AGOCG through the University of Manchester are members of the Khoros Consortium. This gives access to software and also to the Khoros modules for AVS. We joined for a second year in October 1994 and are now considering the budget for 1995/6 and whether we should join for a further year. We have access figures for the software collected from the ftp server. We would, however, like to know what use is made of the software. If you use this service please can you let me know. It makes sense for the community to join as a whole (the cost is $5000 per year) but only if people are making sufficient use of the service. Please get in touch if you use this facility.
There will be a Supporters event to run on 1/2 May for graphics support staff. This has proved successful over the last 2 years. This gives people an opportunity to update themselves on technical matters, CHEST agreements, AGOCG activities etc. I would like to know any ideas people have for topics for the programme. Also any dates which should be avoided due to other events which might be of interest to people. I look forward to hearing from you.
A series of 19 case studies have been commissioned which look at the use of IT in art and design in UK Higher Education. These cover a wide range of topics. The report is being produced as AGOCG Technical Report 26. Contact Joanne Barradell for a copy j.t.barradell@lut.ac.uk.
AGOCG has commissioned an evaluation of visualization software. This will update the earlier work which was carried out by the same team. If you would like to ensure you receive a copy as soon as it is available please email Joanne Barradell.
Some time ago we did a flyer promoting output devices which people had at their sites which might be useful to others. This is where a site has some spare capacity. The devices included large format colour output, 35mm slides and video. We are now looking to mount up-to-date information on the Web site. The intention is to link facilities into a central page on the AGOCG server with your own home page (or relevant page). If you would like to promote a service at your site, please contact me.
A survey of VR activity is reported in a new AGOCG Technical Report (No. 27). This survey was conducted by members of the Advanced Interfaces Group at the University of Manchester. Contact Joanne Barradell for a copy.
The use of networks has grown enormously over the last few years, and no doubt most people reading this will have access to a networked machine, probably connected to a local network using thin or thick ethernet, and possibly with a connection to the Internet.
Multimedia e-mail and video conferencing obviously require a network connection. Other multimedia applications such as computer-based learning can also make good use of a network. The large file sizes usually associated with multimedia make delivery over a network look attractive, saving local disk space, and improving updatability. But the large file sizes also mean that a multimedia application may cause excessive network loading and so run too slowly, particularly if a number of people are using it at once.
Multimedia is a very general term, and different types of multimedia applications will have different requirements if they are to run well over a network. Some of the problems associated with delivery of computer based learning packages are examined in the Support Initiative for Multimedia Applications (SIMA) report Requirements for a server for Computer Based Learning Material. This report from Patrick McAndrew at the Institute for Computer-Based Learning at Heriot-Watt University looks particularly at the possibility of using the World Wide Web to deliver material.
Most data is delivered over the network in bursts, but most video formats require a steady continuous stream of data, and so have additional problems when on a network. There are a number of SIMA projects looking into delivering video, particularly video conferencing. The first of these 'The Do's and Don'ts of Video Conferencing in Higher Education' produced by a group at the HUSA T Research Institute at Loughborough University is now available. This report provides advice to both new and existing users of video conferencing, from setting up a service to factors that affect video quality. It also provides a survey of currently available products and equipment currently in use in campuses around the country.
The SIMA reports are available online on the AGOCG web server at http://www.agocg.ac.uk:8080/agocg/ under Current Projects, SIMA Support Officer, On-line documents. Further reports will be added as they become available.
Paper and CD-ROM (where appropriate) versions of the reports are also available by subscribing to the SIMA project output.
The notes from the seminar run at Manchester University in December are now available on the AGOCG web server. These notes provide an introduction to the components of multimedia and the technology behind it. They also provide a list of on-line resources and some useful contacts.
Some information gleaned from the various CHEST mailings recently which might be of interest.
CHEST has been provided with a patch for Designer 4.1 Technical Edition which adds 3D capabilities. This can be accessed through anonymous ftp and can be found in the directory chest/designer/patches.41a
Remember to use binary mode to transfer files.
The files needed are 3D_help.rtp, 3D_help.rtd and patch.exe. Copy these files to the Micrografx Help file directory of your hard drive.
At the command prompt type:
Patch 3D_help.
Files needed are DS413D.rtp, DS413D.rtd and patch.exe. Copy these files to the Designer 4.1 directory of your hard drive. At the command prompt type:
Patch DS413D.
Once these patches have completed, Designer 4.1 Technical Edition + 3-D is ready to run.
What applications can I use to generate and/or interpret CGM files on an Apple Mac?
Very few Mac applications can generate/interpret CGM files by themselves. However two utilities, GraphPorter and MetaPICT, do allow CGMs to be, respectively, generated and interpreted and used with any Mac application.
