Chapter 1

Introduction To The Authoring

System
 what is "multimedia“?
• Multi = "many"
• Media = plural of "medium"
• Medium = a channel of communication
• "a means of communicating information using
multiple channels“
• The combined use of several media -- such as
text, graphics, audio, video, and animation --
in a single application for educational or
entertainment purposes.
There are three (3) common classifications of
interactivity:
1) Linear presentation
• is one in which the author decides the
sequence and manner in which information is
presented.
• The user controls only the pace.
 • The features of linear presentations are:
❑ Slides are shown in a pre-determined order.
❑ Slides that jump out of this sequence are not
allowed.
❑ Slides follow an ordered line from the
beginning to the end of the presentation.
• Advantages of linear presentations
– Predictable, every audience will see exactly the
same presentation
– Relatively easy for another person to do the
presentation should the author be unavailable as
the presentation always runs in the same order
– Simple to prepare handouts as slides are always in
the same order
– skipped Timing of the presentation is very
predictable
• Disadvantages of linear presentations
– Not very interactive with the audience, they
cannot change the order of presentation
– Not flexible in terms of changing the time taken to
do the presentation, for instance a presentation
planned for 1 hour may now need to be done in
half an hour, this is not simple in a linear
presentation
– It is apparent to the audience they are not seeing
the full presentation if slides need to be
– Can be boring as the audience may have to view
slides that happen to be irrelevant to them
Branching program
• is one in which the user has some control over
the sequence of presentation by selecting
from a group of choices such as from a main
menu.
• The author still maintains the control of
deciding what to include in the choices
available at any point in the program.
Hypermedia
• can be thought of as a web of interrelated
information in which the user is in almost
complete control of the pace and, to a
somewhat lesser extent, the sequence and
content of the presentation.
• Links provide for random access of
information.
 Multimedia Components
• Let's look closer at some of the components
that are commonly used in multimedia:
 Text…
• Text often shapes the content of a multimedia
title.
• Technically speaking a text medium is easy to
handle and store.
• As a rule text passages should be brief and the
font should be easy to read on the computer
screen.
• Common file formats for text data are .txt, .rtf,
and .doc.
 Graphics
• Graphics shape the design of a multimedia title, adding visual
appeal and expressing concepts that text alone cannot easily
communicate.
• Graphics is a more complex medium than text.
• They are more difficult to create, and you have to deal with a
number of colors and screen resolutions.
• In addition, graphics files tend to be quite large.
• A single color picture for the computer screen can easily fill up
several standard floppy disks.
• However, applications from the entertainment side of the
business have established high quality graphics and photo
realistic images as basic elements of all multimedia
applications.
• Common file formats for graphics are .bmp, .tif, .gif, and .jpg.
 Sound
• Sound can refer to speech, natural or synthesized
sound effects, or music.
• can use spoken words to complement written text, and
music and sound effects to create a mood, add
emphasis or realism, or signal interactivity.
• With recorded (digitized) sound you have to deal with
sound quality and storage capacity.
• Music can mean "recorded songs", or the computer
can imitate instruments and produce synthesized
music.
• Common file formats for digitized sound are .wav, .aif,
.snd, and .mid.
 Video
• Digitized video offers a level of authenticity similar to
television or movies - with some performance limitations.
• With video you can show tasks and events that words and
graphics are inadequate to explain.
• Producing high quality video clips is a difficult and time
consuming job.
• The current PC performance for video playback is limited by
certain technical factors, so if you create a multimedia
application that includes video clips you must have a clear
idea of the performance of the typical user's PC.
• Usually you must compromise between the video screen
size, video resolution, number of colors used and length of
the clip.
• Common digital video file formats are .mov, .avi, and .mpg.
 Animation
• Animation involves graphics that move in some way
With animation you can clarify things or create special
effects.
• Digitized video has replaced animation for certain
things, but in many cases animations are easier to
produce and "lighter" for the PC�s performance.
• Technically speaking, animation can mean either
external "video like" media files, or they can be closely
integrated (programmed) into the application itself.
• Common animation file formats include .flc, .fli, and
.swf.
• Digital video and .gif file formats are also used for
animation content.
 Control
• One final component of multimedia is the amount of
control afforded to the user.
• At a minimum the user should be able to start and stop the
program. In more advanced programs there may be a
multitude of navigation options available to take users
through the program.
• The various multimedia elements used in multimedia can
be produced by different application programs, such as
• Graphics/Drawing programs
• Animation programs
• Word Processing
• Image capture - digital cameras, scanners
• Digital Video editing
• Sound recording and editing programs.
 Authoring
• "What is authoring?". Simply put, multimedia
authoring is the process of designing and
developing a multimedia product. The author
brings all of the different multimedia
components together into one program and
provides structure, navigation, and
interactivity for the user. For educational
multimedia it is also important to create an
effective instructional environment.
