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ParaGraph International Announces Multimedia 3D World Creation Software
for the Next Dimension in Web and Presentation Authoring
Virtual Home Space Builder 1.0, Commercial Edition, Allows Users to
Easily Create 3D Home "Worlds" on the Internet with Full Audio, Video and
Animation
December 11, 1995 - Campbell, CA -- ParaGraph International today announced
immediate availability of Virtual Home Space BuilderÙ 1.0 (VHSB) for the
Microsoft© WindowsÙ OS family (95, NT and 3.1). VHSB allows anyone to easily
create interactive 3D presentations or Web sites that include real-time,
interactive 3D graphics and full multimedia capabilities (sound, video,
animation, guided tours). An evaluation copy of VHSB is available at no
charge from ParaGraph's Home Page at http://www.paragraph.com.
VHSB 1.0 is the first software package to create a new paradigm for
online/interactive content creation and presentations: 3D "Home Spaces"Ù.
Unlike text-oriented 2D "pages", the current standard on the Web, VHSB Home
Spaces allow real-time, interactive 3D graphics and multimedia excitement
for web surfers. Presentations and Home Spaces on the Net take on new impact
as users wander in real-time through virtual museums, galleries, buildings,
even cities limited only by the creativity and imagination of its creator.
For Internet worlds, VHSB 1.0 enables any part of a created environment to
act as a URL link and users can easily incorporate text, sound, video, or
animations into their Home Spaces. VHSB 1.0 allows users with no
programming background to quickly and effectively create rich,
personalized environments that would normally take weeks of custom coding
with any other software.
To maximize the product's usefulness, VHSB can also be used as a multimedia
presentation software package for sales, training, or in-house
presentations.
Incorporating a simple, icon-oriented user interface with point-and-click,
drag-and-drop tools, VHSB can be learned in only a few minutes and mastered
in a few hours to create stunning interactive presentations and worlds.
Users can also easily create pre-planned "walking tours" of a world or
enable random exploration of an environment.
To further enhance the appearance and creation of virtual environments and
presentations, ParaGraph bundles hundreds of world templates, textures,
movies and sound files with VHSB. Users can easily import their own
multimedia (audio/graphic/video/animation) files directly into the program
to add personalized content to their Home Spaces.
VRML Features
Home spaces can be saved in the industry-standard VRML (Virtual Reality
Modeling Language) .WRL format or ParaGraph's own .MUS format for higher
performance and complete multimedia functionality.
VHSB is strictly compliant with the VRML 1.0 specification, meaning any
world saved as a VRML file can be read by any VRML browser on any CPU
platform. ParaGraph is providing its Virtual Home Space ViewerÙ free of
charge over the Internet and is working with Intervista Software, Inc. (San
Francisco, CA), Paper Software, Inc. (Woodstock NY) and other browser
companies to integrate the viewer into their VRML Web browsers by the first
quarter of 1996. This will enable any Web surfer to see and hear the full
audio/video impact of a VHSB world directly from their browser.
VHSB Applications and Capabilities
Ì Stand out from the 2D Web masses -- easy-to-create 3D Home Spaces
provide a real competitive and audio/visual edge
Ì Give your community a home -- rich, 3D interactive multimedia
environments to host virtual communities on the Web
Ì Bring advertising into a new dimension -- 3D messages enhanced with
background music, voice-overs, animations and digital video
VHSB Advantages
Ì Easily create Home Spaces using an intuitive interface
Ì Decorate Home Spaces with textures (including tiled and animated
textures, textures with transparent colors) and pictures using a simple
drag-and-drop metaphor
Ì Audio functionality includes attaching sounds (WAV, RealAudio),
recording sounds (WAV) and playing background music (MIDI)
Ì Animation functionality includes attaching and playing movies and video
(AVI, FLI)
Ì Attach text and URLs to screen objects
Ì Design and execute walking shows
Ì Provide extended function attachments (launch executable modules, link
Home Spaces)
Ì Support multifunction attachments (e.g. play sound clip, display text,
and then link to a URL)
Ì VHSB, Commercial Edition, includes an extended set of textures, movies,
templates and sample Home Spaces
Ì Automatically gather all media elements into a final distribution
package
Ì Export to VRML format with full VRML 1.0 compliance
ParaGraph and Industry Quotes
ÊVHSBÉs fluid interface makes world creation a click and drag process,Ë
said Mark Pesce, co-creator of the VRML standard and chair of the VRML
Architecture Group. ÊRich worlds, with colorful surfaces, texture maps,
pictures and links are all no more than a few clicks away.Ë
"Beneath VHSBÉs simple interface lies enough power to satisfy the most
creative imagination,Ë said Dr. Stepan Pachikov, president and CEO of
ParaGraph International. ÊOur goal is to extend the Web into a 3D universe
where anyone can easily create and distribute stunning, personal worlds
without tedious programming."
