CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
4 August 2004
Product News
Tech Soft America Adds Microsoft Direct3D Support to HOOPS® 3D Application Framework
Tech Soft America (TSA), a provider of component graphics technology to the CAD/CAM/CAE industry, announced that the 11.0 release of the company's HOOPS 3D Application Framework (HOOPS/3dAF) will include a new driver for Microsoft Direct3D.
The driver for Direct3D, which complements and extends the set of drawing APIs already supported by HOOPS/3dAF, makes it possible for any HOOPS/3dAF-based software application to accelerate its graphics display using Direct3D on the Microsoft Windows platform. There are currently more than 175 different commercial software applications running on HOOPS/3dAF.
With Microsoft Direct3D emerging as the ideal high-performance graphics display acceleration approach on Windows, tools such as HOOPS/3dAF provide developers with a critical edge in the marketplace.
"We applaud Tech Soft's continued support for Microsoft technologies," said Don Richardson, director, Manufacturing Industry Unit at Microsoft. "Engineering applications able to utilize Direct3D on Windows enjoy advantages including closer integration with the operating system, stability and great hardware OEM support. This is another great example of how partners are finding ways to add new value to their solutions by taking advantage of the capabilities in the Windows platform."
TSA Managing Partner Ron Fritz added, "Once our own testing demonstrated the significant performance gains Direct3D could provide - and given the progress Microsoft has made in shaping Direct3D to address the needs of engineering - we knew this new interface had the potential to give our customers a real performance boost on Windows. We've seen significant interest from software developers looking to build new applications that can access Direct3D as well as those looking for a rapid way to replace their home-grown OpenGL-based graphics engines with a more flexible subsystem able to drive Direct3D, OpenGL, Windows GDI and other APIs."
HOOPS 3D Application Framework (HOOPS/3dAF) is an extensible, high-level component that simplifies the design, development and maintenance of high-performance, interactive 2D/3D applications for Windows, UNIX, LINUX, MAC OS X, Windows CE devices or the Web. Companies such as Autodesk, SolidWorks, PTC, MSC.Software, Bentley/Infrasoft, KubotekUSA, IronCAD, Fluent, Proficiency, Mitutoyo, LK and more than 175 others license HOOPS technology to help them build better engineering software products faster.
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