Multimedia is one of those software areas in which the “national character” is most manifested, so in this special issue we are dedicating a separate article to it.
The concept of multimedia is very broad; this article will focus exclusively on home products. Home multimedia discs can be divided into entertainment and educational discs. In turn, educational products can be sold in the form of encyclopedic and reference publications, educational programs or educational games. Platforms for creating educational programs are allocated to a separate class. These are a kind of universal constructors, on the basis of which the teacher creates his own set of lessons and tests. More details about training programs and tools for their development can be found in the article “Computer training programs and tools for their development,” published in this issue of the magazine.
In this article, along with a review of educational multimedia products, we will dwell in detail on domestic games.
It should be noted that in the last two years there has been a literal breakthrough in game development in our country. Russian developments are becoming popular in the Western market, even though it is extremely saturated. Our developers manage to captivate the spoiled Western user. Projects "IL-2 Sturmovik" (developer - "1C:MaddoxGames", publisher - "1C"), "Corsairs" (developer - "Akella", publisher - "1C", "Truckers-2" (developer - SoftLab-Nsk , publisher - "1C") - all these are examples of projects that occupy the first lines of the charts on Western sites. Each of these masterpieces is developing, the next versions are in development - "Corsairs-2", "Truckers-3"; probably soon popular games will have the same number of episodes as popular television series. But, despite the success in the Western market, our developers do not forget about domestic game fans. Obviously, projects such as the animated quest “12 Chairs”, which is being prepared by a famous team developers from Voronezh - the Saturn Plus company, new games about the Pilot brothers, which are being developed by 1C, or games about the Wolf and the Hare from the popular cartoon “Well, wait a minute!” that recently appeared on our market, are aimed specifically at the Russian user. Let's talk about everything in order: as always, first of all, let's talk about new products and those projects that are just getting ready for release.
Educational multimedia products
and there are quite a lot of companies operating in this market; Let's talk very briefly about the latest developments prepared by the leaders in this area - the companies "1C", "Cyril and Methodius", "New Disk", "MediaHouse".
Educational multimedia products from 1C
If earlier the 1C company was firmly associated with the concepts of “accounting” and “automation”, today the 1C trademark is known far beyond the scope of management. Millions of children know the 1C company as a “toy company,” and thousands of teachers are familiar with it as a manufacturer of educational software products. However, as representatives of 1C itself testify, in quantitative terms, the multimedia direction has long surpassed “business software”. In 2001, the 1C company released a number of educational products. The major project “1C:Tutor” has been completed. Mathematics (part 1)”, the development of the “1C: Education” platform was announced. This year it is planned to release over 50 titles in the series “1C: Tutor”, “1C: Educational Collection”, “1C: Computer World”, etc.
Platform "1C: Education"
The developed platform “1C:Education” provides ample opportunities for creating electronic publications, educational and examination courses, maintaining libraries of presentation and test material and their constituent elements, distributing and monitoring the mastering of courses at the level of group and personal work.
The platform consists of a server part (core) and an expandable set of basic components (applications). The server part is made in Java, which allows it to work under various operating systems.
The 1C:Education platform will allow partners and users to carry out flexible customization for a specific task. The solution, implemented on the 1C:Education platform, can be easily scaled from the local to the Internet version.
Replenishment of the series of educational programs "1C:Tutor"
"1C:Tutor. Spelling tests" is a control and diagnostic system addressed to everyone who, due to their occupation, needs to be literate or test the literacy of others. Tests can be integrated with the Russian Language training complex, which allows you not only to identify gaps in knowledge, but also to immediately learn the necessary rules.
The product includes 407 test tasks covering 128 rules of the Russian language, a reference book on spelling rules, a dictionary of linguistic terms (more than 600 articles) and lists of educational literature.
A system of diagnostic computer tests allows you to check your level of spelling proficiency on a topic, as well as identify the causes of errors and receive a well-founded individual recommendation.
"1C:Tutor. Mathematics (Part 1)" is a course for high school students and applicants. It is intended for self-study and work under the guidance of a teacher, and will also be useful for teachers for preparing and conducting classes.
The original mathematics course provides 3 levels of difficulty and includes 74 lessons. The material contains 375 audiovisual interactive demonstrations with a total length of 10 hours, reinforced by the analysis and solution of 550 problems, mainly from exam options.
