Thursday, November 13, Volen 101, 2 p.m.
MAK Technologies (pronounced "mock"), was founded in 1990 by Warren Katz and John Morrison as a spinoff of BBN's military simulation group. It is now the market leader in military DIS products and is moving into commercial and internetworked multi-user environments.
DIS is a public domain scalable networking protocol which efficiently connects thousands of 3D simulations together on a computer network. Since 1983, the Pentagon has invested over $10 billion in developing DIS. As a result, the standard provides a proven, industrial-strength platform for thousands of independent developers interested in the new field of 3D multi-user virtual worlds.
State-of-the-art military DIS systems now run over 10,000 simulations simultaneously, networked together across far-ranging geographies. As low-cost commercial data services (bi-directional cable TV, ISDN, etc.) become more widely available to consumers, industry analysts project the market for on-line, 3D, multi-user simulations to reach $2 billion by the year 2000.
We project that networking capabilities of DIS will enable entertainment providers to create platforms for 3D worlds supporting up to 100,000 participants simultaneously. Using DIS technology, Internet-based populations the size of a mid-sized U.S. city could stroll through an electronic shopping mall, explore and colonize a virtual universe, or race for prizes in cyberspace' largest 3D road rally.
Host: Jordan Pollack