• The authoring process can be used to develop
many different types of products, including:
• Educational applications
• Computer-based training
• Reference systems
• Simulations
• Virtual environments
• Entertainment programs and games
• Interactive information kiosks
• Retail CD-ROMs
• Training systems
 Multimedia authoring paradigm
• the authoring paradigm, or authoring metaphor,
is the methodology by which the authoring
system accomplishes its task
• the description of both the authoring interface,
often referred to as the authoring metaphor, and
the object-handling method used by a tool
• Authoring systems follow various paradigms in
order to decrease development time over writing
code (be it Pascal, C, FORTRAN, C++, COBOL,
assembler, or what-have-you)
• All of the paradigms (and their associated
tools) are optimized to meet specific
functionality needs.
• There are various paradigms, including:
– Card/Scripting Paradigm
– Cast/Score/Scripting Paradigm
– Frame Paradigm
– Hierarchical Object Paradigm
– Hypermedia Linkage Paradigm
– Iconic/Flow Control Paradigm
 Scripting Language
• The authoring method closest in form to
traditional programming.
• The scripting paradigm tends to be longer in
development time (it takes longer to code an
individual interaction), but generally more
powerful interactivity is possible.
• Examples: – Lingo (Director) – ActionScript
(Flash) – OpenScript (Toolbook)
Here is an example lingo script to jump to a
frame
global gNavSprite
on exitFrame
go the frame
play sprite gNavSprite
end
 Iconic/Flow Control
• The speediest (in development time) authoring
style.
• It is best suited for rapid prototyping and short
development time projects.
• The core of the paradigm is the Icon Palette and
Flow Line.
• Icon Palette - containing the possible
functions/interactions of a program.
• Flow Line - shows the actual links between the
icons.
Example: – Macromedia Authorware –
 Frame Paradigm
• Uses a non-directional flowchart interface; links
are between frames, but frames and their
elements can be called up and adjusted in the
frame view. Most of these tools come with
powerful scripting or programming languages, so
even the visual linkages in the flowchart view
may be incomplete.
• Apple Media Kit: Apple
• CBT Express: AimTech
• Quest: Allen Communications
 Cast/Score/Scripting
• The Cast/Score/Scripting paradigm uses a
music score as its primary authoring
metaphor.
• It has the ability to script the behavior of each
of the cast members.
• These programs are best suited for
animationintensive or synchronized media
applications.
• Macromedia Director Score Window
Macromedia Director Cast Window
• Macromedia Director Script Window
 Hierarchical Object Paradigm:
• The Hierarchical Object paradigm uses a
object metaphor (like OOP) which is visually
represented by embedded objects and iconic
properties.
• Organized into a tree structure.
• Seen often in menu-driven applications.
 Tagging
• The Tagging paradigm uses tags in text files to
link pages, provide interactivity and integrate
multimedia elements.
• Examples: – HTML – SMIL – VRML
 Authoring vs. Programming
in Multimedia
• Authoring involves the assembly and bringing
togther of Multimedia with possiby high level
graphical interface design and some high level
scripting.
• Programming involves low level assembly and
construction and control of Multimedia and
involves real languages like C and Java.
Prinsip Pengarangan Multimedia
 1. konsistensi
• Reka bentuk antara muka
adalah seragam pada setiap skrin program.
• Contohnya setiap antara muka menggunakan
perkataan atau arahan yang melakukan fungsi
yang sama.
 2. Kejelasan
• Label pada ikon adalah jelas supaya bahan
multimedia dapat difahami dengan mudah.
• Menggunakan ikon yang releven dengan
fungsinya seperti ikon gambar printer untuk
fungsi mencetak.
• ikon perlu dilabel dengan jelas supaya
pengguna dapat memahami fungsinya dengan
mudah.
 3. Konteks
• Setiap bahagian atau isi kandungan mesti
berkait rapat dengan tajuknya
• Contohnya, penggunaan grafik, audio atau
video mesti berkait rapat dengan isi
kandungan yang disediakan
 4. Navigasi
• Navigasi adalah prinsip utama dalam
multimedia interaktif.
• Sebagai multimedia tidak liner, pengguna
sepatutnya boleh bergerak besar berdasarkan
menu yang disediakan
 5. Carian
• Pengguna dapat mencari kata kunci atau
glossary.
• Fungsi carian memudahkan pengguna mencari
maklumat yang diperlukan dengan mudah dan
cepat.
 6. Personalisasi
• Pengguna boleh melalui proses pembelajaran
secara individu.
• Pengguna boleh memilih paparan yang
diingini.
 7. Kebolehan belajar
• Program menyediakan maklumat sokongan
atau “help” untuk memudahkan pengguna
memahami program.
 8. Fleksibeliti
• Pengguna mempunyai hak untuk
mendapatkan semua kemudahan yang
disediakan tanpa halangan.
• Contohnya, pengguna dibenarkan untuk akses
semua isi kandungan pembelajaran, setiap
bahagian sesuatu program tersebut.
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