including Fujitsu and Microsoft booths (at the 3Dlabs station). The Browser will also be shown at the Creativity 95 conference in San Francisco on August 14th. On August 30th, the Browser and server software will be demonstrated at a meeting of the San Francisco based Virtual Reality Education Foundation (known as VeRGe). This meeting will be held at the McBean Theater located in the Exploratorium at 7 PM. ### ### ###