Apple 3D Developer Support Strong as Dozens of New QuickDraw 3D-Based
Applications Hit the Street
Apple Announces QuickDraw 3D RAVE 1.1 for the Mac OS, Windows 95, and
Windows NT
SIGGRAPH, NEW ORLEANS -August 6, 1996- Apple Computer, Inc., today
announced that a new version of its cross-platform 3D graphics
Toolkit-QuickDraw(TM) 3D 1.5 - is expected to be available by the end of
September.
The award-winning QuickDraw 3D application program interface (API), which
will be available for the Mac(R) OS, Windows 95, and Windows NT, is
designed to provide real-time, interactive rendering for simple 3D models
and makes real-time 3D graphics as easy to use as text and 2D graphics.
Apple also announced that QuickDraw 3D RAVE (Rendering Acceleration Virtual
Engine) version 1.1, is now available for the Mac OS, Microsoft Windows 95,
and Windows NT platforms. Introduced in February, QuickDraw 3D RAVE is the
foundation technology used in QuickDraw 3D and provides ultra fast,
real-time, workstation-quality 3D graphics on both Power Macintosh(R)
computers and PCs.
The developer momentum for QuickDraw 3D is rapidly growing and a wide
variety of developers are using QuickDraw 3D in innovative ways to enable
fast 3D interaction in their programs. QuickDraw 3D is also attracting a
number of new developers to the Macintosh(R) platform, including NewTek,
Positron Publishing and Vertigo Technologies.
Because the QuickDraw 3D API offers a quick and easy way to build 3D
interaction into applications, a large number of developers are creating
custom solutions. (NOTE TO EDITORS: Please see the attachment at the end of
this document, "QuickDraw 3D Third-Party Developer Applications.")
QuickDraw 3D 1.5 is expected to be available in September 1996 for
Macintosh and Windows and will offer many significant enhancements,
including new trimesh geometries; support for plug-in renderers; 3D picking
enabling any application to add 3D painting capabilities; new Internet
related tools for browsing 3D spaces; support for multiple processors under
Mac OS; ability to run under Microsoft Windows and NT; and new user
interface enhancements.
The new version promises to drive developers to ship more applications that
exploit the QuickDraw 3D interactive renderer, and customers will find that
applications supporting QuickDraw 3D rendering will allow for swifter
building of 3D models and output of 3D animations.
"This announcement emphasizes Apple's commitment to delivering real-time,
workstation-class 3D graphics to personal computers," said Carlos Montalvo,
acting vice president of Apple's Interactive Media Group. "We recognize the
importance of our developers and are responding to their needs by
continuing to innovate and expand the multiplatform capabilities of our
multimedia technologies."
QuickDraw 3D RAVE 1.1 is now fully compliant with the Mac OS, Windows 95,
and Windows NT. Other key features have been added to the new version of
QuickDraw 3D RAVE to increase performance, including support for
Microsoft's DirectDraw on Windows 95 and support for render caching for
faster manipulation of rendered objects. QuickDraw 3D RAVE will allow game
and application developers to provide plug-and-play support for hardware
acceleration.
"The ElectricImage Animation System combines the power of the fastest
renderer anywhere with seamless support for QuickTime(R) output for
professionals working in both film and broadcast video production," said
Jay Roth, president and CEO of Electric Image, Inc. "We will soon enable 3D
acceleration through Apple's QuickDraw 3D RAVE that will let Power Mac(TM)
users enjoy the same ultra fast production that was before only available
on Silicon Graphics workstations."
QuickDraw 3D Description
QuickDraw 3D is Apple's cross-platform 3D API for Power Macintosh and
Microsoft Windows. QuickDraw 3D provides real-time, interactive rendering
for simple 3D models. QuickDraw 3D has four main components: a fast 24-bit
interactive renderer; system-level handling of 3D components; a new 3D file
format standard called 3DMF; and user-interface guidelines for developers.
With QuickDraw 3D, users can simply drop extensions into their Power
Macintosh's System Folder and fire-up a QuickDraw 3D-savvy application.
QuickDraw 3D allows for fluid manipulation of fully rendered 3D objects and
drag and drop of 3D objects to and from the Scrapbook or other applications.
QuickDraw 3D RAVE Description
Apple's recently announced game technology, QuickDraw 3D RAVE, enables
developers to transparently access 3D graphics accelerators for maximum
speed and throughput, while also providing exceptional 3D rendering speed
in software. The QuickDraw 3D RAVE technology now enables true
plug-and-play 3D acceleration for both Mac OS and Windows.
