IRIS Showcase lets you add many different types of media to your document: images, 3D models, and audio. This chapter explains how to add and work with each type.
IRIS Showcase lets you add images to your presentations. You can either create these images using IRIS Showcase, or you can import existing images.
For information on importing different types of images, see:
IRIS Showcase lets you import images you create in other applications. The files must be in the Silicon Graphics® image format, such as those created by Snapshot and Image Snap. See the IRIS Utilities Guide for information on a suite of image processing tools that lets you scan images, modify them, and convert from one format to another.
IRIS Showcase also lets you import Encapsulated PostScript® (EPS) files. IRIS Showcase, and many standard desktop publishing packages, save their output as EPS files.
Click once on the Image tool in the Master gizmo. See Figure 8-1.
The File Browser appears. By default, it displays the contents of /usr/share/data/images.
Select the file you want to open.
The File Browser disappears, and the outline of a red rectangle appears in the drawing area. The rectangle is the size of the original image.
Position the rectangle, then do one of the following:
Click once with left mouse button to place image.
Or, hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse. Release the mouse button and the image appears. To preserve the aspect ratio of the image, hold down the <Shift> key while dragging the mouse.
 | Note: Images slow down printing. To conserve disk space, import an image and resize it to make the image smaller; then take a screen snapshot of the smaller image and delete the original. |
You can also import an image from the Image gizmo.
Open the Image gizmo by choosing “Image” from the Gizmos menu.
Open the Utilities menu on the Image gizmo; then choose “Insert From File.”
The File Browser appears.
Select the file you want to open.
The File Browser disappears, and the outline of a red rectangle appears in the drawing area. The rectangle is the size of the original image.
Position the rectangle, then do one of the following:
Click once with left mouse button to place the image.
Or, hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse until the rectangle is the size you want. Release the mouse button and the image appears. To preserve the aspect ratio of the image, hold down the <Shift> key while dragging the mouse.
Your can import image files using the Insert rollover menu on the File menu. When the File Browser appears, choose the file that you want to import.
If you try to import an image that contains an alpha channel, you will get a message asking you if you want to display the image with or without the alpha channel. If an object has an alpha channel, it has a certain level of transparency that allows you to see the object blend in with an object beneath it.
To import an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file:
Choose “EPS...” from the Insert rollover menu on the File menu.
Select the file you want to open.
The File Browser disappears, and the EPS image appears in the drawing area. If the EPS file was not saved with a preview image, IRIS Showcase displays only a rectangle and the filename. This affects only the screen display; the image prints correctly.
| Note: You can resize, reposition, and rotate an EPS image; you can't restore the original aspect ratio if you distort the image. |
IRIS Showcase lets you create images by taking a rectangular picture of something on your screen.
Choose “Image” from the Gizmos menu to bring up the Image gizmo. See Figure 8-2.
Click the Sweep area button in the Image gizmo.
The magnify box in the middle of the Image gizmo changes. It provides a close-up view of the area around your cursor.
Click the button next to the “Grab Selection Focus” label or press and hold the <Shift> key. This keeps input focus in the gizmo.
A red checkmark appears next to “Grab Selection Focus.” See Figure 8-3.
Move the cursor to the area of the screen that displays the graphics you want to capture as an image.
Use the small blue box in the middle of the magnify box to position the cursor precisely.
Press the left mouse button and drag down and to the right. A red rectangle outlines the area you're capturing.
Release the mouse button and move the cursor back into the Image gizmo.
The area you selected is outlined by the red rectangle. You can adjust this area by selecting the edge or corners and dragging.
Click the Grab image button; then move the cursor into the drawing area.
When the image is ready, a red rectangle appears. Click once with the left mouse button to bring the image in at that size. To bring the image in at a different size, hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse. (To preserve the aspect ratio of the image, press the <Shift> key while dragging the mouse.)
Release the button and the image appears.
| Note: To create the image, IRIS Showcase must generate a temporary file. If your system doesn't have enough disk space for this file, IRIS Showcase displays a message. See “The Image Gizmo” for more details. If you're going to take a snapshot of something in the IRIS Showcase draw area, you may want to choose “Full Color” from the View menu. “Full Color” allows 24-bitplane systems to display additional colors. Because the snapshot captures what it sees on the screen, the more colors displayed, the better the resulting image. See “The “Full Color” Command.” |
You resize images and EPS files just as you do other objects.
Select the image you want to stretch or shrink.
Place the cursor over one of the small boxes outlining the image.
Hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse to enlarge or reduce the image. A red outline shows you how you're resizing the image.
Release the mouse button when you're satisfied with the new size.
| Note: To preserve the aspect ratio of the image, hold down the <Shift> key while dragging the mouse. |
If you've altered an image and you want to return it to its original state, you can do so. For information on restoring images, see:
If you don't hold down the <Shift> key while resizing images, you may distort them. To restore the original aspect ratio:
Place the cursor over the image; then double-click the left mouse button to edit it. A light-green box surrounds the image.
Bring up the Image gizmo by choosing “Image” from the Gizmos menu.
Choose “Original Aspect Ratio” from the Utilities menu. The image snaps back to its original proportions.
| Note: You can't restore the aspect ratio of an EPS file. |
You can restore the original size of the image.
