Isadora Graphic Programming Environment For Macintosh
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Isadora is a graphic programming environment for Macintosh (with a Windows version now in public beta) that provides interactive control over digital media, with special emphasis on the real-time manipulation of digital video.
Because every performance or installation is unique, Isadora was designed not to be a "plug and play" program, but instead offers building blocks that can be linked together in an almost unlimited number of ways, allowing you to follow your artistic impulse.
Because we use Isadora to teach Troika Ranch's Live-I Workshops, it was designed to be easy to learn for those new to the world of real-time interaction. The titles and values of every actor are visible to the user (though they can be hidden if you desire). Help is available for all actors and their inputs and outputs from within the program. Isadora is accompanied by a complete manual that includes numerous tutorials and example files to get you started.
Isadora was designed by composer and media artist Mark Coniglio, and as such, it reflects over 10 years of practical experience with realtime interaction.
Features
Over one hundred basic building blocks, called actors, are available within the Isadora environment. Some actors perform simple functions like watching for a MIDI event, while others allow sophisticated functions such as warping video imagery. By connecting several actors together you determine how the program will respond to a live
In addition to its easy-to-learn user interface, Isadora offers the following features:
General Features
• Realtime Video Processing Modules -- Isadora provides an incredible selection of real-time video processing modules, both those built in to Isadora, and those supplied by FreeFrame, an evolving, open-source standard for video-processing plugins. Over forty FreeFrame plugins are available here
• A Manual That's Actually Useful – Isadora's manual gives you the basics over the course of 10 tutorials, and then gives comprehensive to every aspect of the program, including important topics as how to squeeze the highest frame rates out of your machine.
• Hardware Accelerated Rendering - Isadora now uses the power of your built-in graphics card to speed rendering to the screen, and allow different types of 3D effects. This new feature also means that there are far more flexible ways to composite images on the screen.
• G4 Native Video Processing – Yields extremely fast video processing (MacOS version only)
• Control Panels – Create a user interface for your Isadora program. Version 1.1 features several new controls, including Dials, Radio Buttons, and more; and, you can use your own graphics customize the look of sliders, buttons and the background of the Control Panel.
• Custom User Actors – Create your own "actors" by grouping together several Isadora modules. These can be saved for use in other patches, or to be shared with other users.
• Snapshot Feature – Store and instantly recall the settings within a Scene
• Isadora SDK - Got C++? Create your own Isadora modules in C or C++. Click here for more info.
Output Features
Isadora offers numerous was to get render your video: in real-time to an external monitor or video projector, to a DV Camera (MacOS X only), or even to render its output to a movie.
• Instant Compositing – Isadora's hardware accelerated rendering features allow you to resize and composite multiple video images quickly and easily. Especially useful when you are adapting a live performance to a new theater while on the road: no re-rendering of the image to DVD!
• Up to Six Independent Outputs Stages - Isadora now supports up to six "Stages" or output surfaces. With a fast desktop computer and multiple video cards, you can output as many as six independent images from the same patch.
• Crossfading Between Scenes - You can easily crossfade between scenes using the new 'xfade' input to the Jump Actor.
• External Video Output - You can now mirror the output of Isadora to a FireWire camera connected to your computer. This allows you to record your visuals directly to tape, or to use a FireWire converter to drive a television monitor.
• Multi-Channel Sound Output - Interfaces to a host of ASIO and CoreAudio ready audio devices like the MOTU 828. (MacOS X only)
• Record Output Feature – Record Isadora's output to QuickTime movie.
• Non Real-Time Video Processing – Record Isadora's output slower than real-time, allowing for full resolution and high frame rates.
Interactivity Features
For those who want to interactively manipulate media, Isadora offers numerous ways to communicate with the real world.
• Live Video & Sound Input – Mix or manipulate live video with your prerecorded digital video, or use sound volume and/or frequency to modulate any parameter. Sound Input
• MIDI - Isadora features full complement of MIDI input and output modules.
• Open Sound Control Support - Open Sound Control (OSC) is an important communications protocol being used by numerous devices and applications like La Kroonde, Reaktor, Super Collider, Pd, MAX and others. Isadora's OSC implementation provides fast, high-resolution communication with all of these devices and applications.
• Serial Output - Send commands to external devices connected to the serial (RS-232) ports of your computer (or an external Serial Interface if there are no built-in ports.) This opens up an new world of hardware that you can control with Isadora, including video mixers with RS-232 inputs.
System requirements:
Mac OS X 10.2 and up.
This release is a Universal Binary.
$350
For more information, visit:
http://www.troikatronix.com/isadora.html