Dr. Pachikov also noted: "VHSB is the first important step in ParaGraph's
long-term vision: our Alter Ego project aimed at joining the East and West
using online 3D technology as a cultural bridge. VHSB is a unique product
for communicating ideas and concepts across the Internet in a visual,
natural manner. Not only can VHSB redefine how we present ourselves in
business, but also how we educate our children -- and that is something we
can all be proud of."
ÊParaGraph is at the forefront of high-performance 3D consumer software,Ë
said Mike McCue, CEO of Paper Software, Inc. ÊWe are very excited they have
chosen WebFX as their platform for delivering their rich and dynamic Virtual
Home Spaces.Ë
"VHSB, together with our WorldViewÙ browser, delivers the 3D promise of the
Web as a graphic medium for business and personal expression," said Tony
Parisi, president of Intervista Software, Inc. and co-creator of the VRML
standard. "Our cooperative efforts will enable WorldView users to
experience VHSB's multimedia features within the browser environment. All
VRML worlds are fully and accurately rendered in WorldView and we look
forward to offering our customers the fastest, most complete VRML browser
for personal computers."
Availability and Hardware Requirements
VHSB 1.0 Commercial Edition, which allows unlimited distribution rights for
developed content and includes extensive media files and templates is
available at a price of $495. VHSB Final Beta is available for
non-commercial (personal) use at a price of $49.95. Both products may be
ordered by calling (800) 810-0055. An evaluation version of the Final Beta
(limited functions) may be downloaded at no charge from the ParaGraph Web
site. The Virtual Home Space Viewer, ordering information for all ParaGraph
products and a number of examples / links to VHSB worlds are all found at
the ParaGraph site: [http://www.paragraph.com].
VHSB 1.0 requires a minimum 386/33 CPU, 4 MB of RAM and a VGA graphics
board, and ParaGraph strongly recommends a 486/50 or higher and 8 MB of RAM
for best rendering performance. In a marked departure from "bloatware"
products, VHSB takes up less than 2 MB of disk space (.EXE and .DLL files).
Company Information
ParaGraph International's product line bridges a number of technologies,
including 3D and VR applications, pen software, handwriting recognition and
compression technologies -- all centered around the company's unique
understanding of algorithmic design and implementation.
ParaGraph InternationalÉs mission is to identify innovative software
technologies throughout Russia, incubate them in Moscow, and market them
worldwide. During the early days of Perestroika, an entrepreneurial group
of RussiaÉs top scientists came together with the goal of building a
technological and cultural bridge between Russia and the West. This
eventually led to the founding of a US company, ParaGraph International, in
1991. In addition to 3D technology, ParaGraph has also developed the worldÉs
leading cursive handwriting recognition technology and is a leader in
voice/ink compression technologies.
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Virtual Home Space Builder, Virtual Home Space Viewer and Home Space are
trademarks of ParaGraph International. All other trademarks and registered
trademarks previously cited are hereby acknowledged and recognized
Press Contacts
John Poluektov (ParaGraph Marketing)
Phone: (408) 364-7740
E-mail: john@paragraph.com
http://www.paragraph.com
Editor's Note: Color Photography for VHSB is available