The verification module allows you to enter answers in the form of arbitrary numeric or alphabetic expressions. The complex is complemented by: a calculator, a graph plotter, a mental calculation simulator, a reference dictionary, a collection of notes for all lessons, information and recommendations for applicants to universities, as well as a list of educational literature.
The course covers most of the basic topics presented in university entrance exams and focuses primarily on the theory and practice of problem solving.
Series "1C: Educational Collection"
This series includes multimedia programs in general education subjects and foreign languages.
"1C: Educational collection. Arithmetic Island - the product developer is the domestic company Istra-Soft, and 1C acts as a publisher. The program consists of five main games. By moving your mouse cursor around the island, you can find out where the characters in the game live. Each of them has its own territory, by clicking on which you will be taken to visit one or another character. Funny characters will teach you quick counting, names and symbols of numbers, and will help train your memory. The program can be configured taking into account the age of the child. The complexity of the proposed new tasks is determined by previous achievements.
"Professor Higgins. German without an accent! scheduled for release in June. The product was created by a domestic developer - the Istra-Soft company; the program will be released in the 1C: Educational Collection series. At one time we tested the product “Professor Higgins. English without an accent! and were quite pleased with it. The teaching of English phonetics was especially good there. We hope that teaching German is done equally well.
"Russian language. Secondary School (grades 5, 6, 7) is a development of the domestic company Inis-Soft (publisher - 1C company). The programs are designed to organize testing, visually monitor the assimilation of educational material, and issue individual recommendations to eliminate gaps in knowledge. A system of tests, dictations and lessons provides training throughout the entire academic year. As part of the complex “Russian language. Secondary School" CDs were released for grades 5, 6, 7. They cover sections of the traditional Russian language program for these classes: phonetics and graphics, word formation, lexicology and phraseology, morphology, and spelling.
The complex is based on 14,000 test tasks, each of which has contextual background information. The training course has 28 sections, more than 350 educational elements, 1070 tests, 70 thematic and control lessons, 120 dictations. Reference information is provided by a hypertext reference textbook, text tips, algorithms for completing tasks, and supporting graphic diagrams.
“Big Encyclopedia’2002”
In 2002, the company released a new version of the “Big Encyclopedia” - BEKM’2002. This is the sixth edition, and its content is expanded and updated annually, allowing the encyclopedia to always remain relevant and reliable. The volume of textual information included in the encyclopedia is 75 book volumes (regular format, 600 pages each) - 82,000 encyclopedic articles, more than 6.5 hours of sound, more than 6 hours of video and animation, and much more. “The Great Encyclopedia” was published in three versions: 2 CDs, 8 CDs and DVD.
Along with the implementation of the main project - BEKM, new separate thematic publications of the company invariably appear.
"Encyclopedia of Cinema of Cyril and Methodius"
The content of the encyclopedia in the new version has expanded significantly; the new version already occupies 7 CDs. This is the most complete multimedia encyclopedia dedicated to cinema, which contains an impressive amount of information interesting for both specialists and film lovers: an illustrated history of world cinema, reviews of more than 11,000 films, biographical information on 11,300 personalities, information about film festivals , awards and their laureates, a wealth of illustrative material (the articles are accompanied by photographs of artists and directors, posters, stills, video clips and songs from films, etc.).
"Encyclopedia of Popular Music of Cyril and Methodius"
The encyclopedia contains extensive information for everyone who is interested in music - everything about the stars of domestic and foreign popular music, outstanding jazz musicians and “heroes” of rock, composers and songwriters, a rich collection of video clips, chronological tables, etc.
The content of the new version of the encyclopedia has been significantly updated and expanded - already 7 CDs. The encyclopedia also includes a catalog of albums, an illustrated history of jazz and rock, song lyrics with chords, video clips, audio fragments, photographs of musicians, a dictionary of musical terms, and a collection of thematic Internet links. In order to describe all the encyclopedias of Cyril and Methodius, a special encyclopedia will be required. Anyone interested can obtain additional information on the company’s website at: www.km.ru.
"Mathematics Course 2000"
The interactive “Mathematics Course 2000”, developed by L.Ya. Borevsky, an employee of the Moscow State University, helps to prepare effectively and in a fairly short time for entrance exams to universities using an original method.
The main advantage of the “Mathematics Course” is the interactive step-by-step solution of real exam problems on the computer screen. This exam preparation technique is unique and has no analogues not only in our country, but throughout the world.
