Director 3D > About

Introduction

Macromedia Director is a program made especially for the creation of self-contained programs and content for the web in the form of “Shockwave”. Like another Macromedia program – Flash, which is covered here – Director is designed around a “movie” type interface, with a timeline (the “Score”), which keeps track of the media over time. The media elements break down to what is referred to as “Cast members”, which are placed on an interactive “Stage”. You effectively become a movie “Director”!

Following the same theme, a “Movie” is the term used for any multimedia piece you create with Director. These can contain animation, sound, special effects and even video – all of which with the added dimension of interactivity, meaning that the movie responds to your input.

Director is the choice of designers and developers for delivering content rich multimedia such as interactive Web content, stand-alone applications, games for distribution on CD-ROM and web-based multiplayer games.

Just like Macromedia Flash, interactive elements can be added by using a scripting language. Lingo is Director's own scripting (or programming) language. When you add Lingo script to Director you are making it interactive, you are intervening, taking over the control and making it go where you as the user want it to go: the very act of navigation! The user of a Director movie is able to make their own way around the movie rather than just have it play to them. In addition, Lingo allows you to control cast members and sprites, getting them to do things you couldn't without scripting - creating buttons, ‘draggable’ objects, etc, etc.

While we do not cover it here, Director is a very good 2D media creation tool – useful for presentations and cd or web based interfaces. Further information, as well as a proper introduction to Lingo, can be found at sites such as:

Dean’s Director Resources
Macromedia Tutorials
Director Tutorials

In addition it is recommended that you sign up to list groups such as Dir3d-l

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July 2003