Volume Number: 14 (1998)
Issue Number: 7
Column Tag: Newsbits

July 1998 Newsbits

by Jessica Courtney

Bowers Development announced that it is now shipping AppMaker CD #10. It is in the mail to all current subscribers, domestic and international.

AppMaker's view editor and simulator more fully support Apple's Appearance Manager. It supports more kinds of controls and more options, such as bevel buttons with icon and text and menus; left and right icon buttons; clock controls; password fields; group boxes with the 3D look and with checkbox or popup titles; and Apple's Tab Panels.

Beyond building the user interface, AppMaker also helps users define the data engine part of their programs. Users can define data items and connect them to user interface items. AppMaker #10 supports more data types and also lets users define function members. AppMaker generates accessor functions for the data and generates code to Get and Set data values.

For PowerPlant, AppMaker generates the compatibility classes rather than the old GA classes. PowerPlant at runtime decides whether to use the new Appearance controls or the old GA classes. For C++, AppMaker now generates dialogs as classes rather than procedural code. This provides the same UI-Data interaction formerly available only with windows. It also simplifies some of the library code for handling dialogs.

The AppMaker-generated code is already more than 90% Carbon-compatible. Bowers plans to support Navigation Services in a release later this year. The few remaining incompatibilities will be updated as soon as Apple release new APIs.

http://members.aol.com/bowersdev/

Web Broadcasting is now shipping the WEB FM 4.0 Solutions Distribution Kit (SDK) for FileMaker Pro 4.0 Developer Edition from FileMaker Inc.

WEB FM 4.0 SDK allows unlimited, royalty-free distribution of the WEB FM 4.0 plug-in with the Macintosh runtime database engine version of FileMaker Pro Developer Edition (or FileMaker Pro 3.0 SDK). FileMaker Pro 4.0 Developer Edition will include an enhanced version of the FileMaker Pro runtime binding engine, which does not require end users to install a full copy of FileMaker Pro. With WEB FM 4.0 SDK, developers bind a version of WEB FM 4.0 to work with their run-time application.

WEB FM 4.0 SDK provides FileMaker Pro developers with a fast,cost-effective way to compete in the Internet product space and distribute customized World Wide Web products to consumers. Enterprising FileMaker Pro developers can now distribute their desktop applications and solutions as powerful Internet or Intranet applications and solutions. Current products that use the runtime database engine of FileMaker Pro and WEB FM SDK include Simply Surveys, LOG FM, and FM@iler.

Version 4.0 of WEB FM introduced easy-to-use, Internet standard Template files with context-sensitive [field name] token support. A breakthrough, highly intelligent parsing algorithm automatically selects pop-up/pull-down menu items and automatically checks radio button or checkbox elements using database record information. Other new, advanced features includes support for Virtual Hosts, add-on Processors, and enhanced record-level security.

WEB FM 4.0 SDK includes the ability to assign auto-configured values for:

• Suffix
• Action
• Creator extension
• Settings file name
• And more...

WEB FM 4.0 SDK may be purchased direct from Web Broadcasting for $1495 until July 31st, 1998. After July 31st, 1998, pricing will be $1995. Upgrades from WEB FM 3.0 SDK are only $495.

http://webfm.com/

Microspot, longtime 3D developer, today announced the Microspot 3D World Developer Partner Program. Many application developers could enhance their products by including 3D, but this is a challenging and time consuming task. Microspot is now offering developers, who join the Microspot 3D World Developer Partner Program, access to 3D World 3.0 as a solution for Windows and Macintosh applications. Through this program a developer may license code which is based upon Microspot's 3D World 3.0 due for release in July 1998.

3D World is designed as a completely modular 3D modeling and animation application. It is comprised of an application shell, and a shared library (which acts as a C++ wrapper to QuickDraw 3D, and provides numerous utility routines to aid development), functionality is add by way of plug-ins Microspot has written over 100 plug-ins which range from import and export to modeling to animation and navigation. Being based on QuickDraw 3D enables 3D World to make use of high end QD3D plug-in renders like those from LightWork Design. (See http://www.diamondschmitt.com/beta4.html for examples of how a renowned architect uses 3D World and LightWorks to produce awesome renderings of proposed buildings).

Microspot is making available for license the 3D World Plug-in API, Application API, Shared Library API, and C++ headers. Developers can license all or some of these components to write their own 3D world plug-ins, 3D applications or to integrate 3D into their existing applications. This enables them to address their own vertical markets and include their own content.

Currently, there are four levels in the DPP program. Depending on the level at which developers join, they will receive technical support help and a large number of plug-ins to bundle with their application. Developers will be able to include a Powered by 3D World logo on their box, so their users will recognize the technology that the product is based upon.

http://www.microspot.com/dev
http://www.macsourcery.com

Roundabout Logic, Inc. announced that it is now shipping the final version of Widgetizer 1.0, the ultimate tool for the creation of QuickTime VR Object Movies. The shipping product features a fresh look, including a new logo and brilliant retail package. Widgetizer 1.0 comes with a printed manual, as well as electronic tutorial and extensive samples of QuickTime VR. As an added bonus, Apple's new QuickTime 3.0 PRO is included FREE.

Widgetizer is Roundabout Logic's peerless rapid object editor for QuickTime VR. Widgetizer generates interactive QTVR object movies which look in at a central point, simulating the effect of holding an object in the hand and turning it around to view it from all angles.

Widgetizer 1.0 is the most advanced program available for producing interactive QTVR Object movies for the web and multimedia presentations. The final exported QTVR movies are playable on both Macintosh and Windows PCs. Widgetizer features a user-friendly interface, definable hot-spots, custom backgrounds, frame-based animation, sound integration, image editor and supports all cameras and device software controlled QTVR object rigs. All the user adds is the creativity.

http://www.roundaboutlogic.com

The recent release of MRJ 2.1 early access 1 on the Apple & Java web site http://developer.apple.com/java/ did not support debugging with either Metrowerks CodeWarrior Pro or Symantec Visual Café. Apple has been working diligently to remove this limitation and we now have an update that enables debugging with Metrowerks CodeWarrior Pro 3. As soon as we have an update available for Symantec Visual Café, we will make it available as well.

Note that this update does not work with earlier versions of CodeWarrior.

http://developer.apple.com/java/text/prerelease.html