QuickDraw 3D RAVE has been exposed as a separate programming architecture,
which allows developers to access high-performance 3D directly for a wide
range of games applications. QuickDraw 3D RAVE is an optimized Hardware
Abstraction Layer (HAL) which allows developers to code directly to 3D
hardware for maximum performance and also provides specific, optimized
functionality for software rendering and texture mapping.
QuickDraw 3D RAVE enables developers to write highly optimized, extremely
fast 3D software for all major personal computer platforms. QuickDraw 3D
RAVE allows developers to maintain differentiation in software, while
maintaining fine control of 3D hardware and existing high-performance
rendering engines. Software developers get plug-and-play 3D acceleration,
regardless of whether they use QuickDraw 3D or simply the QuickDraw 3D RAVE
API.
Information on QuickDraw 3D and QuickDraw 3D RAVE as well as other Apple 3D
technologies may be found on the Apple QuickDraw 3D home page at
http://www.quickdraw3d.apple.com/. Game developers interested in QuickDraw
3D RAVE should contact Mark Gavini, Macintosh game evangelist at
gavini@apple.com. Other software or hardware vendors should contact Shawn
Hopwood, QuickDraw 3D evangelist at s.hopwood@applelink.apple.com.
Apple Computer, Inc., a recognized innovator in the information industry
and leader in multimedia technologies, creates powerful solutions based on
easy-to-use personal computers, servers, peripherals, software, personal
digital assistants and Internet content. Headquartered in Cupertino,
California, Apple develops, manufactures, licenses and markets solutions,
products, technologies and services for business, education, consumer,
entertainment, scientific and engineering and government customers in more
than 140 countries.
Press Contact:
Mary Devincenzi Maureen O'Connell
Apple Computer, Inc. Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-4562 (408) 862-6689
devincenzi.m@applelink.apple.com oconnell.m@applelink.apple.com
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Customer Information Contact: If you are considering the purchase of an
Apple product and would like to have product information faxed to you,
please call 1-800-462-4396 in the U.S. or 1-800-263-3394 in Canada. If you
do not have a fax machine or would like to locate an Apple authorized
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Apple's home page on the World Wide Web: http://www.apple.com/
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac OS, Power Macintosh, Macintosh, and QuickTime
are registered trademarks and QuickDraw 3D and Power Mac are trademarks of
Apple Computer, Inc. All other brand names mentioned are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders, and are hereby
acknowledged.
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-attachment-
QuickDraw 3D Third-Party Developer Applications
The following is a list of applications that are either currently shipping
or that are scheduled to ship in September to coincide with the release of
QuickDraw 3D 1.5:
3D Design/Animation
Artifice-DesignWorkshop
auto*des*sys-form*Z
Electric Caf-ModelShop
Electric Image-Electric Image Animation System
Fractal Design-RayDream Designer
GraphiSoft-ArchiCAD
Graphsoft-MiniCAD
InterStudio-Domus.CAD
MacroMedia-Extreme 3D
MicroSpot-3D World
NewTek-Lightwave 3D
Positron Publishing-MeshPaint 3D
Specular-Infini-D
Specular-LogoMotion
Strata-StudioPRO
Vertigo Technologies-Vertigo
Yonowat-Amapi
Multimedia
PowerProduction Software-Digital Box Office
Linker Systems-Animation Stand
MacroMedia-Director 5 xtra
Graphics & Publishing
MultiMedia Marketing-HoloDozo
Deneba Software-Canvas 5
Canto Software GmbH-Cumulus PowerPro
Games
Reality Bytes-Havoc
MacPlay-VR Soccer
MacPlay-Descent II
MacPlay-Virtual Pool
Hardware Acceleration
Matrox-Milleninum (PCI)
Newer Technologies
Radius-Thunder 3D(PCI)
ATI Technologies-RAGE(PCI)
3D Clip Art
Plastic Thought-3-d Active
Syndesis-3D-ROM
Model Masters-Model Monger
Viewpoint DataLabs-3D Datasets
Acuris-Air, Sea & Land
Miscellaneous
LightWorks-Photorealistic Renderer
Kandu Software-CADMover
Syndesis-InterChange (Windows)
Spatial Technologies-ACIS Modeling Libraries