StereoGraphics Brings Stereoscopic Visualization to Mac OS X
3D-News Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2003 (16:37 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
Industry Standard Stereoscopic Products Enable Mac Users to View in Stereo3D StereoGraphics Corporation recently announced that its Stereo3D visualization products are now available, for the first time, on Mac OS X. Stereoscopic support in Mac OS X enables an entirely new dimension of functionality in Life Science applications, allowing Mac users to experience the advantages of visualizing in Stereo3D. "Over the years, our large population of Life Sciences and Educational Research customers have greatly benefited through the use of our stereoscopic products," said StereoGraphics' CEO, Lenny Lipton. "We are now bringing the same powerful technology to Mac OS X and intend to meet the stereoscopic visualization needs of the Mac community." "Mac OS X's OpenGL graphics library enables full screen 3D stereo viewing," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "StereoGraphics' technology provides the optimum 3D experience and enables a profound new level of engagement for Mac professionals in the science, animation and CAD industries." StereoGraphics' CrystalEyes® and Monitor ZScreen® allow engineers, scientists and educators in the Life Sciences, Medical and Industrial Virtual Reality industries to develop, view and manipulate complex 3D computer graphics for the realistic display of Stereo3D images. The use of StereoGraphics' technology increases understanding of complex geometry in molecular models, human anatomy and product development, reducing design time and accelerating time to market. StereoGraphics will demonstrate its CrystalEyes Workstation liquid crystal shuttering eyewear running on Mac OS X in booth #407-409 at the AAAS Annual Meeting, being held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver February 14-17, 2003. Pricing and Availability StereoGraphics' CrystalEyes Workstation and Monitor ZScreen for Mac OS X are available immediately. These are compatible with G4 systems and require stereo-enabled software. CrystalEyes Workstation includes eyewear and the E2Mac Emitter. It has a suggested list price of $1045 (U.S.). The Monitor ZScreen includes a modulating panel, (suitable for up to 21" CRT monitors), 3 deluxe circular polarized eyewear, power supply and the StereoEnabler for the Mac. It has a suggested list price of $2445 (U.S.).

	NASA Starts Countdown to Mars Mission
3D-News Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2003 (16:34 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
Astronomers have started a countdown to the launch of two robotic buggies on a mission to find out if there is, or ever was, life on Mars. Dr. Charles Elachi, director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Lab, said final preparations were underway with one 'exploration rover' arriving at Cape Canaveral this week and the second due in three weeks. He said the rovers, which are the size of an office desk, were set to be launched on May 30 and June 25, piggy-backing on two rockets then parachuting down to Mars in January in an air-bag cushioned landing. Elachi said there was strong interest in the latest launches after recent indications there could be water ice on the Red Planet. Interest was also keen after the loss in 1999 of two robotic Mars missions -- a lander and an orbiting spacecraft -- at a cost of $290 million. Missions to Mars can only occur every two years when the planets are in the correct alignment. Liquid water is seen as key for Earth-type life on a planet and underground water ice could help show how Mars developed. "Interest in Mars has really hotted up since indications of water raised the question again about whether life has evolved there," Elachi told Reuters in an interview while in Australia to visit one of three tracking stations involved in the mission. He said NASA's robotic explorations, based at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, had not been affected by this month's shuttle Columbia disaster. Elachi said three years of work had gone into the latest Mars mission at a cost of $800 million and scientists hoped to repeat the success of 1997's Mars Pathfinder mission, the first moveable buggy to land on Mars. The new rovers can travel further than Pathfinder, up to 0.6 miles, to relay information about rocks and surface moisture directly back to three centers worldwide -- in California in the Unites States, at Tidbinbilla near the Australian capital Canberra, and Madrid in Spain. Each rover is equipped with a mast-mounted camera providing 360 degree, stereoscopic, views of the cold, rocky terrain and has a robotic arm that can put instruments against rock and soil. Elachi said the latest solar-powered robotic landers would be able to transmit information about Mars for between 90-120 days once they arrived, depending on amounts of sunlight. Once winter hit Mars, with temperatures plummeting to minus 150 degrees Centigrade, the rovers would run out of energy. Elachi said NASA would decide in April which of four landing sites to use on Mars, using images and data from two other NASA spacecraft currently orbiting Mars -- Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey. Mars is one of the most studied objects in our solar system. As Earth's next-door planetary neighbor, it has the advantage of location and is thought to be similar in composition to our planet.

