Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio for 3D: Training from the Source

Macromedia Director is the best-selling multimedia authoring program and the leading tool for creating interactive media for the Web, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, corporate presentations, and more. Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio, the latest upgrade, now includes Intel Internet 3D Graphics Software, which means that for the first time, developers have an easy way to deliver interactive 3D content over the Web. Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio includes Director 8.5, Fireworks 4, Shockwave 8.5 Player, Shockwave MultiUser 3 Server, and more.

Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio for 3D covers the new 3D capabilities added to Director with the release of Version 8.5. This book uses the same step-by-step instructional method that has made the Director 8 Authorized book so popular and which gets the tasks done with the least amount of frustration for the reader. Whether you're a seasoned Director user looking to extend your Director movies into the third dimension or a 3D graphic artist using Director to propel your models into Shockwave and onto the Web, this book gives you practical, hands-on training from the source. The included CD-ROM holds all the files and models you'll need to work through the lessons, plus sample files you can compare with your own results.

The book consists of two tracks for the two types of people who will be using Director 3D. One track is for current Director users and Lingo programmers and covers in detail the elements of 3D programming, from vector math and creating 3D primitives through lights, shaders and textures, animation (including bones) and the creation of 3D objects using meshes. The other track is for 3D people who are not Director users, such as 3ds max (formerly known as 3D Studio Max) designers. That track gets 3D graphic artists up to speed with Director, allowing them to import a 3D file and output an interactive Shockwave movie that can be dropped onto a Web page. No Lingo programming is required for this track as it is done entirely through use of the Library Palette behaviors, all you need for many e-commerce applications.