VastPark Expands Developer Program, Adds 5 Companies

VastPark announced today that five new companies had joined its developer program, which was announced in September: MindTaffy (US); eLearning results specialist FinPa (Australia); virtual world developers Metaversatility (US); realXtend developer ADMINO technologies (Finland); and Second Life development company The Project Factory (UK/Australia). VastPark is also prepping to release an SDK with documentation on developing within VastPark.

“Our job is to make the VastPark platform an open eco-system: open specifications, open source player, and an open marketplace that supports users, developers and partners selling content, plugins and so on," CEO Bruce Joy, said in a statement." It also requires that we’re available to partner with developers to help them achieve critical projects. Finally and most critically we aim to build a community who can devise their own solutions and enhancements that take the platform far beyond what anyone by themselves can achieve.”

The use cases and applications, like the developers, seem fairly widespread. Metaversatility Creative Director and Cofounder Matt Daly told me that his company is working to integrate a face tracking application with VastPark's client, though he notes that it's only preliminary research right now. Metaversatility is also interested in hosting events in VastPark, as it has done for clients in Second Life.

"Beyond that, the developer program gives us access to their technology and people and helps solidify the relationship so that plans we do have can be accelerated, and we can have some agency in helping to develop the platform," he added.

FinPa, which has clients in government, education, and industry training, is looking at VastPark for training and education tools that range across Flash and more immersive,  3D environments.

"We see the VastPark platform as a powerful, real time, collaborative learning environment. VastPark’s platform enables workplace, competency based assessment and learning especially for high risk environments where real time simulation is a cost effective and educationally sound alternative,”  FinPa CEO Damian O'Sullivan, said in a statment.

MindTaffy's plans are broader.

"VastPark will allow us to deliver immersive, real-time, photo-real i3D content to our Corporate Branding, Product Marketing, e-Learning and e-Signage clientele, while using only a few megabytes of 3D data and IMML programming logic," stated Wallace Jackson, CEO and Lead Digital Artisan at Mind Taffy Design. "We will also be utilizing the VastPark platform to develop virtual worlds and MMORPG websites that will be open to the public, and which will feature Functional Virtual Product Placement and In-World e-Advertisement from Mind Taffy Design's international branded manufacturer clientele."