From owner-iris-on-line@sgigate.sgi.com Thu May 4 14:14:51 1995 Return-Path: Received: from mx5.u.washington.edu by stein2.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW95.02/UW-NDC Revision: 2.32 ) id AA01023; Thu, 4 May 95 14:14:51 -0700 Received: from sgigate.SGI.COM by mx5.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW95.02/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA20000; Thu, 4 May 95 14:14:46 -0700 Received: by sgigate.sgi.com (950221.405.SGI.8.6.10/911001.SGI) for iris-on-line-members id UAA20404; Wed, 3 May 1995 20:34:10 -0700 Received: from sgihub.corp.sgi.com by sgigate.sgi.com via ESMTP (950221.405.SGI.8.6.10/911001.SGI) for id UAA20396; Wed, 3 May 1995 20:34:07 -0700 Received: from rock.csd.sgi.com by sgihub.corp.sgi.com via ESMTP (950413.SGI.8.6.12/911001.SGI) for id UAA16796; Wed, 3 May 1995 20:34:05 -0700 Received: from sylvan.csd.sgi.com by rock.csd.sgi.com via ESMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/940406.SGI.AUTO) for <@rock.csd.sgi.com:iris-on-line@sgigate.sgi.com> id UAA14700; Wed, 3 May 1995 20:33:52 -0700 Received: by sylvan.csd.sgi.com (940816.SGI.8.6.9/911001.SGI) for iris-on-line@sgigate id UAA05513; Wed, 3 May 1995 20:33:51 -0700 From: "Lori Nelson-King" Message-Id: <9505032033.ZM5511@sylvan.csd.sgi.com> Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 20:33:51 -0700 X-Mailer: Z-Mail-SGI (3.0S.1026 26oct93 MediaMail) To: iris-on-line@sgigate.sgi.com Subject: IRIS On-Line May 1995 Vol. 3 Issue 5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: owner-iris-on-line@sgigate.sgi.com Precedence: bulk Status: OR IRIS On-Line Vol. 3 ISSUE 5 May 1995 __^__ __^__ ( ___ )------------------------------------------------------------( ___ ) | / | | \ | | / | I R I S | \ | | / | O n - L i n e | \ | | / | **** | \ | | / | A Silicon Graphics Publication | \ | |___| |___| (_____)------------------------------------------------------------(_____) ^ ^ Welcome to the May Issue of IRIS On-Line. This month will go down in history as the month that 3D on the World Wide Web becomes a reality. WebSpace, the first commercially-available three-dimensional viewer for the World Wide Web, will be available for downloading this week on Silicon Surf at URL: http://www.sgi.com/Products/WebFORCE/WebSpace/WebSpaceDownload.html Thanks to Webspace, you'll soon be able to fly through 3D worlds, explore cities, museums, and imaginary places; inspect 3D models of products in on-line catalogs; and visualize information such as stock market trends in 3D. An unsupported beta version of WebSpace will be freely distributed this week by Silicon Graphics, Template Graphics Software, and others. In late spring or early summer, the official WebSpace 1.0 will be released. We will also open the doors to the Surf Zone this week, the only club on the planet where you'll experience web navigation in 3D. Fly through our virtual island in outerspace, explore our Gallery of innovative art, download cool freeware, browse through our on-line job listings, and visit the Spotlight, where Silicon Graphics personalities share their innovations. If you're an artist in search of a gallery, grab your fifteen minutes of stardom in the Surf Zone Gallery - Silicon Surf's virtual art gallery. This is your chance to showcase your best visual art, display an original movie clip, or introduce a bit of your music to the world. See the Surf Zone Gallery article in the WebWatch section for details on this groundbreaking gallery. May is also an important month for Silicon Graphics developers- make sure your bags are packed for Developer Forum '95, the premier development event of the year! Special guest for this event is none other than Scott Adams, cartoonist and creator of Dilbert comic strip. Silicon Graphics Events and Announcements ---------------------------------------- 1. Last Chance To Sign Up For Developer Forum '95 2. Silicon Studio World Tour 1995 3. You're Invited To the Silicon Studio/LA Training Center Open House 4. Open Inventor Programming Course Offered In Key Cities 5. May/June Issue of Pipeline Now Available 6. New Applications on the Silicon Graphics Platform It's Hot, It's Cool, and It's Free ---------------------------------------- 1. Free InPerson Evaluation Software 2. MR Toolkit 1.4 Supports Virtual Reality Application Development 3. MiXViews, a Sound and Data Editor, Is Now Available 4. Serving and Viewing Vis5D Files Via the World Wide Web 5. Demo Version of Smalltalk/X 2.10.5 Now Available Hot Off The Press ---------------------------------------- 1. Silicon Graphics Takes Lead In Departmental Supercomputers (pr1) 2. Bristol-Myers Squibb Selects Silicon Graphics Power Challenge To Advance Computational Chemistry Research (pr2) 3. Time Warner To Join Interactive Digital Solutions As Equity Partner (pr3) 4. Silicon Studio Transforms Television With Revolutionary 3D Virtual Set Technology (pr4) 5. MIPS and NEC Announce Advanced 64-bit RISC Processor To Power New Class Of Interactive Consumer Products (pr5) 6. MIPS and Silicon Graphics Announce MIPS Magic Carpet Breakthrough Digital Media Technology for Interactive Consumer Products (pr6) 7. Silicon Graphics Reports A 47% Increase in Revenues And A 74% Increase in