Place the cursor over the image; then double-click the left mouse button to edit it. A light-green box surrounds the image.
Bring up the Image gizmo by choosing “Image” from the Gizmos menu.
Choose “Original Size” from the Utilities menu. The image snaps back to its original proportions.
| Note: You can't restore the original size of an EPS file. |
Some IRIS workstations have audio capabilities—you can record and play audio clips. For information on adding audio, see:
Some IRIS workstations have audio capabilities—you can record and play audio clips. To determine if your workstation supports audio, display the Gizmos menu. If the command “ Audio” is black, you can record an audio file to add to your IRIS Showcase documents. If the command “Audio” is gray, you can include existing audio files, but you can't play them or record new files.
You can import audio files stored in the Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF). If you have audio files of a different format, you can try using Sound Filer to convert them to AIFF.
The IRIX system software includes sample sounds from the PROSONUS™ sound library. If you installed these files, you'll find four directories in /usr/lib/sounds/prosonus:
instr contains instrument samples, a guitar playing, for example.
sfx contains sound effects such as glass breaking.
musictags contains pieces of production music.
ambience contains recordings from various locations, a swamp and the ocean, for example.
You can import audio files using Audio tool or the Audio gizmo.
You can use the Audio tool to import an audio file:
Click once on the Audio tool in the Master gizmo. See Figure 8-4.
The File Browser appears. If you have installed the sample sounds, IRIS Showcase displays the contents of /usr/lib/sounds/prosonus by default; otherwise, the File Browser displays the contents of the current directory.
Select the file you want to open; the File Browser disappears.
Move the cursor into the drawing window.
You see a few musical notes, similar to those for the Audio tool.
Position the notes, then click once with left mouse button to place the notes.
See also “Playing the Audio in Your Document” to learn how to play the audio.
You can use the Audio gizmo to import audio files.
Open the Audio gizmo by choosing “Audio” from the Gizmos menu.
Open the Utilities menu on the Audio gizmo; then choose “Insert file.”
The File Browser appears.
Select the file you want to open.
The File Browser disappears.
Move the cursor into the drawing window.
You see a few musical notes.
Position the notes, then click once with left mouse button to place the notes.
See also “Playing the Audio in Your Document” to learn how to play the audio.
| Note: Your other option is to import files using the Insert rollover menu on the File menu. When the File Browser appears, choose the file. |
You can make your own recordings using the Audio gizmo shown in Figure 8-5. You can also use one of the other audio tools included with your IRIS software—CD Manager, DAT Manager, and Sound Editor.
Open the Audio gizmo by choosing “Audio” from the Gizmos menu.
When you make a recording, the area in the middle of the gizmo displays the audio waveforms. The waveform for the right channel is red; the waveform for the left channel is blue. The Clear Audio button and Add Audio Clip button are grayed out; they become available after you've recorded something.
Click the Record button to begin recording; then speak into your workstation's microphone.
To prevent unwanted noise, hold the microphone several inches away from you while recording.
Click the Stop button to stop recording.
Notice that the Clear Audio button and Add Audio Clip button become available, and musical notes appear on the Add Audio Clip button.
Now you have several choices:
To play the recording, click the Play button. The notes on the Add Audio Clip button turn green, indicating you are playing the clip you just recorded.
To erase the recording, click the Clear Audio button.
To add the clip to your document, click the Add Audio Clip button. The cursor changes into a group of musical notes. Move the cursor into the drawing area; then click the mouse button to place the audio clip in the file.
| Note: If you don't have enough disk space to create the audio file, IRIS Showcase displays a message. See also “The Audio Gizmo” for more details. |
The Audio Control Panel, shown in Figure 8-6, controls the input rate, the sample rate at which you record and play audio, and the volume. By default, IRIS Showcase sets the input source to “Mic” and the sample rate for recording to 16, which is sufficient for recording voice. The sample rate for playing is set to match the input sample rate.
To open the Audio Control Panel from within IRIS Showcase, choose “ Audio Control Panel” from the Utilities menu on the Audio gizmo. For further details on the Audio Control Panel, view the on-line help for the Audio Control Panel or the Media Control Panels User's Guide.
Once you've added audio clips to your document, you can play them in several ways.
Select an Audio object in the drawing window; then click the Play button in the Audio gizmo. The musical notes in the drawing window flash green to indicate you are playing that object.
Put IRIS Showcase in “view-only” mode. In this mode you can click on audio objects and they play. See “Viewing a Presentation” for information on using the “View Only” command.
Create a hyperscript that includes an action to play an audio clip. See “Adding a Link to Play an Audio File.”
See “Using the Audio Control Panel” to learn how to adjust the volume.
You can easily replace one audio clip in your document with another.
Open the Audio gizmo by choosing “Audio” from the Gizmos menu.
Place the cursor over the audio object; then double-click the left mouse button to edit it.
Choose “Edit Object” from the Edit menu.
The waveforms appear in the Audio gizmo.
Make a new recording; then click the Replace Audio Clip button.
The original audio object is replaced with the new recording.
| Note: If you insert a new audio file while you are editing an audio object, you do not replace the original audio object. IRIS Showcase creates a new audio object. |
IRIS Showcase lets you add audio files to your document. You can also create a script that plays an audio file. See “Adding a Link to Play an Audio File.”