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Macromedia Director is a powerful media application created by Macromedia. It allows users to build applications built on a movie metaphor, with the user as the "director" of the movie.
Its scripting language Lingo motivated some to use this application. Many companies deliver demonstrations or use it as a user interface (UI) for content on CDs and DVDs. It can incorporate many different formats (e.g. AVI, BMP, QuickTime, PNG, JPEG, RealVideo) thus making it possible to integrate without re-encoding files. It also supports vector graphics and 3D interactivity, which can be used for producing games. Version MX and its successors are also easily linked with Flash animation.
Director's functionality can be extended through plug-in applications called Xtras. These can be created by users or purchased from third party vendors. They are created using Macromedia's XDK (Xtra Development Kit), a C++ SDK.
Director started out under the title "VideoWorks", an application for the original Apple Macintosh. Its name was changed to "Director" with the addition of new capabilities and the Lingo scripting language, around 1988. A Windows version was available in the early 1990s.
By the mid-1990s, over 70% of CD-ROM multimedia titles were authored using Director.
One type of file created by Director can be viewed in a web browser using the Shockwave plugin. These files have a .DCR extension.
Director can also create stand-alone executable applications from a project, called projectors.
See also: Revolution (development environment), Simple DirectMedia Layer, GLPro
Updates from the last seven years, with a short list of notable changes:
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