Cosmo Software Delivers Streaming Interactive VRML Animations

Cosmo Software said it plans an initiative to enable the streaming of interactive 3D animation in the VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) format, synchronized with audio, via RealNetworks’ RealSystem G2 architecture.

A technical proof-of-concept was demonstrated at the RealNetworks Conference in California, showcasing the streaming of a fully interactive 3D ad banner over a consumer modem.

VRML, the Internet standard for 3D vector graphics, has been gaining support from the online advertising and Web site design industries because it offers a major file size advantage over other graphics technologies, and because it is a cross-platform open standard, Cosmo said.

Ad banners, which are typically comprised of one or several still pictures, can be replaced with small television-style commercials, complete with animated, talking, interactive characters and engaging special effects, the company said. As a result of streaming, this new generation of advertising would work over today’s consumer modems without a lengthy download.

“Cosmo Software’s revolutionary 3D vector graphics tools are aimed at closing the gap between imagination and bandwidth,” said John McCrea, director of marketing and business development for Cosmo Software, a Silicon Graphics company.

“Working with RealNetworks to add streaming of animation and audio to 3D vector graphics via RealSystem G2, we can open a new creative frontier for the designers of online advertising and interactive entertainment.”

Said Phil Barrett, senior vice president for Media Systems at RealNetworks: “Cosmo Software has developed a powerful breakthrough in animation and interactivity that is a great complement to our streaming architecture.”

The demonstration was made possible via extensions to two key products, Cosmo Software’s VRML viewer, Cosmo Player, and RealNetworks’ client/server architecture for streaming media, RealSystem G2.