Caligari Corporation Launches Pioneer and Pro, Two New VRML Authoring Tools
for Creating Cool 3-D Web Sites

Build and browse realistic 3-D home worlds, then publish them FREE on the
Web

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - MAY 16, 1996 - Caligari Corporation, an industry leader
in interactive 3-D products, today announced that Caligari Pioneer
(previously code-named Fountain) and Caligari Pioneer Pro, are now
available from Caligari's web site at http://www.caligari.com. In
addition, Caligari is offering purchasers of either product public space
on Caligari's web site to effortlessly publish their 3-D creations.

Caligari Pioneer and Pioneer Pro are the first authentic VRML (Virtual
Reality Modeling Language) tools for building and browsing
three-dimensional "home worlds" on the World Wide Web. Both products are
designed to build 3-D VRML web sites with realistic-looking graphical
environments that are

easy and fun to browse. Pioneer is VRML software designed for anyone
wishing to browse and build 3-D web sites. Pioneer Pro is designed for
professional web site developers who require more sophisticated modeling
tools for commercial 3-D environments.

"The World Wide Web is the next fast-emerging platform for 3-D
communication and interaction," said Roman Ormandy, president of Caligari
Corporation. "Existing VRML authoring tools are either too basic or
require extensive programming skills. Pioneer and Pioneer Pro are the
first VRML modeling tools that go beyond the simplistic building block
metaphor and encourage users to apply their creativity to develop their
own unique virtual communities."

"I've explored nearly every single method for creating VRML scenes, but I
keep coming back to Pioneer," said VRML content developer Robert Saint
John of WebWorlds. "Pioneer gives me the type of modeling tools typically
found in much more expensive 3-D packages. Creating a complex object, such
as a plant, would be quite difficult by hand or with other world building
tools. With Pioneer, my only limit is coming up with new ideas for VRML
worlds!"

The Pioneer product line incorporates Caligari's popular easy-to-use
interface with powerful VRML authoring tools and fast VRML browsing
capabilities. In addition, the Pioneer line offers the following
features:

3-D Perspective Interface

While most programs force users to work in wireframe mode or a 2- D window,
the Pioneer products let users work in a natural 3-D perspective space and
manipulate shaded solid objects in real time. This intuitive workspace
encourages users to interact with their worlds as they create objects for
them.

3-D Modeling for Creating High-Quality Objects

The Pioneer product line offers many new and existing modeling features
found in Caligari-s flagship product, trueSpace, such as:

3-D Boolean Operations - This feature is beneficial for creating complex
objects by subtracting, intersecting or joining existing objects.

Lighting - Add and move around spotlights in real-time.

Extrusion - Draw 2-D objects, then easily 'sweep' them into 3-D.

Import Capabilities - In addition to reading VRML files, the Pioneer
products can re-use existing objects created in Caligari trueSpace2,
Autodesk AutoCAD and 3D Studio, Alias Wavefront, Imagine and LightWave.

3-D Guide Help Technology - This unique VRML-based guide helps new users
get up and running quickly with 3-D tutorials on Pioneer tasks and tools.

One-Click VRML Browsing

The product allows users to switch between browsing and editing their 3-D
worlds with one mouse click. Caligari's VRML browser supports textures,
hyperlinks, Levels Of Detail (LOD) and inlining. It offers built-in HTTP
networking and communicates with HTML browsers such as Netscape or
Enhanced

Mosaic through Microsoft's Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) technology. Since
the navigation controls of Caligari Pioneer and Pioneer Pro are fashioned
after those of popular computer games, users familiar with games such as
DOOM will find it easy to navigate through VRML worlds.

3-D Sound

Caligari's Pioneer products support 3-D sound, such as Intel's Realistic
Sound Experience (RSX) audio technology. Users can attach a sound to an
object that will change volume and position depending on the visitor's
proximity to that object.

Streamlined VRML Navigation

Pioneer and Pioneer Pro allow users to create objects with LOD and inline
both objects and textures. With LOD, complex 3-D objects are represented
at lower resolutions when they are far away from the viewer. As the viewer
moves closer to these objects, additional details are revealed. Inlining
breaks up large environments into small pieces, so viewers can move
through environments immediately while the complete file downloads in the
background. Both products also employ constant frame rate technology,
which eliminates the jerky motion often experienced with other browsers.
These features improve the quality of the VRML browsing experience.

Virtual Neighborhoods

Caligari Pioneer and Pioneer Pro are the first VRML products to offer 3-D
bookmarks, or a 'Virtual Neighborhood.' Favorite VRML sites are marked
with a 3-D object from that site and saved in a Virtual Neighborhood for
faster reference.

Several Powerful Navigation Modes

Both programs offers four navigation modes: walking, flying, encircling and
move-to.

Caligari Pioneer Pro For the professional web site designer, Caligari
Pioneer Pro offers several advanced features, such as:

* Organic deformation for creating realistic-looking objects
* Dimensions in real world units (e.g. feet, inches, centimeters)
* Automatic generation of Levels Of Detail objects and inlining
  of objects and textures
* Automatic Polygon reduction for more efficient navigation
* Point, edge, face and context editing modifies any aspect of
  a 3-D object
* Multiple orthogonal or 3-D perspective views help users place
  objects accurately within their worlds

Free Transparent Internet Publishing

Purchasers of Pioneer or Pioneer Pro can effortlessly publish their worlds
on the World Wide Web without charge at Caligari's VRML Publishing World
web site. In addition, Caligari's VRML Publishing World will offer objects
that users can download and use in their own 'home worlds.'

Pricing and Availability

Pioneer and Pioneer Pro are available now from Caligari's web site at
http://www.caligari.com. Pioneer has a special introductory price of $99
and Pioneer Pro has a special introductory price of $495. Retail versions
of both products will be available from leading retail distributors in
July 1996.

System Requirements

The minimum requirements for Caligari Pioneer and Pioneer Pro are a fast
486DX with 8MB of RAM with either Windows 95, Windows NT or Windows 3.1
(with WIN32S). To access VRML worlds on the Web, a Web connection is
required. To comfortably navigate through large VRML worlds, a Pentium
with Windows 95, Windows NT or Windows 3.1 (with WIN32S) and a 28.8k modem
or direct Internet connection is recommended.

About Caligari Corporation

Founded in 1986, Caligari's mission is to develop and market software for
collaborative 3-D worlds where people can learn, play and work. This
mission is based on a paradigm shift from seeing the PC as a machine
serving existing communication media (such as press or video) to seeing PC
networks as a new communication medium in themselves.

In addition to moving aggressively into VRML, Caligari's retail product
line consists of trueSpace/SE, the entry-level standard for 3-D graphics
and animation for Windows, and trueSpace2 for Windows, a

professional-level software program which combines workstation-class
modeling, rendering and animation with the manipulation of texture-mapped
3-D objects in real time. trueSpace2 was chosen as the highest-rated 3-D
illustration software by InfoWorld and awarded the 1996 Digital Video
Magazine Award of Excellence, a five-star rating in Multimedia World and a
Highly Recommended rating from PC Graphics & Video.

Caligari Corporation is headquartered at 1933 Landings Dr., Mountain View,
California, 94043. Phone: 800-351-7620 or 415-390-9600. Fax: 415-390-9755.
Web site: http://www.caligari.com/
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners!
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email:   rbakerpc@aol.com   --or--   rbakerpc@delphi.com
 =========================================================
