SWiSHmax

QuickInfo
SWiSHmax
Flash Authoring Tool

Requirements:
N/A

Rating:

Pros:
-  Easy to create effects quickly that would take hours in Flash
-  Scripting capabilities
-  Intuitive interface
-  Adaptable to much more than the Web
-  Fun to use for beginners and pros alike

Cons:
Lacks features for creating Flash forms
-  Minor limitations in drawing tools
-  No data-binding features
-  Documentation could be improved

SWiSHmax Web Site

UPDATE!

If you purchase PowerPlugs for FrontPage, you'll get a special edition of SWiSHmax on CD in addition to other great tools for FrontPage! You can also purchase just SWiSHmax from them for $99.

Here's more information...


Is there any question but that Macromedia created a virtual gold mine when it developed Flash?  Certainly not!  Fortunately, Macromedia didn't hoard the mine for themselves.  Instead, they licensed the use of Flash technology so that others could take advantage of it, and that's exactly what SWiSHzone.com did!  In April of the year 2000, SWiSH was born.  The rest is, as they say, history.

SWiSH is now in its third major version and it's now a tool that packs the power to develop any type of Flash movie that you can dream of.  We'll cover the big features in this review, but to really get the feel for just how cool this software really is, you need to try it for yourself.  SWiSHzone.com offers a trial download so that you can test drive this application at your leisure.

What is SWiSHmax?

SWiSHmax is, in a nutshell, an application used to create Flash animations.  Many people are overwhelmed by Flash MX, the Macromedia product used to develop in Flash.  Flash MX has more power than SWiSHmax, but many people never use it to its full potential because of the learning curve.  SWiSHmax solves that problem by allowing you to do what would have taken hours in Flash MX with just a few clicks! 

Productivity Cubed

SWiSHmax allows you to be incredibly productive because it automates so many chores that are usually difficult.  For example, if you want to add effects to an object or text, it's literally as simple as clicking a button.  It would be nice to have an effect preview.  As it stands, you have to apply the effect and then play your movie to see it in action. 


The Effects Menu in SWiSHmax.  Hovering over many of these brings up a list of over 100 effects!

Perhaps one of the nicest aspects of SWiSHmax effects is that when an effect is applied, it is added to the timeline so that you can easily adjust the timing of the effect.  This also gives you the ability to carefully control how one object's effect interacts with another object's effect.  It would be cool to have full control over the effect via key framing, but that's probably asking a bit much.  If you want that level of control, SWiSHmax will allow it with custom animations.  As you'll see later, creating animations in SWiSHmax is easy to do.


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