Press Release
The low cost future of 3D?
Mothership Technology, an Oxford based 3D company with a computer games
development background has developed a highly efficient, low cost method
of displaying computer models in 3D with performance which has hitherto
been the exclusive preserve of high-end CAD systems costing tens of thousands.
"In five years time, polygon representations of 3D objects will be obsolete",
says Technical Director Jon Stuart. "If you wanted to draw a circle on a piece
of paper, you wouldn't start by drawing straight lines with a ruler, would you?
So why make a computer do it?"
Background
The company's success in developing fast methods of 3D modelling
derives from its pedigree in developing Triple A computer game titles.
Technical Director Jon Stuart was previously responsible for developing
the worldwide hit Manic Karts series of titles which were developed for all gaming platforms.
He realised that half of the time spent in creating computer games was
taken up in developing art. Whilst many excellent packages are
available for producing computer art, the polygon-based results are
simply too unwieldy for use, and have to be extensively hand-tailored.
Applications
The techniques that the company has developed under its RealityCAD range
mean that an artist can create artwork using standard modelling packages,
and then, using the company's libraries, bring them directly into an application.
Alternatively where CAD files are available, these can be used directly,
which has opened up potential markets in the engineering sector.
The file sizes are substantially smaller than polygon-based models, and
performance gains are significant. Using RealityCAD, the company had been
demonstrating a 3D model of a complete diesel engine, representing 350Mb+
of data, which can be loaded in seconds on a normal-spec. PC, then viewed
and manipulated by sales executives to demonstrate product features to
potential customers.
Through development work last year in the F1 arena, the company has
incorporated advanced server-client messaging facilities,
which allows data from original CAD drawings to be accessed
from remote locations. The module can be used to assist with
component identification, fault finding and also distance learning.
The company intends to continue to develop as a core technology company
and sees many opportunities for the technology in the fields of product marketing,
engineering support and simulated environments through its association with SCS.
