Macromedia Announces Flash Asset Xtra
Integration Allows Director Developers to Import Compact, Vector-based
Flash Animations, Graphics, and Text
San Francisco, CA-December 15, 1997-Macromedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:MACR), today
announced the immediate availability of the Flash Asset Xtra, a powerful
new addition to Macromedia Director that enables developers to import
vector-based graphics, animation, and text created in Flash into Director
6. For the first time, Director developers can store Flash movies as cast
members (the media element database of Director), and manipulate Flash
movies directly within the score (the primary user interface for Director).
In addition, Flash users gain the powerful output options possible through
Director projectors, Shockwave support, kiosks, and interactive CD-ROM
titles.
"Our customers have been waiting for the ability to integrate Flash's cool
vector graphics within Director's incredible interactive environment," said
Steve Guttman, vice president of product marketing for Macromedia's
Internet and Multimedia Authoring Tools division. "Now, the integration of
Director and Flash gives our developers the best of both worlds-high impact
Director interactivity combined with compact and scalable Flash vector
graphics."
Vector-based Flash files are both extremely compact and scalable to
different screen resolutions offering increased flexibility to users. In
addition, all elements in a Flash file are anti-aliased for smooth edges.
Inside Director, Flash movies can be rendered direct-to-stage for maximum
playback performance, or fully composited with other Director sprites for
seamless visual integration.
The Flash Asset Xtra has an intuitive editing interface offering developers
control over primary properties such as - position, scale, rotation,
frame-rate and sound. Advanced users of Director will also be able to
control virtually every Flash movie property through Lingo, Director's
scripting language.
Pricing and Availability
The Flash Asset Xtra is available immediately for Windows 95, Windows NT
4.0 and PowerPC in North America for US$199. For further information, a
demonstration or to purchase the Flash Asset Xtra, please visit the
Macromedia Web site at www.macromedia.com/software/xtras/essentials/flash.
The Flash Asset Xtra ships with both authoring and run-time components,
HTML-based documentation, an interactive tutorial and "show me"
demonstration file.
Registered owners of Macromedia Director can purchase the Flash Asset Xtra
and Flash 2 together for the special price of US$399 - $100 off the regular
price for both products by calling 800-457-1774. Outside the U.S.,
interested parties should contact their Macromedia distributor for pricing
and availability.
About Macromedia's Xtra Essentials
The Flash Asset Xtra is the latest offering from the Macromedia Xtra
Essentials product line. Xtra Essentials are powerful software additions
engineered and tested by Macromedia specifically for users of Macromedia's
authoring tools. Xtra Essentials empower developers to extend Macromedia
tools in ways that benefit their specialized needs and consist of three
primary types of Xtras: Asset Xtras create new media types within Director,
enabling new kinds of cast members and sprites, the building blocks of
Director; Control and Interface Xtras, such as the Control Xtra for
ActiveX, add new functionality to the User Interface of Macromedia
products; Tool Xtras offer additional development features when authoring
projects. For a complete listing of all the available Xtra Essentials,
visit the Macromedia Web site at
www.macromedia.com/software/xtras/essentials.
About Macromedia
Headquartered in San Francisco, Macromedia (NASDAQ: MACR) is a leading
provider of software products, each designed to help make creativity and
interactivity more possible in the new technology ecosystem. Macromedia's
award-winning products for Windows, Macintosh and the Internet are
available to business, education, and government customers worldwide.
Additional information on Macromedia is available on the Internet at
www.macromedia.com.
For more information, contact:
Macromedia Schwartz Communications
Jon Brovitz Jeff Goldman
jbrovitz@macromedia.com jeffg@schwartz-pr.com
(415) 252-2182 (415) 512-0770
