#Authoring System
9 messages in this thread
I'm looking for an authoring system that will:
Interactive
Do video
Do audio
Support standard formats ie… TGA, FLC FLI etc…
…and hopefully is not Windows based and if it is requires minimum
setup time.
I need to be able to put these presentations on a disk send them to the user
and let them run with it.
Any suggestions??????? Please?????
Unfortunately, Windows offers the best performance/ease of use for
authoring. If you're bent on having your show run under DOS, then
check out GRASP from Paul Mace Software (they're over in on of the
Graphics Vendor forums). GRASP is real powerful, but it has a steep
learning curve. Mathematica offers Tempra Show and Media Author, but
those packages don't allow you to play back your flics from RAM
unless you set up a RAMdisk. Playing back flics from disk is kinda
slow and jerky. Also, what do you mean by "video"? Animation or AVI
files?
Out of curiosity, what do you recommend for authoring under Windows.
I'm just beginning the search myself for an authoring package and
would like to know any recommendations you might have. Thanks,
Mark:
On the inexpensive side (way under $500), check out Asymetrix Compel,
MacroMedia Action, HSC Interactive, Gold Disk Animation Works
Interactive, and (my #1 choice) Image North Technologies ImageQ.
Adobe Premier for Windows was just announced, and if it's anything
like the Mac version, check it out! If you want to go for broke,
check out Aimtech's Icon Author or MacroMedia's Authorware
Professional (about $5,000. each).
Tom,
I sell Image North products (mainly Inscriber), but I have not seen Image Q yet
(but I will soon). Why do you feel are the features that make it your #1 pick?
Ang
Angelo:
ImageQ is my #1 choice mainly because of its ease of use and high
performance. I'm an artdirector/animator and simply don't have the
time for extensive programming. ImageQ lets me jump right in and
crank out a show quickly. ImageQ offers tremendous flexibility in
handling MCI commands. You can load your animations into memory for
silky-smooth playback, assemble a show with as many branches and
levels of interactivity you may desire, gather and anlayze data from
user input, work with variables, etc. Image North is also releasing
an SDK for ImageQ, which means you can totally customize transitions,
access any Windows DLL for custom effects, etc. I'm not saying that
you get all the features of Icon Author or Authorware, but you get
MOST of them for only $349! Take it for a test drive, and decide for
yourself!
I thought alot about ImageQ, gave'm a call, got some info faxed, read
some reviews and it all sounded great. Then…. a friend of mine in
Atlanta said it was a real performance dog especially on a 386. Now I
will be developing on a 486/66. Users may be running 386/33. Any
performance problems there???
You bring up a good point. A 486/66 is a LOT faster than a 386/33, so
there will be a significant difference in performance. This is not
only true of ImageQ, but ALL software. As a test for my shows, I load
the program into a Compaq 386/25E after building it on a 486. The
performance really isn't bad on a 386. If I know that a client will
be using a lower end CPU for playback, I'll optimize the show for
that machine. For instance, if the playback system has only 4 meg of
RAM, I'm not going to load a 5 meg flic file and expect smooth
playback. Makes sense, huh?
As far as ImageQ being a "performance dog", I haven't had any problems
with version 2.11, running in true-color mode with flics that average
5 meg each and 16-bit wave audio (the shows average about 20 meg
each). Check the program out for yourself…
Having used Macromedia's Authorware Professional and the editing
capabilites of Adobe Premier for Windows, I can fully recommend this
route. Kinda expensive, but very comprehensive. BTW, the Oct. 93
issue of "Imaging" magazine has a review of Authorware; I've also
seen reviews of many authoring programs in recent other mags; I'll
try to come up with a list.