Walkinside Enables Building Visualization

Possible uses for Walkinside include project reviews, client presentations, training tools for new workers, and guides for visitors who need help finding their way through complex industrial projects. Walkinside files can be sent as email attachments and don't require special hardware (besides a good graphics card) for viewing. To make a new Walk inside visualization, the user must start out with a MicroStation 3D file, although other file formats such as PDMS, STEP, and IGES can be converted to the MicroStation format and then to Walkinside.

The software is available in three levels. Walkinside 1.0, the full package, includes the converter, Viewer Pro software that allows viewing and measuring, and, during the launch period, an Nvidia-based graphics card, for $4740. The Viewer Pro program alone costs $940, and a basic Walkinside Viewer is free. (VRcontext; www.walkinside.com)-Jenny Donelan