ICEM Announces Viewer Software for ICEM Surf Surface Models and Digital Mock-up Visualizations Over the Internet

New software for viewing 3D surface models and digital mock-up visualizations created with its ICEM Surf suite.

ICEM Announces Viewer Software for ICEM Surf Surface Models and Digital Mock-up Visualizations Over the Internet

PARIS, April 1, 2003 - At the MICAD exhibition this week, ICEM announced and is demonstrating new software for viewing 3D surface models and digital mock-up visualizations created with its ICEM Surf surface modeling, analysis and visualization software suite.

The software is an add-on to the companys flagship ICEM Surf software, and it consists of two parts: an 'export module that resides on a full ICEM Surf software seat, and a free viewer that can be accessed over the Internet, or via a companys internal network.

Designed for use by people who need to view digital product models, but who are not users of the ICEM Surf modeling software, the new ICEM Viewer enables department managers and non-technical personnel within companies, as well as their suppliers, to access and view any 3D surface model created with ICEM Surf. These models could show the up-to-date development status of a specific component, or a fully rendered and ray-traced digital mock-up of a complete assembly.

Our larger customers, particularly the automotive OEMs, have been asking us for a means to easily access and view ICEM Surf models," said Lee Cureton, ICEM chief executive. This is our response to their requests - a sort of Adobe Acrobat Reader for high-quality visualizations of 3D surface models that is easy to use and available free for the client PC".

Advanced visualisation:
Designed to be simple to use and scalable on almost any computer, ICEM Viewer supports all of the visualization facilities provided by ICEM Surf Version 4.3, including the new Realtime Renderer module for design review and presentation purposes. This includes next generation digital mock-up and visualization tools that provide a virtual, real-time environment for digital product model creation, review and release. New visualization tools include real-time, dynamic self-shadowing, lens flares, model navigation for improved view handling, camera fly-through, animation and a dedicated background image facility, which enables a number of images or environments to be imported and placed on different planes.

In addition, ICEM Viewer enables remote viewing of assembly models generated within ICEM Surf from a combination of ICEM Surf 3D surface models, imported scanned images and 3D models from vendors CAD/CAM systems.

To ensure that models can be accessed and viewed over the Internet, or via an internal network without unacceptable data transmission delays, ICEM Viewer creates and delivers 'lightweight models. This not only ensures speedy transmission, but also protects the model owners intellectual property rights when a supplier views the model because only a 3D 'image of the model is transmitted to the client PC.

Availability:
The ICEM Viewer software is scheduled to begin shipping to customers in April.

About ICEM Ltd.
With its headquarters on Chilworth Science Park near Southampton on the UKs south coast, ICEM Ltd. is an independent company specialising in the development, sales and support of advanced software for use in the design and development of a products visible and underlying supporting surfaces.

The companys software development group is based in Germany, while it has a network of sales and support offices and specialist distributors covering continental Europe, the USA and the Asia Pacific region.

The companys principal market sector is the worldwide automotive industry, where it includes most of the leading manufacturers among its customers, including the Ford Motor Company, DaimlerChrysler Group, Volkswagen Audi Group, Porsche, BMW, PSA and Harley Davidson among others, as well as leading automotive industry suppliers such as Volke, EDAG, Pininfarina, Bertone, Mayflower, TWR and The Budd Company, among many others. The company also has a significant presence in the consumer durable products design market, with customers such as Wilson Sporting Goods, Salomon, Ping, WMF and Toto among them.

Press Contact:
U.S.
Joseph Pate
Strategic Reach PR
303-487-7406
joe@strategicreachpr.com

U.K.
Kate Mills
ICEM
+44 (0)2380 768088
kate.mills@icem.com

###