 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
| Sothink SWF Decompiler MX2005a build 50408
"Decompiling a flash animation sequence has never been easier" INTRODUCTION Sothink SWF Decompiler, anyone who has tried to put together a website with more appeal than a standard billboard has looked into flash animations and that is where this program will make the job much easier. SWF Decompiler is specifically intended to capture flash animations and allow you to dissect every element in the sequence. INSTALLATION This program is extremely simple to install, there is no configuration per se except for the standard of where do you want to install it. It does come with a limited free use period for trial purposes and it will remind you with how much of this time has been used up every time you start the program.
One of the nicest features of this program is that as soon as you have finished the installation, it is ready to go. During the installation process you either decided to put an additional icon in Internet Explorer or you did not, if you did then it is ready for use. The one thing I did not like was that there was no choice to install the same feature in Mozilla, Firefox, Opera or any other browser besides Internet Explorer.
View Tab:
General |
Action |
Export INTERFACE The layout of the interface is very easy to get used to. I like having access to the data and the tools in the same screen, this can make the screen feel 'crowded' but I find it really efficient to not have to switch screens to get to different functions. A combination of right click commands as well as the editorial window below the display area and the index on the right make manipulating the animation very straightforward. The toolbar has quick buttons to shutdown or open the different sections so you can open the working area to whatever configuration is best for you.
FUNCTIONALITY Sothink SWF Decompiler is an elegantly simple tool used to provide access to a finished flash animation sequence. Once you have saved the animation sequence in the program, it is selectable in the Explorer section on the left and highlighting it will present an expandable index in the Resources section on the right. A nice touch is that the top section in the Resources section is the file itself so you can immediately play it by clicking there. The flash sequence is broken down into it's constituent components to allow for easy export as a standalone file. The display window will show the code for the flash file and allow you to copy specific elements if you like, or you can select specific 'Actions' and export them for incorporation into other flash files. A key feature to this program that is not commonly available with other flash decompiler tools is that this one will recreate the FLA file from the SWF file. So the potential savings in time and effort should the original FLA be lost or corrupted some how would be significant. A limitation here is if you wanted to take the file and change one specific element, say the color of the background, you would have to change it in every frame of the animation. This could have been a concession by Sothink to keep people from easily recreating or incorporating someone else's flash animations into their files, as a limited form of copyright protection.
CONCLUSION Sothink SWF Decompiler will be a welcome tool to any flash animation designer's toolbox. The ease with which it installs, along with the small footprint on the hard drive will make it a valuable tool for any web designer. This program quickly and easily dissembles flash animations and makes each and every individual component immediately accessible for independent analysis or application. It does require other programs to make use of the data this one can get access to, but the SWF Decompiler certainly makes it very easy to get to that data.
Comparison between Sothink SWF Decompiler & Flash Decompiler 2.1
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| © Transit Network 2005 All Rights Reserved |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
