PARIS, January 20, 2009 — Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today presented at the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris the Virtual French Pavilion, a virtual replica of France’s Shanghai World Expo pavilion, created with Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Virtools software. More than 10 international pavilions have already chosen this state-of-the-art technology to develop advanced, full-3D pavilions for the Shanghai World Expo. For the first time in the Expo’s 158-year history, visitors will be able to experience the entire physical Expo site virtually, participate in 3D interactive activities and watch online broadcasts of events from the physical Expo.
Designed and built using Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Virtools software, the online French Pavilion is the World Expo’s virtual pavilion par excellence and a vivid counterpart to France’s physical pavilion at the Expo. Visitors can freely walk through the virtual pavilion, both inside and outside, as if they were in the physical pavilion, viewing the rooftop garden and masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay. Through Dassault Systèmes’ cutting-edge 3D technology, visitors can also enjoy incredible 3D interactivity, such as mini games or virtually “entering” masterpieces such as Gauguin’s “Le Repas” where they can navigate around the painting’s subjects.
“This is a great project and it is an honor for us to help realize the world’s most advanced virtual pavilion for this first World Expo Online,” said Philippe Forestier, executive vice president, Dassault Systèmes. “3DVIA-based pavilions offer a unique experience to people around the world in bringing unprecedented, real time, 3D interactivity and a 360-degree immersive walkthrough experience to hundreds of millions of online visitors. Dassault Systèmes is committed to creating technologies that free the imagination to dream, create and experience. With 3D lifelike technology and collective intelligence from online communities, we can bring dreams from the virtual world to real life and make our world a better place.”
“There are several purposes for the project. The first is to show the building itself as a piece of architecture. The second is to allow people that won’t go to Shanghai during the Expo to virtually visit the “inside” of the pavilions,” explains Arnaud Ribadeau-Dumas, director, 3DVIA R&D, Dassault Systèmes. “Going beyond what the real pavilion will offer, we have the opportunity to provide more information through virtual hot spots. There will be pieces of French industry, art, and interactive games.”
The 3DVIA Virtools technology that enables people to virtually explore the French Pavilion is already present in many domains and industries, including product experience, city planning, online retail shopping experiences, simulation-based training, advertising or even Internet marketing. Other brands of Dassault Systèmes’ 3D lifelike experience technology are widely used by industries such as aerospace, automotive, construction, consumer packaged goods and apparel. Through precise design, simulation and manufacturing of a product in the virtual world prior to its actual production, material waste and energy consumption are significantly reduced, leading to lower cost and shorter product development time. The Bird’s Nest, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Stadium and Shanghai World Financial Center, the world’s tallest building, were both designed and built using Dassault Systèmes’ 3D-based technologies. Recently, through a strategic partnership with Luc Besson’s company, EuropaCorp, Dassault Systèmes has leveraged its interactive 3D technologies to enhance the customer experience of Nestlé Chocapic and Nesquik cereals by turning the packaged boxes into a full-fledged 3D video game console. In addition, the two companies have developed several creative marketing tools for EuropCorp’s movie “Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard,” allowing everyone to sing and dance in 3D within the “Minimoys’” universe.
Expo Shanghai Online is expecting more than 100 million viewers, making the 2010 Expo the most important World Expo ever, with participants from around the world. Expo Shanghai Online will be permanently preserved after the physical Expo ends, creating an everlasting virtual exhibition for future generations.
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About Dassault Systèmes
As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 115,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling. The Dassault Systèmes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual product - SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design - DELMIA for virtual production - SIMULIA for virtual testing - ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, and 3DVIA for online 3D lifelike experiences. Dassault Systèmes’ shares are listed on Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) and Dassault Systèmes’ ADRs may be traded on the US Over-The-Counter (OTC) market (DASTY). For more information, visit
http://www.3ds.com.
CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, SolidWorks and 3D VIA are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries.