MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH DIRECTOR Getting Started
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MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH DIRECTOR Getting Started

MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR MX 2004-GETTING STARTED WITH DIRECTOR Getting Started

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Getting Started with Director

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  • Page 1 DIRECTOR Getting Started with Director...
  • Page 2 If you access a third-party Web site mentioned in this guide, then you do so at your own risk. Macromedia provides these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of the link does not imply that Macromedia endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content on those third-party sites.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Introduction ..........7 About Director .
  • Page 4 Using the Property inspector ......... 27 Controlling your view of the Property inspector .
  • Page 5 Create a QuickTime sprite ........61 Specify direct-to-Stage playback for a QuickTime cast member .
  • Page 6 Contents...

  • Page 7: Chapter 1 Introduction

    CHAPTER 1 Introduction Welcome to Macromedia Director MX 2004. With Director, you can develop high-performance multimedia content and applications for CDs, DVDs, kiosks, and the Internet. This guide, Getting Started with Director, is designed to get you up and running as quickly as possible. It includes installation guidelines for both new and returning users as well as an orientation to Director and tutorials for new users.

  • Page 8: What's New In Director Mx 2004

    Macromedia Studio MX 2004 products, such as Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Macromedia Fireworks MX 2004, then the Director interface is already familiar to you. In addition to a common interface, you can now start and edit other Macromedia Studio MX 2004 files from directly within Director.

  • Page 9: Guide To Instructional Media

    Integrating with Macromedia server technologies You can now choose to integrate Director with Macromedia server technologies, such as Macromedia ColdFusion MX 6.1 and Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX. For multi-user games, distance learning content, and other server-controlled content, this link between your Director content and IT infrastructure extends your interactivity options.

  • Page 10: Sources Of Information

    Using Director This manual is available in printable PDF format from the Director Documentation Center at www.macromedia.com/go/director_docs. It explains how to use all of the features and functionality offered in Director. Information in the manual is also available in the online Director Help.

  • Page 11: Document Conventions

    Director Help. Creating Your First 3D Movie in Director This tutorial is available in printable PDF format from the 3D tutorial page on the Macromedia website at www.macromedia.com/go/ drmx2004_3d_tutorial_en. It takes you step by step through creating a simple 3D movie.
  • Page 12 Chapter 1: Introduction...

  • Page 13: Chapter 2: Installing And Configuring Director

    Installing Macromedia Director MX 2004 takes only a few minutes. After installation, you may want to customize Macromedia Director MX 2004 to fit your authoring needs. You can install Xtra extensions to add functionality and set up an Internet connection for remote access to files.

  • Page 14: Installing Director

    Director; others must be installed separately. You should follow the steps below only if you have an Xtra extension that requires separate installation. If you are interested in finding and downloading Xtra extensions, visit the Macromedia Director Exchange at www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange/. Then, for more information about Xtra extensions, see “Working with Xtra extensions”...

  • Page 15: Connecting To The Internet

    Connecting to the Internet Director can connect to the Internet to import media files and retrieve data. Follow the steps here before you try to connect to the Internet, if you plan to access files remotely while using Director. Use the settings in the Network Preferences dialog box to control how the connection works and to define a preferred browser.
  • Page 16 Chapter 2: Installing and Configuring Director...

  • Page 17: Chapter 3: Getting To Know The Workspace

    CHAPTER 3 Getting to Know the Workspace The Macromedia Director MX 2004 workspace is designed to make the most efficient use of the space on your screen. Windows, also called panels, can be organized into tabbed panel groups, and panel groups can be docked together. To make the most of the features in Director, you should take a few minutes to understand how to navigate and customize your workspace.

  • Page 18: Navigating The Director Workspace

    The action in a Director movie takes place in a window called the Stage. To create a Director movie, you add cast members (media elements) to the Cast window by creating them in Director or importing them. Next, you place them on the Stage as sprites. A sprite is simply a copy of a cast member that appears on the Stage.

  • Page 19: Getting To Know The Default Workspace

    Getting to know the default workspace When creating and editing a basic movie, you typically work in four of the windows that appear in the default workspace: the Stage, the Score, the Cast window, and the Property inspector. From the Cast window, you import, create, and edit the cast members, or media elements, of your movie.

  • Page 20: Getting To Know Window Types

    To change window preferences: Select Edit > Preferences. Select one of the following commands: General, Score, Sprite, Cast, Paint, Editors, or Script. These commands all open dialog boxes that allow you to modify the behavior of windows. The General command controls windows in general, while the other commands control a specific window or set of windows.

  • Page 21: Increasing Or Decreasing Your View Of The Stage

    To move around on the Stage: If the Stage is not already displayed, select Window > Stage. Do one of the following: From the Tool palette, select the Hand tool. Press and hold the Spacebar. Place the hand on the Stage, and click and drag to move the Stage. Increasing or decreasing your view of the Stage You can author in Director on a zoomed Stage—one that is either larger or smaller than the normal size of the movie.

  • Page 22: Using The Score

    Using the Score Like the Stage, the Score provides a view of your movie. The Stage provides a graphical view, while the Score provides a view of the movie’s timeline. The Stage displays the point in time that is selected within the Score. The Score organizes and controls a movie’s content over time in rows called channels.

  • Page 23: Showing And Hiding The Effects Channels

    To create a new marker: If the Score is not already displayed, select Window > Score. Display the frame that you want to mark with a marker. Directly above the frame that you want to mark, click the white bar in the Marker channel. Select the New Marker text, and type a new name for the marker.

  • Page 24: Setting The Number Of Sprite Channels

    To show or hide the effects channels: • Click the Hide/Show Effects Channels button in the upper right corner of the Score to change the display. Hide/Show Effects Channels button Setting the number of Sprite channels Although the Score can include as many as 1000 Sprite channels, most movies use as few as possible to improve performance in the authoring environment and during playback.

  • Page 25: Using The Control Panel

    To change the zoom setting: On the right side of the Score, click the Zoom Menu button. Zoom Menu button Select a size from the Zoom menu. Sizes are displayed as a percentage of full size. Using the Control panel The Control panel governs how movies play back in the authoring environment.

  • Page 26: Navigating Frames In A Movie

    Navigating frames in a movie As you build a movie, you sometimes need to check individual frames or examine transitions from one frame to the next. The Control panel allows you to check these details. To step through a movie one frame at a time: •...

  • Page 27: Using The Property Inspector

    To create a new cast member: If the Cast window is not already displayed, select Window > Cast. On the Tool palette, select a text, drawing, or control button. Text, drawing, and control buttons Click the Stage to place the new cast member. The cast member now appears in the Cast window.

  • Page 28: Setting Cast Member And Sprite Properties

    To switch between a list view and a graphical view: If the Property inspector is not already displayed, select Window > Property Inspector. Near the top of the Property inspector, click the List View Mode button. List View Mode button To show more or less information in the Property inspector: •...

  • Page 29: Setting Movie Properties

    To set the properties of a sprite or cast member: Do one of the following: On the Stage or in the Score, select a sprite. In the Cast window, select a cast member. In the Property inspector, change one of the properties. Click the Stage to enter your selection.

  • Page 30: Using The Script Window

    DirectX 5.2 specifies the DirectX 5.2 drivers for hardware acceleration that work only with Windows platforms. Software specifies the Director built-in software renderer that works with Macintosh and Windows platforms. Auto specifies that the most suitable renderer should be selected. This option is the default value for this property.
  • Page 31 By scripting in the Script window, you can accomplish many of the same tasks that you can in the graphical interface of Director—such as moving sprites on the Stage or playing sounds. But much of the usefulness of scripting is in the flexibility that it brings to a movie. Instead of playing a series of frames exactly as the Score dictates, a movie can have scripts that control frame play in response to specific conditions and events.

