Tool Adds Behaviors to VRML Apps

SAN DIEGO--VRML '95 was the setting for today's unveiling of Dimension X's Liquid Reality virtual reality development tool. Both Liquid Reality and ICE are now available to developers for licensing, said company officials.

The Java-based authoring kit and viewer lets developers create dynamic VRML environments with motion, sound, and behaviors. Liquid Reality is platform-independent and works with both Netscape 2.0 and HotJava. Liquid Reality's sibling, ICE, is a 3D application programming interface (API) for graphic rendering that also supports Java. The engine lets VRML application developers employ multiple light sources, texture mapping, and smooth shading as they create programs.

According to one VRML expert, Liquid Reality successfully blends Java and VRML, bringing interaction and behaviors to VRML along with 3D scene description to Java.