Since Virtools’ first software release in 1999, the company has continued enhancing the Virtools Dev platform to offer robust solutions for creating real-time 3D applications with complex interactivity.
Our constant technological evolution is based on market needs and client feedback as well as technical advancements in the field. Virtools’ pivotal strength lies in the technology’s unique core concepts, which enable rapid prototyping and optimal content production in highly reduced timeframes. With these goals in mind, Virtools built Dev 3.5 to incorporate an improved rendering pipeline and reinforce overall production workflow.

• New Video Engine
  Take advatange of the new DirectShow-based video engine and embed high-quality video in textures or in fullscreen video playbacks.
  
• Native VRML Loader
  Integrate native VRML objects for use in Virtools Dev as any other 3D resource.
  
• OpenGL Rasterizer 1.5
  Free yourself to exploit improved OpenGL 1.5 performances comparable to that of DirectX9 in the Virtools Dev render engine.
  
• Resource and Explorer Thumbnail Previews
  Preview media assets and resources used in Virtools compositions, both in the Windows Explorer interface and in the Data Resources window in Virtools Dev.
  
• Point Clouds & 3D Textures
  Access new 3D object descriptions that can be now processed directly into the Virtools Dev’s authoring platform.
  
• VRSDK: the VR Pack’s dedicated SDK
  Get access to specifi c VRPlayer functions and customize your VR deployment.
  
• Shaders and Materials Resources
  Drag and drop Shaders and Materials from Virtools Resources to the 3D View and to the Virtools Level Manager.
  

Virtools Dev 3.5 - New Features

New Video Engine

Using DirectShow, the new Video Setup provides better performance, synchronized sound, and flexible image sizes, and supports non-RGB encoding and recent standard codecs and formats - .wmv, .mpeg, .divX, and even .mov - either as textures or in fullscreen video playback. In addition, the video setup enables:

• Flux Camera Live: "Live" video feed from a video camera
• Videos with soundtracks read from local hard drives or streamed continually from a server.
• Video in Real-time 3D: combine 2D video with shaders for real time video effects such as Chroma Key, Posterization, etc.

Three video modes are supported:

• High Texture high-quality video as a texture (for known target platforms with DirectX 9.0C.)
• Cinematic: high-quality video in full screen overlay (for general target platforms.)
• Low Texture: low-quality video as texture (for general target platforms; as implemented prior to Dev 3.5.)

The user can specify which video renderer to use (DX8 or DX9c) as well as which mode (fullscreen overlay or texture.)

Native VRML Loader

A longstanding CAD standard, VRML objects can now be loaded by drag and drop from a Virtools Resource, from the Resource > Import File pulldown menu.

OpenGL Rasterizer 1.5

Improved OpenGL performance comparable to that of DirectX9 is now possible thanks to the new OpenGL 1.5 rasterizer. This new release exploits the capabilities of Vertex Buffer Objects.

 

Resource and Explorer Thumbnail Previews

Thanks to thumbnail previews, you can preview media assets and resources used in Virtools compositions. When in "Thumbnail" mode, previews of various Virtools resource libraries (.cmo & .nmo only) can be seen directly in Windows Explorer, as well as the Data Resources window in Virtools Dev. Note: a .cmo or .nmo must have been saved with a thumbnail preview for the thumbnail to be visible.

VRSDK: the VR Pack's dedicated SDK

The VRSDK provides access to specific VRPlayer functions so as to facilitate intergration in Dev of external modules programmed in C++. One of the main features is to enable the implementation of "warping" and "edge blending" algorithms.

 

Shader & Materials

With Virtools Dev 3.5, users can now drag and drop Shaders (.fx) and Materials (.nmo containing a material) from Virtools Resources to the 3D View and Schematic. Moreover, ready-to-use Materials (usually with Shaders) from a Data Resource enable to create advanced visual effects quickly and efficiently.

 

Point Clouds & 3D Textures

With the integration of the Point Clouds feature, millions of points can be optimally stored and displayed, with associated functionalities such as addition of attributes for each point, display of such points by shaders, collision management and level of detail. Point clouds technical samples are also included.
By supporting 3D textures, Virtools Dev 3.5 facilitates the creation of classic 3D visualization applications: interactive positioning of clipping planes, modification of look-up tables, as well as filtering and treatment by programmable shaders.

 

SDK/VSL

The Virtools SDK development program moves up to Visual Studio.net 2003.