  • Page 32: Using The Message Window

    Using the Message window The Message window supports testing and debugging in Director. These features are especially important as you add script-based interactivity to your movies. Like the Script window, the Message window offers both Lingo and JavaScript syntax. The Message window offers two modes—a standard mode and a trace mode: •...

  • Page 33: Customizing Panel Groups

    Most panels or panel groups have a header bar that displays the name and includes the following features: an expander arrow to collapse and expand the panel or panel group, a gripper to dock and undock the panel or panel group, and an Options menu for managing the panel or panel group.
  • Page 34 To move a panel to a different panel group: Select a stand-alone panel or a panel within a panel group. From the Options menu, select Group [panel name] With, where [panel name] is the name of the panel that you selected. Note: If Group [panel name] With is not available on the Options menu, then the panel cannot be moved to a new panel group.

  • Page 35: Docking Panel Groups

    Docking panel groups You can dock stand-alone panels and panel groups in two ways: to each other and to the docking channels. (Docking channels are available only in Windows and cannot be used for docking document windows.) In Windows, the docking channels run along the left and right sides of the application window.

  • Page 36: Saving Panel Sets

    Saving panel sets You can save your current workspace layout as a panel set. Later, you can open that panel set to return to the workspace layout. You can manage your workspace by saving multiple panel sets, removing panel sets that you no longer use, and restoring the default panel set. To save a panel set: Select Window >...

  • Page 37: Working With Xtra Extensions

    Director and others are available separately for download and installation. Additionally, if you know the C programming language, you can create custom Xtra extensions. For information on creating custom Xtra extensions, see the Macromedia Xtras Developers Support page in the Director Support Center at www.macromedia.com/support/xtras/.

  • Page 38: Adding Media

    Xtra extensions can import media as cast members into Director. Some of these media Xtra extensions are built into Director, such as Macromedia Flash, Vector Shape, and Animated GIF. Other media Xtra extensions come from third-party developers; they can include databases, 3D graphics processors, special types of graphics, and so on.

  • Page 39: Adding Transitions

    Adding transitions Transition Xtra extensions supply transitions in addition to the predefined transitions that are available in Director. You can access these additional transitions in the same place that you access the standard transitions. To see which transition Xtra extensions are available to add to your movie: Select a frame in the Score.
  • Page 40 Chapter 3: Getting to Know the Workspace...

  • Page 41: Chapter 4: Building Your First Basic Movie

    CHAPTER 4 Building Your First Basic Movie This tutorial takes you through the steps of creating your first movie in Macromedia Director MX 2004. If you are new to using Director, follow this tutorial to learn hands-on how to create a simple interactive movie with animation, sound, and video.

  • Page 42: View The Completed Movie

    View the completed movie Start by viewing a completed version of the tutorial movie to become familiar with how your finished movie should look. Start Director. Select File > Open. Within your Director MX 2004 application folder, browse to Tutorials/Basics/Finished and double-click the Basic_finished.dir file.
  • Page 43 If the Property inspector is not in graphical view, as shown in the following illustration, click the List View Mode button to switch to the graphical view. Tip: To see the names of buttons (like the List View Mode button), place your mouse pointer over the button.

  • Page 44: View Your Cast Members

    View your cast members To create a Director movie, you need cast members. Cast members are the objects that appear on the Stage and in the Score. Some of these elements might be text, graphics, sound, video, or scripting behaviors. The movie you create in this tutorial consists of three scenes.

  • Page 45: Building The First Scene With Text And An Image

    Building the first scene with text and an image Building a scene in Director requires creating or importing the cast members for the scene and placing sprites on the Stage. As you learned in Chapter 3, “Getting to Know the Workspace,” on page 17, sprites are objects that control when, where, and how cast members appear in a movie.