Earnings Per Share (pr7) What's New From Third Parties ---------------------------------------- 1. CPLEX Optimization Announces Parallel Linear Optimization Technology 2. New Products From Qualix Direct WebWatch ---------------------------------------- 1. Waxweb 2.0: Interactive 3D Cinema On The World Wide Web 2. Triangle Tiling: Explore Solids, Tiling, Geometry Though Interactive 3-D Graphics 3. Inside Out: "Digital" Figurative Sculpture 4. ROVER, The Remote Audio/Video Explorer Robot 5. Exhibit Your Art in Silicon Graphics' "Surf Zone" Gallery Odds & Ends ---------------------------------------- 1. How To Use The Mail Server 2. IRIS On-Line Subscription Details 3. Silicon Graphics Inc. and Third Party Information 4. IRIS On-Line Disclaimer SILICON GRAPHICS EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ---------------------------------------- 1. Last Chance To Sign Up For Developer Forum '95 If you haven't registered to attend Silicon Graphics Developer Forum '95, but would like to attend, it's not too late. Developer Forum '95 is open to all members of the Silicon Graphics Developer Program and all IRIS Development Option users with a current support agreement. Pre-registration ends on May 12, 1995; beyond that date, you must register on-site at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California. If you plan to register on-site, call 1-800-685-2578 or 508-440-9700 to confirm space availability. You should also plan to arrive at the Fairmont by 8:00AM on Tuesday, May 16. Highlights of the conference include: - Executive Keynotes on New Products, Technology Directions, Strategies - Expanded and Enhanced Hands-on labs - Over 50 technical sessions - Animation Festival - Silicon Graphics Campus Tour - Networking Opportunities - Special Interest Groups For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Support/DevProg/Forum/dev_forum.html - end - 2. Silicon Studio World Tour 1995 Silicon Studio is heading out on the road again this year. We will travel to 21 cities, bringing the entertainment solution story to end-users around the world. The presentation will cover StudioServices, including Training and Support; compositing and editing; graphics and animation; game development; and the hot new virtual set technology. Customers can register to attend the event in the city of their choice using the on-line registration form included on the web, or, if registering for a location in North America, call 1-800-636-8184, Dept. S3. For more information, including the complete list of locations and dates for the tour, check out the Tour web page on the Silicon Studio web site: http://www.studio.sgi.com. Or contact Alyce Lindquist via e-mail at alyce@studio.sgi.com, or call (415) 390-5267. - end - 3. You're Invited To the Silicon Studio/LA Training Center Open House You are invited to the Silicon Studio/LA Training Center Open House, being held May 5-6. Friday, May 5: 12:00PM to 8:00PM Saturday, May 6: 10:00AM to 5:00PM Location: 1417 Second Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 Silicon Studio/LA is Silicon Graphics' new training center, located in Santa Monica, to provide technology training for the entertainment community. It is outfitted with the latest technology for intensive hands-on courses in high level animation, creative imaging, editing, compositing, modeling and design, system administration, and studio integration. You're invited to "Sample the Studio". Every half hour, there will be presentations and demonstrations on Silicon Studio/LA in five different track areas: - Studio Technology - 2D Imaging and Paint - 3D Modeling and Animation - Editing and Compositing - SGI Technology Don't miss the special presentation by Scott Ross of Digital Domain on Friday at 12 noon. For more information, send email to opening@studio.sgi.com, or call 415.390.1500 - end - 4. Open Inventor Programming Course Offered In Key Cities Two-day Course Teaches Basics Of Programming With Object-oriented Toolkit For Interactive 3D Graphics Application Development Portable Graphics, Inc. is sponsoring a two-day course on programming with Open Inventor, an object-oriented programming toolkit that simplifies the development of sophisticated interactive 3D graphics applications. The course, entitled Introduction to Open Inventor Programming, will benefit both novice and advanced graphics programmers. Dr. Chris Buckalew, noted computer graphics expert and associate professor at California Polytechnic State University, will teach the course in 14 key cities throughout the U.S. Typical applications that can be created with Open Inventor include: geophysical visualization, interactive 3D games, animation, CAD, modeling and industrial design, collaborative work, visual simulation, desktop publishing, scientific data visualization, commercial database visualization, computer-based training, presentations, and virtual reality. Introduction To Open Inventor Programming will be offered in these cities as follows: Houston, TX: May 22-23 Arlington, VA: May 25-26 Albuquerque, NM: June 5-6 Colorado Springs, CO: June 8-9 Santa Clara, CA: June 12-13 San Diego, CA: June 15-16 Huntsville, AL: July 10-11 Raleigh-Durham, NC: July 13-14 Needham, MA: July 24-25 