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Europe's Most State of the Art 3D Cinema Opens for High Tech Manufacturing Businesses

A view of the new 3D "cinema"
A view of the new 3D "cinema"
Originally Published 19 October 2000

A new 3D "cinema" that is the first of its kind in Europe will be launched at the University of Warwick on Tuesday October 24th - but it is for high tech manufacturing businesses not Hollywood blockbusters. It forms part of a new complex built by a partnership between the University's Warwick Manufacturing Group, PTC, and Sun Microsystems. The 3D theatre will employ the largest 3D capable screen ever installed by virtual reality specialists Trimension.

The whole complex also boasts a fully virtual reality Cybersphere - a high technology sphere designed to allow an individual to climb into the sphere and be surrounded with a virtual reality environment (see separate press release for further details on the Cybersphere).

Until now most engineers have only be able to use three dimensional techniques to model the manufacturing process of a product at a single work station. This complex will allow large groups of senior managers and engineers to simultaneously visualise the same engineering process in 3D. The new theatre will also allow those senior mangers and engineers to go beyond simple 3D visualisation of products and to actually use it to develop 3D visualisations of production plants, manufacturing processes, management systems and even e-commerce and e-production processes.

The complex will be formally launched at the University of Warwick's International Manufacturing Centre, Warwick on Tuesday 24 October 2000. Attending the launch will be Professor Kumar Bhattacharyya Director of Warwick Manufacturing Group, NigelMontgomery, European Research Director AMR Research, C. Richard Harrison, President and CEO of PTC, Jack Fryer, Technology and Strategy Director of Marconi, Shanker Trivedi, VP Sun Microsystems, UK and Ireland and Sam McComas (Former Group Quality & IT Director, Marconi Naval Systems (MNS).

Professor Kumar Bhattacharyya said:

"These new techniques will allow geographically dispersed teams across large extended enterprises to work simultaneously on the same design project through sophisticated visualisation, information collection, management and delivery technologies. Our new facilities will also allow small and medium sized companies to access this technology that previously could only be supported by large multinationals."

C.Richard Harrison, President and CEO, of PTC said:

"Centres such as this are laying the foundations for the collaborative future of manufacturing industry. PTC's CPC technology is enabling different manufacturing companies to work together more efficiently and effectively on product development and delivery".

For further details please contact:

Dr. Vinesh Raja Tel 024 76 523924
Email: v.h.raja@warwick.ac.uk

Or Nick Matthews 024 76572506 or 0777 5534352
Email: N.Matthews@warwick.ac.uk