Animation on the Web

This informative guide helps Windows and Macintosh users learn how to create animations for the Web. The author, Sean Wagstaff, makes the book highly accessible, even if you're new to animation, computer graphics, or Web design. He introduces you to the available technologies and software for creating Web animations. While exploring the basics of each technology, Wagstaff explains its advantages and disadvantages.

Wagstaff provides a guide to the various purposes of Web animation, such as banner ads and entertainment. Next, he gives you a primer on animation techniques and principles and explains how to apply them to the Web. The core of the book studies 2-D and 3-D animation and tools, GIF animation, QuickTime, QuickTime VR, Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), Shockwave, Flash, Director, Real Media, mBed Interactor, Java, and Dynamic HTML (DHTML). From chapter to chapter, there's a good combination of hands-on technique and discussions of the various technologies and their uses. Appendices include a glossary and a guide to the book's companion Web site. --Kathleen Caster