Detroit, MI: July 27-28 Dayton, OH: August 21-22 Minneapolis, MN: August 24-25 Dallas, TX: September 11-12 Bellevue, WA: September 14-15 For more information about the course, contact Portable Graphics, Inc.; 2201 Donley Drive, Suite 365; Austin, TX 78758-4838; 800-580-1166; inventor@portable.com. - end - 5. May/June Issue of Pipeline Pipeline, the technical publication for customers with support contracts, features the following new content in the May/June issue: Introducing WebFORCE WebFORCE is a new software product from SGI that provides integrated solutions for authoring and serving documents on the World Wide Web. This article provides information on the software and hardware requirements for WebFORCE as well as the various software components that make up WebFORCE. X11R6 on IRIX 5.x and IRIX 6.0.x Provides an overview of the changes from X11 Release 5 (provided with IRIX 5.1 and IRIX 5.2), and X11 Release 6 (provided with IRIX 5.3, IRIX 6.0, and IRIX 6.0.1). Desks Overview Permament License The Desks Overview licensing disagreement has been resolved. A permament license has been generated and is available free of charge to all SGI customers. This article provides information on how to install the permament license. Programming with Sockets This article provides an introduction to socket programming. A sample program uses a connection-oriented (TCP) client/server model. REACT/Pro Frame Rate Scheduler This article provides an introduction to the IRIX REACT/Pro Frame Rate Scheduler, and how it can assist programmers writing real time programs. Sample code is provided. For more information about Pipeline, send e-mail to pipeline@sgi.com - end - 6. New Applications on the Silicon Graphics Platform The following are new applications for the Silicon Graphics platform since February 24: Computational Fluid Dynamics ---------------------------- STARZONE: Rotordynamics Seal Research (RSR) Connectivity & Communications ---------------------------- PCEHSD, VMEHSD: Applied Data Sciences, Inc. INERTIA - Workstation to Video Graphics Converter: Extron Electronics Torque FileBlaster, Torque Ware: Torque Systems, Inc. Chemistry, Biochemistry, & Biotechnology ---------------------------- Nucleic Acid Database: Rutgers University, Department of Chemistry Data Analysis ---------------------------- Gsharp: Advanced Visual Systems, Inc. Database Management ---------------------------- Illustra BasicVideo DataBlade, OMF DataBlade, TimeSeries DataBlade, Web DataBlade: Illustra Information Technologies, Inc. uniVerse: VMARK Software, Inc. Development Tools ---------------------------- Wind/U: Bristol Technology, Inc. Micro Focus COBOL for UNIX: Micro Focus Earth Resources ---------------------------- VIEWS: Advanced Data Solutions SeisUP: GeoCenter, Inc. ACTRIS, HERESIM3D, ISATIS 2.0: GEOMATH, Inc. RealSeis: Sino Tech. Services, Inc. Composer with CGM Editing, Plot Express, Zeh Plot File Translators: Zeh Graphics Systems, Inc. Electronic Design Automation ---------------------------- ContecSPICE: CONTEC Microelectronics USA Inc. Graphic Arts ---------------------------- Torque FITServer: Torque Systems, Inc. Mechanical CAD/CAM/CAE ---------------------------- FastCurves, ScenicDrive: Chace & Associates Engineering Deneb/ERGO, TELEGRIP, UltraArc, UltraFinish, UltraPaint, UltraSpot: Deneb Robotics, Inc. STARDYNE: Rotordynamics Seal Research (RSR) Media Authoring/Image Processing ---------------------------- AMIGAS (Advanced Meteorological Image & Graphics Analysis System): Control Data Systems, Inc. Cosmos Sprockets: Digital Evolution DynaText: Electronic Book Technologies, Inc. DeBabelizer UNIX: Equilibrium Medicine & General Biology ---------------------------- SIMM/Gait: MusculoGraphics, Inc. Render-Plan 3-D: Precision Mathematics, Inc. Molecular Modeling ---------------------------- HINT - Hydropathic Interaction Visualization and Analysis Tools: eduSoft, LC Peripherals ---------------------------- CTD 8000 E-S External DOS-2 DAT Drive, CTD 8000 H-S 3.5" DDS-2 DAT Drive: Conner Peripherals DVC Digital Monochrome 10 Bit Video Cameras for Indy: DVC Company VDE/200 Extension System: Lightwave Communications, Inc. Science & Mathematics ---------------------------- EMA3D & others: Electro Magnetic Applications Visual Simulation Tools ---------------------------- VR TOOL: LinCom Corporation CLOVIS: Medialab See the Silicon Graphics Third Party Applications Directory for a comprehensive guide to third-party software applications, peripherals, and services for Silicon Graphics products. URL: http://www.sgi.com/Products/appsdirectory.html - end - IT'S HOT, IT'S COOL, AND IT'S FREE ---------------------------------------- 1. Free InPerson Evaluation Software InPerson, Silicon Graphics' desktop conferencing software, represents a significant advancement in collaborative computing through affordable desktop conferencing. InPerson is a networked multimedia conferencing tool that provides multi-way audio and video conferencing combined into a single, easy-to-use application. If you are running IRIX 5.2 or IRIX 5.3, you can download a free evaluation copy of InPerson Software from Silicon Surf. The InPerson page on Silicon Surf also offers a wealth of product information, including