Main advantages of the course:
- wide popularity of the product (over 3 years, sales volume amounted to 45 thousand discs);
- the only program in the world that implements interactive solutions to exam problems;
- systematization of problem solving methods;
- author's printed textbook of 1200 pages complete with the program;
- 422 real exam problems that are solved on a computer;
- 422 real exam problems, which are discussed in the textbook;
- formula calculator;
- plotter for the conditions of each task.
"Course of physics of the XXI century"
The program “Course of Physics of the XXI Century” is the latest version of the widely known “Course of Physics for Schoolchildren and Applicants” by L.Ya. Borevsky.
In total, the course contains 21 topics, 420 problems (210 of which are solved on a computer). Each of the 210 tasks is equipped with a model in the form of a laboratory work with process animation, plotting of all variables and the ability to modify process parameters. The program analyzes the progress of the solution and makes recommendations for further work on the problem. The diary and journal allow you to keep detailed progress statistics.
"Russian language course"
The Russian Language Course covers the entire set of rules of the Russian language. Using this program, you can perform test tasks: insert missing letters, words, and even write dictations. The program is designed for systematic training - for 1 year with a load of 2-3 hours per week.
This electronic tutor-simulator for the Russian language is a system of educational tests and trainings that develop literacy skills and help eliminate typical and individual mistakes.
“Russian Language Course” includes educational, monitoring, and game tasks on all topics of Russian spelling and punctuation - 600 tasks at 5 levels. Each level includes 15-17 topics, and each topic, in turn, contains 5-10 types of exercises. Some exercises require self-control, others are immediately checked by the computer. At the end of each level, you are asked to complete final test assignments and write exam dictations.
"Traffic Laws"
Are you determined to get a driver's license? Then you have a great opportunity to study the rules of the road using the latest methods. The texts of rules and laws are highlighted in color, so you will definitely pay attention to the most important points. Built-in videos will allow you to understand the theoretical material using a specific example and avoid mistakes typical for novice drivers. Excerpts from traffic rules will help you easily remember all the necessary information.
You can test your knowledge using the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (GAI) exam cards. Working with tickets is possible in two modes: knowledge testing and exam. In the knowledge test mode, you answer questions; in case of an incorrect answer, you are offered a comment and links to relevant theoretical material. In exam mode, the exam in the traffic police is reproduced: you answer all the questions and only after that you can read the comments and links to the material.
With the help of this CD, you will successfully pass the theoretical and practical exams, and the knowledge gained will help you quickly master the basics of safe behavior on the road.
The program provides the following features:
- exam papers of all categories; A and B - the same as in the traffic police (traffic police);
- comments and links to materials for tickets;
- driving video courses;
- basic safety and rules of medical care;
- car catalogue;
- directory of automobile companies in Russia.
Laboratory of multimedia systems. Mari State Technical University
On the pages of our magazine we often talk about products from famous Moscow companies. However, in other cities of our country there are quite a few development centers where they create products of very high quality. We would like to draw your attention to the products of the Multimedia Systems Laboratory of the Mari State Technical University.
This center created a multimedia chemistry course that won a prize at an international exhibition. The course includes the following CDs:
- “General and inorganic chemistry”;
- "Organic chemistry";
- "Chemistry. Basic course".
The developers' approach to creating educational multimedia discs is unusual and is based on 3D metaphors. The basic idea is that the computer screen is like a window into a new world. Metaphors of “theater” and “circus”, presented by means of 3D graphics and elements of virtual reality, are the basis for the presentation of educational material and the organization of navigation on the CD-ROM.
Educational CD-ROMs should be no less interesting and attractive for children than computer games. The approach implemented in the multimedia course “Chemistry” allows us to bridge the existing gap between educational CD-ROMs and games. At the International Exhibition “Milia-2000” held in Cannes (France), the CD-ROM “Organic Chemistry” became the winner of the “New Talent Competition”, in which 110 universities around the world took part. We will tell you about this product in more detail.
"Organic chemistry"
The educational multimedia course “Organic Chemistry” is intended for studying chemistry in the 11th grade of high school and can be used to prepare for exams for admission to higher education institutions. “Organic Chemistry” is distinguished by its unusual presentation of complex educational material, based on a large number of illustrative graphics, formulas of chemical reactions, virtual models of molecules, three-dimensional animation of processes and phenomena, supplemented with photographs and fragments of digital video.
