Analogue Adobe Flash or what is Swish Max?
Hello, Habr!
Before each, more or less dedicated to web development, by the user, at one time, there was a question (or interest) about flash. For some, this remained “magic”, someone stopped at the minimal animation and banners, and someone with a head went into the study of Action Script. One way or another, Flash still remains a common tool for creating interactive and cross-platform applications, despite the rapid development of HTML5, WebGL standard, SVG graphics, Silverlight, etc. and their widespread introduction in recent times. And besides the common development environment for Adobe Flash, there is not such a well-known program Swish Max. About her and will be discussed under the cut.
Swish Max is a software product of the Australian company Swishzone.com Pty Ltd. The company produces a range of products that are somehow related to flash. The editor's line has been stretching since 2002. On the Swish website (as Swish Max was called at the time), there was almost no mention of it. But he was and is developing to this day. The current version today is the fourth, but Swish Max is updated quite often (there are various builds, according to dates.)
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SWiSH Max is generally considered to be a simpler and less expensive tool for creating Flash compared to Adobe Flash. Swish Max implements common Flash functions (creating various animations, working with vector and raster, directly editing the code). Slightly similar interface. But this is only at the first glance. The difference is still there. And there are also advantages and disadvantages compared to Adobe Flash. I'll start with the shortcomings:
The most significant is the lack of support for AS 3.0. But in the latest version there is limited support for AS 3.0, which can be noticed only by sophisticated specialists in this field of programming, since I personally never noticed much of a difference. The raster in Swish Max is very poorly programmable (not AS scripts). Implemented the minimum necessary settings, compared with the same Adobe Flash. But this is offset by good work with the vector, which will be lower. For those who professionally use Flash - when working in Swish Max, a slightly different work with masks will be noticeable. And of course, the editor does not open .fla files using its .swi format, which limits the final processing of files in other programs. In the program there are bugs. Mostly not too serious, but sometimes something somewhere may work wrong. To this must be prepared.
Now about the benefits:
One of the main factors influencing the acquisition of a certain popularity of this program is undoubtedly a wide range of built-in effects. Transitions, fade-ins / outs and simple transformations. And this is all without editing the AS directly! Understanding the person who is far from AS programming will make it not at all difficult to create the simplest flash-videos / banners / buttons and other simple elements. In principle, this set with proper and sophisticated use may suffice for something more serious, since a small set of ready-made solutions are sewn into the program, such as audio and video players, various counters, load bars and other things.
Swish Max has its own scripts, which are variations of ActionScript, which are called Swish scripts. They contain more of the functionality of AS 2.0, including support for ActionScript 2.0 classes from SWiSH Max 3 version. The program also performs well with the vector. Creating and editing, combined with the imposition of animation effects, gives a good result. Of course, it doesn’t compare with the programs specially designed for work in the vector, but it’s enough for high-quality trifles. What is not unimportant, for the work of the latest version of the editor does not need a perfect computer, in contrast to the resource-intensive products of the Creative Suite line of the latest versions from Adobe. The site contains the following system requirements for Swish Max 4:
I was genuinely surprised by the lack of references to Swish Max on Habré. Anyway, the program deserves the attention of those who are engaged in flash or want to do it.
Official website of the manufacturer: http://www.swishzone.com
The only Russian-speaking community: http://flashka.net/
Before each, more or less dedicated to web development, by the user, at one time, there was a question (or interest) about flash. For some, this remained “magic”, someone stopped at the minimal animation and banners, and someone with a head went into the study of Action Script. One way or another, Flash still remains a common tool for creating interactive and cross-platform applications, despite the rapid development of HTML5, WebGL standard, SVG graphics, Silverlight, etc. and their widespread introduction in recent times. And besides the common development environment for Adobe Flash, there is not such a well-known program Swish Max. About her and will be discussed under the cut.
SwishMax: History
Swish Max is a software product of the Australian company Swishzone.com Pty Ltd. The company produces a range of products that are somehow related to flash. The editor's line has been stretching since 2002. On the Swish website (as Swish Max was called at the time), there was almost no mention of it. But he was and is developing to this day. The current version today is the fourth, but Swish Max is updated quite often (there are various builds, according to dates.)
SwishMax: Description, advantages, disadvantages
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SWiSH Max is generally considered to be a simpler and less expensive tool for creating Flash compared to Adobe Flash. Swish Max implements common Flash functions (creating various animations, working with vector and raster, directly editing the code). Slightly similar interface. But this is only at the first glance. The difference is still there. And there are also advantages and disadvantages compared to Adobe Flash. I'll start with the shortcomings:
- Does not support ActionScript 3.0
- Limited drawing capabilities in the raster
- Minor limitations when working with masks.
- Does not open .fla
- Bugs
The most significant is the lack of support for AS 3.0. But in the latest version there is limited support for AS 3.0, which can be noticed only by sophisticated specialists in this field of programming, since I personally never noticed much of a difference. The raster in Swish Max is very poorly programmable (not AS scripts). Implemented the minimum necessary settings, compared with the same Adobe Flash. But this is offset by good work with the vector, which will be lower. For those who professionally use Flash - when working in Swish Max, a slightly different work with masks will be noticeable. And of course, the editor does not open .fla files using its .swi format, which limits the final processing of files in other programs. In the program there are bugs. Mostly not too serious, but sometimes something somewhere may work wrong. To this must be prepared.
Now about the benefits:
- Built-in effects and transitions
- Swish scripts
- Excellent vector support
- Minimum system requirements
- Cheaper than Adobe Flash
One of the main factors influencing the acquisition of a certain popularity of this program is undoubtedly a wide range of built-in effects. Transitions, fade-ins / outs and simple transformations. And this is all without editing the AS directly! Understanding the person who is far from AS programming will make it not at all difficult to create the simplest flash-videos / banners / buttons and other simple elements. In principle, this set with proper and sophisticated use may suffice for something more serious, since a small set of ready-made solutions are sewn into the program, such as audio and video players, various counters, load bars and other things.
Swish Max has its own scripts, which are variations of ActionScript, which are called Swish scripts. They contain more of the functionality of AS 2.0, including support for ActionScript 2.0 classes from SWiSH Max 3 version. The program also performs well with the vector. Creating and editing, combined with the imposition of animation effects, gives a good result. Of course, it doesn’t compare with the programs specially designed for work in the vector, but it’s enough for high-quality trifles. What is not unimportant, for the work of the latest version of the editor does not need a perfect computer, in contrast to the resource-intensive products of the Creative Suite line of the latest versions from Adobe. The site contains the following system requirements for Swish Max 4:
- IBM compatible Pentium / AMD processor with a frequency of 900 MHz or higher
- 512 MB RAM or more
- 1024 x 768, 16-bit monitor (32-bit recommended)
I was genuinely surprised by the lack of references to Swish Max on Habré. Anyway, the program deserves the attention of those who are engaged in flash or want to do it.
Links
Official website of the manufacturer: http://www.swishzone.com
The only Russian-speaking community: http://flashka.net/
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/123083/
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