technical specifications and a detailed FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). For more information on InPerson, send e-mail to inperson@sgi.com OR, in North America, call 1-800-800-7441 and ask for department code D150 - end - 2. MR Toolkit 1.4 Supports Virtual Reality Application Development The Minimal Reality (MR) Toolkit is a subroutine library that supports the development of Virtual Reality (VR) applications and other forms of three-dimensional user interfaces. The MR Toolkit supports the distribution of the user interfaces over multiple workstations, data distributed over several workstations, numerous interaction techniques, physical and virtual geometry management, and real-time performance analysis tools. The current version of the MR Toolkit is callable from C, C++ and FORTRAN programs on Silicon Graphics, HP, DEC, and IBM RS6000 workstations. The features available in this release are: - New MOTIF hand calibration program for gloves - A MOTIF pseudo-tracker to replace any trackers you don't own - Simple VR viewers for Wavefront .obj and Alias Separated .tri files - The Panel Package - User can use glove to interact with buttons, menus, sliders & text on a 2D rectangle placed in 3D space. - The Peer package - allows intelligent multi-person VR interaction. - OML - the Object Modeling Language - a procedural programming language for describing the geometry and behavior of 3D objects used in computer animations and virtual worlds. - JDCAD+ - is a highly interactive 3D modeling system (no coding) using six-degrees of freedom input devices to make 3D models. The MR Toolkit is available at no cost to licensed academic and research institutions. To get version 1.4 of the MR Toolkit, you must sign the license form and mail it back to the University of Alberta. The person signing it should be a full-time "responsible person" at your organization, with a title such as Professor, Director, Manager, etc. If you are interested in the MR Toolkit, you can either ftp the PostScript copy of the license from ftp.cs.ualberta.ca ... Address: 129.128.4.241 cd pub/graphics and get the file "license.ps" Or, you can email lloyd@cs.ualberta.ca, and he will email you the PostScript license form. Mail the signed license form to Professor Mark Green, Department of Computing Science 615 General Services Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H1. The MR Toolkit is distributed by blind FTP, so please include your email address in the license form. There is also a commercial license for the MR Toolkit. This license covers the use of the MR Toolkit in commercial organizations, the sale of applications developed using the MR Toolkit, and the distribution of part, or all, of the MR Toolkit as part of a bundled software package. For more information, e-mail cdshaw@cs.UAlberta.ca - end - 3. MiXViews, a Sound and Data Editor, Is Now Available MixViews, or mxv for short, is a graphics-interface sound and data editor and processor which runs under the X window system. It facilitates all standard forms of digital signal editing plus a large variety of filtering, shaping, analysis, and resynthesis tools. Sounds may be recorded and played back, copied, cut and pasted, spliced, mixed, etc. MiXViews version 1.06 is now available as source code, and is available as binaries for Silicon Graphic's IRIX 5.0, m68k NeXT, and on Sun Sparc. The source is available on the Internet at URL: ftp://ftp.ccmrc.ucsb.edu:pub/MixViews/source/ For more information, send e-mail to doug@ccmrc.ucsb.edu - end - 4. Serving and Viewing Vis5D Files Via the World Wide Web In order to make it easier for atmosphere and ocean modelers to distribute their data sets, the Computer Sciences department at the University of Wisconsin has defined Vis5D files as a medium for exchanging information on the World Wide Web. Vis5D is a freeware system specifically designed for interactively visualizing environmental simulations. Links to Vis5D files can be embedded in Web pages, and Mosaic can automatically invoke Vis5D to view them. For more information, e-mail Bill Hibbard at whibbard@macc.wisc@edu - end - 5. Demo Version of Smalltalk/X 2.10.5 Now Available The demo version of Smalltalk/X is now available. Smalltalk/X is a new implementation of the Smalltalk language which consists of both an integrated environment for program development and a standalone smalltalk compiler, generating true machine code. Smalltalk runs on the Silicon Graphics 5.2 (including 3D GL graphics), Sun Solaris 2.4, Linux, Ultrix 4.4, and NeXT 2.1. This package may be used for educational purposes only; the program may not be used for any commercial purposes; neither the program in whole or parts, nor applications, programs or functions created with or derived from this program may be sold or otherwise be made available to any third party or person for profit. You may not use this program or parts or applications created with this program for in-house production, or other work, which is related to any non educational activity. Please review the license information in the demo package for complete license information. Smalltalk/X is available on the World Wide Web at the following URL: ftp://ftp.