The disk contains 790 educational fragments, 360 animations, 1400 graphic illustrations, 13 minutes of video, 4 hours of narration, 80 animated formulas, 110 complex tests, 180 virtual models, a name index of 40 chemist scientists.
"Jazz and Faust"
Developer - Saturn Plus, publisher - 1C
"Jazz and Faust" is an adventure game, the events of which unfold in the mysterious Ancient East. Romantic adventures, treasure hunting, the love of a mysterious beauty - all this awaits the main characters of the game - the calculating smuggler Jazz and the dreamy captain Faust. Together with them you will have to travel to a medieval city, to the islands and even visit the desert. You will be faced with original tasks and unforeseen situations, and you will have to use all your ingenuity, and sometimes cunning, to achieve your cherished goal.
"Mercenary Team: Second Test"
Developer and publisher - NMG company
The events of the game take place in the near future. The year is 2064. The growth of scientific and technological progress at the beginning of the 21st century led to the global urbanization of the planet: 96% of the Earth's population is concentrated in 84 megacities - the largest cultural, scientific, and industrial centers. But with global urbanization came epidemics, unemployment, crime and corruption. The police and intelligence services of large cities cannot cope with well-organized criminal groups that sort things out on city streets and try to establish their control everywhere. City hospitals and mobile hospitals are overcrowded with victims of shootings and man-made accidents. Only superbly trained fighters can stop all this chaos. But only the most trained specialists are recruited into the ranks of mercenaries. Former members of the special forces of the army, police squads and special services must pass a TEST to get into the elite "Mercenary Team".
Game Features:
- Level 31;
- 10 characters;
- 9 types of weapons;
- 7 options for musical accompaniment;
- a huge number of new high quality textures;
- 4 game types:
- destroy all opponents,
- capture the enemy's flag and keep yours,
- “domination” is a team game, the goal of which is to capture several control points located in different places of the arena,
- “Penetration” is a variant of the team game “Capture the flag” with one flag. Participants are divided into two teams: attacking and defending. Each team has its own base. The attackers must capture the flag and bring it back to their base.
"Wait for it! Issue 1. Pursuit"
Developer - A. Efremov, publisher - "1C"
"Wait for it!" - a classic platform arcade game that will allow you to once again find yourself in the fairy-tale world of your favorite cartoon.
The main character of the game is the Wolf, who decides to take revenge for all past grievances. However, in order to catch the hated offender, he will have to overcome a lot of obstacles and fight with the Hare’s many friends. And only at the end of the game does the poor Wolf find out what kind of monster is hiding in the skin of the “harmless” Bunny. Don't miss the unique opportunity not only to watch the development of events in a popular cartoon, but also to become a direct participant in them!
"Wait for it! Issue 2. Round account"
Developer - K-D Logic, publisher - 1C
"Wait for it! Issue 2. Round Counting" is an entertaining logic game with a lot of puzzles.
The process of solving all the puzzles in the game is connected with the journey of the Wolf, a character from the cartoon “Well, Just Wait!”, beloved by many generations, through a fairy-tale world. Each puzzle plays the role of a locked door; After solving the puzzle, the path is clear and the Wolf can continue his journey.
“Perimeter” is a real-time strategy with continuous changes in the landscape and attempts to capture the territory by special units, turning it into the main energy resource. Developed areas can be covered with a force dome to protect against aggressors. Along with the unique capabilities of terraforming and defensive perimeters, the player controls groups of modified combat units. The need for precise planning of actions taking into account changing terrain, combined with tactical flexibility, poses worthy challenges for RTS fans. "Perimeter" tells the story of the Exodus civilization, which left a dying Earth in search of a new world. The player becomes a participant in a grandiose thousand-year expedition through dozens of mysterious worlds of the Psychosphere.
"World War II"
Developers - 1C and 1C:Maddox Games, publisher - 1C
“World War II” (working title) is a real-time strategy game that tells the story of the large-scale battles that took place during World War II from 1941 to 1945. The player will have up to 16 units of various types at his disposal, for example, an infantry squad, a tank crew, a mortar or artillery crew, etc. The main emphasis in WWII is on human resource management, as well as realism and historical verisimilitude. The game is created on a modified engine of the IL-2 Sturmovik flight simulator, which gives the developers the right to promise highly detailed 3D models, excellent special effects, excellent sound, stunning graphics and animation.
