Ross Video Receives Idonix Chart Plugins for Voyager Rendering, Forty Under 40 Award

Idonix has recently released a series of chart and graph plug-ins for Ross Video’s Voyager graphics rendering solution, based on the Unreal engine from Epic Games. In addition, one of the company’s team members is being honored with a Forty Under 40 award.

IDONIX
Voyager users can save time by using the plug-ins to quickly create their own amazing looking VR or AR charts linked to live data.

The charts can easily be dragged and dropped straight into existing Voyager virtual sets to be used as VR or AR objects in live productions and controlled from Ross Video’s UX interface or from Ignition, the graphics automation platform from Idonix. The plug-ins provide Column and Pie Chart with others on the development roadmap. Data can be linked to any standard data source or manually typed in before going live and will also integrate with Datalinq. Customization of geometry and materials allows the user to create their own dedicated look and feel.

“We turn complex data into engaging stories and these plug-ins build on our years of experience working with data visualization through over 20 years of election shows,” says Pete Griffiths, Idonix MD. “Unreal Engine has been a game changer in production and Ross Voyager unites the power of Unreal with the Ross Video eco system. Combined with these plug-ins it makes it easy to set up data in Unreal and get on air quickly.”

Features include:

• In, out and update animations with full control of timings
• Text labels to represent data
• Full control of 3D text formatting
• Selectable material options
• Adjustment of color, transparency, and roughness of materials
• Change the title background and text

“We’ve partnered with Idonix before; as data and GUI specialists they have created flexible and easy to use plug-ins to provide a quick and effective way for our customers to drag and drop charts into the Voyager platform,” says Gideon Ferber, Ross Video’s Director of Virtual Solutions.

Forty Under 40
The annual event is presented by the Ottawa Board of Trade and the Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ), and the 2020 online celebration will be aired on Thursday, June 25th from 8:00 to 9:00 pm on YouTube Live, Rogers TV, and OttawaMatters.com. The award show will be co-hosted by 1310 News host and OBJ co-owner Mark Sutcliffe and Sandra Plagakis of KiSS 105.3.

This year marks the 23rd edition of the honors, and more than 900 people are now part of an exclusive community of Ottawa-Gatineau business leaders. Amanda Holtstrom, Product Manager for DashBoard, is a recipient for 2020. Ross would like to thank the organizers and all the volunteers who have given up their time to make this year’s awards possible.

Holtstrom is a graduate of Queens University with a degree in Computer Engineering (2004) and English Literature (2006). She is a Professional Engineer and highly sought-after speaker and educator who excels in exploring the interaction between technology and humans. She also actively supports and champions girls and women aspiring to enter technology industries, believing that these fields are improved and enriched through diversity.

Continuing a career of driving innovation, she was recruited by Ross in 2019 to lead its Facility Control Systems group, and to assist in nurturing a vibrant team and contributing to the adoption of the Agile approach to software delivery. Her expertise lies in the space where humans and technology converge, helping to deliver the best possible user experience, and all with an understanding that happy developers deliver superior products. The product her team looks after – DashBoard – is a critical part of the Ross business because it sits at the heart of a production system, controlling Ross and other third-party products via an intuitive and customizable touchscreen interface. DashBoard can enable one single operator to manage an entire TV production, events venue, or sports stadium, and it has revolutionized live production control.

“Ross has been a byword for innovation for over forty years and we have won many accolades, including an Emmy award, along the way,” says CEO David Ross. “As a scholar and thought-leader in user-orientated design and change management, Amanda will inevitably inspire her team and the wider company to continue innovating. We all congratulate Amanda on this wonderful achievement!”