	Stereoscopy.com 3D-World online
3D-News Posted: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 (16:33 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
A new section of Stereoscopy.com was opened to the public today. Stereoscopy.com 3D-World can be reached at http://stereoscopy.com/world. 3D-related Museums, Cinemas, Amusement Parks etc. are scattered all over the world - but almost nobody knows where and how to find them. So when you are travelling to a certain country or place, you can check whether there are any 3D-Attractions which may be worth visiting. Currently, we are adding new places - so please bear with us if there are only very few listed attractions at this early time. You are, of course, more than welcome to help us to fill the white gaps on the 3D-Worldmap. To see how each entry is structured, just go to http://stereoscopy.com/world and klick on the link to the Sample Page Any comments are also greatly appreciated.

	'NASCAR: The Imax Experience 3D' Revs Up at The Daytona 500
3D-News Posted: Thursday, February 13, 2003 (20:41 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
The First Ever 3D Motorsports Film Starts Production February 14th Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX to Distribute Worldwide in Spring 2004 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq: IMAX; TSE: IMX), today announced that production on NASCAR: The IMAX Experience 3D will begin tomorrow to coincide with the 45th Daytona 500. The groundbreaking IMAX(R) 3D film, set against America's most popular spectator sport, will be distributed exclusively to IMAX(R) theatres by Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX in Spring 2004 and marks Warner Bros.' first foray into the IMAX arena. Created under the auspices of NASCAR; NASCAR Digital Entertainment (NDE); and IMAX Corporation, NASCAR: The IMAX Experience 3D will have IMAX moviegoers and NASCAR fans on the edges of their seats as they experience speeds of over 200 MPH. The heart-pounding thrills of NASCAR will be captured through IMAX 3D technology and brought to life on screens up to eight stories tall, with 12,000 watts of pure digital surround sound. "The name of this film, NASCAR: The IMAX Experience 3D, says it all," said Paul Brooks, vice president of broadcasting, NASCAR. "People start to understand the magic of our sport when they attend their first NASCAR race in person where the intense drama, sound, emotion, thrills and excitement of NASCAR can be experienced firsthand on our incredible real-life stage. This film will allow us to immerse an audience in the NASCAR experience at IMAX theatres worldwide and attract new fans to the sport, while bringing tremendous exposure and value to our drivers, teams, tracks, sponsors and other partners." "We are very excited to be working with Warner Bros. and NASCAR in their first venture with IMAX. Through the magic of IMAX 3D, this unique film will expand the movie-goers experience, knowledge and understanding of the high- speed world of NASCAR racing like never before," said Greg Foster, president of filmed entertainment, IMAX Corporation. "We are confident that this event 3D film, powered by three world-class entertainment brands, will bring a whole new audience to the worldwide IMAX theatre network." "This is Warner Bros.' first involvement with an IMAX film," said Dan Fellman, president, domestic distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. "We are very pleased to be able to bring The IMAX Experience(R) to NASCAR fans and, conversely, the excitement of a NASCAR movie to IMAX theatres and audiences across the country." "We are extremely pleased to be telling the story of this thrilling sport, which has more than 75 million fans," said Brad Ball, executive vice president, domestic corporate marketing, Warner Bros. "We feel that NASCAR racing is a sport that not only translates beautifully to the scale and intensity of IMAX, but that our involvement with this project enables us to work with many of our AOL-TW affiliated companies in bringing NASCAR excitement to an ever-growing audience." The film will be directed by Simon Wincer (Lonesome Dove, Free Willy, Phar Lap and the upcoming The Young Black Stallion). James Neihouse, one of the large-format medium's preeminent cinematographers (SPACE STATION 3D, Michael Jordan to the Max, Rolling Stones at the Max, The Dream Is Alive), will be director of photography; Neil Goldberg (producer of Fox's NASCAR coverage) will executive produce; and IMAX Corporation's Lorne Orleans will produce, with Doug Hylton of IMAX also producing. NASCAR: The IMAX Experience 3D will transport fans directly into the driver's seat to explore the world of today's elite NASCAR drivers and teams. The film will briefly take fans into reverse to review the history of this legendary sport, told from the viewpoint of some of its most revered drivers, and will then thrust into high gear with a look at the thrilling phenomenon that is NASCAR today. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes glimpses, as well as gripping footage of the unpredictable action on the track, NASCAR: The IMAX Experience 3D will provide a close-up look at what motivates NASCAR drivers in and out of competition. To document the authentic drama of NASCAR, the film will shoot at several NASCAR racetracks over the next four months. The IMAX crew will also film at various testing environments from the racetrack to the team shops, wind tunnel and at NASCAR's new, state-of-the-art research center in Concord, NC. NASCAR: The IMAX Experience 3D will also focus on the science of today's racing technology, the cutting-edge racing machines and the underlying physics that drivers depend on to take turns at the highest speeds while skillfully maneuvering within inches of their competitors.