"Corsairs-II"
Developer - Akella, publisher - 1C
The game is scheduled for release in the fall of 2002.
"Corsairs-II" is a new, amazingly beautiful pirate epic, the long-awaited continuation of the popular "Corsairs". This game will once again allow you to sail the waters of the Caribbean like a true sea wolf! You will begin your career as the captain of a small ship, which, by the will of fate, ended up on one of the islands of the Archipelago. You have to control the ship, conduct trade operations and fight with a lot of opponents. The game combines two different game modes - swimming mode and land movement mode. The quest generation system, a unique role-playing system and the ability to create a game party make Corsairs-II the only project that fully combines a role-playing game and a sailing ship simulator.
"Truckers-3"
Developer - SoftLab-Nsk, publisher - 1C
“Truckers-3” is a continuation of the line of well-known simulation games about the life of a professional heavy truck driver. When creating a new game, the developers carefully studied and took into account the wishes of a huge army of fans of this game. "Truckers-3" promises to become the absolute leader in its genre in terms of the total length of game tracks; Moreover, this time all the highways in the game will be the most accurate copies of real roads in a real area. As in the previous game, the player plays the role of a truck driver, transporting goods, competing with competitors and fighting the mafia that has occupied the roads. However, now he does it with friends, whom he can rely on in difficult times.
"12 chairs"
Developer - Saturn Plus, publisher in Russia - Buka
The game is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2003.
The name is no doubt familiar to everyone. The game is based on everyone’s favorite work by Ilf and Petrov and is made in the genre of an animated quest. Saturn Plus is a fairly well-known company, formed about five years ago in Voronezh (about 30 people). Her arsenal includes such developments as “The Nine Princes of Amber”, “The New Bremen”, “Agent”, “The Adventures of Lieutenant Rzhevsky”.
The goal of the game, as you might guess, is to find the jewelry hidden in the chair. The game is filled with adventure and humor. Despite the fact that the plot of the book is known to everyone, the game will present many pleasant surprises, forcing you to relive both scenes that have already become classics and scenes that appeared due to the requirements of the game genre.
Having gone a long way, full of meetings with the dead, policemen and even shamans, the hero unravels a tangle of mysterious events.
Game Features:
- more than 60 game scenes, the action in which takes place in a variety of places, from the morgue to the police station;
- a lot of black humor - fans will appreciate it;
- excellent three-dimensional graphics, live animation;
- a twisted plot that does not allow you to tear yourself away from the computer until the end of the game.
It is very difficult to talk in one article even only about the best multimedia developments of domestic manufacturers; our review turned out to be far from complete, so we will continue this topic in the next issue.
ComputerPress 7"2002
IN Currently, much attention is paid to the development of multimedia products, especially when it comes to the creation of computer encyclopedias, electronic textbooks, entertainment and educational programs, guidebooks, etc. A multimedia product is, on the one hand, a software product that provides the user with an interactive (dialogue) mode of operation, and on the other, an environment where various video and audio effects are used. It is very reminiscent of a film, where the viewer is given the opportunity to independently choose one or another plot situation.
A multimedia product is an interactive computer development, which may include music, video clips, animation, galleries of pictures and slides, various databases, etc.
According to their educational function, multimedia products can be divided into:
· encyclopedias;
· training programs;
· development programs;
· programs for children;
Today, multimedia products have become available to a wide range of buyers and are used as information support and popularization of ideas in almost all spheres of human activity. However, the level of their performance is not always equally good. When purchasing various multimedia accessories, you need to pay attention to the following indicators:
· quality and reliability of the material presented;
· quality of the proposed graphic material;
· sound accompaniment (text, musical accompaniment, musical intros, etc.);
Availability of video materials and their quality;
· interactive capabilities (various viewing directions, depth of study of the material, possibilities for printing information, etc.);
· friendly interface.
Not every ready-made software product meets these requirements, and the user’s personal interests may differ significantly from the direction proposed by the developers. In this case, you can develop your own software product that allows you to expand on the selected topic and create your own interface. Despite the fact that developing a multimedia product is a complex and expensive process, more and more artists, designers and programmers are successfully mastering this field of activity.
To create a multimedia product, the following may be involved:
· programming languages;
· tools, i.e. special software products such as Macromedia Director, Formula Graphics Multimedia System, Multimedia Creator, AuthorWare Professional, etc.
