May 25, 2004 – Paris, France

For Immediate Release
Category: Interactive 3D Applications / Technology

Virtual Laval 2004 Highlights Virtools™ Technological Prowess

Paris, France. May 25, 2004 - Virtools™, the leading provider of solutions for interactive 3D, was a pervasive force at the 6 th International Conference on Virtual Reality and the Laval Virtual 2004 exhibition, recently held on May 12-14, 2004.

 

Virtools, the enabling technology for interactive 3D applications

Laval Virtual featured numerous Virtools partners and clients including Nautilus, Progistik, Clarté, EDF, Immersion SA, Esia, ISTIA Innovation, Ondim and Simteam.

Visitors from around the globe had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a wide range of virtual environments developed using Virtools technology.

Over 10 "Made with Virtools" applications were shown on various visualization platforms such as a CAVE (Clarté's SAS Cube) and the impressive 15-meter wide triple screen marking the entrance to the exhibition. Thanks to such hands-on virtual experiences, visitors gained a new understanding of the breadth of applications made possible with Virtools.

Virtools is Laval Virtual's prized technology

	Several trophies including the Laval Virtual Grand Prize were awarded to applications Made with Virtools, providing tangible evidence of Virtools' key role in the ever-growing virtual reality and simulation industries. Virtools is proud to have been at the heart of many applications seen at Laval Virtual, notably those that received the Grand Jury Prize and the "Village de la Création" Special Award.
	Laval Virtual 2004 Prize for Architecture and Grand Jury Prize Nautilus awarded in the Architecture category also received the Grand Jury Prize for its virtual visit Laval XVIII , which immerses viewers in a historically authentic reconstruction of the city of Laval in the 1700s. www.nautilus-crea.com Art Director: Erik Geslin
	Laval Virtual 2004 Prize for Art & Culture Electronic Shadow received the Art & Culture award for its interactive installation Ex-îles . The installation features a natural shadow projected in water that leaves a luminous trail as it travels back and forth between a virtual island and a real island. www.electronicshadow.com/exiles Yacine Aït Kaci and Naziha Mestaoui
	"Village de la Création" Special Award Students in the DESS ITIHM-RV program at France 's University of Angers were awarded for their application Virtual Katana , which stages a samurai duel in a poetic virtual environment reminiscent of medieval Japan. Authors: Julien Criner, Guillaume Ader, Cyril Barroso

Virtools, official partner of the Laval Virtual Student Competition

Again this year Virtools actively promoted the Laval Virtual Student Competition, a contest during which students create applications on-site during the Laval Virtual Exhibition. Students have a limited time to develop demos using the technology of their choice.

Virtools' investment in the competition ranged from participation in contest organization to contribution of Virtools Dev 3.0 licenses available for use by students during the competition.

As prizes to encourage students to continue creating exceptional applications, the top 10 jury-selected projects received full Virtools Dev 3.0 licenses.

About Virtools™

Virtools launched its commercial activities in 1993 with consulting and services targeting the VR sector. With the needs of this and other key markets in mind, Virtools built the company's initial software solution, Virtools Dev. As an Independent Software Vendor since Q4 1999, Virtools has become the leading provider of comprehensive software development solutions for building highly interactive 3D content.

With several thousands of users throughout the world, the Virtools Software Suite enables prototyping, development and deployment of offline and online/networked video games, along with applications in the fields of industrial simulation/virtual reality and marketing/multimedia.

Virtools clients include industry leaders such as Procter & Gamble, EDF, EADS, CEA, CNRS, France Telecom, Matsushita, American Department of Energy, Intel, Publicis Networks/Renault, Arte TV and L'Oréal, as well as major game studios such as Electronic Arts, Microïds, Microsoft, Warner Bros Online, Blue Fang Games and Ubisoft.

Among its VR/Simulation partners, Virtools counts Barco, Orad, HP, Nvidia, Intersense, Ascension Technologies and Advanced Realtime Tracking.

More information at: http://www.virtools.com

Press contacts

Virtools SA
93 rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris
Julie ERCOLANI
ercolani@virtools.com
+33 1 42 71 46 86