Monday, September 18, 2006
SPLENDOR OF OCEAN LIFE- "ARID OCEAN"
SPLENDOR OF OCEAN LIFE- "ARID OCEAN"
Kassel, Germany. - September 18, 2006: The perfect getaway spot may be not as far away as you might think. Just install "Arid Ocean" v.1.1, a new jewel of a screensaver from Michael Schmeling. Designed as a photorealistic marine life simulation, "Arid Ocean" lets you enjoy the splendor of an underwater world with a beautiful ocean seabed, exotic plants, and myriad species of fish that will parade right before your eyes. Graceful dolphins will be whirling around in a mirthful dance too. With this heavenly wonderful scene, you will soon feel all the worries of the outside world melt away, to be replaced with clean, pure beauty of the ocean.
In terms of graphics and realism, "Arid Ocean" really stands out. It literally pulls you into the realm behind the screen. Gliding over the sandy ocean floor, you will observe huge cliffs that form a sea basin where plants will be swaying in the current. At times, cliffs seem to look like the sunken megalithic ruins of the lost city of Atlantis. There will be dolphins weaving among each other with sunlight dancing over their bodies and the sky overhead an immaculate blue. And far away you will hear whales calling out. The whole scene looks so much realistic that it seems you may bump your nose on the dolphin's fin, each time one crosses before you.
Unlike many competitors that let you see the underwater world only from a single fixed perspective, "Arid Ocean" enables you to glide freely around within the provided ocean area and explore the surroundings. There is even a nightly view where you can observe how fish and dolphins swim into the light cone of your headlamp. Even education gets its share. With a mouse click, you can learn some details worth to know about each species, e.g. distribution, habitat, food and state of endangerment. "Arid Ocean" can be run as a standalone application or as a screensaver. The program and documentation are available in English and German.
"Arid Ocean grew out of love for the life in the oceans and was inspired a bit by the famous TV series "Deep Blue", says Michael Schmeling, author of "Arid Ocean". "Currently, there are many virtual aquariums available, but they almost all show fish only in the artificial and closely confined environment of a fish tank, without the ability to move around. We wanted to create a truly natural feeling experience for the user, almost similar to real scuba diving, and 3D technology is now sufficiently advanced for the technical challenges such a project provides."
Further information and screen shots are available at www.aridocean.com.
Pricing and Availability
Arid Ocean 1.1 runs under Microsoft Windows 2000/XP and requires a graphics card with pixel shader support. For the duration of the launch campaign, Arid Ocean costs EUR 12.50 (incl. VAT). After October 31, 2006, the cost will be EUR 19.95 (incl. VAT). Additional information on the screensaver, screen shots, as well as its free 30-day evaluation copy (no limitations) is available from www.aridocean.com.
Kassel, Germany. - September 18, 2006: The perfect getaway spot may be not as far away as you might think. Just install "Arid Ocean" v.1.1, a new jewel of a screensaver from Michael Schmeling. Designed as a photorealistic marine life simulation, "Arid Ocean" lets you enjoy the splendor of an underwater world with a beautiful ocean seabed, exotic plants, and myriad species of fish that will parade right before your eyes. Graceful dolphins will be whirling around in a mirthful dance too. With this heavenly wonderful scene, you will soon feel all the worries of the outside world melt away, to be replaced with clean, pure beauty of the ocean.
In terms of graphics and realism, "Arid Ocean" really stands out. It literally pulls you into the realm behind the screen. Gliding over the sandy ocean floor, you will observe huge cliffs that form a sea basin where plants will be swaying in the current. At times, cliffs seem to look like the sunken megalithic ruins of the lost city of Atlantis. There will be dolphins weaving among each other with sunlight dancing over their bodies and the sky overhead an immaculate blue. And far away you will hear whales calling out. The whole scene looks so much realistic that it seems you may bump your nose on the dolphin's fin, each time one crosses before you.
Unlike many competitors that let you see the underwater world only from a single fixed perspective, "Arid Ocean" enables you to glide freely around within the provided ocean area and explore the surroundings. There is even a nightly view where you can observe how fish and dolphins swim into the light cone of your headlamp. Even education gets its share. With a mouse click, you can learn some details worth to know about each species, e.g. distribution, habitat, food and state of endangerment. "Arid Ocean" can be run as a standalone application or as a screensaver. The program and documentation are available in English and German.
"Arid Ocean grew out of love for the life in the oceans and was inspired a bit by the famous TV series "Deep Blue", says Michael Schmeling, author of "Arid Ocean". "Currently, there are many virtual aquariums available, but they almost all show fish only in the artificial and closely confined environment of a fish tank, without the ability to move around. We wanted to create a truly natural feeling experience for the user, almost similar to real scuba diving, and 3D technology is now sufficiently advanced for the technical challenges such a project provides."
Further information and screen shots are available at www.aridocean.com.
Pricing and Availability
Arid Ocean 1.1 runs under Microsoft Windows 2000/XP and requires a graphics card with pixel shader support. For the duration of the launch campaign, Arid Ocean costs EUR 12.50 (incl. VAT). After October 31, 2006, the cost will be EUR 19.95 (incl. VAT). Additional information on the screensaver, screen shots, as well as its free 30-day evaluation copy (no limitations) is available from www.aridocean.com.
# posted by Eric Frost @ 6:54 AM 