Projects developed in this way are somewhat cheaper, but less universal, as they are limited by the capabilities of the tool used.
The development of multimedia products directly by a small travel or any other company or office without the involvement of specialists can be carried out on the basis of MS Office applications, and additional software products can be used to prepare the material, for example, PhotoShop (graphics processing), Adobe Premier (video clip processing ), StoikSoftware (image processing and morph creation), Windows phonograph for sound recording and processing.
A multimedia software product often contains databases that can be implemented, for example, using MS Access. Demonstration of pictures or clips is carried out using PowerPoint. To create an interactive mode, hyperlinks are used that allow access to more detailed comments. To create a multimedia product you need to have two types of software tools:
· to prepare material to be included in a multimedia product;
· to create the product itself.
The material included in a multimedia product can be represented by drawings, audio and video recordings, and texts. These are fundamentally different types of information, for working with which there are separate software environments with appropriate tools. Let's look at the most popular software products for various types of information.
Processing of graphic objects. When working with graphic objects, two types of activities should be distinguished: scanning and creating (editing) drawings. Scanning refers to the process of automatically reading information from paper using special devices - scanners and then entering this information into a computer. The following software products are used for scanning drawings: PhotoEditor - an application included in MS Office and allowing you to scan drawings, as well as carry out some operations for preparing graphic material (changing contrast, brightness, color and orientation of the drawing), Corel Photo-Paint - a software product, allowing you to scan drawings, as well as process the material (erasing, changing color, changing orientation, scale, color saturation, etc.).
The most common and easy-to-use software environments for creating and editing drawings are:
Adobe PhotoShop- a software product that allows you to process graphic files. This editor works with a large number of formats (JPG, GIF , PSD, TIF and others) and, in addition to standard processing of drawings, allows you to pass them through various filters (twisting, bas-relief, grain, changing lighting, etc.);
Stoik ArtMen- included in the domestic software product Stoik Software and allows you to create various options for pictorial stylizations (watercolor, oil, engraving, etc.).
Video processing. Currently, digital video cameras have become widespread, which allows processing and editing without pre-processing. Digital video is characterized by several parameters. The main ones are: frame size, frames per second (fps), bit rate (data stream) and scan type (interlaced or progressive). The presence of interlaced scanning is due to the peculiarities of television signal transmission. With interlaced scanning, a frame consists of two half-frames transmitted in turn; with progressive scanning, the entire frame is transmitted. The most popular software products that allow you to process video are Adobe Premier and Morphman.
Adobe Premier- a software product that allows you to digitize and edit fragments with a large number of transitions between them; there are possibilities to change the size and orientation of the frame.
MorphMan- a product included in Stoik Software and allows you to edit video materials, as well as create morphing. Under morphing refers to the process of moving from one video image to another through their step-by-step transformation. This software product allows you to create both static morphing and morphing between video fragments.
Sound processing. The simplest and most convenient means for processing sound is Phonograph- standard MS Windows application. It allows you to record sound and edit it (lower or raise the sound, increase/decrease the speed, create various effects).
Word processing. When working with text, some part of it can be entered into the computer directly from the keyboard; large texts that do not require large changes are more conveniently entered using a scanner, which provides for further processing of the text using special software products.
FineReader a program used to convert scanned materials into text form for further processing in a word processor.
Software products designed for creating multimedia products are expensive and require certain professional training, therefore they are used mainly by professional developers. Here are some of these software products:
Macromedia Director - used for creating presentations and multimedia products, Web applications.
Formula Graphics Multimedia System- ensures the preparation of multimedia programs that work in interactive mode (electronic encyclopedias, Web applications, websites, etc.).
DreamWeaver UltraDev- the program is the first development tool that allows you to visually create and edit Web applications on various server platforms. Using Dreamweaver UltraDev, e-business companies can significantly accelerate the development of projects ranging from dynamically generated pages and forms to enterprise-scale solutions such as online stores or intranet database applications.
Macromedia Fireworks - A universal tool for producing high-quality web graphics. Allows you to quickly create buttons, animations and graphic compositions of pages. Fireworks easily integrates with Dreamweaver and other popular HTML editors.
When creating a multimedia project, you need to pay attention to the criteria that distinguish a good product from a mediocre one.
Firstly, the topic of the project should be of interest to a large number of users. When choosing a topic, the degree of its relevance, the severity of the issues being considered, the possibility of creative and cultural development, and broadening one’s horizons are equally important.
