Press Releases
Bitmanagement joins the Web3D Consortium
Peter Schickel,
CEO, Bitmanagement
+49 8151 971708
Major VRML and X3D browser vendor joins key industry standardization forum
April 4, 2005 - San Francisco, CA - The Web3D Consortium today announced that Bitmanagement Software GmbH, a major provider of 3D viewer software based on the VRML™, X3D™ and MPEG-4 ISO standards, has joined the Web3D Consortium to assist in developing and promoting the X3D specification. Bitmanagement is a long-time supporter of the X3D standardization effort and is now joining the Consortium to take an active role in influencing the evolution of this ISO standard that integrates the delivery of real-time 3D graphics with the power of XML on the Web.
The X3D ISO standard defines a runtime system and delivery mechanism for real time 3D content and applications running on a network. X3D supports several file format encodings and programming languages, providing unsurpassed interoperability for 3D data and significant flexibility in manipulating, communicating and displaying scenes interactively. X3D incorporates the latest advances in graphics hardware to provide the best performance and visual impact in an extensible architecture that supports ongoing evolution. X3D’s XML-encoded scene graph enables 3D to be incorporated into web services architectures and distributed environments, facilitating the movement of 3D data between applications.
“The integration of video and 3D graphics, often named augmented reality, is going to experience an explosive growth in the coming years, and the X3D standard combines the possibilities of augmented reality with XML ubiquity on the Internet that has raised significant interest in the CAD, architecture, games and geography visualization markets,” said Peter Schickel, CEO of Bitmanagement. “We believe in the power of true open standards to create market opportunities and we look forward to working within the Web3D Consortium to help make X3D an even more powerful platform for delivering real 3D solutions to real customers.”
“Bitmanagement has made key contributions to the X3D specification over the years and now the X3D team is delighted they are ready to take a more active role,” observed Tony Parisi, president of Media Machines and co-chair of Web3D’s X3D Working Group. “It is through close cooperation between the key browser vendors that X3D will become an ever more pervasive and reliable platform for real-time 3D applications everywhere.”
“We warmly welcome Bitmanagement joining the Web3D Consortium and we look forward to working closely with them to constantly improve X3D’s functionality and inter-vendor conformance,” stated Neil Trevett, senior vice president of 3Dlabs and president of the Web3D Consortium. “VRML and X3D are widely used in Europe and Bitmanagement can greatly assist the Consortium in strengthening our education and outreach programs for European developers and users.”
Contributions from technologists at Bitmanagement will help the Consortium further accelerate the rate of cutting-edge graphics innovation in the annual X3D ISO-specification updates. “The Web3D Consortium has long recognized that European markets, members and users are key to driving worldwide industry adoption of Web3D standards including VRML, X3D and H-Anim (Humanoid Animation). That is why the annual Web3D Symposium has alternated between being hosted in North America and Europe for 10 years in a row,” noted Don Brutzman, of the Naval Postgraduate School MOVES Institute and co-chair of Web3D’s X3D Working Group. “Their interactive CAD, stereovision and soccer demonstrations shown at last week’s Web3D Symposium in Bangor Wales are simply great. Color us excited! An active role by Bitmanagement and its users will enable interactive 3D content and systems to be created in more time zones than ever before.”
About Bitmanagement Software GmbH
Bitmanagement Software GmbH is located near Munich, Germany and provides interactive 3D software for the internet based on the VRML, X3D and MPEG-4 ISO standards. Founded in 2002 by the former client team of blaxxun interactive AG, Bitmanagement’s product, BS Contact VRML/X3D, is a 3D multimedia viewer used by many companies and individuals around the world. As a proven and powerful client, BS Contact VRML/X3D is used for the visualization of interactive 3D content, in the area of CAD, Manufacturing, Simulation, Training, Virtual Worlds and 3D product presentation. More information is available at: www.bitmanagement.com.
About the Web3D Consortium
The Web3D Consortium is a member-funded industry consortium committed to the creation and deployment of open, royalty-free standards that enable the communication of real-time 3D across applications, networks, and XML web services. The Consortium works closely with the ISO, MPEG and W3C standardization bodies to maximize market opportunities for its membership. All Consortium members are empowered to participate and vote in Consortium working groups and are able to accelerate the delivery of their cutting-edge 3D platforms and applications through access to specification drafts and conformance tests before public deployment. More information on the Consortium and Consortium membership is available at web3d.org.