Dassault Systèmes Unveils Virtools 4.1 Platform for Real-Time 3D Applications

18/02/2008

Delivering Improved Virtual Reality Capabilities and New Artificial Intelligence Libraries for Augmented Performance

Paris, France, February 18, 2008- Dassault Systèmes (DS) (NASDAQ: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065. DSY. PA) a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced the release of Virtools 4.1, the latest version of its comprehensive platform for creating highly interactive 3D applications, also part of DS’s 3DVIA lifelike experience brand. Highlights of this revamped version include better platform support, improved Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) libraries, as well as key usability enhancements.   

“Providing every Virtools platform user with robust solutions for creating and experiencing real-time 3D applications with complex interactivity is one of our priorities”, said Lynne Wilson, senior vice president and general manager, 3DVIA Online, Dassault Systèmes. “This technological evolution is based on market needs and client feedback as well as technical advancements in the online and VR fields.”

This release features key enhancements that make learning and producing 3D applications with Virtools even easier.  Key enhancements include:

• Wider Platform & File Support:  Virtools 4.1 and 3D Life Player are now compatible with Microsoft Vista and 3D XML V4.  In addition, the Virtools SDK is moving to Visual Studio.net 2005.

• Improved Usability Enhancements to Reduce Production Time:  One much awaited feature for Virtools is the ability to instantiate a behavior graph that is introduced through a new “Call Behavior” building block.  Using this new feature, developers will be able to considerably improve production workflow and delivery time.  
Virtools 4.1 also provides rich ergonomic and schematic improvements as well as new commented video tutorials, significantly shortening the Virtools 4.1 learning curve.

• Simplified Virtual Reality Production Capabilities:  Both the Virtools VR Library and the VR Publisher model have evolved to respond to VR community feedback.  The simpler publishing model is now available in two versions: “classic”, targeted to mainstream VR displays (simple stereo HMDs or Walls) or “unlimited”, supporting higher-end systems, including multi GPUs or clusters.  This new VR Pack 2.5 also provides better clustering support, improving synchronization performance and quality when using Nvidia Quadro Fx G-Sync hardware, and better supporting multi-pipe and multi-core systems. It also includes new ready-to-use application templates (VRNR), provides support for recent VR devices like Natural Point Optitrack and Xsens MTi/MTx, and adds numerous development and deployment time-savers. New demos have been included, enabling new users and integrators to even better demonstrate the power of their VR equipment.

• Enhanced Artificial Intelligence Capabilities:  Partnering with Kynogon, Virtools 4.1 provides integration of a new AI library 2.0, which simplifies path-finding generation and design of Non-Playable Characters’ behaviors.

The updated Virtools 4.1 platform will be showcased at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week.  For more information, visit the 3DVIA booth at the Moscone Center North Hall, Booth # 6034.

For more information, go to: www.virtools.com.

A propos de 3DVIA

3DVIA est la marque de Dassault Systèmes dédiée aux expériences 3D vécues en-ligne, comme dans la vie réelle. Elle établit la 3D comme un média à part entière pour les communautés d’utilisateurs professionnels ou grand public, permettant à tous d’imaginer, de faire vivre et d’expérimenter en 3D des produits ou des services de la vie quotidienne. Après avoir été mis au point dans le monde virtuel, ces produits et services pourront être lancés dans le monde réel. Les solutions Virtools font partie de 3DVIA. Pour tout complément d’information sur 3DVIA : www.3dvia.com

A propos de Dassault Systèmes

Leader mondial des solutions 3D et de gestion du cycle de vie des produits (Product Lifecycle Management ou PLM), Dassault Systèmes apporte de la valeur ajoutée à 100 000 clients, répartis dans 80 pays. Pionnier du marché du logiciel en 3D depuis 1981, Dassault Systèmes développe et commercialise des logiciels d'application PLM et des services qui anticipent les processus industriels de demain et offrent une vision 3D de l'ensemble du cycle de vie d'un produit, de sa conception à sa maintenance. L’offre de Dassault Systèmes se compose de CATIA pour la conception virtuelle de produits, SolidWorks pour la conception mécanique en 3D, DELMIA pour la production virtuelle, SIMULIA pour la simulation et les tests virtuels, ENOVIA pour la gestion collaborative et globale du cycle de vie et 3DVIA pour des expériences 3D vécues en-ligne comme dans la vie réelle. Dassault Systèmes est coté sur les marchés Nasdaq (DASTY) et Euronext Paris (n°13065, DSY.PA). Pour plus d’informations: http://www.3ds.com/fr/http://www.3ds.com/fr/

CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, SolidWorks et 3D VIA sont des marques déposées de Dassault Systèmes ou de ses filiales aux USA et / ou dans d'autres pays.