Secondly, it is necessary to clearly understand the practical purpose of creating the project.
Thirdly, when creating a project, a good script and the quality of the services provided during the work process are important.
Fourthly, an important point is the quality of graphic and video material.
The presence of video materials improves the perception of any information, and high quality graphics make it possible to enjoy pictures and slides, while low quality causes discomfort and interferes with the perception of the material. The last thing that can be noted is the quality of the texts involved in the project, their completeness, reliability, and promptness of updating. When starting to work on a project, you must select a data representation model that must meet the following rules:
· clarity of information presentation;
· ease of information entry;
· ease of searching, viewing and selecting information;
· the ability to use information from other software products;
· ability to reconfigure the project;
· user-friendly interface providing interactive mode.
When developing a multimedia project, it is advisable to follow a certain sequence of work stages:
Choosing a topic and stating the problem. Having decided on the topic, it is necessary to clearly define the task for creating a multimedia product, which should indicate its purpose and purpose.
Project analysis. At this stage, it is considered what objects the project may consist of, as well as what parameters characterize these objects.
Scenario development and model synthesis. When developing a scenario, it is necessary to provide for the sequence of work with the product, the possibility of changing the progress of work and exiting it. It is important to calculate potential emergency situations in order to prevent them, as well as check the degree of invariance of work. The script should include sound recording of the work process. Using the results of the analysis at the second stage, it is necessary to select a specific model for the future project.
Form of information presentation and selection of software products. The form for presenting information and the tools for its implementation are selected after determining the software products for the implementation of the project.
Synthesis of a computer model of an object. This stage includes two stages: preparing materials for work and creating a multimedia product.
Working with a multimedia product. Viewing, searching, selecting information.
"MediaPlayer" - MediaPlayer component. AutoEnabled – turns on the mode for automatically detecting the availability of buttons. Example 1. “Multimedia player”. "Using Multimedia in Application Development" Topic Outline: VisibleButtons - Defines a set of visible buttons. 2. MediaPlayer component. Topic 14:
“Multimedia manual” - To play the educational module on a computer, you must first install a special software product - OMC player. Federal Center for Information and Educational Resources http://fcior.edu.ru. According to statistics, only 5% of people are auditory learners, i.e. perceive information well through hearing.
“Multimedia product” - What does the term “multimedia” mean? Test questions: Multimedia environment. Multimedia products include: Multimedia product -. What is a “multimedia product”? Give examples of multimedia products.
“Interactive service” - Development Mission. I want to watch the latest and most popular films on TV. Our customers are transforming into multi-platform service providers. Betting and gaming services. VideoGuard CA & DRM. XTV-HomeNet. Protect and deliver content anytime, anywhere, on any device.
“Multimedia interactive presentations” - ???????????? What is multimedia technology? What are presentations for? Learn to create multimedia interactive presentations. How to create a presentation? Creation of a multimedia interactive presentation.
“Multimedia presentation” - Distract someone from their task. Stages of working with multimedia presentation in the educational process. Take off your clothes, or take off your clothes. How not to make slides. Your wings do not fly to the heights, but to the ground they trail behind you. Mooing "you". To demonstrate graphical, audio and video clarity, several demonstration devices are needed.
Multimedia products exist in various forms, such as floppy disk, CD-ROM, CD-1, DVD-ROM, interactive terminals, closed-loop or online networks. Multimedia can be divided into two main groups: online media and offline applications.
Online Products can be accessed through telephone, cable, or broadband networks called "information superhighways" such as the Internet.
Offline multimedia content is not transmitted directly over networks, but is pre-recorded. In other words, it is contained on a physical medium such as a floppy disk or CD.
Most multimedia products are still written to CD-ROM. Interactive terminals take third position (37%), followed by closed-loop and online networks. However, there are already devices of a mixed type (partly online, partly offline), for example, Internet nodes combined with DVD, where the DVD acts as a large-capacity memory, and the node is used to update information or access the network. However, as online multimedia services expand, the volume of offline CD-ROM products will decline. Some believe that as networks grow in popularity and capacity, optical disks will also disappear.
Interactive kiosks represent another way in which multimedia products can be used by the general public. Thus, Canadian employment centers installed them in public places to inform the population about available vacancies. Moreover, an increasing number of cultural and tourist attractions, large stores and shopping centers are equipped with such kiosks, thus advertising their goods and services.
