One of the more powerful features of SWiSH Max3 (and Max2) is the availability of the Content Library. (Sorry, the Library is not available in miniMax products.)  The Library allows various Resources to be shared across multiple objects in your movie. Not only does this reduce the size of your movie (i.e. it will load faster), it can also simplify editing changes to your movie since editing the single library resource will cause the change to be reflected in all of the objects that link to this common resource.

For example, your movie may display a number of image thumbnails. When a thumbnail is selected, the full size image is displayed. If the images are stored in the library, then both the thumbnail and fullsize image can be linked to the same library reference. This removes the need to store the same image twice (once for the thumbnail, once for the fullsize image) as both objects refer (or link) to the same library reference. In a similar way, the blog article A Magnifying Glass uses the library to provide two views of the same image. One with the image sized normally, and another in a magnified state for use with the magnifying glass.

The link icon  indicates when an object is linked to a library reference. If desired, the link can be broken by pressing the button and selecting the break link icon.

To add an item to the library, press the button in the Properties Panel. This will open a dialog that allows you to give the library item a name and choose if you add and link (Add to Library and create a link) or add and copy (Add a copy to the Library). Normally you would use the Add to Library and create a link option as this makes the most efficient use of storage.

When the item has been added to the library, it can be seen in the content panel. The content is sorted according to its type with each type of content existing in its own folder.

It is also possible to import content directly into the library via the Import to Library Drop Down control.

Library content can be modified by double clicking on the item in the Content panel. Any modification will apply to all linked objects. This facility can be used to rapidly implement movie wide changes.

For example, you could define navigation buttons that use color and gradient resources defined in the library. Changing the color or gradient fill of the library reference will change the color of all of the buttons that are linked to it. This technique is often used with the supplied templates and galleries as it simplifies configuration.

In the example below, b1 was made with 3 rectangles, press, over and normal. The color fill in each of those rectangles is set to refer to a library element, press, colorover and colornormal. The button was then copied 3 times to make buttons b2, b3 and b4.

If it is desired to change the color of all of the buttons, it is only necessary to alter the appropriate color fill in the content library.

This is shown in the screen capture below where the colornormal fill has been changed to light Grey.

In the case of Max3 and Wizards, the use of the library reduces the number of parameters that need be made available to the user via the wizard panel. The above example can have wizard control added by simply adding parameters for the three library color fills.

The three library fills are conveniently referenced via the Assoc Property field of the parameters table via library.press.color, library.colorover.color and library.colornormal.color. The names shown in italics must match the user chosen names of the library references. The .color extension means associate with the color properties of the library reference. This is needed when referring to color fills.

This results in the wizard panel which presents the three color options to the user. Any changes made via the wizard panel will be applied to all 4 buttons via the library linkages.

This Max3 wizard example is supplied in librarywizard.zip.

The library can also be used to simplify the editing of multiple text objects.

Text characteristics such as font, font size and color can also be manipulated by saving a single text object to the library and then making multiple links to that single library reference.

The use of text in this way is slightly more complex as the linked text objects will always show the same text unless dynamic text is used, and item specific text is loaded dynamically by script.

The example below (not playing), shows a movie with a shared library reference called headingtext. This reference is a dynamic text object. The linked items, t1, t2 and t3 are all linked to headingtext and hence share the same text style. When the movie is played, the onSelfEvent (load) script inserts different text into each of the dynamic text objects.

The same movie in preview mode:

As stated previously, double clicking on the item in the Content Panel will allow the item to be edited / modified. In the case of the library item headingtext, you will see something like that shown below. However your layout may be slightly different because of your chosen panel layout.

In this state, the properties of the library item can be altered. For example the font color, size or type could be altered. This would change the style of t1, t2 and t3 in the main movie.

Note the red X symbol in the type left hand corner of the layout panel. This closes the symbol editor. Closing the symbol editor completes the edit process and returns the layout panel to its normal state. A movie cannot be saved while the symbol editor is open.

The text example shown above is contained in the librarytext.zip file.

Tags: Max2, Max3

This entry was posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 11:32 am and is filed under Max2, Max3, tips, tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.