Using Director 7 (Special Edition) [Paperback]

Gary Rosenzweig (Author)

Book Description

Series: Special Edition Using | Publication Date: April 14, 1999

Special Edition Using Macromedia Director 7 allows you to discover the power of Director 7 with step-by-step techniques, tricks, and Lingo code not available anywhere else. With this book you will learn how to use Director's most advanced tools to easily create and enhance your professional applications for business, education, graphics, sound, Shockware, and games. You'll also see real-world interactive solutions--from using Lingo to control text, sound, bitmaps, video, and vector graphics, to working with Behaviors.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For readers of Gary Rosenzweig's earlier books on Director versions 5 and 6, Special Edition Using Director 7 holds no surprises: it is a big, competent, extensive volume on the latest version of Macromedia's flexible multimedia engine.

The book quickly ploughs through the beginner-level material (Director's interface, using cast members, basic controls, and animation) in an effort to dig into the finer points of the entire application: using bitmap art vs. vector art, digital video, sound, new paint and layering effects, and more. And this is all in the first 150 pages!

All the usual chapters are here: getting up to speed on the interface, using Lingo, preparing artwork, and so on, but of all the various sections and chapters, Section 8 is arguably the most useful. "Using Director to Create Professional Applications" takes you through six application categories (educational, business, graphics, sound, Shockwave, and games) using a variety of real-world examples.

The last section, "Finishing a Project," is also of vital interest. Whole chapters on debugging your application as well as tweaking for maximum performance are critical points when delivering professional-level work, and the author draws from his experience and passes on many useful tips.

Special Edition Using Director 7 is probably one of the more useful books on this software, suitable for beginning, intermediate, and somewhat advanced users. --Mike Caputo

From Library Journal

Rosenzweig also introduces the basics but quickly goes on to an extensive discussion of behaviors, Lingo, object-oriented programming, and professional application creation. For patrons who already have a programming background but are moving to serious interactive media design with Director.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 988 pages
• Publisher: Que (April 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789719576
• ISBN-13: 978-0789719577
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,803,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary Rosenzweig is a programmer, Web site developer, Internet entrepreneur, podcaster and computer book writer. He is the host and publisher of the MacMost video podcast and Web site. He has also programmed more than 200 Web-based and iPhone games. He has written many books on Flash and Shockwave game development.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Beginner!, September 26, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using Director 7 (Special Edition) (Paperback)

The book claims it is for beginners--not so. Especially if you are looking for a step by step approach. It comes with a CD, but I am still looking for the "How to use the CD with this book" instructions. More than half of the book is devoted to examples of lingo--not for the novice Director user!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loads of practical examples. Inspiring content. Great value., August 20, 1999

By 

Team Steinert (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using Director 7 (Special Edition) (Paperback)

I use Director about 30% of the time during work (otherwise Java and Perl). I learned Director 6 on the fly when I was given a project to complete, and searched for books aimed at an experienced programmer - there were none. Most were of the "this is a mouse" variety. Now, luckily there's this book and the Director/Lingo Nutshell books. One reason I like this book is because the examples are actually written in Director 7 syntax, which I like a lot more than the previous "wordy" Lingo. Also, it includes inspiring demos - the sort that egg you on to build a finished product out of them.

The author actually assumes you can think, and there's a lot of great tips. For example one states that text members have a graphic property (a bitmap representation), which is useful to know. Also, the author writes in a clear, concise manner, and there's no obvious padding in the book. The CD has some useful stuff one it, too.

Most Director books are a letdown, but this one has already paid for itself in time saved.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Using Director 7 (Special Edition), an Educator's Dream, February 11, 2000

By 

Stephen Pasos (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using Director 7 (Special Edition) (Paperback)

As an educator in San Francisco who teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced courses in Multimedia design, production and Lingo programming, I was looking for a Director and Lingo book that was well written, comprehensive, used the new Director 7.0 Lingo ("dot" syntax). I read them all and decided that by far Using Director 7 (Special Edition) met all my needs and much, much more.

This book was written with care and concern. All the code (some from his earlier book) was meticulously rewritten with the new Director 7.0 Lingo syntax. The list of web sites in the back of the book give my students and I plenty of supplementary resources. The accompanying CD contains most all of the examples in the book and more.

Some of my favorite exercises in the book include: simulating 3D shapes using the new quad function; hit detection for gaming and other gaming examples; Educational and Business Applications, and Appendix C, Online Resources

There are other books that attempt to cover the scope of material covered in Gary Rosenzweig's book, but none of those succeeds with such elegance and style.

I've already put in my order for Gary's not yet released "Advanced Lingo for Games" -- Given the quality of Using Director 7 (Special Edition) and the quality of his website, I'm confident this will be another gift to both the Director community and it's educators.