Multimedia Authoring Tools: Choose the Right Tool for Your Project

1. COM 205Multimedia Applications St. Joseph’s College Fall 2004

2. Chapter 11 Multimedia Authoring Tools

3. Authoring Tools • Provide the environment for integrating the content and functions of your project • Include • ability to create,edit and import data • assemble data into a playback sequence • provide method or language for responding to user input

4. Types of Authoring Tools • Based on metaphor for sequencing or organizing multimedia elements: • Card or page based tools • Icon based, event driven tools • Time based and presentation tools

5. Types of Authoring Tools • Page- or card-based tools

6. Types of Authoring Tools • Page- or card-based tools • Icon-based tools

7. Types of Authoring Tools • Page- or card-based tools • Icon-based tools • Time-based tools

8. Types of Authoring Tools Macromedia Director is a popular time-based tool.

9. Card or Page Based Tools • Authoring system lets you link pages or cards into organized sequences • Elements are organized as pages of a book or a stack of cards • User can jump to any page • Can play sound elements or launch animation or video • (Example Toolbook, Hypercard)

10. Icon based, Event Driven Tools • Multimedia elements and interaction cues( events) are organized as objects in a framework • Authoring tools display flow diagrams of activities along paths • (Example Authorware)

11. Time based Tools • Elements are organized along a timeline • Best for sequences with beginning and end • Multimedia elements are treated as object, which receive messages to do things at certain times • ( Example Director)

12. Right Tool for the Job • Choose the tool that best fits the job: • Video productions • Animations • Games • Interactive web sites • Demo disks and guided tours • Kiosk applications • Interactive training • Simulations, prototypes,visualizations

13. Evaluating Tools • Editing Features • Organizing Features • Programming Features • Visual programming • Scripting • Advanced programming languages • Document development tools

14. Evaluating Tools • Editing Features • Organizing Features • Programming Features • Interactivity Features

15. Evaluating Tools • Editing Features • Organizing Features • Programming Features • Interactivity Features • Performance Tuning Features • Playback Features

16. Evaluating Tools • Delivery Features • Cross-Platform Support • Fonts • Colors • Internet Playability

17. Editing Features • Elements of multimedia (images, text, sound, video) need to be created • Editing tools may be required for one or more of these • Authoring tools may provide the editors or you may need a specialized editor

18. Organizing Features • The Organizational and Design Process involves storyboarding and flowcharting • Some authoring tools, such as Authorware, provide a visual flowcharting system

19. Programming Features • Visual Programming with icons • Drag the sound or picture icon into the playlist • Drag it away to delete it • Simplest and easiest to use • Best for slide shows and presentations • (Authorware)

20. Programming Features • Programming with a Scripting Language • Provides a very high level language (VHLL) for navigation and control • Able to handle user input • (Director and the Lingo language)

21. Programming Features • Programming with traditional Languages for complex projects • Look for good debugging facilities, robust text editing, online syntax references, etc. • You may need access to the OS • You may also need to use the DLL (Dynamic Link Libraries) in Windows

22. Programming Features • Document development tools • Used to import pre-formatted text, indexing facilities,complex search mechanisms, and hypertext linking. • With scripts you can perform computational tasks, sense and respond to user input, create character, icon and motion animations., and control external devices...

23. Interactivity Features • Allow the user to control the content and flow of information • Authoring tools provide: ( 1 or more) • Simple branching ( to go to another section on key press, mouse click, timer) • Conditional branching- moves on basis of IF-THEN decisions or events • Structured language which supports complex programming logic, subroutines, message passing, etc.

24. Performance Tuning Features • Synchronization (particularly of animation and sound effects) • Precise timing of events and the ability to adapt to slower or faster computer systems

25. Playback Features • Authoring systems should allow you to build your project in segments and test it as though you were a user using it • You should be able to easily move between building and testing the project

26. Delivery Features • Your authoring software should allow you to create a run-time version of the project. • The run-time version allows users to play it without having the full software, but does not permit them to change the content or structure of the project.

27. Cross Platform Features • Decide whether your target audience will be using Windows or Mac • Look for authoring tools which provide either a compatible system for the other platform (PC or MAC) or a runtime version for that system

28. Internet Playability • Most authoring systems provide a means to convert output so that it can be delivered within HTML or DHTML • by using plug-ins or • by embedding Java, or JavaScript in the HTML document.

29. Card and Page Based Tools • Images are organized like chapters and pages of a book • Navigation routines direct user to go to a page that contains the appropriate images, text, sounds, and animations • Characteristics of media objects(text fields, buttons, graphics, etc.) are defined by properties (highlighted, bold) • Object may contain a programming script

30. Card and Page Based Tools • Objects may contain a programming script, that is activated by an event. • Events cause messages to pass from one object to another in your project • Authoring systems also link objects to pages or cards

31. Icon Based Tools • First you build a structure or flowchart of events by dragging icons from a library • menu choices, graphic images, sounds and computations • Then you add your content • You can edit to rearrange the icons or their properties

32. Icon Based Tools • Non-technical multimedia authors can build sophisticated applications without scripting, by placing icons on a flowline • Authorware has a complete set of tools for editing multimedia elements

33. Time Based Tools • Uses visual Timeline for sequencing events ( Director) • Cast - multimedia database containing still images, sounds, text, Quick Draw shapes,programming scripts, QuickTime and Flash movies • Score is a sequencer for displaying, animating and playing the Cast members.

34. Time Based Tools • Animations are made by placing a graphic or sprite on the stage and changing its location over several frames • Lingo is a full featured object oriented language to enable interactivity and program control