Information International, Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer technology, Computer animation, Electronic pre-press |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Founder | Edward Fredkin |
| Defunct | 1996 (merged with Autologic, Inc.) |
| Fate | Merged with Autologic, Inc. to form Autologic Information International Inc. |
| Successor | Autologic Information International Inc. |
| Headquarters | Maynard, Massachusetts (original); later Santa Monica, Culver City, Los Angeles, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Edward Fredkin (founder), Gary Demos, John Whitney Jr. |
| Products | High-precision CRT film recorders (e.g., FR-80), Film scanners, OCR systems, Computer animation systems |
Information International, Inc. (commonly known as Triple-I or III) was a pioneering computer technology firm established by Edward Fredkin in 1962, originally based in Maynard, Massachusetts. The company subsequently moved its operations to several locations in California, including Santa Monica, Culver City, and Los Angeles. In 1996, Triple-I merged with Autologic, Inc., creating Autologic Information International Inc. (AIII), which was later acquired by Agfa-Gevaert in 2001.
During the 1960s, the organization played a significant role in advancing the LISP programming language, with Fredkin and his team contributing enhancements that broadened its practical applications.
The company's primary commercial innovation involved high-precision cathode ray tubes (CRTs) designed to record digital images onto film—a technology that became widely adopted within the publishing sector for digital-to-film workflows. Additionally, Triple-I developed film scanners equipped with photomultiplier tubes to digitize photographic films and documents. Among its notable products was the FR-80 film recorder, introduced in 1968, capable of producing black-and-white and later color digital images at resolutions up to 16384x16384 on motion picture or transparency film. This device found extensive use in Computer Output Microfilm (COM), generating computer-to-film negatives for printing plates, and various graphic applications.
Despite these achievements, Triple-I is also recognized for several specialized systems produced in limited quantities. These include CRT-based display units utilized at the Stanford AI Lab, an optical character recognition (OCR) system built around PDP-10 computers with only two units sold, and the Foonly F-1, a unique machine employed in cinematic special effects.
OCR Systems
Triple-I’s OCR division ambitiously combined its proprietary film scanning technology, graphical display systems, and a dedicated binary image processor (BIP), all integrated with a PDP-10 timesharing computer running custom-developed software. Although this effort spanned more than ten years of development, the division managed to sell only two systems. The first system, developed around 1974, digitized U.S. Navy aircraft maintenance manuals by capturing both text and diagrams through filming and scanning processes. The second system, delivered to the British DHSS in 1976, was designed to interpret hand-printed information from benefit claim forms.
While these OCR initiatives had limited long-term influence, their reliance on PDP-10 computing platforms directly facilitated Triple-I’s expansion into the field of computer animation.
Computer animation
The Motion Pictures Product Group at Triple-I was at the forefront of early computer-generated special effects for major motion pictures and attracted influential graphics pioneers. Animators Gary Demos and John Whitney Jr. joined Triple-I in the early 1970s and were responsible for creating one of the first instances of computer imagery in feature films—the "android vision" effect featured in Westworld. In 1974, they founded the Motion Pictures Product Group. By 1976, they had scanned and animated Peter Fonda’s head for Futureworld, marking a milestone as the first use of 3D computer graphics in cinema. Their demonstration piece "Adam Powers, The Juggler" served as inspiration for subsequent projects by Miramar and Pixar. The group also contributed visual effects to Looker and conducted experimental work for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars.
Around this time, computer artist David Em refined his expertise in 3D digital imagery during his tenure at Triple-I before moving on to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
For Disney’s 1982 release Tron, four companies supplied 2D computer animation; among them, Triple-I and MAGI produced most of the approximately thirty minutes of animated sequences. Triple-I was responsible for key visual elements such as the Master Control Program, Solar Sailer, and Sark's Carrier. However, following the departure of Whitney and Demos—who established Digital Productions—Triple-I was unable to finalize all intended effects, resulting in MAGI taking on additional production responsibilities.
Triple-I supported development of the Foonly F-1, recognized as the fastest PDP-10 ever constructed. Notable figures including Jim Blinn and Frank Crow created TRANEW rendering software tailored for this machine. Craig Reynolds developed the Actor/Scriptor Animation System (ASAS), a procedural animation language integrated within Triple-I’s Digital Scene Simulation System. Larry Malone created 3D modeling tools compatible with the Tektronix 4014 display terminal, while Tom McMahon engineered an early RGB framebuffer capable of handling thousands of lines for use with the Foonly.
In 1982, management at Triple-I made the decision to discontinue operations of the Motion Pictures Product Group.
Electronic pre-press
Triple-I was an early innovator in the field of electronic pre-press technology through its Automated Illustrated Documentation System (AIDS), designed mainly for generating technical manuals within the aerospace industry. The company engineered output devices capable of producing complete pages on various media, including Microfiche as well as 16mm and 35mm film formats, technologies that were subsequently embraced by prominent publishers such as Time and Newsweek.
A significant achievement occurred in 1982 when the Pasadena Star-News became the first newspaper to fully assemble pages electronically, pioneering a pagination technique that has since become standard practice among leading daily newspapers. This technology, later renamed the Newspaper Publishing System (NPS), was further customized by The Wall Street Journal to develop the inaugural "computer-to-plate" process, which allowed printing plates to be generated directly from computer data for press use. Nonetheless, despite these groundbreaking developments, Triple-I was unable to adapt swiftly enough to the rapidly changing technological landscape, a factor that contributed to its downturn during the 1990s.