March 1998, Volume 15, No. 3
Real-time collaboration over the net:
Sun rises over VR horizon
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March 1998, Volume 15, No. 3 |
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Sun Microsystems Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.; www.sun.com), a technology developer best known for its UNIX-based workstations and the Java language for the Internet, has strengthened its commitment to the virtual reality marketplace via its acquisition of a one-time VR market leader. Sun has acquired the patent portfolio and other technical assets of the former VPL Research Inc., a pioneering firm in the field of virtual reality and networked 3D graphics, from France-based electronics giant Thomson-CSF (www.thomson-csf.com) and Greenleaf Medical Systems Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.; www.greenleaf med.com). Under the agreement, Sun has acquired the worldwide rights to more than a dozen key patents and related technologies. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The technology and patents relate to fundamental concepts of VR and networked 3D graphics, including networked computer interaction, datagloves and other computer wearables, image rendering and manipulation, and standards for programming software for virtual environments. VPL, thanks in part to the charisma of its founder, Jaron Lanier, enjoyed a reputation in the early 1990s as perhaps the leading developer of VR systems and peripherals. However, the bubble burst on the company when it defaulted on loans made by Thomson's venture capital branch, and Thomson acquired all rights to the patents. Greenleaf Medical, meanwhile, has maintained the VPL intellectual property and other assets since VPL's collapse. In the area of virtual reality, Sun has developed virtual holographic workstations, virtual portals (three-screen immersive projection displays), the Java 3D View Model (a VR viewing model for the Java 3D package), as well as a VR authoring and display package, and a virtual camera. In keeping with its policy of developing to and offering open industry standards, Sun intends to incorporate the VPL technologies into the Java 3D model and its other graphics products. Virtual reality, which received recognition earlier in the decade for its impact on the entertainment industry, has recently gained widespread interest for its importance to the emerging market of interactive communications. Many experts believe real-time computer-generated 3D synthetic environments are becoming the user interface to the Internet. VR and networked 3D graphics are increasingly being used in such areas as mechanical CAD; medical imaging; education, training and simulation; product development and testing basically, any instance where large databases of representative information (often involving multiple senses) are used interactively across a network. "Sun's commitment to open systems and the new paradigm
created by the Java platform will provide a context for the formulation of
competitive strategies by both VR users and developers," said Jaron
Lanier, now the lead scientist for the National Tele-immersion Initiative,
a coalition of research universities working to create the next
generation of VR applications on the Internet." The next generation of
applications will have to deal with a level of complexity that other
leading platforms cannot address. VR-based applications will be needed
in order to manage giant databases and networks, advanced
medical imaging, and fast turnaround mechanical design. And all of
these mega-applications will have to support real-time collaboration
over the Net." Sun will be a voting member of the Consortium, and will promote the compatibility and interoperability of its Java 3D API and the VRML 97 standard. Sun and the VRML Consortium intend to establish a Consortium working group to explore closer integration of Java 3D and VRML. Any proposed changes to the VRML specification will be subject to the Consortium's open review, approval and voting process. Sun is also contemplating future adaptations of the Java 3D specification to enable closer integration with VRML. VRML 97 is an open, ubiquitous standard for the encapsulation, delivery and playback of interactive 3D graphics on the Internet or intranet. It was recently ratified by the ISO as an international standard (see ISR, February 1998). The Java 3D API can be used to develop programmed applications and applets that model, animate, simulate and view 3D content. VRML development programs and VRML viewers can be implemented using the Java 3D API. VRML is well suited for encapsulating 3D content created by modeling and animation authoring tools. Sun will provide developers with a Java-based VRML 97 "time-zero" geometry loader and a VRML browser tool. These will be incorporated into the utility library to be released after the Java 3D API version 1.0 Sample Implementation is released; a beta release is expected by the end of April. |
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