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pub/stx The Smalltalk/X package includes HTML documentation which you can also access at URL http://www.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/stx/doc/online/english/TOP.html. The documentation is not yet finished and more is to be expected in the future. This packages is a prerelease of the soon to be released full versions; its a fully working smalltalk, including programming environment, debugger, incremental bytecode compiler, and source of most classes. Not included is the 'stc' smalltalk-to-c compiler; this one is only available in the full distribution. Also, not all classes' source code is included in the demo package. For more information, send e-mail to Claus Gittinger at cg@ssw.de -end - HOT OFF THE PRESS ---------------------------------------- 1. Silicon Graphics Takes Lead In Departmental Supercomputers (pr1) According to data compiled by market research firms, Silicon Graphics is the leading vendor of departmental supercomputers, the fastest growing sector of the high-performance computing market. Silicon Graphics' rapid market share growth has been attributed to its powerful and affordable high-performance symmetric multiprocessing systems, visualization technologies and breadth of supercomputing applications. The company also announced that it is increasing the speed of its POWER CHALLENGE supercomputer and POWER Onyx graphics supercomputer products by an additional 20 percent. Prominent research firms International Data Corporation (IDC) and Smaby Group, Inc. both have noted that Silicon Graphics has captured more than one-third of the 1994 mid-range, high-performance computing market. In preliminary 1994 estimates, IDC found Silicon Graphics leading with a 36 percent share of a $745 million dollar total market. The Smaby Group estimates that revenues in this segment total $943 million with Silicon Graphics owning 37 percent of the market. Both firms report that Silicon Graphics has approximately twice the market share of its nearest competitor. Silicon Graphics also announced it will accelerate the performance of its already record-setting POWER CHALLENGE and POWER Onyx systems by introducing a 90MHz version of the MIPS R8000 microprocessor to these high-performance product lines. The 90MHz R8000 CPU out-performs other RISC processors on vector supercomputing applications by streaming floating point data directly from the secondary cache. Representing the second upgrade in the past year for the POWER CHALLENGE and POWER Onyx product lines, the new processor offers 20 percent more performance over previous systems. "At BIOSYM, we remain very impressed with the POWER CHALLENGE," said Jon Hurley, manager of key technologies, at BIOSYM Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of computational chemistry applications. "This performance increase confirms Silicon Graphics' commitment to delivering excellent performance standards. Scientists investing in BIOSYM's software on Silicon Graphics hardware will be assured that they have made a sound, long-term decision." For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/May/super_computers.html OR send e-mail to info-server@sgi.com with "IOL 5/95 pr1" in the body of the message. - end - 2. Bristol-Myers Squibb Selects Silicon Graphics Power Challenge To Advance Computational Chemistry Research (pr2) POWER CHALLENGE Supercomputers Enable Scientists to Solve Larger Problems Faster, Dramatically Enhancing Computer Aided Drug Design Silicon Graphics Inc. has announced that Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has acquired three POWER CHALLENGE systems, which the company is using to dramatically speed up its computational chemistry research and computer-aided drug design efforts. Bristol-Myers Squibb scientists are using three eight-processor POWER CHALLENGE supercomputers for macromolecular modeling -- each based on the 64-bit MIPS R8000 RISC processor. The company also employs a 20-processor CHALLENGE server based on the MIPS R4400 processor. Bristol-Myers Squibb is using the POWER CHALLENGE to advance the science of drug design. With the aid of Silicon Graphics supercomputers and workstations, the company's scientists can create computer-generated molecules and analyze their interaction with biological targets to determine if the compounds possess the characteristics necessary to fight specific diseases. Computer-aided drug design, or "rational" drug design, offers great promise because scientists can test compounds at the molecular level, screening out drugs that don't bind properly with target molecules. In the past, scientists often relied on serendipity to create the precise compound needed to achieve a particular chemical effect, and screening drugs using only animal models was time consuming and costly. For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/May/bristol_meyers.html OR send e-mail to info-server@sgi.com with "IOL 5/95 pr2" in the body of the message. 