Virtual reality software and systems builder, Division Group Plc, looks to be moving into Superscape VR Plc’s territory with its new dVise for Windows NT software, but Superscape doesn’t mind. First shipments of the software, converted from the Unix
environment, are due at the end of this month at about $3,000 for the ready-to-go boxed kit. We priced the product at that point to compete with Superscape’s $5,000 VRT software, said Pierre duPont, marketing manager at Almondsbury, UK-based Division. Division got rid of the last of its hardware when it sold its high end graphics technologies to Hewlett-Packard Co (CI No 2937) and is now forming itself as a software and systems integration company. DVise for NT marks Division’s first entry into the PC market and its lowest entry product to date. Even though dVise is cheaper than our own Windows95 VRT virtual reality authoring software and Division is encroaching on our low end market, we don’t mind, said Tony Tuck, managing director of Superscape and former sales and marketing director at Division.
There is room for three or four more companies in the virtual reality market. We have a good relationship with Division and if they or another VR company were to go bust that would have a negative effect our business, he said, adding that the two
products were aimed at a slightly different market. Hook, Hampshire-based Superscape is due to launch a Windows NT version of its VRT software in the next few weeks. Division’s duPont said that a Windows95 version of the dVise software was currently in development, but until Microsoft irons out its bugs, there was no incentive to release it. Division said that no head-set will be offered with the Windows
NT version of dVise, but if demand for a head-set is there, one is likely to be boxed with the kit by the end of the year. In the meantime, Superscape is now shipping Visualizer for Silicon Graphics, which lets real-time three-dimensional virtual reality applications developed on a PC run on Unix workstations from Silicon Graphics Inc under Irix 5.3 up, with all the benefits of superior rendering capabilities and subtle lighting, textured shading to create a more realistic virtual reality experience than previously possible. Other features of the Visualizer include over 40 different world
navigation styles, 3D animation, configurable haze, fog and smoke effects, and anti-aliasing. The development products run on an x486 with 8Mb RAM, SVGA monitor, keyboard and mouse. It is available today from Superscape and some resellers at $1,200.
