Acrux Software has rolled out X-Builder 1.0, an authoring tool for creating multimedia projects and applications to run in Mac OS X. With it, you can build projects as standalone applications.
Using a single menu command or function key shortcut, you can switch between run mode and X-Builder’s development environment with no compilation required. Projects can contain slides constructed using X-Builder’s built-in tools for creating text, banners, lines, rectangles, buttons, input boxes, controls, choice lists and graphs. You can also add objects by “drawing” them or by dragging ready-made examples from a library, according to MacTech magazine . Text can be typed directly in the project window.
The appearance and behavior of other types of objects are governed by properties that can be set with a floating “Inspector” palette. Changes are immediate and you don’t have to open and close dialogs for each change. You can import graphic elements and movies — such as Photoshop files, PDFs and QuickTime movies — by dragging them onto the X-Builder dock icon, then positioning the image in the project window.
X-Builder provides a context-sensitive online guide that’s always available to provide explanations of the application’s features. The application is shareware with a single-user registration priced at US$49.