Various sources of information relating to the sale of multimedia products and services show that since the early 90s. in this area there is a sharp increase in profitability and that this situation continues to persist. Data from the international study World Multimedia Application Market, conducted by Frost and Sullivan, also demonstrates the growing importance of this sector.
As a result of market expansion, demand for optical media products and online services is increasing. It is clear that demand for multimedia products is concentrated mainly in North America (50% of global sales) and amounts to $4 billion. However, part of the international revenues received from the American market should decrease over time in favor of other regions, in particular the Pacific.
Offline products. The demand for multimedia products and services is mainly driven by the consumption of optical discs as they are the primary means of supporting multimedia products and services. Direct, online access to these services is still in development in most cases.
Online products.
The multimedia craze is reflected in a significant increase in demand for online services, especially data exchange networks and direct access databases. The Internet is the main data exchange network on a global scale, connecting 100 thousand networks in 200 countries. There is no doubt that the rapid development of this network has created a huge market for users of multimedia products, but, unfortunately, we do not yet have reliable data on this issue.
CD content.
It is difficult to establish commonalities in the consumption of multimedia products in different countries. This is due to the limited amount of reliable and up-to-date data, as well as the lack of clear definitions. Which category includes children's video games, entertainment programs, products with erotic content, travel CD-ROMs, CD-ROMs for the Play Station video console or cartridges for Nintendo, general educational and highly professional CD-ROMs.
Interact with her. Term multimedia also, often used to refer to storage media that allow you to store significant amounts of data and provide fairly fast access to them (the first media of this type were CD - compact disk). In this case, the term multimedia means that a computer can use such media and provide information to the user through all possible types of data such as audio, video, animation, image and others in addition to traditional ways of providing information such as text.
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Multimedia can be presented in the form of main components: |
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| Text | Audio | Images |
| Animation | Video | Interactivity |
Multimedia can be roughly classified as linear And nonlinear. An analogue of the linear method of presentation can be cinema. A person viewing this document cannot in any way influence its conclusion. The nonlinear way of presenting information allows a person to participate in the output of information by interacting in some way with the means of displaying multimedia data. Human participation in this process is also called “interactivity.” This method of interaction between man and computer is most fully represented in the categories of computer games. The non-linear way of representing multimedia data is sometimes called "hypermedia".
As an example of a linear and nonlinear way of presenting information, we can consider a situation such as giving a presentation. If the presentation was recorded on film and shown to the audience, then with this method of delivering information, those viewing this presentation do not have the opportunity to influence the speaker. In the case of a live presentation, the audience has the opportunity to ask the presenter questions and interact with him in other ways, which allows the presenter to deviate from the topic of the presentation, for example, by clarifying certain terms or covering controversial parts of the presentation in more detail. Thus, a live presentation can be presented as a non-linear (interactive) way of presenting information...
Possibilities
Multimedia presentations can be performed by a person on stage, shown through a projector, or on another local playback device. Broadcasting a presentation can be either live or pre-recorded. Broadcasting or recording can be based on analogue or electronic technologies for storing and transmitting information. It is worth noting that multimedia online can either be downloaded to the user's computer and played in some way, or played directly from the Internet using streaming technologies. Multimedia reproduced using streaming technologies can be either “live” or provided on demand.
Multimedia games- games in which the player interacts with a virtual environment built by a computer. The state of the virtual environment is transmitted to the player using various methods of transmitting information (auditory, visual, tactile). Nowadays, all games on a computer or game console are multimedia games. It is worth noting that this type of game can be played either alone on a local computer or console, or with other players via a local or global network.
Various multimedia data formats can be used to simplify the perception of information by the consumer. For example, provide information not only in text form, but also illustrate it with audio data or a video clip. In the same way, contemporary art can present everyday, everyday things in a new way.
Laser show - “live” multimedia performance
Various forms of information provision make it possible for consumers to interact interactively with information. Online multimedia is increasingly becoming object-oriented, allowing the consumer to work on information without having specific knowledge. For example, in order to post a video on YouTube or Yandex.Video, the user does not require knowledge of video editing, encoding and compression of information, or knowledge of how web servers operate. The user simply selects a local file and thousands of other users of the video service have the opportunity to view the new video.
Terminology
Various interpretations of the term “multimedia” -
Multimedia in education
Website about the use of multimedia technologies in the education system -
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
