Subject: Specifics on VPL's Mac

From: Greg Newby <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 91 15:55:17 -0500

Thanks for the summary, Dave.  You mentioned that you didn't have
the specs for the Mac VPL uses for it's virtual reality setup:

They use a high-end model (Mac II cx or fx), 16 Meg ram.  The Mac runs
a proprietary program (set of programs, really), called "Body 
Electric."  I only used this a little bit, but it was basically
an object definition language -- the programmer would specify
objects and give them characteristics.  The programming language
didn't seem much different from Hypercard, or maybe a database
definition language.  Things such as:
	define ball
		 can move
		 has gravity
		 size = 10
		 shape = round
		 initial position..
etc.  That's not how the language looked, but those are the types
of characteristics that were defined.

The rumor is that they are now trying to remove the Mac from the
picture altogether -- with today's Iris', there's really no need
(older Iris' were a different story....). 

Didn't VPL have a demonstration at SIG/GRAPH with only one Iris?  Or
was it an Iris and a Mac...
  Anyway, that fills in a few details...
-- Greg
[email-masked]

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From: Mark A. DeLoura <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 91 23:46:45 -0700

> of characteristics that were defined.

	Actually, that's just the scripting language-- the main part
of the program consists of what looks amazingly like LogicWorks-- a
circuit-building program.  You drag a "+" object, connect it to a constant
and some other things, dee da dee da.  So, it's a dataflow language, 
essentially.  Which causes some problems...variables are a total pain
to try to work with (*WHAT* variables?), and the latest version I worked
with didn't have much support for floating point.  Anyway, I'm not
very fond of it. :)  Nice concept, though.
> was it an Iris and a Mac...
	
	We've got ours running on a Mac and an SGI, now-- using a splitter
board to get the stereo.  I hear that they're planning on creating a 
combination of Swivel-3D (the modeller), Body Electric (the dataflow
language), and extra tools-- all in one package, and running on the SGI
platform.  Sounds promising.
> [email-masked]
	And, a few more details.	
		---Mark

===============================================================================
Mark A. DeLoura    [email-masked]      University of Washington
	"...the paneled room folded itself through a dozen impossible
	 angles, tumbling away into cyberspace like an origami crane." 
					--William Gibson, _Neuromancer_

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From: [email-masked] (Marshall Robin)
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 91 10:34:23 EST

Hello. I am looking at graduate schools to find one with a program in
VR (or whatever the new and trendy term for it is). Many people have mentioned
University of Washington, and I was wondering if you knew who would be the
person to contact with respect to that program/project. I have already
contacted graduate admissions, and received the admissions packet. I am looking
for in-depth information regarding the VR research program at UWashington.
Thank you in advance for your help.

Marshall Robin