Unigine Corp., iZ3D, and Meant to be Seen Demonstrate the First Modern Game Engine That Natively Supports Stereoscopic 3D Technologies At the International Consumer Electronics Show.
Las Vegas, Nevada - January 6th, 2008 - Stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) refers to the ability to display true volumetric 3D content through 2D media. Examples include explosions that pop out of the screen, and a sense of depth that makes players think they can reach inside the game. S-3D technology is quickly becoming the equipment of choice for avid gamers and has already shown 2:1 revenue benefits for participating Hollywood movie theatres over traditional 2D cinemas.
The game engine is the software that provides the underlying mechanics for video games. It's to game developers what a canvas is to artists, and are used in favor of in-house tools because they reduce development risks and R&D costs.
"S-3D drastically improves immersion into the game, and a special software driver was needed to capture information from the game engine, and convert it into something that S-3D hardware would understand. Our aim was to create an S-3D capable technology that performs all the stereoscopic work driver free. That allows game developers to concentrate on content and game play, while providing 100% compatibility with S-3D devices out-of-the box," said Denis Shergin, CEO of Unigine Corp.
A registered developer with AMD and NVIDIA, this new engine is already being used to develop more than ten games internationally with stunning results. Educational real-time projects will also be announced later this month.
"MTBS is the first and only stereoscopic 3D certification and advocacy group. We are very excited to officially endorse the Unigine game engine as a wise purchase for developers. I also wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing other game engines follow suite, and we will endorse and benefit all quality game engines provided they support participating MTBS solutions natively," said Neil Schneider, President & CEO of Meant to be Seen.
In development since 2004, Unigine currently supports iZ3D monitors and anaglyph glasses with work underway to support the upcoming TDVisor HMD by TDVision Corp. Unigine-based projects will run equally well on traditional 2D screens and fully supports DirectX 9, 10, and OpenGL graphics APIs. Supported platforms are Microsoft Windows, Vista, and Linux.
An MTBS endorsement means Unigine will get a complimentary ad campaign on mtbs3D.com, a dedicated discussion section for interested game developers, and inroads with the leading S-3D hardware manufacturers. All properly rendered games that use the Unigine engine will earn MTBS certification and be heavily promoted to Meant to be Seen's rapidly growing online community composed of thousands of gamers and industry alike.
"To have a game engine - not a game, a game ENGINE - support our monitors natively is a major first step for iZ3D and the S-3D industry. Gamers will be very happy," said David Chechelashvili, iZ3D's VP of Marketing.
"We are happy to see that there is a great community and presence for the S-3D industry through MTBS. Their members, management, and willingness to help made a big difference for us. We are equally thankful to iZ3D for our fruitful cooperation," said Denis Shergin, CEO of Unigine Corp.
An iZ3D monitor running the Unigine game engine can be seen at the Microsoft booth (#7144 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center). A second demo unit is in the Ingram Micro Suite in Monte Carlo Ballroom 6.
Contact:
Unigine http://www.unigine.com/
Meant to be Seen http://www.mtbs3D.com/
Ms. Carol Warren
Antarra Communications
Tel. 714-891-3660
Cel. 714-865-6735
Toll Free866-268-2772
Email cwarren@antarra.com