Dayton Daily News

FAIRBORN — Like the teleporting characters in the hit sci-fi film "Jumper," a host of international journalists popped in today, June 5, at Wright State University's virtual-reality lab.

Entertainment reporters from Europe and Australia attended 20th Century Fox's international media launch of the "Jumper" DVD at daytaOhio's R.C. Appenzeller Visualization Laboratory.

The AVL features a four-sided, immersive 3D visualization environment called the iSpace.

Actual teleportation isn't yet possible, "so therefore we came to Ohio to see the next best thing, which is jumping from country to country virtually," said Melissa Loseby of 20th Century Fox International Home Entertainment.

Guests wearing 3D glasses with motion-sensor markers toured a digital rendering of ancient Rome's Pantheon.

"In the film they jumped to the Colosseum to have these incredible fight sequences," Loseby said. "Here they get to jump to the Pantheon in Rome and do something similar."

It was the first media application of daytaOhio's visualization technology, which typically is used in architecture, automotive and aerospace design.

"We've established this lab to be used by industry because we want to attract industry to Dayton," said Ken Berta, executive vice president of daytaOhio and director of the AVL.

"Jumper" will be released Tuesday, June 10, on DVD.

From French television Canal Plus, Francois Choquet views a promo for the DVD release for the movie 'Jumper' in iSpace at the daytaOhio at Wright State University on Thursday June 5.

Australian television personality 'Fuzzy' from the show 'Video Hits' experiences the Pantheon in Rome at the daytaOhio at Wright State University on Thursday, June 5. The journalists jumped from country to country virtually through a four-sided, immersive 3D visualization environment called the iSpace.