  • Page 46: Add Sprites To The Stage

    Click the Bold button and the Italic button. The style of the selected text changes from plain to bold and italic. Give the text cast member a name. Click the Cast Member Name text box at the top of the window.
  • Page 47 Click the Forecolor color picker, and select white. In the X text box, type 15. In the Y text box, type 15, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh). The text is placed at precise coordinates on the Stage. Building the first scene with text and an image...

  • Page 48: Add Sprites To The Score

    Add sprites to the Score When you place a cast member on the Stage, the sprite is added to both the Stage and the Score. You can also place cast members on the Score. When you place a cast member on the Score, the sprite is added to the Stage as well.

  • Page 49: Create A New Button Cast Member

    Create a new button cast member Now you are ready to create the second button. Remember that button cast members contain special functionality to automatically highlight when clicked. Creating button cast members in Director is different from creating most other cast members.

  • Page 50: Observe The Difference Between Sprites And Cast Members

    When you release the mouse button, the rectangle you created becomes an editable text box in which you enter the text that you want to appear on your button. Type Go to Sound and Video in the text box. Note: If the text is too long for your button, you can enlarge the button. Click the button with the Arrow tool selected, and then drag the sizing handle on the right edge of the button to the right.

  • Page 51: Edit Sprites In The Score Window

    Edit sprites in the Score window You can shorten or lengthen sprites as needed. To make the Score information for your entire movie easier to read on the screen without scrolling, you will shorten the sprites for scene 1. In the Score window, click the end of the TitleText sprite, and drag it to the left to frame 10. Note: You can also lengthen sprites by dragging their end frames to the right to higher-numbered frames, and you can edit more than one sprite at the same time by selecting multiple sprite end frames.

  • Page 52: Change The Default Length Of Sprites

    Change the default length of sprites You can change the default length of sprites that you drag to the Stage and Score by editing the Sprite Preferences. You will now change the default sprite length to 10 frames, which makes it easier to compose a movie that consists only of 10-frame scenes.

  • Page 53: Name A Cast Member

    Import media into Director The tire graphic for the animation is a Macromedia Fireworks PNG file, but you can import lots of other media formats as well. Once a file is imported as a cast member, you can use it just as you would use any other cast member.

  • Page 54: Animate The Image To Travel Up

    Click the Import button. In the Image Options dialog box, click the OK button. The tire has taken up the first available slot in the Cast window. The new cast member has adopted the file name from “tire.png” as the cast member name. Animate the image to travel up You are now ready to add the tire to the scene and create an animation of it bouncing.

  • Page 55: Animate The Image To Travel Down

    Animate the image to travel down You now have an animation of a tire rising off the ground. To animate the tire returning to its starting point, you can use the same method that you used when animating the tire to travel up. But you can also use a shortcut to create a reversed copy of the tire sprite.

  • Page 56: Change The Tempo Of An Animation

    In the Score, click channel 1, frame 24 and drag it to frame 34. Scrub the playhead again. This time, the background sprite exists through the whole tire animation. Change the tempo of an animation For the tire animation to be more realistic, the tire should slow as it reaches the top and accelerate as is returns to the ground.

  • Page 57: Change The Span Of An Animation

    Scrub the playhead. The tire accelerates as it reaches the bottom. Change the span of an animation It may seem that the tire is bouncing too rapidly. To make the animation run at a slower rate, you can add frames to the animation. You should also keep the separation between the up and down phases of the tire animation near the middle of the animation span.

  • Page 58: Add An Existing Navigation Button To The Score

    Add an existing navigation button to the Score To complete the animation scene, you will add navigation buttons. First, you will use the Go to Sound and Video button that you created earlier for scene 1. Then you will create a new button that returns users to the first scene.

  • Page 59: Building The Third Scene With Sound And Video

    At the bottom of the Stage, click the Rewind button, and then click the Play button. The movie plays from beginning to end, flashing scene 1 briefly on the Stage and playing the tire animation once before returning to frame 1 and playing again. If your movie plays only once, turn on looping by selecting Control >...

