On November 15, 1994, Silicon Graphics Inc. announced IRIS Annotator(tm), an advanced collaborative computing software tool that enables users to attach digital media annotations - in forms such as audio, images, text and video - to 3D models. IRIS Annotator represents a communication breakthrough for 3D design and analysis, providing a powerful, easy-to-use method of sharing ideas and information across the entire organization.
"IRIS Annotator brings all elements of real-life, sensory communication into a solution that gives rise to an entirely new level of collaboration," said Way Ting, vice president and general manager of Silicon Graphics' Visual Magic Division. "Companies can now substantially increase productivity levels by improving communication among individuals from different disciplines with different skill sets throughout an organization."
Unlike traditional view and mark-up techniques used today, IRIS Annotator enables on-line digital review of fully rotating 3D data, allowing users to attach video, audio and text annotations directly to the 3D model. The ability to choose the most appropriate annotation allows more powerful and efficient communication between individuals, particularly when team members are located in different geographies and time zones. IRIS Annotator is an ideal collaboration tool for any discipline producing 3D data, including engineering, manufacturing, architecture, life sciences, chemistry and geosciences.
IRIS Annotator provides several intuitive features both for authoring and for attaching annotations to 3D models. The software enables markers to be placed in a 3D scene to indicate points of interest and then have them linked with multiple digital media annotations, or media notes.
With IRIS Annotator, media notes are created by utilizing one of several media capture tools supplied with Silicon Graphics systems, to record or import an annotation. Users "sending" the models can choose a 3D view of the model, then highlight particular points of interest with video, audio or text annotations. Once created, the annotation appears as a small icon representing the media type used for that note. Recipients of models assembled in IRIS Annotator can easily and logically view the model and its annotations.
IRIS Annotator facilitates transparent sharing of data by using the Open Inventor(tm) file format for 3D graphics. Once converted into the Inventor(tm) format, 3D models can then be transferred via Media Mail(tm), a bundled electronic mail application, and imported into IRIS Annotator or other Silicon Graphics collaborative tools. This approach enables models to be shared, reviewed, analyzed, annotated and presented by team members without the technical expertise required by CAD and visualization software.
IRIS Annotator can be used on any Silicon Graphics(r) workstation running IRIX(tm) 5.3, and will be available first quarter 1995.
Contact: Eileen Caetano, 415-390-2036
Silicon Graphics, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of high-performance visual computing systems. The company delivers interactive three-dimensional graphics, digital media and multiprocessing supercomputing technologies to technical, scientific and creative professionals. Its subsidiary, MIPS Technologies, Inc., designs and licenses the industry's leading RISC processor technology for the computer systems and embedded control markets. Silicon Graphics has offices worldwide and headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Silicon Graphics, IRIS and the Silicon Graphics logo are registered trademarks, and Inventor, Open Inventor, Media Mail, IRIX and IRIS Annotator are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc.
