Most people engaged in multimedia production have used Director, and some people have used Toolbook. These two software account for most of the multimedia work market. Maybe I said this, some people disagree. They will say: Is there Aurthorware, VB, OMO? There are indeed many people who use these tools, but I don't have a reason for this. Aurthorware features more powerful, people used are not less than ToolBook, but it lacks scripting languages in which multimedia works should have. Although VB is powerful, but in general, it does not belong to multimedia work tools, which belongs to common programming software, most people use it not to write multimedia programs, and it lacks basic functions built in many multi-media book software (but can be programmed) achieve). There are fewer people in Oromo (Oracle Meida Objects) and there are not many features. And Director and Toolbook are not only powerful, but also many people have more people. I have been working in multimedia for many years, there are more contacts for these two software, here to communicate with you with their experiences and make a comparison here.
Cross-platform:
Director is the earliest software running on Apple, transplanted on the PC platform in 95 years of Macomedia. At that time it was 4.0 version. It has now been developed to 7.0. So Director is very easy to implement cross-platform. I have a deep impression of this. In 95 years, I used Apple version of Director to make the prototype production of multimedia projects in a multimedia demo project, because many artificial graphics were done on Apple Computers, so the use of Apple's version of Director has its convenience And the Director 4.0 version of the PC just ported to the PC is not as easy to use in 95 years. However, the final demonstration platform of our project is PC, while the Diector's cross-platform makes me transferred to the PC at the time of a morning. To be very simple, use the Dir file made by the Apple version Director to reopen the Director of the PC version, you can automatically convert it to the PC version of the Dir file. The reason why spent an afternoon is because Apple Computers and PC computers are different in handling, for example, the PC represents the file path to use / split directory and file name, and Apple computer uses: to split folders and files . These must be modified in the program, rather than simply saving files. Toolbook runs from the beginning in the PC until now 6.5, ASYMETRIX has not launched Apple versions. So it cannot achieve cross-platform creation.
Basic function support:
Director is the first two-dimensional animation software, and its development thoughts are different, it lacks basic functions of multimedia book software, it doesn't have the concept of Hotwork. The concept of its pop-up window is implemented by MiaW (MOVIE IN A Window), which is not easy to use, nor well controlled. In Director, many basic functions must be implemented via XTRA or XOBJECT. For example, the read and write of the file and the use of the database. Toolbook is all of these features in this respect. Its dynamic connection library and system books belled in itself have a wealth of functions. Not only can you operate databases, files, but also edit registry, which is not available in Director. Toolbook can not only use the DBASE 3 database, but also use the more powerful ParaDox database. And Director can only use the DBASE 3 database through XTRA. And Director does not answer the function of the score, which is built in Toolbook. Almost all Windows applications can complete the function, and Toolbook can be implemented, but at this point, Director does not do, and Director's cross-platform makes it sacrifies a lot of functions. Support for new technologies:
Director supports Quick Time VR, Quick Draw 3D, MMX, Direxx and many more new technologies. And Toolbook does not support these technologies. Director can handle both sound channels at the same time, and Toolbook is played through a more outdated MCI, and only one sound can be played at a time, but 8 sounds can be achieved by using Wavemix.dll (Microsoft Development Dynamic Library). Director uses a rich transition feature, and Toolbook's Transition feature is small. At this point, it is much different from Director.
32-bit software support:
Director has developed into 32 software at 5.0, and now has experienced (5.0, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0) four generations. It is the authentic 32-bit software. It produced project files can be packaged into 32-bit (for Windows 95) and 16-bit (for Windows 3.1) programs. ASYMETRIX's Toolbook starts to make Toolbook from Windows 3.0, but until now 6.5, it is always a 16-bit program. This is very puzzled, probably considering support for the original Windows 3.1 users. Its project files it produce can also be produced as 16-bit and 32-bit programs. Toolbook itself is a 16-bit software that has a large impact on making multimedia projects. For example, you have to use voice technology in multimedia projects, you must be able to use 32-bit multithreaded DLL or Active X controls. The Toolbook itself is 16-bit programs that cannot be extended using these multi-threaded extensions.
