Cycore Cult3D/Eyetronics ShapeSnatcher builds fully interactive 3D objects

Las Vegas (ots-PRNewswire) - Industry-first joint CycoreCult3D/Eyetronics ShapeSnatcher solution builds fully interactive3D objects from photos instantly without the use of lasers. E-marketers can now produce functional product demos on Web storesin a fraction of the time. NAB '99 Booth #S8748 -- SandsConvention Center, Las Vegas. Cycore Computers, the Sweden- based developer of FinalEffects, Cult Effects and the Best of Comdex finalist Cult3Dinteractive web modeling tool, has partnered with Brussels-basedmodeling firm Eyetronics to deliver the ability to produce fullyinteractive 3D models at the touch of a button. Eyetronics'newest offering, The ShapeSnatcher System, turns any digital,analog or video camera into a powerful 3D acquisition device,allowing developers to capture 3D images easily, eliminating theneed to spend hours on intricate modeling in CAD and designprograms. Those images can then be integrated into Cycore'sCult3D Editor to produce fully functional web-based models thatallow Web surfers to "interact" with the models in real-time. Patented by Eyetronics and awarded the European InformationTechnology Prize in 1998, ShapeSnatcher can turn a singlephotograph into a detailed 3D model. It works with a wide rangeof digital and analog cameras and converts photos into 3D modelsin one step. To provide interactive models, ShapeSnatcher objectscan be imported into Cycore's Best of Comdex-recognized Cult3DEditor, which allows web developers to easily render "working" 3Dmodels that allow Web surfers to try out products online. Cult3Dfeatures drag and drop interactivity and advanced compressionthat allow developers to quickly produce interactive Web modelsthat can be viewed by end-users with any type of system,including first-generation Pentiums with 28.8k modems. Together,the Cycore-Eyetronics solutions offer the easiest, mostaccessible method for creating compelling e-commerce productsites on the Web. Why You Want It "There is no longer any reason for e-commerce sites not to use3D images," said Jerry Pettersson, Vice President, ProductDevelopment, Cycore. "By allowing prospective customers toactually use products online, any Web marketer can use Cult3D andShapeSnatcher to provide a more complete online shoppingexperience. Our new alliance with Eyetronics is part of ourstrategy to make the process of building and displaying high-quality, interactive 3D models available to a broad range ofdevelopers and consumers, regardless of their bandwidth,programming or hardware resources. Eyetronics has developed atool, that like Cult3D, brings the power of multimedia to abroader range of applications and benefits end-users byaddressing online shopping's limitations." "We've always been looking for faster and easier ways ofcreating 3D models," said Filip Defoort, General Manager,Eyetronics. "ShapeSnatcher's ease-of-use, scalability andflexibility, along with Cult3D's drag and drop interactiveapplications, are a natural choice for e-commerce, business,education and other vertical markets that can benefit fromdisplaying photo- realistic 3D models on the Web." How It Works The ShapeSnatcher 3D-Toolkit turns your camera into a real 3D-acquistion device. Just insert the ShapeSnatcher Slide into anyslide projector, project the slide onto any object, and capturethe image. The ShapeSnatcher Software creates the 3D model. Thesoftware works with a broad range of cameras, ranging from low-to high-end models-the quality of the 3D model you can create isunlimited. The 3D models created with the ShapeSnatcher are exported intoCycore's Cult3D with a single mouse click. The Cult 3D Editor'sdrag and drop functionality adds interactivity to the 3D modelwithout the need for extensive programming knowledge. Cult3Dcompresses the model at an extremely high rate-a typical1MB filecan be reduced to approximately 10K without comprising imagequality. When and How to Get It The Cult3D development tool and plug-in are available FREE fordownload at www.cult3d.com. A licensing fee of $3600 will becharged for all Cult3D objects that are posted to a website. Forfurther details, contact info@cult3d.com. The Cult3D viewer canbe used with Netscape 2.0 or Internet Explorer 4.0 and thefollowing operating systems: Windows 95, 98, and NT; MacOS(PowerPC); UNIX (Linux, HP/UX, AIX, Sun); and BeOS. ShapeSnatcher will be available on May 15, 1999. The initialversion will run on Windows 95/NT systems, with versions forLinux and SGI following soon after. The full ShapeSnatchersoftware package costs $4,999; for users with low-volume modelingneeds, Eyetronics and Cycore offer a special subscription- basedservice package. Users pay $750/year to subscribe and $135 per 3Dmodel. For more information, contact info@eyetronics.com. Where to See It in Action To see Cult3D in action, please download the plug-in fromwww.cult3d.com and then visit the following sites: -- Nokia - Nokia 9110 Communicator:

http://www.nokia.se/products/data/9110communicator -- CNN - Media Showcase:http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/multimedia -- Nobel Foundation - The Nobel Medal for Physics andChemistry:

http://www.nobel.se/prize/medal3d.html Who Made It Possible About Cycore Computers Based in Uppsala, Sweden, Cycore Computers specializes in thedevelopment of special-effects and 3D technologies for both theInternet and the video and film post-production industries.Cycore's Cult3D(R) Animation is the industry's first real-time,multi-platform 3D-rendering engine for the Internet. Creators ofthe award-winning Final Effects(TM) and Studio Effects(TM),Cycore's Cult Effects product is a plug-in for Adobe AfterEffects used in the video and film post-production industries.Cycore Computers has a US sales office in San Mateo, CA. Formore information on the company, please visit Cycore on the WorldWide Web at either www.culteffects.com or www.cult3d.com. About Eyetronics Eyetronics was established in 1998 in Heverlee, Belgium. Thecompany specializes in 3D-acquisition technology, ranging fromconsumer-oriented products to high-end special-effects for thefilm industry. Eyetronics' patented ShapeSnatcher technology isthe world's first dynamic 3D-acquisition device. ots OriginalText Service: Cycore Computers Internet:http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Lisa Melsted, (USA) 617-587-2817, lmelsted@brodeur.com or Liora Bram, (USA) 617-587-2838,lbram@brodeur.com or cell phone at NAB, 617-791-0699 or StenKaiser of Cycore Computers, 46-18-65-65-60, sten@cycore.com

Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug"PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to bepublished under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial serviceproviding distribution of press releases from clients, who areidentified in the text of Protext reports and who bear fullresponsibility for their contents.

PROTEXT