The first step in creating a DMC is to determine its function. Ask yourself,
“How will this DMC be used?” As an attract screen? As a “tah-dah”
for a presentation point? As digital signage? Keep in mind this isn’t
gratuitous animation, but a part of a business, educational, or entertainment
presentation.
Next, we suggest that you take some time to sketch out or storyboard the concept
and animation ideas. This will save time in development. Once you’ve
determined the type of DMC you’d like to make and have a sketch of your
ideas, you’re ready to develop.
2.2 Flash development
Create your animation in Flash as usual. To create a DMC where the user can
customize the text, follow these steps:
Use the type tool to create some text
From the “Window” menu, select “Panels,” and then select
“Text Options” to display the dialog box shown below.
Click the pulldown menu and select “Dynamic Text.” In the “Variable”
field, enter the value “dmc_1”, “dmc_2”, “dmc_3”
or “dmc_4”. These variables correspond to the four DMC text setup
fields in morePower’s DMC setup screen explained earlier. In the “Embed
fonts” section choose to embed the whole font (as shown) or a only subset.
Convert the text to a symbol, drag it to the stage, and animate as normal.
Repeat this process as needed.
Finally, export your finished animation as a standard .swf file and you’re
done! (We recommend selecting the “Protect from Import” option.)
You can use the above method to animate the exact text the user entered,
or you can use it to store text for later ActionScript manipulation. This is
a good way to accept more than just 4 pieces of data. For example, you could
have the user type in multiple titles separated by commas into one DMC input
field, i.e. “morePower, gives you, way more, flexibility” and then
use ActionScript to parse the input and transfer the individual text items to
dynamic text symbols. Or, you could have the user enter “a,g,e,b”
to specify an animation or scene sequence, or to animate symbol X as opposed
to symbol Y. With a little ActionScript, the possibilities are endless.
2.3 Testing
Once you’ve developed your DMC, test in morePower! to see how it works.
Try different texts such as 2 lines, no text, etc., to make sure your DMC
works with the widest variety of input.
2.4 Distributing your DMCs
When distributing your DMC (.swf file), be sure to include a “READ ME”
file explaining the input and what the input controls or customizes in your
DMC.
2.5 Selling your DMCs
DMCs you create are digital assets, much like stock photography, video, illustrations,
and software plug-ins. If they are of high-quality and have a good use, you
can probably sell them. One option is to sell them on the morePower web site.
Every month, you’ll receive a check for the revenue that your DMC created,
minus a sales commission. We also plan to feature DMC artists to increase
your exposure, and possibly increase your sales. For more info about selling
your DMCs on the morePower web site, e-mail: dmcstore_dev@getmorepower.com.
Another option is to sell them on your own web site, to clients, and to other
multimedia developers.
DMCs are a great opportunity to generate some extra revenue with your multimedia
skills, so good luck!
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Creating a morePower DMC in Flash
