Sept. 25, 2002 - Paris, France

For Immediate Release -
Category : Software / Interactive 3D Applications / Conferences

Virtools™ Projects and Conferences Highlighted at La Villette-Numérique

Paris, France - Sept. 25, 2002 -Virtools™, the leading provider of 3D interactive media authoring tools, participated in the first biennial festival of digital creation, La Villette-Numérique, in Paris, France, from Sept 24-29, 2002. Conferences and projects were presented by Virtools partners, artists, and clients, including France Telecom R&D.

Two R&D applications for France Telecom created with Virtools technology will be presented for the first time in public:

"3D Sound Encounters", an application illustrating the development of 3D sound technology

As part of its collaborations with industrial leaders, Virtools worked with France Télécom R&D to integrate and explore 3D sound technology. The general public branch of France Télécom R&D showed the application "3D Sound Encounters", an institutional demonstration to highlight France Telecom R&D's 3D sound technology, through a choreography of monophonic-stereophonic-ambisonic sound and environmental effects.

Interactive applications by France Télécom showing value-added research

France Télécom R&D integrated its proprietary technology into the Virtools development platform and created interactive applications to let people experience the five senses, still so underdeveloped in Internet projects. The demonstrations offer broadcasting of flavors, vocal commands, and virtual touch via force feedback to perform various actions such as drawing on an object in 3D. The visitor is immersed in an audio and visual environment that includes voice recognition commands to extract objects from an image onscreen. The object appears to be rendered in 3D and visitors can smelle thme, move them around the screen, write on the surrounding space and even decorate them.


Three artists' projects using Virtools's technology:

"NEWYORKEXITNEWYORK" by Martin Lenclos and Priam Givord

NEWYORKEXITNEWYORK defines itself as a "3D urban glide experience". It is a real-time 3D installation through which one can navigate freely by means of a joystick. The spectator can take command of the installation and surf through the high rises and streets of New York. The 3D universe is made up of photographic textures of the city.

"The XIIIth Century Silk Route", by Florent Aziosmanoff

This application proposes a discovery of the silk route by experiencing the journey. In a landscape which extends from Italy to China, the spectator encounters on his travels 55 various documents, texts and images floating in air like pages torn out of a travel journal.

"an (un)foreseeable consequence (s)," by Ludovic Duchâteau

This interactive installation considers the degree of predictability involved in the consequences of an act -- in this case, a simple gesture. The spectator is invited to draw with the computer mouse, generating lines on the screen. The lines in turn produce complex 3-dimensional shapes accompanied by a range of sounds.


Virtools participates in two conferences:

Ludovic Duchâteau, application designer at Virtools, will participate in the Round Table moderated by Etienne Amato of the organization Anomos, on the topic of "Games and the Digital Creation." He will present Virtools and will speak about the history of the software and its implications in the field of game design.
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie - Friday 27th of September from 2:30-5:00 p.m.

Jean-Marc Gauthier, author of a book on animating 3D worlds with Virtools, entitled "Creating Interactive 3D Actors and their Worlds," and professor at New York University (Interactive Telecommunications Program), will present his work on interactive virtual cinema and his current research on new interfaces: physical sensors, cordless phones, projection systems and artificial intelligence, which contribute to establishing new forms of communication between viewers and interactive virtual actors. His students' projects made with Virtools are also on view in the festival.
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie - Sunday 29th of September from 2:30-5:00 p.m.

More info on La Vilette Numérique: http://www.villette-numerique.com

About Virtools™

Founded in 1993, Virtools S.A. is the leading provider of 3D interactive media authoring tools - Virtools' mission is to enhance clients' business performance. Using advanced real-time 3D content development tools and proven production processes, Virtools is a market leader in delivering high quality, efficient, cost-effective business solutions for e-learning, e-marketing and game markets, for the web or CD-ROM. Costs and timeframes are kept under control through a scalable set of software and server-based solutions that reduce the risks associated with developing interactive 3D applications.

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

Press contacts

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