	Rautenstrauch Exhibition in France
3D-News Posted: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 (5:16 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
Ekkehart Rautenstrauch currently exhibits some of his stereo photographs at the "École d'Architecture de Nantes", France. The exhibition is open from February 10th through February 21st. Rautenstrauch was born in Zwickau/Germany in 1941 and lives and works in Nantes/France for over 30 years.

	IMAX Continues International Expansion With Three New Theatres In the People's Republic of China
3D-News Posted: Monday, February 10, 2003 (16:46 UTC) | Posted By: Webmaster
A Total of Eight IMAX(R) Theatres Slated to be Open in China by 2005 China is Fastest Growing Market in IMAX's History IMAX Corporation announced today that it has signed deals for three new IMAX(R) theatres to be located in the People's Republic of China, increasing the country's total number of IMAX theatres slated to be open by 2005 to eight. The announcement continues IMAX's progress in implementing its international growth strategy and reflects the considerable momentum the company has generated over the past year in entering new markets. "To be a part of three major developments just six months after our official launch in China demonstrates the continued demand for IMAX theatres around the world, particularly in China," said co-Chairmen and co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechlser. "The theatres scheduled to open by 2005 make China the fastest growing market for IMAX in its 35 year history. In addition, we believe that we will achieve further success in other new markets including additional regions of Asia, South America and Europe." These new deals represent the inclusion of IMAX theatres into three extensive developments in Beijing and Dongguan, the latter being one of the fastest growing cities in South China. The Beijing Radio, Film and TV Group, celebrating 100 years of film in China, will include a state-of-the-art IMAX(R) 3D theatre in the new China Film Museum. Dongguan will feature both commercial and institutional venues. The South China Mall, developed by the Sanyuan Yinghui Investment and Development Company, slated to be the largest mall in Asia, will feature IMAX 3D technology. The Dongguan Science and Technology Museum, developed by The People's Government of Dongguan City, will feature an IMAX(R) Dome theatre. "IMAX is a world leader in high quality cinematic experience and is revolutionizing the way people see films in China," said Mr. Ma Chaojun, President of the Beijing Radio, Film and TV Group. "As we approach the centennial celebration of the film industry in China, it seems fitting to also represent the future of cinema by including this innovative technology as part of the China Film Museum." "The IMAX brand is recognized internationally for high quality out of home family entertainment," said Mr. Hu Guirong, Chairman of Yinghui Investment and Development Company. "As an anchor of the entertainment area in the South China Mall, the IMAX theatre will attract people of all ages in China and provide them with the ultimate film experience." Leng Xiaoming, Deputy Mayor of the People's Government of Dongguan City added, "IMAX theatres have become an integral part of science centers and museums around the world. We are excited to be able to provide our future visitors with powerful and unique educational experiences that transcend culture, language and even politics. It has already proven to be successful at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, where hundreds of thousands of Chinese children and adults have been inspired by The IMAX Experience(R)." In addition to successfully opening two IMAX theatres at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in 2001, IMAX has expanded its network of theatres throughout other parts of Asia, with key openings in Singapore and India. About The China Film Museum China Film Museum is part of the first phase of Beijing Film and Television City development, a project initiated by Beijing Radio and Television Bureau and executed by Beijing Broadcasting, Film and Television Group (BRFT) under the guidance of Beijing Municipal Government. Having broken ground late 2002, the museum will open in 2005 to coincide with the centennial celebration of China movie industry. The museum will contain exhibits on China's movie history and will include a digital cinema, a 500-seat IMAX 3D theatre and three conventional cinemas. About the South China Mall South China Mall is located in the centre of Wanjiang New District of Dongguan City in the Guangdong province. With a total investment of 2.5 billion RMB (US$30 million) and an area of 430,000 square meters and 8000-car parking space, it will be the biggest and the first theme-park style shopping mall in China. Its first phase is scheduled to open in Sept. 2004. About The Dongguan Science and Technology Museum Dongguan Science & Technology Museum is a key project of the Dongguan Municipal Government infrastructure program. At an estimated cost of 200 million RMB by the municipal government, the 30,000 square meter building will house a 300-seat IMAX Dome theatre. The museum is scheduled to open early 2004.

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