Wish list

[BigWibb]

As a newbie here, please excuse me if i'm rehashing old posts.

Is there a forum anywhere that deals with a features wishlist - preferably that Xara either moderates or watches? Whilst I really believe Xara (especially X) is a wonderful tool, IMHO it could be even better with the addition of further facilities.


Whilst i appreciate that Xara is moving away from a traditional, paper-base and over to a 'virtual' existence, I for one,( and I'm certain I'm not the only person) also use it extensively for printing projects. For instance, would it not benefit from having a spell-checker included - yes, it is targeted as a graphics tool but, given the effects that can be applied to text.......

Another, albeit paper-centric wish is for multiple page support. Forget, Quark, Pagemaker, InDesign and the rest - I'd build our magazines in Xara.

Anybody else with any thoughts on this?

[BigWibb]

As a newbie here, please excuse me if i'm rehashing old posts.

Is there a forum anywhere that deals with a features wishlist - preferably that Xara either moderates or watches? Whilst I really believe Xara (especially X) is a wonderful tool, IMHO it could be even better with the addition of further facilities.


Whilst i appreciate that Xara is moving away from a traditional, paper-base and over to a 'virtual' existence, I for one,( and I'm certain I'm not the only person) also use it extensively for printing projects. For instance, would it not benefit from having a spell-checker included - yes, it is targeted as a graphics tool but, given the effects that can be applied to text.......

Another, albeit paper-centric wish is for multiple page support. Forget, Quark, Pagemaker, InDesign and the rest - I'd build our magazines in Xara.

Anybody else with any thoughts on this?

[tonylondon]

There is no fixed thread that I am aware of, but see thread 'ideas for future versions' and others. There is a lot of debate on what should be added. Some are concerned in case Xara gets bloated. It has been suggested that there should be a core package of widely applicable utilities plus plugins for more specialised users. That is the route I favour. E.g. a DTP plugin might meet your needs. Meanwhile I create any large text in WordPerfect, check it and repaste it Xara. The transfer process works both ways.
Tony

[Klaus Nordby]

I REALLY oppose the idea that XaraX should compete with the professional DTP packages. Sheer insanity! But I, too, would like to see them "open up" a part of the program and publish specs for a NEW kind of plugin architecture (though I have NO idea if XaraX's nature would make this possible). People like Sean Seadwards would then do doubt leap into the fray and write us some cool plugins!

It is worth noting that Adobe's InDesign - a _fabulous_ DTP package - is a plugin-centric program: the core EXE is just above 2Mb, with most of the functionality handled by external plugins. Updating various parts of the program is then a breeze.

[This message was edited by Klaus Nordby on January 10, 2001 at 07:31 AM.]

[ivan louette]

Yes I think also the idea of plugins is a very good one , but one must guarantee an access to the wide possibilities of the program for the bigger part of users. One must also avoid a kind of elitism which is potentially present in all professions (including mine) where having some tool(s) is a "must". Thus these plugins, in my sense might remain relatively accessible (I will say not too expensive). I have spent a lot of money into programs which have sometimes only one functionality interesting for my work.
And that should be so nice if Xara's convivial and "democratic" approach was preserved !!!

Now about plugins. I am an enthusiast user of Lightwave 3D. From a long time (it began on Amiga) a lot of three parties developpers have designed fantastic little freeware plugins for it (I think particularly at Japanese ones, which are marvellously ingenious and useful), with the same enthusiasm than Sean's. The secret is probably in a programmation language (called L-Script) relatively comprehensible, distributed with the program and which permits an intermediate development with some kind of macros commands giving access to very basic functionalities of the program. I am allways amazed when I download one of these plugins on the net because it's almost instantaneous (sometimes 5 or 6 k) and I never saw any slowing down of the program because of their use. The new versions 6.0 and 6.5 have made the program more modular again and plugins development explodes literally !!!

I wish really this kind of evolution for my favorite Xara X !!

[Sheff]

Maybe the solution isn't so much added functionality within Xara X, but rather "Sister" programs with specialized functionality.

I for one would like to see both multiple page pdf export and timeline animation, with flash export. Now, neither of those really belong within the same program.

So, to prevent Xara X the core program, from getting bloated, why not create a program with layers and timelines that can animate xara objects,add sound and export standard animation formats such as AVI, Mpeg, Flash, Mov, etc. I would like the ability to export animations that I've done as either sequenced bitmap files or as an AVI, not just GIF. This animation program, could be the next iteration of Xara3d.

How many of us wish we had more control over objects created in Xara 3d other than swing and spin?

Also there have been situations where I have had to do multipage projects. My work around is to build them in layers. Sometimes I will just export the graphics as a tif and place them in another program, but that makes changes a pain in the butt.

This multi page functionality would probably be much easier implement than animation. There are probably more professional DTP features that could be added in the form of plug ins.

Both the animation program and the pagination program should be able to read/import Xara X files and give the user the option of using external links to Xara X files.

I think this is the ideal solution. It's much better to have a toolbox full of tools than a swiss army knife that does only so much.

Sheffield B. Abella
Pixel Colada Studio
sheff@pixelcolada.com

[ivan louette]

I received an e-mail from Hot Door this morning. Because that possibility now exists for Illustrator I think that would be interesting to study it for Xara X future releases. In the case of Hot Door multipage this is a plugin.
Everyone don't need a professional DTP package to create only some booklets like I have done it for my work with Xara from a long time. But some facilities would be interesting !!!

http://www.hotdoor.com/multipage/index.html

[BobInce]

I'd like to see multiple pages implemented in the same 'layered' way as animation frames are at the moment. You'd get a 'master pages' feature for free.</p>

Frames, layers, pages and rollover-states should ideally all use the same interface. And of course it should be possible to use them together.</p>

[amoore]

The sister app approach sounds like it's worth considering. I would prefer that Xara remain lean & mean. However, access to some of these additional functions on the rare occasions that I need them could be useful -- so long as they don't add to the overhead or use resources until called upon.

[WombleFerret]

I'm als a newbie here (although not to Xara - been using for about 5 years now) and there is something I would <REALLY> like to see added to it although I'm not holding my breath...

What I want is...more advanced animation tools, more akin to 3D Studio Max. Pivot points, animation keys, tweening, IK - the lot!

I work in the games industry and do an awful lot of my graphics in Xara, but find the animation very limiting. It would be such a powerful tool should they include this feature, and one which would become an industry standard in the animation field I'm sure.

Anyway, if you want to see what I've been creating with Xara, head over to http://www.battlemail.com - most of the graphic work there is mine.

Anyone else like to see more animtion features in XaraX?

WombleFerret.