Xtivity Application Interface

The Xtivity application is built around a modular workflow the allows the user to customize and save the interface configuration to fit their needs. The interface consistes of panels and palettes. The panels can be floated free of their window and can be docked with other panels to group functionality together into a single window.

Layers Panel

The Layers panel in Xtivity allows you to select, reorder, clone, group, hide, show, delete and flag objects in your project. The layer cloning functionality enables you to create exact duplicates of an object including the properties, actions and triggers that make the object interactive. Grouping objects allows you to control the entire set of objects that are inside the group by applying actions to the group. Groups also allow you to clip and mask areas that are outside of the group box boundaries. The layer flag system in Xtivity allows you to select layers that you want to exclude from a build (saved SWF) or you can flag a layer to externalize it automatically and have it stream in as the project downloads to the player.

Document Contents Panel

Xtivity features a content management system that helps you keep the content that you have added to your project organized. When you import content into your project, Xtivity archives the content inside the .XTV project file. This makes sharing and storing your projects simple. You can even directly edit content from Xtivity by launching Photoshop, modifying the content and saving it. The changes you make are flowed back into Xtivity wherever it is used.

The Document Contents panel has multiple thumbnail views that let you change the size and information displayed for each piece of content in your project.

Library Panel

Xtivity includes over a thousand pieces of pre-created graphics, looping SWFs, sounds, music loops and transition files. These are stored and managed through the Library panel.

The Library panel allows you to view graphics, play SWFs, play sounds and view the transition files, making it easy to choose the right content for your project.

Most of the graphics in Xtivity are dynamic and can be resized. They will tile and scale automatically in both run time and author time. This unique feature lets you drag and resize the content as the needs of your project change. If you need to make a menu header, list, button or window tray larger, for example, just drag and resize it and you're done.

The Library graphics can also be opened directly into Photoshop from the library so changes and customizations are simple to perform.

Project Manager Panel

As you create your interactive projects in Xtivity, the Project Manager panel shows you how the different objects interact with each other. You can trace through your project and see what objects are assigned actions and what triggers the action so that it starts playing.

Document Panel

The Document panel contains the project you are working on. A canvas area is shown inside the Document panel, which is the live area for the project. As you add new objects to your project they can be seen on the canvas. You can click to select the objects on the canvas or you can select them using the Layers panel (shown below). As you roll over the objects on the Layer panel the object will highlight on the canvas making it easy for you to see which item to click on and select (see red highlighted area in the example below).

Information Area

The Information Area is shown along the bottom of the application and displays feedback as you work in the project. In order from left to right you are shown a progress bar, an icon that launches a preview of your project, the zoom level in which you are viewing your project at, the cursor position on screen and the location and size of the object being rolled over on the layers palette.

Actions Panel

Xtivity actions are assigned to objects in your project to give them both interactivity and functionality. Actions can be added in any order and can be started using event triggers. A single trigger can start an unlimited number of actions and objects to give you a simple way to build the experiences you want to provide your viewer. Actions that you assign an object have settings and properties that define the functionality.

Components / Elements Panel

Components and Elements are pre-created interactive objects that can be added to your project. Actions, Triggers and Content are already setup for you. Updating the content (skin) for a Component or Element is as simple as selecting new content from the Library. Then drag-and-drop the new content into place.

Properties Panel

Each object in an Xtivity project has a set of properties you can assign to it. The properties for each object type are unique. For example, for a Photo Box you can drag-and-drop a mask into the Properties panel and the content inside the Photo Box will become masked.

The Properties panel can also add stroked lines around boxes and fill in a background color behind the photos.

Tools Palette

The Xtivity Tools palette floats onscreen allowing you convenient access to the different tools you use to create and manage your project. Xtivity tools let you select and move objects, rotate, pan, zoom, draw Photo Boxes, Text Boxes, Color Boxes, SWF Boxes, Movie Boxes and Group Boxes. Pressing a keyboard shortcut will toggle and select the different tools.

Location Palette

The Location palette floats onscreen allowing you to control the X & Y and the Width and Height of selected objects. It also allows you to control the Rotation Angle, Global Opacity and the box Width and Height. You can also define the anchor point from which the adjustments are factored from.

Document Settings Dialog

Xtivity is built around a dynamic architecture that allows you to change the document settings without affecting your project work. You can change the Frames Per Second higher or lower after your work is underway. Use the Document Settings dialog to adjust the Width, Height, define how the new Width and Height are applied to the canvas, adjust the Frames Per Second and set a background color for the document. You an also select a Preloader that will be displayed as the project downloads to the viewer.

Preferences Dialog

The Preferences dialog is setup to give you control over the default settings the application uses. You can use the Preferences dialog, for example, to select the default image editing program that is launched when you want to update and save changes to the content you have used in your project.

Export Adobe® Flash® (SWF)

After you are finished authoring your project you can export it to the web as a Adobe Flash (SWF) that plays in the Flash Player on 98.3% of the world's internet browsers. You export the project using the File > Export Adobe Flash (SWF) command. This presents you with a dialog that gives you control over the compression, generation of an HTML wrapper around the SWF, HTML transparency, add a Preloader and estimate the size of your project. You can also preview your project with the defined compression settings.

Import .MOV or .AVI Movies

Importing and converting a .MOV or .AVI video into an Xtivity movie that plays inside the SWF is a single step process. When you choose the File > Import Movie ... command the Movie Import Settings dialog is shown on screen. Using this dialog you can choose the different conversion settings, video quality, smoothness, size, frame rate, audio sampling and bit rate. Conversion is very fast with a 500 MB movie taking less than 10 seconds to import, convert and optimize for the web. After the movie is converted you are shown the download size of the movie. You can then preview the movie from this dialog to determine if the quality settings meet with your standards.

Color Picker with Gradient and Solids

The Xtivity Color Picker applies both solid and gradient colors. Simple controls let you define colors either visually selecting a color or entering in RGB or Hexadecimal values. The opacity of a color is adjusted with a slider / data box control. Solid Colors can be saved to a Quick Palette that is available under all the color controls in the application. This lets you setup frequently used colors and apply them using this swatch system.

Helpful Menu Commands

The application menus in Xtivity give you access to commands that improve your workflow and give you control over the objects in your project. The Item > Transfer Item Attributes menu, for example, allows you to copy and paste the properties, actions and triggers from one object to another object(s). Advanced transform, alignment and unification controls let you manipulate the objects and precisely set them up like you need. The Step and Repeat as well as the Duplicate and Offset controls let you create multiple copies of an object and align them at the same time. All interactive aspects of the copied objects are retained.

Save Custom Workspaces

Xtivity uses a modular interface architecture that allows you to setup the application workspace and save the settings. This is very useful if multiple users are working from the same machine and prefer a different workspace setup. You can also setup different workspaces to streamline your workflow as your project production changes. As you build the framework for your project, you may prefer one workflow and prefer another when you are adding interactivity and content.

You can drag and float any of the panels in Xtivity and combine the panels together in a single floating window. Combining the Layers and Actions panel into one floating window, for example, allows you to quickly select a layer and then adjust the actions for that layer from the same window.

Select and Customize Preloaders

Preloaders are special pieces of content that are presented to the viewer while the full project downloads. Preloaders are typically used for larger projects that may require the viewer to wait while the project is downloaded. Xtivity includes over 50 animated preloaders that you can customize using the Select Preloader dialog. You may may also select a JPG image or a custom SWF from the Select Preloader dialog.