Macromedia’s Flash has been a huge success not just in terms of market penetration (Macromedia claims that 96% of the on-line audience can view Flash content) but also in terms of diversity. This year, the format has become more useable than ever thanks to new tools and new developments in software accoutrements.

First of all, this year will be remembered as the year when Flash went portable. Macromedia knows that to truly serve the streaming audience, it has to be more than an online standard; it has to go mobile. This parallels the trends in mobile devices, which are not only becoming more graphic intensive but more wireless-capable. While some mobile devices such as PDAs still do not make wireless streaming a no-brainer, some do, and the market will follow those that lead the pack.

Macromedia’s initiative in this area begins with the Flash Player for Pocket PC. The company could have launched a player supporting the Microsoft Pocket PC platform and then just stood back to see what developers would do with it. But instead it went the extra mile and built a section of its web site that is full of information about this new technology.

When you think about it, Flash makes perfect sense for multimedia PDAs and wireless networks. The format is extremely compact and, with proper programming, you can pack in very long animations with sound and music. Not only that, but Flash is inherently interactive. Many developers have built mini-applications with Macromedia’s software, and this genre is sure to get a kick-start as Flash goes wireless. Add in the fact that Flash streams at a rate of between 9.6 kbps and 19.2 kbps, and you see you are right in line with the low-end transfer rates that current technology allows to portable devices. In addition, Macromedia’s Generator provides server-side features such as pushing text and data-driven content from a network hub using a wide variety of languages and sources such as CML, ASP, CSV and PHP.

You can get started by downloading the player and the Authoring Guidelines from Macromedia's website. Macromedia also has a section that focuses on providing optimal delivery for handheld PCs. The section goes over input methods, movie size, sound, animation, gaming, quality settings, version detection and much more.

One of the requirements for this first version of the Pocket PC Flash Player is that all animations created must be embedded inside an HTML page. There is currently no stand-alone player functionality, but it is expected in a future release. As such, the Macromedia site has a wealth of info on how to publish SWF movies that can be displayed within Internet Explorer for Pocket PC.

Bear in mind, Macromedia is not the only company bringing streaming Flash content to mobile devices. Mobile Mutant, Conduits, and other companies also offer Flash players. Some of them are stand-alone and do not require the animations to be viewed within a web browser. As for Palm users and other mobile platforms, Macromedia hints that it is working hard to provide solutions to other PDA and wireless devices. So stay tuned. Although Flash has taken over the web in a big way, its destiny is to break free and go portable.

Exporting Flash Files

Another Flash-related trend we are seeing is the growing number of Flash compatible programs. You no longer necessarily need Macromedia’s Flash 5 program to produce Flash content. Yes, it is still the granddaddy for production designers, but there are other options now with many more to follow.

In fact, you may be surprised to find that a lot of the programs you have used for years now export to Flash. Remember Metacreations’ character animation program called Poser? When Metacreations’ shifted its corporate focus, a lot of its programs moved to other companies. Curious Labs wound up with Poser, and it is picking up where Metacreations left off. Today, the current version of Poser 4.0 saves character animations in SWF Flash format. If you check out the company’s site, you will see some amazing examples of animations with any number of characters. Keep in mind these are all rendered in 3D with shading, so you definitely have an upper hand against 2D cartoon animation.

Third Wish offers a Lightwave 3D Flash exporter, so professionals who have mastered that program can easily become Flash animators. The company offers a free evaluation version on its site if you would like to check it out.

Also, let's not forget about Adobe. It is incorporating Flash exporting into several products in its line, with the most notable being the recently released Flash-enabled After Effects 5.0. Like Lightwave users, professionals with years of After Effects training can now move into a new market of Flash animation with the new Flash output options available in AE. You can see some Flash examples on Adobe’s website.

These are only a few of the many programs now offering Flash output, and there are many more on the way. Investigate the websites of your favorite creative development programs. Chances are you will see Flash support offered as a feature or add-on. And if it is not, ask for it!

While there are not a lot of programs that are trying to be a replacement for Macromedia’s Flash 5, one is trying, and that is Adobe’s Live Motion. Released as Adobe’s developer tool for vector based content creation, the program is building a steady following. Check out the Live Motion section of Adobe's site to see an excellent group of animations done with LiveMotion and then pop over to Adobe’s LiveMotion User Forum to see a bustling community that is taking LiveMotion to amazing new levels.

Admittedly, I thought that Adobe’s LiveMotion was a little more limited than Macromedia’s Flash 5, but after seeing what can be done and viewing the sample pages by users in the Adobe Forum, it became instantly clear to me that there is more than one Flash developer program doing battle in the marketplace.

Savable Flash Movies

Another new concept in Flash animation that we have seen this year is savable Flash movies. Macromedia made this possible with the introduction of its Shockmachine program. If you have not downloaded Shockmachine, you can grab it at the Shockwave site.

Shockmachine has several features that Flash content developers should know about. First off, you can now prepare your Flash animations to be downloaded to an end-users machine. With HTML coding, you can allow users to download and play your Flash content off-line (click here for a complete walk-though). This has tremendous benefits for supplying specific Flash programs as well as distributing Flash content to your audience. Users also have the option to play Flash animations and programs in full-screen mode, which is an advantage over typical web-based play. The savable Flash movie concept will continue as the PDA and mobile market gets fired up. (For a taste of the mobile future of Flash that is here today, bop over to here).

Finally, one of the most telling directions that Flash is heading into is the interactive world. One only has to visit the Shockwave site to see a site that a year ago was a mix of funny on-line animations, but has evolved into a huge library of interactive content. Flash is driving the lean-forward streaming web movement and this site is a fine example of where it is now and where it is heading. Games and interactive movies seem primed and ready to plow over passive cartoons.

Clearly, Macromedia’s Flash is maturing and, more importantly, so is the ever-widening circle of support programs and technologies around it. Whether you are just learning Flash (a 30-day free demo is available on Macromedia’s site) or if you are a seasoned pro at this vector based animation program, you’ll want to keep an eye on the big picture and explore what is out now and what will be available in the coming months to accent this exciting format.

Frank McMahon is a contributing editor for Video Systems magazine.