onViz multimedia authoring tool released

Discovery Systems International Inc. (DSI) has released onViz, a new authoring tool used to create multimedia and e-learning software. It’s Mac and Windows compatible.

With onViz you can create interactive applications for computer-based instruction, electronic books and reference manuals. It can also be used to develop your own interactive video, expert systems, product and services demos, advertising, presentations, simulations, kiosks, games, and “any other media rich interactive content,” according to Janice Tocher, president of DSI. And you can accomplish all this without having to learn programming code or scripting languages, she added. Applications created with onViz can connect to the Internet and launch a Web browser or open almost any other software application or document on Mac or Windows hardware.

onViz-authored applications can also be configured for delivery of interactive content over various computer networks including the Web. Data can be automatically retrieved from different network locations, including simultaneous file retrieval from multiple networks including the Internet. For applications such as e-learning or networked kiosks, onViz can automatically generate report files and send the data to any network destination.

A Mac is required for authoring. Right now it only works with Mac OS 8.6-9.x, but a Mac OS X version is in the works, according to Tocher.

onViz has a retail price of US$599 — or $475 for academic and non-profit customers. Upgrades from DSI’s CourseBuilder product, on which onViz is based, are $299 through December 31. onViz can be purchased immediately from DSI’s Web site; a demo version is available that’s fully functional except that it limits the size of applications.