WorldToolKit, the MSDOS personal computer-based virtual reality package from Sense8 Inc, San Francisco, California, will be available for Sun Microsystems Inc and Silicon Graphics Inc workstations from June. Now beta-testing on Unix, the three-dimensional, interactive software is based on a C library and is aimed primarily at on-screen developers that need more processing power than that available on most personal computers. Sense8 file format is compatible with most CAD/CAM applications, making the package attractive to Unix developers. In Europe, basic versions of WorldToolKit are available for UKP6,000 running the Sun Microsystems Inc Sparcstation 2 and Silicon Graphics Inc Indigo RISC boxes, from London-based Virtual Presence Ltd. A full virtual reality package, with the tools of the trade, like sensory gloves and headsets, would push the price to around UKP50,000. The UK Virtual Reality show is at London’s Olympia, April 1 and 2.