  • Page 60: Play The Digital Video

    Click the Import button. The new digital video cast member appears in the Cast window in the first available cast slot. It is named after the imported file. Play the digital video You can view the QuickTime cast member by opening the QuickTime window. This window contains controls for playing the video file but not for editing the video;...

  • Page 61: Create A Quicktime Sprite

    When you finish playing the video, close the QuickTime window. Create a QuickTime sprite You are now ready to place the QuickTime sprite on the Stage. The sound and video scene should start in frame 55. In the Score, click frame 55. The playhead moves to frame 55. From the Cast window, drag the walkaround QuickTime cast member to near the top-center of the Stage.

  • Page 62: Specify Direct-To-Stage Playback For A Quicktime Cast Member

    Specify direct-to-Stage playback for a QuickTime cast member Director can play QuickTime video using direct-to-Stage playback, which lets the video play at the fastest possible speed. When direct-to-Stage playback is selected for digital video, the video appears in front of all other sprites, regardless of the channel that contains the sprite. To verify that direct-to-Stage playback is selected for the new QuickTime sprite, complete the following steps.
  • Page 63 The Pause button’s sprite appears on the Stage and in channel 3, frames 55 through 64, of the Score. In the Cast window, find the Rewind cast member and drag it to the Stage. Place the Rewind button on the Stage underneath the QuickTime sprite, just to the right of the Pause button. The Rewind button’s sprite appears on the Stage and in channel 4, frames 55 through 64 of the Score.

  • Page 64: Import A Sound

    Import a sound The QuickTime movie has no sound track. You can make the scene more interesting by adding sound to accompany the video. The easiest way to add sound to a Director movie is to import a sound cast member and place it in one of the sound channels in the Score. Whenever the playhead plays frames that include sound sprites, the sound plays.

  • Page 65: Add Navigation Buttons

    From the Cast window, drag the track1 cast member to frame 55 in sound channel 1 of the Score. The sound is now ready to play when frames 55 to 64 of your movie play. Rewind and play your movie. The playhead moves through the frames of your movie quickly.

  • Page 66: Writing Scripts To Control The Movie

    From the Cast window, drag the Animation cast member to the Stage, placing it in the lower right corner of the Stage. The new Animation button sprite appears on the Stage and in frames 55 through 64 in channel 6 of the Score. Because you already selected frame 55 in channel 6, the sprite appears in that location when you drag it to the Stage.

  • Page 67: Write A Handler

    To make the playhead stay in one scene, you loop it in a single frame or a series of frames. For the start scene and the sound and video scene, the playhead can loop in one frame. For the animation scene, where the animation occurs over a series of frames, the playhead should loop over the same series of frames.

  • Page 68: Reuse The Handler

    At the bottom of the Stage, click the Stop button to stop the movie. The handler that you wrote has three parts: • The first line, , tells Director to run this script when the playhead leaves the on exitFrame me frame where the script is located.

  • Page 69: Create Navigation In Lingo Using Marker Names

    In the Score, display frame 15. Click the Marker bar above frame 15. Marker menu Marker bar A new marker appears in the Marker bar in frame 15. The text box next to the new marker contains “New Marker” as placeholder text. In the text box next to the new marker, type Animation, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) to name the marker.

  • Page 70: Add Lingo To Navigation Buttons

    Add Lingo to navigation buttons To make the navigation buttons function, you need to add scripts to the buttons. These scripts should be attached to the button sprites, rather than to frames in the script channel. Your frame scripts respond to events.

  • Page 71: Add Markers To Two Additional Scenes

    Add markers to two additional scenes Your first button is complete. To use similar scripts on the remaining navigation buttons, you can add markers to the start scene as well as the sound and video scene. Display frame 1 of the Score. In the Score, click the marker bar in frame 1, the first frame of the start scene.

  • Page 72: Add One More Script To The Sound And Video Scene

    Make sure that the Cast window and the Score are both open. Display frame 15 of the Score. From the Cast window, drag the GoSndVid script cast member onto the SoundVideo button sprite that appears in frames 15 through 50 of the Score. The script is now attached to this sprite in the same way it is attached to the SoundVideo button sprite in scene 1.

