***QuickNews
Microsoft to Make Major Announcements at Multimedia Strategy Day
Multimedia Strategy Day has been moved to February (Watch WAVE for the
date in a subsequent issue.) Microsoft is expected to announce a broad
spectrum of actions to define its New Unified Media Services for the
Active Platform - DirectX. In conjunction with major tool developers,
IHVs, OEMs, online providers and end users, Microsoft will show how
DirectX will enable multimedia on the Internet. Attendance is for the
Press, Industry Analysts and Industry Influencers by invitation.
e-mail: ruthwilliams_ima@msn.com
Microsoft to Release DirectX 5.0 Beta and Expose Direct 3D Improvements
at Meltdown
From February 11 - 13 Microsoft will hold Meltdown 97 in Redmond, WA. The
first day will include a DirectX Architectural Overview and parallel
software and hardware seminar tracks. Topics to be discussed include: 3D
Driver Development, Direct 3D, AGP, Multimonitor, and OnNow. Microsoft
will have the DirectX team present to work directly with developers
during the testing and also to listen to their concerns and interests.
The 12th and 13th are testing days where it is expected that 75 companies
will bring their latest hardware for testing. This promises to be an
important event in Direct3D and for all game developers who are targeting
the Windows platform. Developers must register in advance.
www.microsoft.com/hwdev/meltdown.htm
New PIX Cards for Macs
Last week Microtech International announced the 3D Xplosion add-on card
for Macintosh computers. The card, which is based on S-MOS PIX rendering
engine, reportedly can calculate 66 Mpixels/sec. It will be available in
May for around $139 retail. This follows the announcement last November
that PIX had added support for Apple's QuickDraw 3D RAVE.
www.smos.com/standard/pix/index.html
XLR8 by Interex Inc. also announced a PIX-based add-on card for Macs, the
3D Scream. It will come bundled with games based on QuickDraw 3D RAVE,
and will be available in March for around $129.
www.xlr8.com
3Dfx Newsgroups
3Dfx has launched 6 newsgroups to discuss their products and
technologies, including: d3d drivers, products,
oem.products.diamond.monster3d, oem.products.orchid.righteous3d,
game.titles and events. The newsgroups can be reached via the Web at:
www.3dfx.com/game_dev/newsgroups.html
Macromedia's Losses and Gains
In two unrelated Macromedia stories since last week, Macromedia announced
both a substantial fiscal loss and the acquisition of FutureWave Software
Inc. In a story reported last week in PC Week magazine, it was revealed
that last Thursday Macromedia announced a $2.3 million loss in Q3 1996,
down 9% from sales during the same period the previous year. The loss
subsequently led to a 30% drop in stock value the following day, down $4
on opening Friday morning from $13.50 the night before.
The same week, Macromedia also announced the acquisition of FutureWave
Software, a San Diego-based multimedia tools developer. The acquisition
gives Macromedia the FutureSplash Animator software (renamed to Shockwave
Flash), which allows Internet developers to create small, fast, Shockwave
animations. Macromedia's Shockwave Flash is available now for $249 for
Windows and Macintosh Platforms.
www.macromedia.com/macromedia/investors/q3/results.html
www.futurewave.com/
www.macromedia.com/software/flash/
Pinnacle's Losses
Macromedia wasn't the only one smarting from dropping revenues. This week
Pinnacle Systems also announced the financial results for the second
fiscal quarter of 1996. The results revealed a net loss of more than $9
million (-$1.25 per share), with net sales down from $11.8 the previous
year to $5.3 million in 1996. Pinnacle attributes the loss to lower
demand across all product lines, with the most significant being a
reduction in OEM business (with desktop OEM sales down 80% from the
previous year).
www.pinnaclesys.com
C & T's Gains
On the other hand, the news for Chips & Technologies was much better. In
their financial report for the second fiscal quarter of 1996 that was
released this week, C & T reported that revenues for Q4 1996 were $48.2
million, a 26% increase over the $38.3 million earned in the same quarter
the previous year. Net income for the quarter had increased 106% from the
same quarter the previous year, up to $9.8 million resulting in $0.42
earnings per share.
www.chips.com
MetaTools Acquires Real Time Geometry Corp.