Script language support:
Scripting language is the most important feature of two software. If there is no scripting language, they will be easily overwhelmed in many multimedia book software. Director is just a two-dimensional animation software plus simple interaction function, and Toolbook is not even more functional. Director's scripting language lingo function is very powerful, before contacting the Toolbook's script language OpenScript, I use a long time Director's Lingo language, using it you can play Director's interaction function to the extreme. The function that Lingo language cannot be implemented must be implemented by calling XTRA (developed with C) or XObject (4.0, and previous version of Director extension, a special DLL). In fact, you can complete a lot of work using Lingo's built-in features. Strictly speaking, LingO is a true scripting language, which is widely used in many advanced programming languages (such as C, Pascal, Basic). Too many use experiences in these languages will affect the use and understanding of lingo (this is my personal understanding). Using lingo more imagination, you don't need to understand the underlying programming. Anyone only has basic programming knowledge, you can play Lingo's functionality, the only limit is your imagination. You may think that I am a bit exaggerated, but in foreign countries, many Lingo's masters are people who engage in computer art, they are later learning to use lingo. They use lingo like a director, using imagination to complete creation. Experience with Toolbook is very different, it requires your understanding of the underlying programming, and more better. For C language, you will have a lot of help to you use Toolbook scripting language OpenScript, and other advanced language experience also helps you use OpenScript. OpenScript is more like a universal development language similar to VB. It needs to call many Windows dynamic connection libraries to implement their functions. This is both its advantages and its shortcomings. Its advantage is that enough underlying programming experience allows you to implement any features, but it is not suitable for non-programmers. Most of the use of Toolbook is Most of the programming masters of C for Windows. It makes people pay more attention to the underlying function. This has become its shortcomings, and people who use it will not use the Director's people. Function extension:
Director writes XTRA through MoA (Macromedia Open Architect) to implement feature extensions, so XTRA is very important for Director, so only to master XTRA development is extremely playing Director's functionality. But XTRA development is not easy. Learning MOA is similar to learning MFC and requires a longer time. OpenScript uses the DLL dynamic connection library to implement extensions, which is better than Dial, because developing DLLs are not so troublesome, there is c for Windows knowledge. This is the advantage of Toolbook. And the existing DLL is very large, the more than 1,000 functions in the three dynamic connection libraries in Windows itself can be used by OpenScript.
Support for Internet:
Using Director, you can make Today's real standard ShockWave, this technology is developed by Macromedia, so Director accounts for advantages in this regard. IE 4.0 and Windows 98, and Netscape Navigator 4.5 will have built-in ShockWave plugins, so ShockWave developed using Director will have a wide range of playback platforms. Toolbook can be used to make a web page, export the pages in the file made into toolbook into one HTML file and keep interactive features (not all, and features related to Windows underlay will not be exported, such as DLL). You can also download the ASYMETRIX Plugin Neuron to browse the Toolbook file. But the Neuron plugin is not as wide as the use of the ShockWave plugin. Tool software included:
Director itself can make two-dimensional animation, can draw directly in Cast, and use the Photoshop plugin, and edit the import RTF document directly. These software are built in Director. The external tools included with Toolbook are more. A bitmap editor, an icon editor (this is an important feature of Director), a palette editor and a palette optimizer (Director-free panel optimizer), a sound editor (this It is also an important feature that Director is not available). Toolbook has only one FTP software, which is produced with Toolbook. There are other software. In general, they have their own strengths, but Toolbook's own tools are more tools.
In short, these two software have their own strengths. Director is ideal for making interactive multimedia demo products and entertainment discs. Toolbook is suitable for multimedia products for encyclopedia. Give full play to the features of both, you can complete almost all multimedia development requirements. The above is my personal experience of these two software.