3. Time Warner To Join Interactive Digital Solutions As Equity Partner (pr3) AT&T, Silicon Graphics and Time Warner Join Forces to Accelerate the Interactive Age Time Warner Entertainment has agreed to become an equity partner in Interactive Digital Solutions, a joint venture company of Silicon Graphics and AT&T Network Systems, which provides fully-integrated, multimedia software environments to enable interactive services. Time Warner will become a 10 percent owner of Interactive Digital Solutions combining Time Warner's programming and entertainment expertise with AT&T and Silicon Graphics' capabilities in visual computing, networking and interactive communications. Although specific financial terms were not disclosed, part of the transaction involves Time Warner's contribution to Interactive Digital Solutions of intellectual property rights to certain software used in the Full Service Network. Formed in June 1994, Interactive Digital Solutions plans to incorporate the Full Service Network (FSN) operating system software and FSN applications, such as its video-on-demand and Carousel navigator applications into its fully integrated multimedia products. The system software will be integrated with hardware from open systems suppliers to create a complete network solution for interactive services. Primary customers are telephone and cable television companies, other broadband network operators and content providers worldwide. Silicon Graphics and AT&T are already primary technology partners in Time Warner's Full Service Network. AT&T Network Systems is providing its high-speed ATM switch, the Globeview 2000 Broadband Switching System. Silicon Graphics created software for the Full Service Network operating system software, the Carousel navigator, video-on-demand and certain interactive games applications, and supplied Challenge media servers to store data in the Network Operations Center. For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/April/Time-Warner.html OR send e-mail to info-server@sgi.com with "IOL 5/95 pr3" in the body of the message. - end - 4. Silicon Studio Transforms Television With Revolutionary 3D Virtual Set Technology (pr4) Virtual Environments Based on Silicon Graphics Systems Place On-Air Personalities in Instantly Changing Worlds Silicon Studio has unveiled a revolutionary 3D Virtual Set technology for the television broadcast industry. Using Silicon Graphics' powerful Onyx graphics supercomputers and special hardware and software from Silicon Studio partners, the new technology creates computer-generated 3D environments that allow live announcers and on-camera personalities to interact with realistic virtual environments. Virtual Set technology combines live announcers and a computer-generated graphics "set" created in real time and in three dimensions in the television broadcast studio. The power of Silicon Graphics' Onyx RealityEngine2 graphics supercomputer provides the ability to simulate 3D environments that are stunningly realistic and instantly changing. New Virtual Set solutions will dramatically reduce day-to-day production and post production costs, giving broadcasters the creative freedom to broadcast from countless 3D "locations," all from the same set. For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/April/virtual_set.html OR send e-mail to info-server@sgi.com with "IOL 5/95 pr4" in the body of the message. - end - 5. Mips and NEC Announce Advanced 64-Bit RISC Processor to Power New Class of Interactive Consumer Products (pr5) Optimized 100 MHz Microprocessor Brings High Performance to Consumer and Embedded Applications MIPS Technologies, Inc. and NEC Corporation announced the MIPS R4300i microprocessor, a powerful, low-cost 64-bit RISC processor specially optimized for powering a new class of interactive consumer and embedded applications. The R4300i brings the powerful workstation-class performance of R4000 family microprocessors for price-sensitive applications. In addition, MIPS specifically optimized this processor for the demands of digital media manipulation and interactive computing markets. The MIPS R4300i microprocessor will play an important role in MIPS' comprehensive solution for interactive media computing as well as applications such as set-top boxes, video entertainment systems, arcade games, x-terminals, networks and laser printers. Featuring NEC's 0.35-micron (drawn) process technology, the 100 MHz MIPS R4300i processor will mark NEC's aggressive launch into the high-end embedded market, bringing Intel Pentium-class performance to embedded applications for a fraction of the price. For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/April/mips-nec.html OR send e-mail to info-server@sgi.com with "IOL 5/95 pr5" in the body of the message. - end - 6. MIPS and Silicon Graphics Announce MIPS Magic Carpet Breakthrough Digital Media Technology for Interactive Consumer Products (pr6) MIPS Technologies, Inc. and Silicon Graphics have announced MIPS Magic Carpet, a powerful new media architecture for interactive digital consumer products. By combining Silicon Graphics' digital media technology with MIPS' advanced RISC microprocessor capabilities, Magic Carpet will affordably enable new generations of information devices such as set-top boxes. These devices will power the highest level of entertainment, interaction and realism for interactive digital television applications. In a related announcement, AT&T Network