We would like to thank all visitors to the Web3D booth at Siggraph!
The August 2007 Siggraph exhibition gathered Web3D consortium members from around the world together to show their latest ISO standard X3D based application for social networking, 3D Medical imaging, scientific visualization and 3D education. This year Web3D had an exhibition booth twice the size as last year with half a dozen web3D company exhibitors. Read on:
The August 2007 Siggraph exhibition gathered Web3D consortium members from around the world together to show their latest ISO standard X3D based application for social networking, 3D Medical imaging, scientific visualization and 3D education. This year Web3D had an exhibition booth twice the size as last year with half a dozen web3D company exhibitors. Read on:
SenseGraphics showed their new MedX3D browser developed specifically for the medical imaging industry with hands-on demonstrations of H3DAPI, the SenseGraphics software package that medical and dental applications can use to integrate haptics with 3D visualization. SenseGraphics is part of the MedX3D project team contracted by TATRC to develop a new medical X3D browser with DICOM import capabilities. An update on the TATRC project was delivevered by Dr. Mike Aratow as part of their Siggraph Web3D MedX3D BoF event.
More information on SenseGraphics MedX3D work is to be found here!
Web3D was honored to host the Octaga corporation of Norway again this year. John Arthur, CTO of Octaga, had this to tell me: “Based on the informal discussions we have had, the overall impression of X3D is positive. There was a lot of interest around the Web3D booth from all sorts of different people from academics and enthusiasts to those interested in specific industrial applications. Of those we spoke to there are about ten or so good leads, and of those I would say there were 2 very good leads. BTW thanks for bringing over the likes of Quest3D and IBM to have a chat with us.”
“Otherwise it was great to meet existing and potential users in the general 3D graphics space, and the atmosphere at SIGGRAPH is always exciting and inspirational. I always go home from SIGGRAPH with many grand plans about all the fantastic algorithms I am going to implement. Though these plans dont always work out - LOL!”
Also returning this year was Bitmanagement of Germany. Axel Koerfer of Bitmanagement claims, “Siggraph 2007 showed the increased attention of the industry for web 3D technologies. Presentations at the BOF meetings of COLLADA, GIS (the CartoBoF), and Multiuser apart from the Web3D tech talk proved the rising awarness of our standard. From the feeback we at Bitmanagement gained at the booth we are really convinced that online 3D applications are leaving the R&D niche moving into the consumer world.”
Alan Hudson, current Web3D President and President of Yumetech is starting a new X3D training program. “Yumetech had a good response to our new X3D and Xj3D training program. Next one is Sept 18-20. Here is more info. “This is the first commercially available X3D training program offered for sale in the Web3D booth at Siggraph. The response levels where exciting,” says Alan.
Additionally, Chris Thorne of Ping Interactive Broadband was sponsored by Systemic to show off a beta cross platform avatar event. Say’s Chris, “I achieved the humble goals of what I intended: a successful MU Web3d virtual world online and demo-ed on the show floor. A big measure of success for me was that while using it I met my oldest daughter in-world, who had logged in from Perth and was running around as an Indian maid. The MU virtual world BOF was also a great success. About 14 people, with demos from Don, Bitmanagement, Planet 9, me, Media Machines and the guy who does the VERSE open source project all showed. There might have been another demonstrator but that’s all off the top of my head. That was without any advertising, reminders, agenda and presenters organised in advance. So I will run another next year and do it all properly.”
I like to think of this year’s avatar showcase as something of a “teaser” for what can be done, and now we will have a whole year to get organized to do it again at Siggraph 2008, and include as many open source avatar projects that we can find.
Check out the photos we have of Siggraph 2007.
Thanks to Jeff Weekley and Jeffrey Malnick of NPS for providing these videos of Sense Graphics, Bitmanagement, Planet9 and Yumetech.
Note that Web3D 2008 will be held next year two to three days before Siggraph officially opens on Monday, August 11. More info coming as soon as we know more from ACM.