xara Windows WPF, XAML, Flash, Flex

[DrYSG]

I just finished a long frustrating multi-page post in this forum about XARA and XAML. It is painful to see two sides that can't communicate. Excuse my chutzpah, but I would like to take a stab at this and see if I can't make things clear from a designer's viewpoint.

(BTW, I am a Flash/Flex ADOBE ACE, so don't confuse me with a Microsoft flunkie).

1. Production quality on TV shows greatly exceed what we get on the web. (video over video, alpha blended text projected on 3D surfaces, animated 3D page curls, animated procedural textures, etc.) Customers like this sort of eye-candy (apologies to Edward Tufte).

2. Flash, Flex etc allows some limited ability to get some of this on a web page, but most of it is 2D (you really have to strain (or use SWift3D) to get some 3D vector animation.

3. XARA is still probably mostly used for 2D static images (I love it, I think the interface is brilliant) But either you use Xara3D or fake the effects in Xtreme to give a 3D feel.

4. The web customer is getting his appetite whetted for 3D by things such as 2nd Life, World of Warcraft, as well as all his 3D multi-player games. They will start asking for their web sites to have rich 3D interactive environments.

5. WPF/XAML basically allows one to create 3D collaborative game-like environments and have them run on all Windows, Windows CE, smartphone devices. either in the browser or stand-alone.

6. The problem is Microsoft is TERRIBLE at creating tools for designers. They created something called Expression (a programmers idea of Illustrator) and SPARLE (interactive designer) a programmers idea of the Flash IDE.

7. There are two opportunities that both the XARA company and XARA users should see here

a) XARA can easily export XAML and become the leading design development tool for WPF (and look out electric rain makers of Swift3D will try to take this from you).

b) XARA designers should see this as a great way to create tools to make the furnishings of 2nd life, world of warfare, etc. much higher quality. Imagine taking our 2D designs, texture mapping them to 3D "products) and creating your own virtual sellable designs in 2nd Life.

Think big. Right now design companies such as Frog Design, IDEO, etc. All make both phyical and virtual design artifacts. But using XARA as the first stage in a design pipleline that includes a back-end animation language would allow designers to create and sell 3D virtual artificacts in seconds.

This is a big business transformation tool. It will be interesting to see how ADOBE responds (since XAML is clearly targetted directly at FLEX 2.0).

Is this clearer now?

[Wizzard]

Well said and I'm a Microsoft Flunkie who uses Flash which is great but the language leaves a lot to be desired Silver light Alpha already allows me to debug my code in a mac broswer Cool but like you said Expression Designer does'nt cut it when you've used Xara!!!

[remi]

Hi Wizzard,

how is the quality of the new XAML export from Xara Xtreme Pro 3.2.2? Did you test it?

Remi

[remi]

Oh sorry, it was XPS, based on XAML.

[Charles Moir]

Xara will support XAML (we already do in a way because XPS is a type of XAML), but we're really a 2D design tool, not a 3D tool, and so I wouldn't expect any real 3D XAML support to be coming from Xara Xtreme. To be honest I do not expect 3D interfaces to be any more popular in the future than they are now. My view of XAML is that it's used 99% to do pure simple 2D design and UI work - and sure Xara would make a great design tool for this type of work in XAML (and Silverlight).