GraphPorter is a program which allows CGMs to be generated from most Apple Macintosh applications. It is a device driver which is selected from the Chooser and so, in theory, can be used with any Mac application. The GraphPorter driver is selected instead of the normal LaserWriter driver and from then on Print produces a CGM instead of a PostScript file. The resulting CGM can be transferred to another platform such as a PC or workstation.
MetaPICT is an application for the Apple Macintosh which converts from CGM into PICT format. The PICT format is used by most Mac applications. This allows CGMs to be converted into PICT and then imported into most Mac applications. The picture can also be viewed on the Mac screen with MetaPICT and the contents of the CGM can be dumped to a text file in a human-readable form (this is not the same as the Clear Text encoding of CGM).
MetaPICT allows the user to choose whether the background colour should be taken from the CGM or should be a colour selected by the user. This is a useful feature when handling CGMs which have not specified a background colour. MetaPICT also offers other options for selecting how the CGM should be interpreted.
Both GraphPorter and MetaPICT are from GSC Associates and are available via CHEST.
Queries about CGM can be posted to the CHEST-CGM list at Mailbase.
Under the Support Initiative for Multimedia Applications (SIMA), two projects were funded under the general heading Report and Guidelines on Image Capture; Evaluation of Image Capture Pathways for Multimedia Applications (University of Aberdeen) and The Use and Capture of Images for Computer Based Learning (University of Bristol).
The first project forms part of an ongoing joint research program by the University of Aberdeen and the Robert Gordon's University investigating the choices of appropriate hardware for image capture in relation to image quality. The report provides guidelines on system specification for image capture for developers of multimedia application in higher education and recognises that the quality of the image source is as important as having suitable hardware if high quality digitised images are needed.
The second project is a continuation of work carried out under the Information Technology Training Initiative (IITI) for which a report on The Use and Capture of Images for Computer Based Learning has recently been published. The document is divided into two sections. The first section reviews evidence supporting the view that illustrations enhance learning. The second section discusses the issues involved in the capture, manipulation, storage and delivery of photo-realistic images for both analogue and digital systems for use in the creation of computer based learning material.
Under SIMA, this second report will be extended to evaluate a range of image capture cards (primarily for the PC although Apple Macintosh options will be included) and provides recommendations of purchase to the academic community. Advances in multimedia are fast and the technology is rapidly changing especially within the areas of still and moving image capture. Standard still image capture cards such as the range of cards from Truevision and Screen Machine I and II from FAST Electronics, while still available, are being overtaken by the development and introduction of a new range of boards. The new cards tend to provide a number of functions, namely, video capture and playback and graphics acceleration as well as still image capture. The new boards all vary slightly offering different combinations of functionality and various add-ons and options. Currently the majority of new style cards are available for the ISA Bus but over the next three to four months we will see the introduction of many PCI based equivalents as the hardware base for PCI grows. Some companies may also offer VL Bus based cards.
The project is evaluating a number of standard still image capture cards, new style ISA cards and one or two PCI based cards that are currently available. The other sections of the report will be updated and extended to include changes in the technology. Software tools for the automated manipulation of digitised images and optimization of palettes for use of multiple images on 256 colour displays will also be bundled with the report.
Robinson, P. (1993) The Digitization of Primary Textual Sources. Office for Humanities Communication Publications, Oxford. Number 4.
Steele, M., Arnott, M., Williams, D., Heath, S. Evaluation of Image Capture Pathways for Multimedia Application. Produced as part of the SIMA project run by the Advisory Group On Computer Graphics (AGOCG).
Williams, P. J. (1994) The Use and Capture of Images for Computer Based Learning Material. Produced as part of the ITTI Initiative.
City University has recently made a significant investment in their Engineering Photogrammetric Unit with the purchase of a Helava DSWI00 photographic scanner and an Intergraph Digital Photogrammetric Workstation. This equipment will be available for both research, teaching and commercial activities, ensuring the University maintains its respected position in the photogrammetric field.
The scanner has a geometric resolution of 3 microns and is capable of scanning photographs up to 30cm × 30cm at resolutions of up to 7.5 microns (c.3/600 dots per inch). A scanning bureau service is being offered by the unit.
The European Commission (DG XIII, TEN-IBe) is funding a trial using virtual reality techniques for prototyping, known as "virtual representation", over broadband ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) networks.
A preliminary study has shown that there is scope for reducing the time from design to production by several weeks by using virtual prototypes rather than physical mock-ups.
Very often the design department, the marketing team and the production facility are in different locations. Introducing high speed networks for working on the prototypes allows team-work over a wide area and this is the aspect which the trial sets out to explore.
Networked virtual representations offer the opportunity for remote access to visualization facilities and the sharing of data and results via the network (computer supported collaborative work). Demands on the network for the support of data, images, voice and video have been evaluated. This will provide the basis for the scenarios to be studied further in the current VISINET Trial.
