January 31, 2000 - Paris, France

Virtools SA and Ipion Virtual Physics GmbH join forces to deliver real-time 3D dynamics on the Web.

Virtools and Ipion to provide a physics behavior library for Virtools Creation, bringing real-time dynamics to non-programmers for the first time.

Virtools S.A. announced its collaboration with game physic engine maker Ipion Virtual Physics GmbH to bring real time dynamics to its Virtools™ interactive 3D authoring tool. With the new physics behaviors library, Virtools allows multimedia developers to create interactive 3D applications for the Web and CD-Rom in a user-friendly environment, with the extremely convincing real-time dynamics.

Introducing the physics behaviors library, Virtools SA delivers on the promise of bringing cutting-edge 3D game technology to non-programmers, boosting the interactive experience on the Web. This integration of an advanced physics engine in the Virtools environment again puts Virtools's clean code and easy-to-use architecture to the test, and demonstrates the ability of Virtools to adapt and keep up with the latest technology, making it available to non-programmers faster than any other authoring environment.

"Virtools makes it really easy to construct interactive virtual environments and it is going to be the ideal integration platform for different technologies. Now, Ipion's physical behaviors grant Virtools users access to the great interactive potential of physics simulation in an easy way", said Oliver Gross, Product Manager of Ipion."

"With the Ipion physics behaviors, Virtools raises the bar in terms of interactive 3D experience on the Web, said Francois Dujardin, Director of Marketing of Virtools. The range of use for physics on the Web include games, product presentation, edutainment, training. The possibilities are endless. And implementation has never been as fast: drag and drop behaviors on objects, click play, and see them behave according to the laws of physics."

A free demo of physics at work in Virtools is now available, featuring a user-controlled car driving through an arena of obstacles, showing the various effects allowed by physics simulation. Virtools users will be able to manipulate the new behaviors in Virtools's visual interface, to learn about the supported features.

To preview the Demo, here's what you need to do:

Download and run PHYSICS.EXE. Install it into your "//Virtools Web Plugin/Behs/" directory.

Ready? (You may need to close and relaunch your browser if you've already looked at other Virtools Compositions before installing this EXE)

See the Ipion car physics demo.

About Virtools
Headquartered in Paris, Virtools S.A. is the leading providers of 3D interactive media authoring tools, serving the game development, post-production and presentation markets with the company's flagship product, Virtools™ Creation. Virtools allows non-technical users to graphically and intuitively add behaviors and interactivity to 3D models, scenes and environments without any programming skills. Virtools has received a number of industry accolades and is in use throughout Europe and North America.

About Ipion Virtual Physics GmbH
Based in Munich, Ipion is the Developer of the Ipion Virtual Physics Engine. Using a C++ Software Development Kit, game developers can easily enrich their virtual worlds by real-time capable and physically correct interactivity. The high-performance physics SDK includes super-fast and robust collision detection, rigid-body simulation, buoyancy, constraints, actuators like springs or forces, vehicle dynamics and much more. Top game developers like Valve Llc. (Halflife) rely on the groundbreaking Ipion technoloy.

Interactive demo available at www.ipion.com