Cycore launches Cult3D v. 5.2 - the award-winning interactive 3D software for e-business

Cycore launches Cult3D v. 5.2 - the award-winning interactive 3D software for e-business New features cultivate greater user interaction, ease of development and faster download times Uppsala, Sweden, February 15, 2001 - Cycore, the leader in interactive 3D graphics software for e-business, today announced the release of Cult3D version 5.2 - its award winning product visualisation technology. The new release delivers a range of innovative features aimed at making the online user experience even more interactive while empowering developers to create compelling 3D images with greater speed and ease. Major developments in version 5.2 of Cult3D include Tooltips and Cult Objects (CO). Tooltips gives designers the ability to display text over 3D objects, providing instructions to users on how to manipulate and interact with the objects they are viewing. "The compelling new functionality present within Cult3D 5.2 is a further step towards Cycore´s vision of bringing 3D into the mainstream e-business environment," said Bengt Starke, CEO of Cycore. "By continuing to enhance user interaction while at the same time increasing the ease and speed with which designers can develop Cult3D images, 3D visualisation is set to become a prerequisite for any organisation wishing to develop an effective e-business Web site." The new Cult Objects (.CO) enables developers to import and merge separate .CO files into other .CO files. This means that 3D environments with multiple objects (.CO) can be broken down into separate files - resulting in smaller file sizes and faster downloads. Previously, all components of a 3D world, like a room and all it's furniture, would be stored together in one, large .CO file. Now, the room and each piece of furniture has it's own .CO file, and elements load into the environment when they are called by a user action, like a mouse click. The innovation of on-the-fly .CO files means a faster Web experience for the user, and easier scene creation for the designer. The new features of Cult3D 5.2 take advantage of Cult3D 5.1's optimisation for the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor. Harnessing the power of the Intel processor results in faster polygon rendering, which means Cult3D models appear quickly, and have a very high image quality. Coupled with new features, such as Tooltips and Cult Objects files, Cult3D 5.2 strengthens its position as the leading 3D Internet viewing software for e-commerce. Other new features of Cult3D 5.2 · Communication between a Cult3D object and JavaScript in the surrounding web page. Developers can now use familiar web user interface elements such as buttons and list boxes to control the appearance and behaviour of Cult3D objects. Similarly, Cult3D objects can be configured to trigger JavaScript events when certain parts of an object are clicked by the user - e.g. changing the text and user interface elements on the web page to give information and alternatives for wheel hubs, when the user clicks on one of the wheels of a car. · A 70kb size reduction of the Cult3D Viewer, ensuring faster download for users. · · Ability to load and merge external resources such as bitmaps or sound files while viewing a Cult3D object through Java. "We are committed to delivering 3D products that enrich the Web and bring users as close as possible to a real life product experience in an online environment" continued Starke. "Our goal is to continue to develop Cult3D to meet the growing demands and needs of our users and end customers, making 3D on the Web a fundamental element for any e-business." The Cult3D 5.2 viewing software is available for free download from www.cycore.com. The Cult3D Designer Tool Software is also available for free download from http://www.cult3d.com/download/designer . Although the software is free, designers will need to purchase a license from Cycore to publish Cult3D objects on the Internet. For further information, Claes Granath, Vice please contact: President Marketing +46 8 65 65 60, +46 703 555 465, claes.granath@cycore.com About Cycore Cycore is the leader in interactive 3D software for e-business. Cycore Cult3D® software is an award winning product visualisation technology used on Web sites, in Microsoft Office® documents and in Adobe® Acrobat® files, to help e-businesses increase online sales, enhance sales presentations and improve customer service. More than 300 brand name companies, including Palm, NEC, CNN, ABB and Toyota use Cult3D on their Web sites. To date the number of Cult3D viewer downloads exceeds 6 million. Cycore also sells Cult Effectstm, a set of powerful special effects filters for film and video post-production. The company was founded and maintains headquarters in Sweden, with offices in the US, Canada, UK, France and Germany. On September 30, 2000, Cycore had 106 employees. Sales were 11.3 million SEK for the first nine months of 2000. For further information please visit http://www.cycore.com. Cult3D is a registered trademark of Cycore. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/02/15/20010215BIT00250/bit0002.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/02/15/20010215BIT00250/bit0002.pdf