Aquafadas ships MotionComposer web animation tool
updated 06:40 pm EDT, Wed August 3, 2011
Publishes to both HTML5 and Flash
Hot on the heels of Adobe's announcement of a preview of Edge, independent Mac developer Aquafadas has begun shipping MotionComposer, its own interactive content creator that outputs to Flash and HTML5 -- allowing animation publishing that works on all the latest browsers, tablets and smartphones, regardless of operating system.
MotionComposer is powered by WebKit to ensure high compatibility, and lets users create step-by-step animations, animated slideshows, ad banners and more. Creators don't have to choose between either Flash or HTML5 output; the program can generate code that offers both versions, allowing Flash in browsers that support it and falling back to HTML5 in browsers that don't, automatically.
Users can either start an animation from scratch or use a template for digital comics, ads, landing pages, slideshows and other types of animation. Unlike Adobe Edge's "timeline" metaphor for creating animation, MotionComposer uses a "presentation" approach, using tools similar to the animation tools found in PowerPoint or Keynote -- including transitions, actions, and pre-set object animations (screenshot below). Once created, the program generates a few lines of code and the media assets which can be easily integrated into existing web pages, all without any user coding.
Aquafadas will be holding a free web seminar introducing MotionComposer tomorrow, August 4th, at 11AM EST (8AM Pacific). The program is available for order now and sells for $149. The Mac-only software requires OS X 10.6.8 or later and a 1GHz Intel Mac. Users should also have Flash Player 10.0.1 or better onboard.
