July 26, 2000 - New Orleans, Louisiana
Siggraph 2000 - Stand #2249

Virtools and Havok execute first game design competition through a web browser.

Virtools, the makers of a powerful authoring tool for online entertainment and Havok, a physics provider to many leading AAA game titles have successfully completed the first open competition to design an online game through a web browser.

The competition was created to demonstrate the power and flexibility of Virtools's behavioral engine and challenge game developers to take advantage of the potential of real-time physics simulation. The physics functionality is the result of Virtools's collaboration with Havok. This new, powerful library of physics behaviors allows programmers and non-programmers alike flexible, quick access to this important block of interactivity in 3D real-time environments. Havok physical behaviors reduce the bandwidth requirements for online games, allowing more players and more dynamic gaming environments than ever before. The physics behaviors will be available with the next generation of the Virtools family of products, along with other functionalities, like patch mesh and skin animations which reduce file size for web distribution.

Five short weeks, that's all the time that the contestants had with real-time physics behaviors to create fun, easy to use, addictive and seductive games. The winners have been announced and the games can be viewed and played online at www.theswapmeet.com.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Hayes
Havok
IRL +353-1-6778705
paul.hayes@havok.com


Virtools S.A.
+33 (0) 1 42 71 46 86
info@virtools.com

About Havok
Havok has a technology focus and is breaking new ground in applying physics simulation to the delivery of interactive 3D content in computer games and online 3D applications. The Havok engine is a key differentiator at the heart of the $20bn global gaming industry. It is fast, robust, scalable and currently available on PlayStation II and PC.

Havok provides designers with powerful dynamics tools in a familiar design environment. Worlds can be designed, tested and interacted with in real-time. MAX Havok is designed for 3D Studio MAX version 3.0 and allows artists and animators to perform dynamics simulation inside MAX and to update animation keyframes so that high quality rendered animations can be produced rapidly. With the click of a button, the designer can interact with their creation, making physically realistic animation fast and easy.

With offices in Palo Alto, California, Munich, Germany and Dublin Ireland, Havok is the game technology wing of Telekinesys Research Limited. Havok develop, market and license a comprehensive suite of software products that enable game developers to add real-time dynamism to their game titles.

About Virtools
Headquarted in Paris, Virtools SA produces a suite of interactive 3D development tools for creating game, entertainment and web 3D content - and is swiftly earning a strong reputation for itself. Virtools Creation permits non-programmers to create rich interactivity through graphs and behavior building blocks, and Virtools Dev gives cutting edge game developers access to the underlying code for the power, flexibility and control they need to bring creative ideas to realization. Both products streamline the production process, are well adapted to episodic content, and are used by industry leaders including Havas Interactive, Microids and TerraTools.