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From: seanc@pro-party.cts.com (Sean Cunningham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Amiga in CGW
Message-ID: <6099@crash.cts.com>
Date: 5 Dec 90 04:36:11 GMT
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
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As some of you might know, the Amiga was used in the multimedia presentation
given by Georgia Tech to the Olympic committee...here's what Computer Graphics
World had to say.
 
 
Reprinted w/o permission from DEC '90 Computer Graphics World, pp89-90:
 
 
"While several different computers were used to create the presentation,
 the Amiga stood out as star of the delivery system."
 
     While the Georgia Tech team combined the capabilities of several
different pieces of hardware to create the multimedia presentation, only one
machine stands out as the star of the delivery system: the Amiga 2500.
 
     The Amiga was chosen for the delivery system because it can control the
multiple inputs and outputs needed in a multimedia presentation such as this
without slowing down. "This machine was *designed* (can't do italics) to put
on a high-impact, video presentation like this," says Vitz. "It has a great,
real-time operating system that's capable of doing a lot of things at once
that most PCs are not. The Amiga actually controls the entire presentation."
 
     Amiga notable and principal of Blue Ribbon SoundWorks (Atlanta) Todor
Fay wrote the software that controls the Olympics presentation. At the heart
of the presentation is a cube-shaped interaction system, which includes the
computer-generated, touch-sensitive, three-dimensional map of the proposed
Olympic Village. The translucent map is lit from below by a projection
system, controlled by the Amiga, that uses graphics generated by a Mac ][cx.
Because of the raised buildings molded into the map, conventional conductive
areas or infrared beams couldn't be used in the touch-activated display.
Instead, an Amiga-controlled, single-board computer in the cube, programmed
by Georgia Tech's Andy Quay and Mike Sinclair, recognizes the input by
monitoring the four corners of the surface and registering the exact
location of the input. From this information, the single-board computer
calculates the center of force to determine what information the userwould
like to see and sends the information to the Amiga.  The Amiga sits behind
the three projection screens and receives these signals through its RS-232
port.
 
     The entire presentation is accompanied by classical music composed and
generated on the Amiga by Melissa Grey, another principal of Blue Ribbon
SoundWorks. "It's not digital music, in the sense that it doesn't sound like
digital music," says Edwin Huang, a consultant with the company. "It is
music composed on the Amiga using [Blue Ribbon's] Bars&Pipes program and
generated by a Proteus synthesizer." Bars&Pipes is an icon-based,
object-oriented, music composition program that enables users to create
sophisticated harmonies, special effects, and algorithmic compositions.
 
     In addition to the music, all of the narration in this presentation is
digitally stored and played on the Amiga. Although users can currently
choose between English and French versions of the presentation, Vitz says
that the system can be programmed for other languages as well. However, as
with the French version, the only portion of the presentation done in a
language other than English is the narration, he explains. "Otherwise," he
says, "the system puts in subtitles when the background actors are speaking
English."
 
...all spelling errors are mine...
 
 
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