Re: FLASH: 5 questions regarding Flash and Director

[John Dowdell]

At 7:14 AM 10/19/0, Kurt Dommermuth wrote:

> Is there some sort of equivalent to Movie Clip and _levels

> of Flash in Director?


No. Flash nests timelines. Director's hierarchy is flatter, and all media

are first-class citizens. Where Flash sends messages into hierarchies to a

target timeline, Director broadcasts messages to all sprites. (Director's

drag'n'drop behaviors can be set to listen for specific messages.)




> Does anyone know of good info for people coming to director

> with a Flash perspective?


I don't know of an inclusive overview... this item (and its obverse) have

been on my priority list for awhile, but I haven't delivered yet, sorry...

part of the worry is not getting it full enough. Still, here are some

notes:


--  We don't nest as much... there's more communication among equals.


--  Each and every media element is in the library.


--  Each sprite object has its own timeline, rather than each layer having

its own timeline


--  Interactivity is easier... you usually drag'n'drop behaviors onto

sprites, then configure them. Scripts aren't hidden inside objects and

frames... behaviors are reused. (You can also write scripts if you wish,

too.)





> Is there a Generator like ability inherent in Director?  Can

> director call bitmaps from a database?


Macromedia Generator creates various types of data-driven files in

realtime, on the server.


The Shockwave Player, like the Macromedia Flash Player, is purely

clientside, and does not create files. However, a file can reassemble

itself in response to pulled instructions.


Part of the reason the Shockwave Player is larger is that it contains

import filters for GIF, JPG, more... you can definitely retrieve arbitrary

files at runtime.


More info on this topic:

"Choosing a graphics generation solution"

http://www.macromedia.com/go/14582




> Does anyone have any idea when the ability to import Flash 5 movies

> into Director will be available?


The current Shockwave Players include a Macromedia Flash Player 4. There's

work being done now on a new Xtra to render SWF5 content. It would still

take awhile to update all the browsers.


Big theme: Don't make overly-complex SWFs! In a browser everything has to

be crammed into one SWF. But Director has more scripting, more media

elements... we usually use SWF as *artwork* there, with a bit of

interactivity... most of this stuff can be shown as SWF4 (or even SWF3)

anyway.


If you're designing something, it's good to get your feedback as you go

along... if making a SWF that talks with JavaScript then test it in various

browsers as you go along... if making a SWF that talks with Director then

test it in Director as you go along. Constant feedback makes things easier.




> I fear I can't pause the main timeline, to play my random

> movies.


You can definitely have the Director movie loop in a small section of

frames (even one frame), while a SWF on the file contains to play until

completion, when it fires off a message to the Director host that it's

done.



> Some of the movies are simply bitmaped images that I can shuffle through

> and display randomly.


For bitmap content, might as well put it in Director itself! One of the

recurring problems is when people stuff media inside other things and then

wonder why it plays more slowly. Director is *much faster* with bitmaps

than Flash... sound control is more varied at the top Director level...

interactivity is still stronger. Please watch out for stuffing things

deeply, thanks!



jd






John Dowdell, Macromedia Tech Support, San Francisco CA US

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