 |
Author |
Topic: Expression / Microsoft (Read 464 times) |
|
REAS
|
Expression / Microsoft
« on: Apr 9th, 2004, 10:31pm » |
|
Microsoft purchased Creature House, which developed the Expression software:
http://www.creaturehouse.com/expression3.htm
http://www.creaturehouse.com/e3tour1.htm
Expression is a vector animation program, but it renders the vectors using a number of effects to remove the hard edges. It doesn't seem to be built for real-time work.
I think the idea is to make a Flash killer. But I can't tell how it relates to scripting. Flash's scripting capabilities have radically improved while its graphics library has remained largely the same. Possibly Microsoft is working on the scripting aspects of Expression.
This is old news, but was new to me. Does anyone know more...
|
|
|
|
|
skloopy
|
Re: Expression / Microsoft
« Reply #1 on: Apr 9th, 2004, 10:51pm » |
|
Wow i didn't realize that program was still around! I havn't heard anything about it but i guess it would be cool if you could do real time stuff with it. Remember that backin the day, flash was pretty slow when it came out..
Still this is MS, and their sofware has never been speedy, especially not on Macs.
|
|
|
|
|
Bryan
|
Re: Expression / Microsoft
« Reply #2 on: Apr 10th, 2004, 3:39am » |
|
More information can also be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/
Pure speculation on my part - but with Microsoft's impending (long-hard belly laugh) Longhorn OS, Avalon rendering layer and XAML language (read Microsoft's Extended SVG for .NET) I'd suspect that they're looking at rolling Expression's rendering engine into the OS's presentation layer. Or at least attempting to... As Longhorn is scheduled for release in a few years (2008?) I'd image they're banking on Moore's Law to ensure the hardware will be readily available to drive the 'next-gen' OS.
To be honest, if Flash (or any tool) had real-time natural media effects such as those in Expression it would really change the look of interactive new media. With Flash everything tends to look like flat poster art - imagine if you could add texture and depth into the mix.
|
|
|
|
|
amoeba
|
Re: Expression / Microsoft
« Reply #3 on: Apr 11th, 2004, 11:42am » |
|
Maybe that would be like (moahahaha) "Display PostScript"? NeXT had that 10 years ago, a nice concept but it didn't go anywhere.
Anyway, I thought both MS and Apple were moving more in the direction of making desktops fully 3D environments, in order to capitalize on hardware acceleration. Does the world need more 2.5D? Looking at Expression, it kind of looks like the venerable Corel Painter for real-time vectors. Nice for classical illustrators, the taste of death to White Cube Modernists...
|
| « Last Edit: Apr 11th, 2004, 11:51am by amoeba » |
|
marius watz // amoeba
http://processing.unlekker.net/
|
|
|
mungbean
|
Re: Expression / Microsoft
« Reply #4 on: Apr 13th, 2004, 7:08pm » |
|
on Apr 11th, 2004, 11:42am, amoeba wrote:[...] "Display PostScript" NeXT had that 10 years ago, a nice concept but it didn't go anywhere.
|
|
Except into MacOS X's Quartz... as "display PDF" 
|
|
|
|
|
|
