OIL & GAS

Today at the daratechMVP2005 conference, held May 23-24, 2005 at the Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel, Silicon Graphics announced a North American reseller agreement whereby the Professional Services arm of SGI will sell VRSim software solutions to its customers. This strategic relationship provides integrated high-performance hardware and software solutions for manufacturing customers who demand high-quality, well-designed products with individual appeal. In addition to the reseller agreement, SGI debuts VRSim Mock-Up software running on the Silicon Graphics Prism visualization system. Why design only a steering wheel assembly when you can take a 360-degree walk around the complete auto -- move parts, reassemble components, and test its functionality? Instead of building a costly prototype of a helicopter, why not step inside a virtual reality (VR) model, and become a virtual medic with a prone patient to determine the most efficient placement for the medical supplies shelf? Imagine training a group of workers on an entire engine, as opposed to limiting maintenance training to a few parts displayed on a desktop. These are but a few examples of the incredible possibilities realized by VRSim Mock-Up, the new, totally immersive, 3D virtual reality simulation software now available on the high-performance, Intel Itanium 2 processor and Linux OS-based Silicon Graphics Prism visualization systems. SGI offers a complete hardware, software, and integration and support services package of the Silicon Graphics Prism visualization system with VRSim Mock-Up. The Mock-Up software can also be easily integrated into previously purchased SGI high-performance systems such as the IRIX OS-based Reality Center® environment. "Anybody involved in the digital design and prototyping of machinery -- an automobile, airplane, tractor, rail car, or the Space Shuttle -- will be thrilled with VRSim Mock-Up's capabilities, interoperability, and interactivity running on the extremely high-resolution Prism visualization system," said Matthew Wallace, chief executive officer, VRSim. "Mock-Up allows users to test accessibility and maintainability of the parts before building the first expensive prototype. The software offers kinesthetic awareness of a virtual problem, i.e.: Will a hand be able to reach and remove the oil filter? Subsequently, changes can be reviewed and tested immediately." "VRSim's Mock-Up coupled with the sheer power and unsurpassed visualization capabilities of the Silicon Graphics Prism system will revolutionize manufacturing design processes," said Shawn Underwood, director of Marketing, Visual System Group SGI. "The cost-effectiveness alone is staggering: a faster, more effective way to access form, fit, function and arrangement of parts plus infinite repeat variations without spending millions to build a physical mock-up each time. This is a targeted solution that all heavy equipment manufacturers need to consider adding to their process." The Mock-Up software running on Silicon Graphics Prism systems delivers superb real-time immersive virtual simulation for maintenance tasks, testing, engineering design, and digital prototyping. With OpenGL Performer as its visualizer, VRSim Mock-Up running on the Silicon Graphics Prism 64-bit open Linux environment enables legacy data from CAD files created on other operating systems to be seamlessly imported for immediate manipulation in a virtual space. VRSim software also allows for easy integration with a host of other VR components (motion capture software, gloves, goggles, etc.). With the purchase of two or more systems for different locations, Silicon Graphics Prism visualization systems can deliver data over distance via Local Area Networks (LANs), thus providing virtual training or problem solving in the same environment, in multiple locations at the same time. For example, a company headquartered in San Diego could have its instructor teaching and evaluating maintenance workers at the company's remote Atlanta facility in real time. "For product lifecycle management or skill sets enhancement, there is nothing else on the market that can deliver as much detail as VRSim Mock-up on Prism systems. Silicon Graphics Prism, with multiple graphics pipes and a 64-bit multiprocessing system, expands exponentially both the complexity and the size of the model that can be shown, which is becoming more and more significant in the manufacturing process. We've got something powerful, efficient and very special," added Wallace. Pricing and Availability SGI offers a complete hardware, software, and integration and support services package of the Silicon Graphics Prism visualization system running Intel Itanium 2 processors with VRSim Mock-Up. The VRSim Mock-Up software is available immediately with solutions starting under $100,000 (U.S. List).