  • Page 73: Rewind The Quicktime Sprite

    Digital video movies use a timeline instead of a Score. The timing of the video playback is tied closely to the sound track of the video. For example, if the video has a sound track, the timing of the video and sound must remain synchronized during the entire playback of the video. For this reason, digital videos will skip frames if necessary to keep up with the sound track.

  • Page 74: Add A Script That Plays The Quicktime Sprite

    Rewind and play your movie. In the start scene, click the Go to Sound and Video button. The movie jumps to the sound and video scene, and the QuickTime sprite begins to play. When the QuickTime sprite finishes playing, click the Rewind button on the Stage. The QuickTime sprite rewinds to the beginning of the video.

  • Page 75: Modify The Script For The Pause Button

    In the Cast window, select the PlayScript cast member. Click the Cast Member Script button near the upper right corner of the window. Cast Member Script button The Script window opens with the Lingo from the PlayScript cast member visible. Place the insertion point at the end of the second line of the handler that reads as follows: sprite(1).movieRate = 1 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh), and type the following on the new line:...

  • Page 76: Modify The Script For The Rewind Button

    Modify the script for the Rewind button You can modify the RewindScript cast member so that the sound stops when the user clicks the Rewind button. In the Cast window, select the RewindScript cast member. Click the Cast Member Script button in the upper right corner of the Cast window. In the Script window, place the insertion point at the end of the third line of the handler that reads as follows: sprite(1).movieRate = 0...

  • Page 77: Publishing Your Movie

    Get linked media ready to play on your local computer The Macromedia Shockwave Player plays DCRs in safe mode on your local computer to avoid security breeches, such as a movie accessing data on your hard drive. For the Shockwave Player to access the linked media in your tutorial (the QuickTime movie and track1 sound) in safe mode, the files must be in a folder named dswmedia.

  • Page 78: Change Publish Settings And Publish Your Movie

    From the Basics folder, copy the Start folder and all of its contents to the dswmedia folder on your desktop. From the Basics folder, copy the BasicsMedia folder and all of its contents to the dswmedia folder on your desktop. Note: The Start and BasicsMedia folders must be at the same level within the dswmedia folder for the linked media to play correctly.

  • Page 79: Summarizing What You Learned

    Summarizing what you learned By completing this tutorial, you have become familiar with the basic tasks and procedures used to create Director movies. You now know how to do the following: • Import cast members • Edit movie properties • Create sprites •...
  • Page 80 Chapter 4: Building Your First Basic Movie...

  • Page 81: Index

    INDEX Numerics Control panel definition of 25 3D properties 29 displaying and hiding 25 using 25 Control toolbar, displaying and hiding 25 Behavior channel 22 copyright date, setting 30 behaviors, definition of 31 creating browser, choosing preferred 15 cast members 27 new markers 23 cross-platform features 8 cache, clearing 15...
  • Page 82 Flash Communication Server MX 9 Macromedia Studio MX 2004, integration with 8 Flash MX 2004 8 manuals available with Director 10 font maps 30 mapping fonts 30 frames markers 22 definition of 22 Markers channel 22 navigating 23, 26 media Xtra extensions 38...
  • Page 83 panel sets server technologies, integration with 9 definition of 32 setting properties saving, opening, and removing 36 movies 29 panels sprites and cast members 28 closing, opening, and collapsing 36 showing effects channels 23 definition of 32 showing more or less of Property inspector 28 docking 35 size of Stage 29 moving between panel groups 34...
  • Page 84 undocking panels and panel groups 35 View Port 35 volume, changing 25 Window menu 20 windows changing preferences 20 displaying and hiding 19 moving between panel groups 34 types of 20 workspace customizing 8, 19, 32 default settings of 19 Xtra extensions definition of 37 media 38...

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Director mx 2004

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