Gaming on Social Networks like FaceBook is all the rage these days, with games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars bringing in millions to their parent companies.  However, you only have to play one of these games for a few minutes to see the recurring theme: Flash based, “Click a button”, very repetitive.  They tap into core psychological principles (detailed in gory depth all over the internet) to keep you coming back, but the visuals aren’t one of those core principles.

That’s about to change thanks to Dassault Systemes and their 3DVIA branch, who are bringing a new 3D Gaming Engine and 1-click publishing to FaceBook.  The 3DVIA Product has been around for a few years, I’ve seen it at multiple SIGGRAPHS now, and every time they have a great little game you can play in their booth that was created by a team of 2-3 people in a mere matter of a few weeks, truly showing how simple they’ve made the creation process.  Now, you can take those games and use the new “One Click Publishing” Feature to push them directly to FaceBook.

The 3DVIA Player application for Facebook takes advantage of the free 3D hosting service available to users of 3DVIA Studio, a powerful 3D development engine, and 3DVIA Scenes, an online, consumer-friendly, drag-and-drop 3D creation tool for building interactive applications. Both products publish easily to an online viewer page on 3DVIA.com equipped with a “Play on Facebook” button. Clicking this button launches the application on Facebook, which can then be shared through wall posts or a dedicated URL within the 3DVIA Player application. More advanced users can use the sample Web code and tutorial provided to embed applications directly in their own developer profiles.

And to show how powerful it is, this year’s SIGGRAPH game ‘Billions’ is now online for all to enjoy.  In classic social fashion, run around collecting the “Mogaloos” before time runs out, competing for high score against your friends.  Made by ZOINK Games, it’s an impressive demonstration of the 3DVIA Technology:

“‘Billions’ is an excellent example of what 3DVIA Studio is capable of and supports our mission to empower anyone to create and communicate in 3D,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “In just a few short months, a very small development team built and published a visually-stunning, fully 3D application that runs in real-time on Facebook Platform. This is the future of game development.”

You can play Billions on FaceBook at http://apps.facebook.com/playbillions, or visit their website at http://billions.3dvia.com .

Read both press releases after the break.

One-Click FaceBook Publishing:

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Enables One-Click 3D Publishing on Facebook® Platform

3DVIA Users Can Now Easily Share Their Online 3D Games and Applications with 500 Million Facebook Users

CONCORD, Mass. & VÉLIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France, August 3, 2010Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced a 3DVIA Player application that allows users to launch 3D games and other applications on Facebook Platform in just one click. The combination of Facebook Platform publishing coupled with 3DVIA’s suite of free 3D development tools, stock content and online hosting at www.3DVIA.com, enables any of 3DVIA’s more than 190,000 users to create, share and distribute playable 3D applications online and on Facebook.

“We have taken the guesswork out of launching 3D applications on Facebook Platform,” said David Laubner, VP, online product marketing, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “Indie game developers invest so much time and effort developing their titles only to realize the bigger challenge is distribution. Our new, simplified process for launching 3D apps demonstrates our commitment to removing the hurdles content creators face when trying to publish their work.”

The 3DVIA Player application for Facebook takes advantage of the free 3D hosting service available to users of 3DVIA Studio, a powerful 3D development engine, and 3DVIA Scenes, an online, consumer-friendly, drag-and-drop 3D creation tool for building interactive applications. Both products publish easily to an online viewer page on 3DVIA.com equipped with a “Play on Facebook” button. Clicking this button launches the application on Facebook, which can then be shared through wall posts or a dedicated URL within the 3DVIA Player application. More advanced users can use the sample Web code and tutorial provided to embed applications directly in their own developer profiles.

An excellent example of what can be achieved using this sophisticated functionality is “Billions, Save Them All,” 3DVIA Studio’s first social game application launched on Facebook Platform today. Visit http://apps.facebook.com/playbillions to play the game or http://billions.3dvia.com for complete details on its production.