Systems, Philips N.V. and Samsung Electronics said they intend to adopt Magic Carpet in their communications and interactive consumer product lines, while Time Warner Cable said it supports use of the technology for interactive applications. For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/May/mips_magic.html OR send e-mail to info-server@sgi.com with "IOL 5/95 pr6" in the body of the message. - end - 7. Silicon Graphics Reports A 47% Increase in Revenues And A 74% Increase in Earnings Per Share (pr7) Company's Value-Added Product Line Strategy Drives Growth Silicon Graphics reported revenues totaling $552 million for its third fiscal quarter ending March 31, 1995, a 47% increase over the comparable quarter a year earlier. Net income was $64 million for the quarter, an increase of 83% over the same period for the prior fiscal year. Earnings per share were $.40 per share versus $.23 per share for the same quarter in the prior fiscal year, representing an increase of 74%. For the first nine months of fiscal year 1995, Silicon Graphics reported revenues of $1.5 billion, up 43%. Net income was $160 million, up 65% for the same period a year earlier. Earnings per share were $1.00, an increase of 59% over the same period a year ago. Edward R. McCracken, Silicon Graphics' chairman and CEO, commented, "Our revenue growth continued to accelerate as we experienced strong demand across our entire product line. Our business was well balanced; in fact, all of our major regions throughout the world posted significant year-to-year growth. From a product standpoint, we were particularly pleased with the 88% year-to-year increase in units of our desktop Indy system, which provides customers worldwide with significant price/performance advantages." For more information, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/April/results.html OR send e-mail to info-server@sgi.com with "IOL 5/95 pr7" in the body of the message. - end - WHAT'S NEW FROM THIRD PARTIES ---------------------------------------- PLEASE NOTE: Articles appearing in What's New From Third Parties are written by our partners. Any questions you might have about the content of these articles should be directed to the article's author. Contact information is included at the end of each article. 1. CPLEX Optimization Announces Parallel Linear Optimization Technology CPLEX Optimization, Inc. has announced the availability of a new parallel version of its highly successful CPLEX Barrier Solver for Silicon Graphics POWER CHALLENGE supercomputing servers. Algorithms for solving linear programming problems have long been considered non-parallelizable across a wide range of problems. The availability of a parallel version of CPLEX Barrier enables the solution of a completely new class of very large-scale linear programming problems with unprecedented speed. For more information, call (702) 831-7744. E-mail: info@cplex.com - end - 2. New Products From Qualix Direct StereoGraphics Introduces New CrystalEyes 2 Eyewear --------------------------------------------------- StereoGraphics has introduced a new, improved, more comfortable version of their flagship product CrystalEyes (also known as StereoView.) New features innclude folding temples that activate on/off, better weight balance, and an integral silicone rubber nose piece. CrystalEyes 2 is fully compatible with all existing CrystalEyes products. With CrystalEyes 2, computer or video-generated images leap out of the screen in true 3D stereo depth. CrystalEyes 2 is a high-quality, affordable solution to viewing stereo images in Molecular Modeling, Computer Aided Design, Mapping, Medical Endoscopy, Medical Imaging, Training and Entertainment. Optical Mouse for Indy & Indigo2 -------------------------------- The Optical Mouse for your Indy and Indigo2 system is available and through Qualix Direct. The Optical Mouse for Indy & Indigo2 is based on the same state-of-the-art optical technology as the OPT-MOUSE you've been using with your other SGI systems. It provides fingertip control of your system by combining 300 cpi resolution, comfortable ergonomics and 100% SGI mouse compatibility. For more information, contact Qualix Direct at 800-455-9273/415-572-0200 or e-mail crystaleyes@qualix.com. - end - WEBWATCH ---------------------------------------- 1. Waxweb 2.0: Interactive 3D Cinema On The World Wide Web Waxweb 2.0 is the first interactive feature film on the world wide web that implements a dynamic version of VRML. Created by David Blair, Waxweb is the first interactive, intercommunicative feature film on the Internet. The URL for Waxweb 2.0 is http://bug.village.virginia.edu If you have a VRML browser, go to URL http://bug.village.virginia.edu/vrml Waxweb is a project of the Brown University Graphics Laboratory, headed by Andries VanDam, with Tom Meyer serving as the technical director of the project. Network users of Waxweb 2.0 can add to the narrative with their own immediate, publicly visible hypermedia: hypertext, pictures, audio, video, and hyperlinked VRML. In addition, all VRML objects in the network Waxweb database have their attached hyperlinks changed on the fly, dependent on user interaction. In the near future, custom scenes dynamically