From: cyberoid@u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson) Subject: INDUSTRY: Worldesign Inc. status report Date: 2 Dec 1995 21:39:18 GMT Organization: Worldesign Inc. From: cyberoid@u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson) Worldesign Inc. Status Report, December 1995 -------------------------------------------- Worldesign's long silence has not been contrived. We have spent the last several months reorienting our company from one dependent on large, stand-alone exhibitions to show off virtual worlds, to a more shapely company capable of working in the growing online environment. Based on customer and investor reaction, we are pointed in a success- ful direction, though the process is by no means over. Our current clientele includes UB Networks (investors and supporters also of Worlds Inc., an online 3D service vendor); Ark Interface II, the design think tank for PC manufacturer Packard Bell; and the Japan Research Institute, a division of Sumitomo, for whom I am coordinating the U.S. side of a trans-Pacific Web-based "event" for local govern- ments and technology incubators. We have a few more clients whose NDAs precludes their being named; and some special irons in the fire. What we have found is that the development of virtual worlds online proceeds by the same measures and methods as in the stand-alone world. The online environment, however, reduces substantially infrastructural requirements for stand-alone settings. Moreover, the industries participating in this new marketplace tend to be more experimental, and hence more prone to accepting true virtual worlds implementations as viable business goals, as means to the end of greater profits. Our software product, WorldSpace, an automatic worldbuilding software, is in the process of being patented. We believe that in the future, WorldSpace, working in concert with current software worldbuilding tools, will greatly facilitate the construction of worlds for many purposes, online and off. Our first markets, as before, are AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) and GIS, geographic information systems -- but any spatial environment is con- ducive to WorldSpace use, including that created virtually, online. Worldesign's investment situation is the most private of our activi- ties: anyone who has attempted to line up venture or other capital for virtual worlds development purposes will understand the fragility of these situations, and why promotion is not appropriate to them. I will say that we are in a better position regarding investors than ever before, in no small part to our whipping ourselves into shape regarding what it is that we are doing: advanced interface design, using virtual worlds paradigms and tools of our own invention, as well as more typical software products. Ironically, the first public demonstration of our work, will combine both our more traditional stand-alone work and our new online work. We call it "Net in a VET!" and it will feature guided tours of the Web's most popular and creative landmarks in a shared immersive space, inside our Virtual Environment Theater . We're also working with a couple of other groups, whom we'll disclose shortly, to whip up some new innovations that will make the Web more exciting as a place to experience immersion (and we're not just talkin' VRML). The venue is the Washingon Software Association's big annual bash, to be held in the Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington, on February 13-14, 1996. This year's theme is "The Online Advantage," highlighting the changing paradigm for software development, from mainframe to desktop to networks to Web to information universe. I encourage everyone to attend. Besides "Net in a VET," there will be fabulous speakers including Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystem; Steve Case, CEO of AOL; James Gosling, team leader at Sun for Java; Mark Pesce, seed kernel for VRML; Roman Ormandy, CEO of Caligari; and numerous, numerous others. Over 1,500 persons attended last year; this year could go over 2,000, the true elite of the software world. I think that brings me up to date on Worldesign. We're still in Ballard, the lovely former fishing village that's now part of Seattle; we are building up our equipment base as much with high-powered PCs as with workstations -- it's a changing world; and we are still on the lookout for aspiring talent (for which we believe we will soon have serious requirements), especially people who combine strong software abilities with design sensibilities or business process understanding. Our URL is http://www.worldesign.com/worldesign Our new Web site will be up and running by Wednesday, December 6. Until then, we have a reasonable "bookmark" version in place. Thanks to all who asked about Worldesign and its prospects. Like many in this field, we simply got out of breath earlier this year and decided that acquiring and doing work, creating worlds and developing software products, was more important than talking about it. Now we are starting to have time to do both. Your interest is appreciated. Bob Jacobson Worldesign Inc. Seattle