VISUALIZATION

Kitchener, Ontario -- Fakespace Systems, a leading supplier of immersive display solutions, and Xi Graphics, a supplier of premium graphics drivers for Linux and Unix-based systems, today announced the availability of a new software driver that enables stereoscopic immersive environments to run on the Linux platform. Now Fakespace visualization systems that incorporate digital projection technology, such as the CAVE®, RAVE II™, WorkWall™, and ImmersaDesk®, can run Linux-based applications using off-the-shelf graphics cards. “The demand for Linux-based software applications in the government and education sectors is growing,” said Steve Fine, vice president of engineering at Fakespace Systems. “By teaming with XiG, we are able to provide a complete solution for engineers and researchers using Linux applications to solve complex problems using the world’s most advanced visualization systems.” Xi Graphics, the first company to provide Linux drivers for OpenGL applications for CRT-based visualization, developed new Linux-based drivers for the 3Dlabs Wildcat III graphics card, which is used to drive advanced visualization environments based on stereoscopic digital projection. Based on an open text customization solution using XiG’s Accelerated-X™ driver software, any stereoscopic capable Linux application can be used with supported Linux-based graphics cards to display both active and passive stereo modes with digital projection technology. Digital projectors provide brighter and sharper images that are easier to control and maintain compared to traditional CRT-based projectors. “We were very pleased to work with Fakespace Systems to develop a high performance solution for digital CAVE and RAVE users,” said Jon Trulson, Engineering Manager at Xi Graphics. “We look forward to more opportunities to partner with Fakespace to enable future advances for immersive visualization. The drivers for Linux-based immersive visualization systems are available from both Fakespace Systems and Xi Graphics and the first installation of the new technology is scheduled for completion in March of this year.