recombining internal and user-added objects will allow the synthetic creation of a dynamic, 3-D interstory on the network. For more information, go to URL: http://bug.village.virginia.edu OR e-mail David Blair at artist1@interport.net - end - 2. Triangle Tiling: Explore Solids, Tiling, Gemoetry Though Interactive 3-D Graphics Triangle Tiling is a collaboration between the Geometry Center and the Science Museum of Minnesota. It allows museum visitors to explore the connections between symmetry groups, tiling, the Platonic and Archimedean solids, and non-Euclidean geometry through interactive 3D graphics. The Platonic solids have been known for millennia, while non-Euclidean geometry is on the cutting edge of current mathematics research. The exhibit was designed for the science museum environment with visitors ranging from very young children to adults, so it is accessible to the casual browser yet has deep mathematical content for the more serious investigator. A Silicon Graphics workstation and custom software is used to communicate mathematical concepts traditionally reserved for advanced undergraduate or graduate mathematics students. For more information, go to URL: http://www.vsl.ist.ucf.edu/~edge/exhibits/html/E02.html OR send e-mail to Tamara Munzner: munzner@geom.umn.edu - end - 3. Inside Out: "Digital" Figurative Sculpture Inside Out: Figurative Sculpture project by Dan Collins draws upon recent advances in 3-D laser digitizing and rapid prototyping technology. These "digital scultures" utilize the unique space of the computer to pre-visualize problems of viewer position, time, and three-dimensional montage. Surface "maps" of the body or other forms are created using 3-D laser digitizing equipment. This surface topography is then sent to a Silicon Graphics platform where it is evaluated and modified using custom software. Finally, the desired data set is sent to a CNC (computer numerically mill) where it is translated into tangible, three-dimensional form. Three goals animate the project: - a desire to test the conventions specific to the traditions of figure sculpture - a desire to understand rapid prototyping technology and its relationship to three-dimensional computer modeling - a need to critically examine how our technologically driven culture shapes both our current image of the body and how we understand three-dimensional form. For more information, go to URL: http://www.vsl.ist.ucf.edu/~edge/exhibits/html/E29.html OR contact Dan Collins: P. O. Box 171, Telluride, CO, 81435 - end - 4. ROVER, The Remote Audio/Video Explorer Robot Project Directors: D.J. Merrill and Dale Newfield Visual Systems Laboratory Institute for Simulation and Training Orlando, Florida Rover is a prototype telepresence project using Amateur Ham Radio as its radio control medium. The project is built around a Silicon Graphics Onyx chassis, and supports a video and audio radio link to the controlling station, and an audio link back to the robot allowing the control operator to see and hear the robot's surroundings as if they were actually there, and be able to talk back to people in the robot's immediate area. Control of the robot is performed by using a simple keypad layout to indicate what direction the robot is to move. At present, Rover has only mono audio and vision. Future enhancements will include stereo vision and audio, and independent movement of the cameras in direct relation to the operator's head movement. A prototypical arm has been proposed to allow Rover to physically interact with his surroundings, coupled to an operator's arm assembly that will echo the movement of the operator's arm to Rover's arm. A better control interface than the keypad is needed, and several designs are being entertained. For more information, go to URL: http://www.vsl.ist.ucf.edu/~edge/exhibits/html/E30.html OR e-mail D.J. Merrill at deej@vsl.ist.ucf.edu or Dale Newfield at newfield@vsl.ist.ucf.edu. 5. Exhibit Your Art in Silicon Graphics' "Surf Zone" Gallery Gallery is a place to hang your best visual art, display an original movie clip, or introduce a bit of your music to the world. It's also a place to discover how other creative professionals are using Silicon Graphics equipment and programs to produce inspiring art. Surf Zone is soliciting art for virtual space. To submit, make sure your art file is no larger than 20 MB, and follow the instructions listed in the Surf Zone gallery. Include some information on how the image was created, what equipment you used, and how you'd like to be credited. You also need to agree to and submit the legal agreement below. We'll select and maintain a gallery of unique, innovative art that pushes the edge in design and technology, and sparks new levels of possibilities for you. For details on how to submit your artwork, go to URL: http://www.sgi.com/Misc/art.html - end - ODDS & ENDS ---------------------------------------- 1. How To Use The Mail Server You can easily access all of our back issues of IRIS On-Line! The mail server includes all issues from July 1993 to the most current issue. To receive a particular back issue, send a message to our mail server (info-server@sgi.com). 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