From: Rob Ingram <rji@nyquist.cs.nott.ac.uk>
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: INDUSTRY: Dimension International
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 11:50:54 GMT
Organization: Communications Research Group
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



In article <1juvusINN1ou@shelley.u.washington.edu>,
hpengwyn@cix.compulink.co.uk (John Styles) writes:

|> The software
|> a) is NOT just static walk-throughs. I realise that you have
|> [Lots of stuff about VRToolkit deleted]
|> This is not to say that WorldToolKit lacks merit, it's just that for my
|> money Superscape (the name of the product) is Cheaper and Faster and has
|> far more features - provided of course you want to run on a screen and on
|> a PC. It is almost at a price whereby I might consider buying one with
|> my own money... be the first on your block with a VR system!

  The choice between Sense8 WTK and Dimension VRT as a first step into
VR depends on what you want to do with the system as they both have
merits.  For designing and building worlds I have not seen any better
systems than Dimensions shape/world editor, so if you just want to
build a nice looking world that you can walk around in and interact
with objects then go for this system.
  
  WTK does however have one major advantage, it is, just as the name
says, a toolkit, it is a library of C functions. This means that WTK
is MUCH more able to interface to other applications and devices than
the Dimension stuff which is still pretty much a closed system
(although their latest leaflets mention a developers licence, but this
is a beta version and I get the impression it is pretty limited). So
if you want to build a 3D interface to an existing application or some
new project with something serious going on in the background then at
the moment WTK may be the way to go despite the need for a CAD package
to design the objects. One option may be to consider the approach that
Bob Stone at the Advanced Robotics Research Centre in England uses: he
designs world using the Dimension kit then converts them into a format
suitable for his Division ProVision immersion system.
  
  WTK does have the other advantage that is is much more expandable
than VRT in that it will work with stereoscopic displays and can use
other interaction devices while the Dimension stuff seems stuck with
the spaceball, mouse and joystick for now at least.
  
  BTW, I have no connection with either company and I'm not saying one
system is better than the other, just that when looking at systems to
buy we should get the one that best suits our application.


                        Rob.

[MODERATOR'S NOTE: Sage advice for any situation.  Use the right tools
for the job. -- Bob Jacobson]

_______________________________________________________________________________
|                       | Rob Ingram                                          |
|  By request.          | University of Nottingham                            |
|  Englands Finest.     | Department of Computer Science                      |
|                       | Nottingham, UK.                                     |
|_______________________|_____________________________________________________|
|                       |      "Women: Can't live with 'em, can't get them    |
|  rji@cs.nott.ac.uk    |       to dress in skimpy leather Nazi outfits"      |
|_______________________|_____________________________________________________|