Figure 1 shows the network connections between the consortium partners.
The objectives are:
The commercial benefits of remote working will be measured and interest in the exploitation of broadband communications by vendors and application developers will be stimulated.
Application areas to be studied include architectural design and industrial design.
The objectives of the Trial therefore encompass both network-based applications and the development of the right infrastructure to support these. Quantitative measurements in both these areas will provide a firm basis on which to develop future network-based services in the areas of visualization, design, digital media, collaborative working, and remote access.
The trial will use standard hardware and software components from the leading edge suppliers Silicon Graphics, Division, and visualization vendors, which are already proven (and which already work over local area networks), and which can support most of the packages required by users.
In order to fulfil the high bandwidth requirements needed in a wide area, the ATM Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) network of the European PTT's will be utilised to provide international connectivity. In the Netherlands, the users will be connected via 155 Mbit/s links to a local node of the PIT in Eindhoven, which in its turn is connected to the ATM MoU network via Amsterdam. In the UK the SuperJANET high-bandwidth academic network will be used which will be connected to the ATM MoU node of British Telecom. In Portugal, access to the ATM MoU will be realised via the SMDS MAN installed by TLP. In Belgium, connection to the Belgacom MoU node in Brussels will be realised via 34Mbit/s lines.
The trial will be driven by users based in:
A phased implementation of the trial applications will place increasing demands on the networks and will provide the framework for the production of interim results and reports to allow progress to be monitored.
Using similar systems and stable environments at each site will enable viability to be established and provide opportunity for systematic assessment of the benefits that accrue to applications and their users from cooperative working.
Technical evaluation of the performance of the applications over fast networks (including ATM) and their interfaces will take place. User evaluation and economic analysis will also be undertaken to provide quantitative information on benefits and business cases for users and telecommunication operators.
Information dissemination will take. place using workshops, seminars, and state-of-the-art presentations and reports on the evolution of ATM and virtual representation.
Funding is provided by the European Commission, Directorate General XIII: Telecommunications Information Market, and Exploitation of Research Directorate B: Advanced Communications Technologies and Services. The total budget for the project is 2 Million ECU. It comes under the programme: Trans European Networks Integrated Broadband Communications (Ten-IBC).
The project number and official title are: Project B2007: VISINET: 3D Visualization over Networks.
Partners include European Design Centre, Netherlands (Mr Joao Mena de Matos), Philips, Netherlands, City of Eindhoven, Netherlands, University of Leeds (Dr Rae Earnshaw), UKERNA (formerly JNT), Division Ltd Analysys, Telecommunication Users' Foundation, Adetti, Portugal, Oficina de Architecture Portugal, Alcatel Bell Telephone: Lunburgs University Centre, Belgium, and Androme CV Belgium.
The University's experience m ATM networking dates back to 1992 when it installed an experimental ATM network based on a Synoptics LattisCell ATM switch with 16 TAXI ports. This network has grown with the purchase of a second FORE ASX100 switch to undertake A TM LAN integration trials under a project funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). The ATM LAN network forms an integrable part of a Realtime Collaborative Computing Environment to support a number of key research projects that exploit desktop-to-desktop ATM networking. These are:
In addition to these projects, the School of Computer Studies is undertaking a number of related A TM research projects. For example to develop collaborative scientific visualization software in association with the physical chemists at Leeds. A new collaborative research project in conjuction with IBM UK (Hursley) Ltd., TORCH Telecoms and BISS Ltd. is underway to study management and tariffing of citywide, multi-media network services. A case study will be undertaken using the IBM LAKES collaborative computing architecture.
Two years ago the University of Leeds concluded that a conventional science park would be inappropriate for an inner city university in a mature industrial region wishing to work with leading edge research partners either from other universities or, increasingly, with industry. Expertise within the University of Leeds has an international standing and our natural collaborators are found over a far wider area than the local and regional. A programme of research and development has therefore been undertaken to create a Virtual Science Park (VSP) which will allow interaction and collaboration between researchers, teachers and students irrespective of distance. The Virtual Science Park is virtual in the sense that the working environments only exist when they are required.
A technical team based within a Virtual Working Environments Laboratory at the University of Leeds has built software to demonstrate the concept and to undertake early trials with key groups within the University.
The VSP integrates emerging collaborative, multi-media comptuting tools into a system which also provides a carefully structured information architecture to describe the skills and expertise of organisations in the VSP. Navigation and browsing facilities are provided to allow quick and easy identification of potential collaborators and a range of conferencing tools is available to aid communication between geographically separate people. In addition, issues such as security and accounting are addressed. The VSP will require the use of broadband networks and is being piloted over high performance ATM networks as well as ISDN and SuperJANET.
Pilot projects are being developed to better understand the customisation of VSP services; they include virtual research consultancies, access to specialist information services, virtual research clubs and work based projects.
