Superscape VR Plc will this month introduce its Visnet tool, which enables users to view three-dimensional worlds on the Internet in real-time (CI No 2,851). In addition, it has expanded its US operations with new offices in Raleigh, North Carolina and Richardson, Texas. Visnet currently only runs on Windows personal computers, but a Silicon Graphics Inc Irix version is expected out in May. A Macintosh version is also on the design list, but there are no details on its release date. The software will be distributed free over the Internet and doesn’t require any special hardware or head-mounted displays, Superscape said. Superscape already has a three-dimensional browser which can be downloaded from the Web to view Superscape virtual worlds, but the new software will provide seamless links to other virtual worlds written in VRML, Virtual Reality Modeling Language. Existing Superscape customers will build three-dimensional Web pages to be viewed using Visnet and viewers will be able to link between the worlds. So a virtual doorway, for example, will be able to link to another virtual world. The viewer will operate either as a stand-alone helper application or an on-line plug-in for Netscape Communications Corp Navigator and Microsoft Corp Explorer Web browsers. Visnet has a built in three-dimensional engine that offers unlimited flexibility in movement, Superscape said. The engine interprets a three-dimensional database of the environment. Visnet runs under Windows95, 3.1 and Windows NT.