MetaTools, a California-based Macintosh graphics tools vendors, recently
announced their acquisition of Real Time Geometry Corp., a company
specializing in real-time 3D for Macintosh, Windows, Unix and console
(Sega, PSX, Nintendo). Under the terms of the deal, MetaTools offered 1.3
million shares of their common stock in exchange for all of Real Time's
outstanding shares. MetaTools, which are responsible for many popular Mac
and Windows graphics tools including Kai's Power Tools, Bryce 2, KPT
Final Effects and Kai's Power GOO, have said that they will integrate
Real Time Geometry's technology into the current and future products.
www.metatools.com
3DS Plug-ins Popping Up Online
As a Christmas Eve present, Kinetix posted three new free plug-ins to
Compuserve, including a revised Reflection Map plug-in, a revised Path
Controller, Spherify and Camera Mapping. Since then, it has been reported
that 30-40 new plug-ins have been popping up on Compuserve from
customers. According to a Kinetix spokesperson, "Kinetix thinks it's
pretty amazing that a commercial software product is continually being
improved (for free) by dedicated users."
www.kinetix.com
Compuserve: GO KINETIX
QuickTime for Windows Support Grows
At MacWorld last week, Apple announced that several new companies have
joined the QuickTime 2.5 for Windows co-development team, including
Allegiant Technologies, Electric Image, miro Computer Products, Inc.,
Strata, Specular and Terran Interactive. These new memebers join the key
companies already involved: Adobe, Broderbund, Equilibrium, Macromedia,
Media 100 and Truevision. In addition, over 100 hardware and software
vendors have endorsed QT 2.5 for Windows.
quicktime.apple.com
ROBOTIX: MARS MISSION
Premiering this month at the Carnegie Science Center (Carnegie Mellon
University), is ROBOTIX: MARS MISSION, which is being described as "the
first example of interactive virtual reality cinema." The demonstration
utilizes a SPITZ ElecticHorizon virtual reality theater, with graphics
generated in real-time on an SGI ONYX platform. ROBOTIX is a simulation
of an exploration for life on Mars, and is based on real data and
information gathered by NASA during Mars missions. For information,
contact the ROBOTIX Project Director, Carl Loeffler:
cel@andrew.cmu.edu
(412) 681-7142
VRML Resources on the Web
Here's a couple of interesting VRML resources that we've run across on
the Web lately:
Greg Seidman's Browser Implementation Comparison list the 10 most
prominent VRML 2.0 browsers and compares their features and capabilities,
including script node languages, rendering library and advanced VRML 2.0
feature support.
zing.ncsl.nist.gov/~gseidman/vrml/comparison.html
The VRML Test Suite, sponsored by NIST, offers a number of resources for
VMRL testing and compliance, including an abstract on "Interactive
Conformance Testing for VRML," as well NIST's tests for VRML 2.0
compliance.
www.itl.nist.gov/div897/ctg/vrml/vrml.htm
Touch-3D 2.0
Lundstrom Design of Stockholm, Sweden, has released version 2.0 of their
flagship modeling application for the Macintosh, Touch-3D. Touch-3D 2.0
began as a utility that imported models and "flattened" them into
foldable 2D images, and now version 2.0 adds 3D modeling tools, support
for colors and layers, and import/export capability for 3DMF, DXF,
MiniCad and Adobe Illustrator. Other additions include a unique "unfold"
view, four drawing modes, spline tools, knife tools, and improved
printing capabilities. Touch-3D is available through Lundstrom's US
distributor, PaXar Technologies for $395.
www.csbcomp.com/PaXar/home.html
Wave Issue 9701 1/17/96 Article 1-01