COM 205
Multimedia Applications
St. Joseph’s College
Fall 2004
Chapter 11
Multimedia Authoring Tools
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
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
Types of Authoring Tools
•Page- or card-based tools
Types of Authoring Tools
•Page- or card-based tools
•Icon-based tools
Types of Authoring Tools
•Page- or card-based tools
•Icon-based tools
•Time-based tools
Types of Authoring Tools
Macromedia Director is a popular time-based tool.
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)
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)
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)
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
Evaluating Tools
• Editing Features
• Organizing Features
• Programming Features
Visual programming
Scripting
Advanced programming languages
Document development tools
Evaluating Tools
• Editing Features
• Organizing Features
• Programming Features
• Interactivity Features
Evaluating Tools
• Editing Features
• Organizing Features
• Programming Features
• Interactivity Features
• Performance Tuning Features
• Playback Features
Evaluating Tools
• Delivery Features
• Cross-Platform Support
Fonts
Colors
• Internet Playability
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
Organizing Features
• The Organizational and Design
Process involves storyboarding and
flowcharting
• Some authoring tools, such as
Authorware, provide a visual
flowcharting system
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)
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)
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
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...
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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