More information on 3DVIA Studio and 3DVIA Scenes can be found at:  http://www.3dvia.com/studio and http://www.3dvia.com/scenes.

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About 3DVIA

3DVIA, the newest brand in the Dassault Systèmes portfolio, delivers lifelike 3D experiences to the world’s rapidly expanding digital communities. It represents a bold commitment to extend 3D technology to new users, businesses and consumers. By delivering products designed specifically for non-traditional users of 3D applications, 3DVIA establishes an entirely new way for companies to communicate across the enterprise and directly with consumers using 3D as a universal language. For more information about 3DVIA, go to: www.3dvia.com and http://www.3dvia.com/software.

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 applications 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.  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.

Billions:

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA Studio Game Engine Launches First Social 3D Game Application on Facebook® Platform

“Billions, Save Them All” Attracts 3DVIA Fan Base and Indie Developer Community with High-end, Browser-based Graphics

CONCORD, Mass. & VÉLIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France, August 3, 2010Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced that “Billions, Save Them All,” its first title built on the new 3DVIA Studio engine, was launched on Facebook Platform. “Billions” is a 3D action/puzzle game made unique by the combination of dreamlike art and innovative gameplay where players construct 3D cube bridges and walk on all sides. It is a 3D game that stands out in the predominantly 2D Facebook Platform world.

In “Billions,” players compete for high scores with friends and other Facebook users. By assuming the role of a Glow Agent, players navigate through increasingly difficult levels to save Mogaloos, a race of cuddly, cube-like creatures. Puzzle-solving skills are a must to reach checkpoints quickly, saving as many Mogaloos as possible while building bridges with as few cubes as possible.

“‘Billions’ is an excellent example of what 3DVIA Studio is capable of and supports our mission to empower anyone to create and communicate in 3D,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “In just a few short months, a very small development team built and published a visually-stunning, fully 3D application that runs in real-time on Facebook Platform. This is the future of game development.”

3DVIA Studio brings the power of an AAA engine to an easy-to-use framework. With rapid prototyping, development and publishing capabilities, as well as seamless integration with 3DVIA.com for hosting, distribution and access to a community of more than 190,000 users who can test and promote applications, 3DVIA Studio is a perfect tool for indie developers. In addition, user-generated applications created with 3DVIA software and hosted on 3DVIA.com can easily be published straight to Facebook Platform and played through a dedicated, sharable Facebook URL.

“From a development perspective, ‘Billions’ was a great experience,” said Klaus Lyngeled, creative director, ZOINK Games, the studio responsible for “Billions.” “When dealing with browser-based, real-time 3D, making sacrifices for performance sake is expected. With 3DVIA Studio there was very little of this. The engine is designed to optimize for the Web, which allowed us to focus on gameplay and art without worrying about visual quality. Completing projects with 3DVIA is just unbelievably fast.”

“Billions” can be played on Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/playbillions. To learn more about “Billions,” visit the game’s official Web site at http://billions.3dvia.com.

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About ZOINK Games

ZOINK Games is a full-service game development studio based in Sweden. The studio specializes in innovative and highly creative experiences. Founded by Klaus Lyngeled, formerly of Shiny Entertainment, ZOINK is responsible for the much-anticipated, plush toy game Wiiwaa for Nintendo Wii.  ZOINK Game’s sister company, ZOINK Animation, produces CGI effects and animation for commercials and television films. Clients include Nike, Toyota, Burger King and Sony BMG. To learn more about ZOINK Games, visit the studio online at www.ZOINKGames.com.

About 3DVIA

3DVIA, the newest brand in the Dassault Systèmes portfolio, delivers lifelike 3D experiences to the world’s rapidly expanding digital communities. It represents a bold commitment to extend 3D technology to new users, businesses and consumers. By delivering products designed specifically for non-traditional users of 3D applications, 3DVIA establishes an entirely new way for companies to communicate across the enterprise and directly with consumers using 3D as a universal language. For more information about 3DVIA, go to: www.3dvia.com and http://www.3dvia.com/software.

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 applications 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.  For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com.