ACUITIV Software and Ascension Technology Form an Alliance; Partnership Integrates Leading CFD Visualization and Motion Tracking Solutions

BATAVIA, Ill. and BURLINGTON, Vt.--Sept. 8, 2003--ACUITIV(TM) Software (www.acuitiv.com), the leading provider of next-generation Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) visualization software, and Ascension Technology Corporation, a leading manufacturer of motion tracking technology, today announced a joint partnership. As part of the agreement, both will participate in joint marketing and sales efforts, as well as complete interoperability testing. With this partnership, users of immersive environments will now benefit from an end-to-end visualization and motion capturing solution set.

As the popularity of immersive environments continues to grow in the automotive, aerospace and defense, energy, and chemical processing industries to better develop, analyze, and collaborate on product designs, ACUITIV Software and Ascension have partnered to offer customers the only combination of products that seamlessly integrates CFD visualization and motion tracking for real-time analysis, interaction, and control. Previously, additional software solutions and complex coding were required to ensure complete interoperability.

"As the market leader for motion trackers, Ascension is used by some of the largest and most prominent institutions across several vertical markets," said Bill Panepinto, General Manager of ACUITIV Software. "Our next-generation architecture combined with Ascension's cutting-edge magnetic, laser optical, infrared optical, and inertial tracking technologies offers customers an intuitive solution that fully integrates CFD visualization and motion tracking within an immersive environment for the first time."

"Immersive environments have proven to be an area where the combination of motion tracking and CFD visualization is the most powerful and comprehensive method for better examining and understanding designs," said Jack Scully, Vice President of Ascension Technology Corporation. "By supporting VR Juggler(TM) as part of the ACUITIV Software architecture, the ease with which they can interoperate with immersive environments makes them an attractive partner for us. We anticipate this partnership will not only unveil new opportunities for both companies, but truly present customers with a compelling solution to reduce overall time to market."

About ACUITIV(TM) Software

ACUITIV(TM) Software, based in Batavia, IL, is a leading provider of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) visualization software. As a division of Fuel Tech, Inc., a leading technology company focused on air pollution control, process optimization, and advanced engineering services, ACUITIV Software has the resources and expertise necessary to offer customers a true next-generation visualization software solution that can provide immediate and impactful business benefits. As the only visualization software package architected with the state-of-the-art OpenGL(TM) libraries developed by SGI and the world renowned VR Juggler(TM) created at Iowa State University by CAVE(R) inventor, Carolina Cruz-Niera, the ACUITIV offering provides customers in several industries including automotive, aerospace and defense, chemical processing, and energy with an unmatched software package to uncover new opportunities, improve designs, accelerate decisions, and shorten time to market. For more information, visit www.acuitiv.com.

About Ascension Technology Corporation

Ascension Technology Corporation, based in Burlington, Vermont, is the market leader in 3D tracking devices for interactive computer applications. It offers both three and six degrees-of-freedom trackers for applications in real-time visualization, simulation, medical imaging, biomechanics, animation, and military targeting systems. To provide the best possible solution for a given application, it utilizes five unique technologies in 14 separate trackers coupled with high level, personalized support. For more information, visit www.ascension-tech.com.