SensAble Technologies
15 Constitution Way
Woburn, MA 01801
T: 781-937-8315
F: 781-937-8325
media@sensable.com
Woburn, MA, August 2, 2005 - SensAble Technologies, Inc. announced today that version 2.0 of the OpenHaptics™ toolkit and the OpenHaptics Academic Edition with special licensing are available this month. Version 2.0 of the OpenHaptics toolkit provides new functionality at both the Haptic Device API (HDAPI) and Haptic Library API (HLAPI) levels, up to 5x increased HLAPI performance with optimized applications such as HapticExtender™ plug-ins, and programmer productivity enhancements. The OpenHaptics Academic Edition of the toolkit is available at no charge to students and faculty associated with any academic institution worldwide that has purchased a SensAble PHANTOM® haptic device. The academic licensing makes it easy for students and faculty to use the toolkit in classrooms, labs, and at home.
Using the OpenHaptics toolkit, developers can add haptics and true 3D navigation to create compelling user experiences in a broad range of applications including 3D design and modeling, medical, games, entertainment, visualization, and simulation. With haptically enabled applications, users go beyond working with a 2D mouse to feel objects in a scene, and to interact with and manipulate objects in a more realistic fashion-making the application more intuitive and easier to learn, and the user more productive.
The OpenHaptics Academic Edition currently includes the same features and functionality as the OpenHaptics toolkit v2.0, but provides a special, no-charge, academic license. "We've been using the OpenHaptics toolkit with PHANTOM Omni haptic devices for over a year," said Georges Grinstein, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Institute for Visualization and Perception Research at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. "Initially, a small team of our student programmers created a novel musical experience integrating haptics, graphics, and digital sound to produce playable instruments and scores. Now with the OpenHaptics Academic Edition, we can make the toolkit available to more students and offer them greater flexibility in where they do their work."
The OpenHaptics toolkit is patterned after the OpenGL® API, making it familiar to graphics programmers and facilitating integration with OpenGL applications. Using the OpenHaptics toolkit, developers can leverage existing OpenGL code for specifying geometry and supplement it with OpenHaptics commands to simulate haptic material properties such as friction and stiffness. The extensible architecture enables developers to add functionality to support new types of shapes. The toolkit is also designed to integrate third-party libraries such as physics/dynamics and collision detection engines. The OpenHaptics toolkit supports the range of SensAble™ PHANTOM devices, from the low-cost PHANTOM® Omni™ device to the larger PHANTOM Premium devices. The OpenHaptics toolkit supports Microsoft® Windows® XP and 2000, Linux®, and Macintosh® OS® X platforms.
See version 2.0 of the OpenHaptics toolkit at SIGGRAPH®, August 2-4, 2005
SensAble will be demonstrating the OpenHaptics toolkit v2.0 at SIGGRAPH, August 2-4, 2005, Booth #1360 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Availability and Pricing
The OpenHaptics toolkit v2.0 for Windows is now shipping. The version 2.0 toolkits for Linux and Mac® platforms are scheduled to ship during Q3 2005. The OpenHaptics toolkit is included with the PHANTOM Omni Developer Kit, which is priced at US MSRP $2,400. The commercial version of the OpenHaptics toolkit includes support for one operating system. SensAble customers who own a PHANTOM Omni device may purchase a software-only version of the OpenHaptics toolkit. OpenHaptics toolkit customers with active maintenance contracts will automatically receive the v2.0 software at no charge.
The OpenHaptics Academic Edition will be available for download at the SensAble Developer Support Center August 15, 2005 where academic users also have access to developer forums. Users of the Academic Edition must have purchased a SensAble PHANTOM device and be affiliated with an academic institution in order to download the software. For qualified academic institutions, the OpenHaptics Academic Edition includes support for 3 platforms-Windows, Linux, and Mac (as available). Educational discounts are also available.
For more information about the OpenHaptics Academic Edition or to purchase the PHANTOM Omni Developer Kit, please contact us, or call +1-781-937-8315, or contact an authorized SensAble Haptic Devices and Toolkits Reseller listed at www.sensable.com.
About SensAble Technologies®
SensAble Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of 3D touch-enabled digital solutions for commercial software development, academic and commercial research, product design, and digital content creation. At the core of SensAble products is the PHANTOM line of haptic devices, which makes it possible for users to touch and manipulate virtual objects. SensAble offers the broadest range of haptic devices and toolkits for software application development; the ClayTools™ systems for 3ds Max® and Maya® for digital content creation; and the FreeForm® systems and ClayTools system for Rhino™ for product design. SensAble maintains headquarters in the United States and sales offices in Europe, Japan, and China. SensAble products are available through direct and reseller channels. Product and corporate information: www.sensable.com.
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© 2006 SensAble Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. ClayTools, FreeForm, FreeForm Modeling, OpenHaptics, PHANTOM, PHANTOM Omni, SensAble, and SensAble Technologies, Inc. are trademarks or registered trademarks of SensAble Technologies, Inc. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective holders.
SensAble Technologies, Inc., 15 Constitution Way, Woburn, MA 01801
Tel: +1-781-937-8315 Fax: +1-781-937-8325 Web: www.sensable.com
