Platinum rolls out 3D tool

Platinum Technology (PLAT) today rolled out a software tool that lets users create interactive 3D interfaces for Web pages and corporate applications, in what it says is an effort to bring virtual reality technology from the video arcade to the corporate intranet.

The software company's new product is the Platinum VRCreator 2.0 Personal Edition, which is based on the VRML (virtual reality modeling language) 2.0 specification, a standard for interactive 3D.

Platinum said the VR technology can be applied to architecture, design engineering, product marketing, e-commerce, medicine, finance, and other application areas.

VRCreator is targeted at both new and experienced VRML authors, the company said, and allows users to create interactive 3D content through a drag-and-drop interface. Within VRCreator, users can access a library of 1,000 drag-and-drop components, such as 3D models, colors, textures, and behaviors. Scenes are then built by dragging and dropping these multimedia components into VRCreator's 3D authoring environment.

VRCreator's 3D Modeler can be used to build customized objects as well. In addition, Keyframe Animator, another component of the package, allows users to create complex animations of objects, lights, and viewpoints. Advanced developers can use Expert features within the tool to build more complex content.

VRCreator 2.0 costs $129.