Autodesk Inc previewed its multimedia authoring technology at the intermedia ’95 conference. The object-oriented multimedia authoring environment under Windows, is as yet unnamed and is due as a commercial product in the coming months. The intermedia ’95 preview, titled Autodesk Traveler, is a prototype of what future multimedia applications and titles may look like. The sample application shown is a personal information manager which in the example given helps a busy executive review his next trip to Europe. Authoring capabilities illustrated in the sample application include multiple, simultaneous representations of the same information. For example, in the Autodesk Traveler sample application, the user can see a text copy of her ticket, view the flight path of that same ticket graphically, and play a video of the terrain being crossed, all from the same control panel. Dynamic introduction of new data into the environment is possible, so when the user’s itinerary changes, Autodesk Traveler immediately updates all related travel options. The user can take advantage of run-time manipulation of the environment by dragging a graphical symbol the original destination to a new destination city. The Autodesk Traveler environment automatically updates the user’s flight schedules via the Internet, and provides new currency exchange rates and other topical data. Autodesk’s authoring technology, acquired from Carlsbad, California-based Mediashare Inc, will be the company’s first tool for developing interactive multimedia titles.