A number of strategic partners including IBM and BT have been identified and are helping to accelerate the development of the technology in order to allow the University to build a state-of-theart, real time, collaborative computing environment.
The ATM, ISDN and SuperJANET experiments are testing the capacity of both the VSP and the available networks to link widely distributed research laboratories into cooperative and collaborative working arrangements.
This Trial is the result of a pilot study undertaken from 1993/94 to define the facilities required for network based 3D visualization within the European TEN-IBC framework. The pilot study was funded by the European Commission. Some of the above partners participated in the study and the user evaluations. A report was produced and delivered to the European Commission in June 1994.
Demands on the network for the support of data, images, voice and video have been evaluated. This will provide the basis for the scenarios to be studied further in the current VISINET Trial.
Particular areas of interest identified by the study were as follows:
Prof Steve Cunningham (California State University, USA) ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Publications
Steve Cunningham outlined his experiences of creating electronic publications for CD-ROM distribution for the ACM SIGGRAPH Conferences and Course Notes. He outlined what was easy and what was difficult, what is inexpensive and what is costly. The stages in the production of a CD-ROM were also detailed from developing the concept to manufacturing and distributing the disks. Some are areas common to all disk projects but some are unique to each project or application. The Tutorial notes were 131 pages and are due to be published as a book later this year.
The model used for SIGGRAPH CD-ROM's was as follows:
54 papers and 24 panels for SIGGRAPH Proceedings took 1 month to do. Using volunteer effort enabled a disc to be produced at affordable cost.
It should be noted that development costs for full professional CD-ROM's can be substantial. These include staff (manager, director, editor, designer) estimated at £175K, production (manager, programmer, artists, integrator) estimated at £185K. Overheads are estimated at £150K. Obtaining rights for the reproduction of materials (eg sound, video) estimated at £65K. Thus the total development cost will be around £575K.
The keynote speakers were Prof Steve Cunningham and Dr Richard L Phillips (Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA). Prof Steve Cunningham outlined the publisher's point of view in electronic publishing by summarising current opportunities and issues in the field. SIGGRAPH produce 7,000 to 18,000 discs and costs can be got down to under £2 per disc. This can be compared to the book costs of £7-£9 per conference proceedings. Current issues include standards for the components of electronic documents, compound documents, usability, intellectual property, and copyright.
Dr Richard Phillips described a network-based, distributed, mediarich computing and information environment - Sunrise. This project started in October 1993 and was intended to be a prototype National Information Infrastructure development in the USA. One focus was to tie together enabling technologies (networking, objectoriented distributed computing, graphical interfaces, security, multi-media technologies and datamining technologies) with several specific applications. Applications areas selected were materials modelling, medical records and image analysis, transporation simulations, and education.
Further objectives of Sunrise were to develop common information-enabling tools for advanced scientific research and its applications to industry, and to define a new way of collaborating between computer science and industrially-relevant research. The user interface supports embedded applications, multimedia video/voice fragments, and links to a wide information space. Data mining technology will include the ability to quickly browse large complex image databases with various extraction capabilities, provide advanced, selective, compression algorithms, and the ability to merge and purge large complex datasets. "The Figure" summarises the activities and relationships of Sunrise. Further information can be obtained from the following World Wide Web URL's: http://www.acl.lanl.gov/sunrise/ and http://www.acl.lanl.gov/sunrise/Medical/telerned.html.
Professor David Brailsford (University of Nottingham) described the CAJUN Project (CDROM Acrobat Journals Using Networks). Sponsors of the project include Wiley, and Chapman and Hall (Thomson). Adobe Systems had provided beta releases of their software. The journals utilised in the project were as follows:
Adobe Acrobat was used for this work.
In April 1994 the CAJUN project released a CD-ROM containing the first 6 volumes of the Electronic Publishing journal in electronic form with Acrobat viewers (release 1.0 version) for the Macintosh, MSDOS, and MS-Windows operating systems. An experimental service has also just been set up for network dissemination by having a journal server at Nottingham which is accessible over the Internet. Seven files in PDF form are currently available from the EP journal, including one which describes the automated hyperlink techniques developed in the CAJUN project. To make use of this service the user needs an Acrobat viewer of some sort, access to the Internet, and a copy of either Gopher or FTP or World Wide Web (WWW) software. The details for access over Internet are: http://quill.cs.nott.ac.
Acrobat seems set to become a de facto standard in the world of page-based electronic documents. Its very closeness to PostScript, and the modular design of the API in release 2.0, means that aspects of Acrobat such as font rendering and device-independent colour, can be used as components in a variety of electronic document viewers.
Further topics covered in the Conference included books, electronic journals, CD-ROM journals, interactive multimedia, hypertext authoring, data and image capture, interactive learning environments, graphics in documents, personal information appliances, teleservices, digital libraries, and copyright protection.
