New versions of the Pliable Display Technology (PDT) Software Development Kits were released by IDELIX Software Inc. today featuring new programming options and performance enhancements that will open the door to new opportunities for the information visualization company's flagship product.

PDT by IDELIX is a virtual lens technology that provides users with a more intuitive and efficient means of visualizing and interacting with digital data. PDT is sold as a toolkit, allowing IDELIX development partners to integrate PDT into powerful visualization solutions for their customers. PDT-based functionality such as detail-in-context data interaction, unique lens assisted operations, bandwidth management, and multi-layer viewing have strong appeal in markets such as geospatial intelligence, defense, GIS, medical imaging, gaming, and CAD.

Version 3.1 of the PDT SDK is written in C++ and features new COM and .NET wrappers that facilitate easier integration of PDT for partners that develop using languages other than C++. The added COM and .NET components wrap PDTfi member functions so that they conform to calling specifications. DirectX and OpenGL components will now be accessible through COM and .NET frameworks.

IDELIX has also developed sophisticated mesh tiling techniques that simplify coding requirements and provide significant performance improvements, particularly for large imagery data. Previous versions of the SDK placed restrictions on the size of the texture maps that could be used with a mesh in the OpenGL and DirectX components. The limit was defined by the video hardware and prevented programmers from taking advantage of the card's total video memory. The new tiling techniques overcome this limitation and facilitate the use of PDT on large digital images.

Two new image-rendering systems have also been added to the PDT Java SDK 2.0. The Triangle and Pixel Warp Renderers support multiple lens shapes, shading, multiple lenses, and provide better antialiasing. The PDT Java Warp Renderers have been optimized to obtain performance that closely matches that of their C++ counterparts.

Five integrators, including MERL, will be demonstrating PDT-enabled applications in addition to IDELIX's own booth (Booth #108) at the upcoming GEOINT 2004 symposium being held October 13 and 14 in New Orleans. GEOINT is the premier event for the geospatial intelligence community bringing government, industry, and military leaders together with leading suppliers and industry experts.

Source: IDELIX, Oct. 7, 2004