SAN JOSE, CA and PORT ORANGE, FL
- September 4, 2002 - Continuing its efforts to better enable
Visual Simulation and Training (VST) and Embedded Visual Computing
(EVC) prime contractors and systems integrators to address advanced
program requirements, Quantum3D®, Inc. today announced the
acquisition of Soft Reality®, Inc. This latest corporate
announcement further extends the reach of Quantum3D's open architecture
image generation solutions by adding Soft Reality's widely acknowledged
expertise in simulation host interfaces, legacy IG replacement,
ground vehicle and gunnery applications, database conversion
integration and realtime systems to Quantum3D's portfolio of
realtime visual computing solutions. Both companies are privately
held and the financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
"As a pioneer in open architecture visual
simulation and with a team of seasoned experts that dates back
to the early CompuScene days, Soft Reality brings deep integration
and legacy systems experience, and a host of unique skills that
will enhance our business," said Jeff Edson, CEO and President
of Quantum3D. "This acquisition continues to round out
our competitive positioning by helping us to provide the best
realtime products and capabilities in the industry to support
growing customer demand."
Soft Reality is an ISO-9001 certified developer
of integrated realtime visual computing subsystems that include
image generators, realtime software and displays. In addition,
Soft Reality is a leading provider of support services for realtime
synthetic environment training applications including host interface
emulation and database conversion and enhancement. Today's announcement
follows a successful multi-year relationship between the two
companies in which Soft Reality has successfully deployed numerous
Quantum3D PC-based Image Generators (PC-IGs), including Obsidian®,
Mercury™ and AAlchemy®, combined with Soft Reality
software and services, on a variety of commercial and military
training programs. The acquisition of Soft Reality enhances
Quantum3D's position in the simulation and training industry
and supports the company's overall strategy of bringing enhanced
capabilities and better support to VST and EVC prime contractor
customers.
"Quantum3D and Soft Reality have been
strategic partners for a number of years and have a successful
track record of collectively delivering image generation systems
to customers such as Ford Motor Company, the U.S. Army and the
Army National Guard," said Juan Vaquerizo, President of
Soft Reality. "By joining forces with Quantum3D, we can
collectively take advantage of new opportunities in the marketplace.
This is an excellent chance for our team to apply their talents
to a broader set of challenges in both the commercial and military
simulation and training markets as part of a larger, more versatile
organization."
"Soft Reality's market focus has been
to provide IG solutions for military and commercial ground vehicle
training systems. Quantum3D's acquisition of Soft Reality should
help the company further penetrate this part of the training
and simulation market," said Jerry Weltsch, Senior Consulting
Analyst with Frost & Sullivan's Aerospace & Defense
Research Group. "Because many of Soft Reality's IG solutions
have been based on Quantum3D PC-IG products, this acquisition
will help strengthen an already sound
visual simulation subsystem solution targeting institutional,
appended, and embedded trainers for vehicle and gunnery applications,
as well as for those who require host interfacing or database
conversion."
Successful visual simulation and training
system deployments by Soft Reality, such as the Conduct of Fire
Trainer (COFT) Rehost, Full-Crew Interactive Simulation Trainer
- Bradley (FIST-B), Abrams Full-Crew Interactive Skills Trainer
XXI (AFIST XXI), NASA Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory
(SAIL) Simulator and Ford Motor Company's VIRTTEX (VIRtual Test
Track EXperiment) Advanced Driving Research Simulator, underscore
Soft Reality's open architecture visual systems expertise in
host integration, legacy IG replacement and realtime visual
database conversion. Soft Reality's SoftIG™ suite of realtime
image generation software, when coupled with Quantum3D PC-IGs
and EVC products, enables prime contractors and systems integrators
to deliver precision synthetic environment simulation and training
systems that feature a high capacity reflective memory architecture,
multi-channel synchronization with extremely high fidelity,
advanced realtime scene load management, dynamic geometry and
texture paging, reticles and symbology, NVG and FLIR capabilities
and a range of mission functions and special effects that are
essential for the most demanding commercial and military research
and training applications.
By adding Soft Reality's skill sets and product
to Quantum3D's growing portfolio of capabilities, Quantum3D
is further positioned to lead the VST market in host integration
and legacy replacement for virtually any simulation environment.
In addition, Soft Reality's experience in gunnery, infantry
and ground vehicle simulation systems will also benefit Quantum3D's
efforts in enabling prime contractors developing embedded training
applications, one of the highest growth fields in the VST market.
"We worked with Quantum3D and Soft Reality
on Ford Motor Company's VIRTTEX driving simulator," said
Paul Meyer, President, Real-Time Division, Concurrent Computer
Corporation. "Quantum3D's open architecture PC-IGs and
Soft Reality's SoftVR API were entirely compatible with both
our NightHawk and PowerHawk host computers. As a result, the
integration effort went extremely well. We are very pleased
that the two companies have joined forces and look forward to
incorporating the synergistic benefits into our product offerings."
About Soft Reality
Soft Reality Inc., based in Port Orange, Florida, is the developer
of the innovative SoftIG™ PC-based Image Generation System
product line. SoftIG systems utilize COTS hardware components
and the latest PC graphics technology to produce high-performance,
low-cost, open architecture image generators for a wide range
of commercial and military visual simulation applications. System
options include a fiber-optic reflective memory interface designed
to reduce visual system transport delay to under 50 milliseconds
at a frame update rate of 60 Hz while maintaining optimal performance.
The power and flexibility of SoftIG systems, in combination
with the company's proven engineering concepts and progressive
vision, positioned Soft Reality as a leader in the real-time
visual simulation industry. Visit the Soft Reality Web site
at www.softrealityinc.com.
About Quantum3D
Quantum3D® develops and markets technologies and products
that enable the realtime visual computing market. In particular,
Quantum3D and its subsidiaries develop realtime 2D/3D visual
computing subsystems, integrated systems, software and digital
content for the visual simulation and training and embedded
visual computing markets. Quantum3D's AAlchemy®, Obsidian®
and Graphite™ family of scaleable, open architecture PC-based
image generators (PC-IGs) include mission critical features,
industry leading performance, superior graphics and image quality,
and unsurpassed value, which have made the products the industry
standard for synthetic environment training applications. In
addition, Quantum3D creates and distributes realtime development
software tools and products including OpenGVS™ and the
CG2 family of products: Mantis™, VTree®, ViXSen™,
IData™ and Facets™-all of which enable developers
to fully optimize their applications to benefit from the company's
visual computing solutions. Quantum3D is the exclusive supplier
of NVIDIA® graphics technology for the embedded military
and aerospace visual computing market. Quantum3D's embedded
visual computing product offerings include the Farsight™
program for custom form factor embedded graphics applications,
and the Sentiris and Ventana® embedded graphics subsystems
for COTS form factor embedded graphics applications. Quantum3D
is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in
San Jose, CA. For more information, please see www.quantum3d.com.
###
Soft Reality Inc. is a registered trademark,
and SoftIG is a trademark of Soft Reality Inc. AAlchemy, Obsidian,
Quicksilver, Ventana and Quantum3D are registered trademarks,
and Sentiris, Graphite, OpenGVS, Mercury and Farsight are trademarks
of Quantum3D, Inc. VTree and CG2 are registered trademarks and
Mantis, ViXSen, IData and Facets are trademarks of CG2, Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of Quantum3D, Inc. All other trademarks,
trade names, service marks and logos referenced herein belong
to their respective companies.
