Acrux Software, a provider of Mac multimedia software and courseware, has updated its iBuilt Lite, iBuild Pro, iBuild Site, and iBuild Developer products all to version 1.0.
iBuild is a multimedia authoring and creativity tool for the Mac that, according to Acrux, “makes the creativity of software design accessible to the non-programmer.”
You can use iBuild to create a vast range of “stacks” and applications: interactive presentations, photo-albums, movie-albums, slide shows, e-books, educational courseware, quizzes and tests, talking books, games, stand-alone applications, and kiosk contents. It’s a good alternative to both HyperCard and PowerPoint for interactive and human-led presentations, according to Mike Thorpe of Acrux.
“iBuild has a unique set of features for making educational courseware, computer based training, tests and quizzes, thus complementing Apple’s renewed vigor in the educational market,” he added. “But iBuild’s versatility means that it can also be used for kiosks, interactive electronic magazines, slide shows and much more.”
iBuild’s real power comes from its use of AppleScript as a scripting language, Thorpe said. iBuild stacks can share data with and send instructions to other applications, making it the ideal tool for making customized interfaces to other scriptable applications, or simply as a GUI (graphical user interface) for AppleScript itself.
iBuild Lite is freeware that serves as a player, but can also be used to create stacks of up to 25 cards using the Lite design level. No registration code is required to do this. You can download it (a 3.8 MB file) at the Acrux download site.
iBuild Pro can be used to create stacks of any length, without restrictions. It can be used to create standalone applications that can be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes. It uses AppleScript as its scripting language (although you can build lots of cool things without scripting, according to Acrux), and is an alternative to HyperCard. iBuild Pro is available via electronic distribution for price of US$49. However, until May 31, you can get it for $29.
iBuild Developer is intended for commercial developers wishing to distribute standalone applications; it allows for the royalty free distribution of standalone applications for commercial purposes. iBuild Site is intended for use in a networked (AppleShare-compatible) environment. iBuild Site & iBuild Developer can be ordered from Acrux Software’s Web site.
Under development is iBuild Kiosk, which is specially designed for kiosk-type applications, such as retail displays, exhibition stands, information kiosks, etc. It includes preprogrammed kiosk stacks, operating in conjunction with FileMaker Pro runtime databases. Look for it something this summer. Also under development: iBuild for Mac OS X, which has an estimated time of arrival in fall 2001.