Formula Graphics 97

Oh boy! Where do I start with Formula Graphics 97? This software can do so much. You will never be at a loss to create just about anything you can think up. Formula Graphics 97 helps you create games, screensavers, kiosks, training systems, multimedia presentations, and more. It is available on Win 3.1, 95, NT.

The main interface above includes a tree structure that allows you to keep close watch on your project as you work through it. The first time you load up Formula Graphics 97, it loads the above tree structure that has examples/samples that you can look through to start getting familiar with the things you can do. The black area on the left is your work area.

When you start a new project you can get the basics set up right at the beginning. The help file that is included covers all the initial setup options, but I would recommend getting the electronic publication by Jeremiah Tilley called "Understanding Formula Graphics 97" to augment the online help. Understanding Formula Graphics 97 contains examples and easy to understand instructions to help you get the most out of this piece of software.

The above dialog is for the first page/screen I created for my application. Each page you create has a similar dialog and you have the option to play each page as you go.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, there is no way in a thousand words that I could cover all the awesome things these three menus alone allow you to do easily with Formula Graphics 97. This software was well thought out and gives you many different ways of presenting your content.

The sub-menus from the Element main menu include the following:

• Sounds
  MIDI, CD Audio

• Text
  Plain Text, HTML, Hypertext, 3D Text

• Buttons
  Text Button, Picture Button, Picture Text Button, Animated Button, Picture Slider, Hot Color, Hot Area

• Dialogs
  Edit Box, List Box, Combo Box, Menu Box

• Specials
  Director, Explorer, Graph, Message, Progress Bar, 3D Model, Timer

• Games
  2D Game Background, 2D Game Rectangle, 2D Game Line, 2D Game Sprite, Game Input

If you change your mind on something that you set up when creating your project, you can change some settings from the Tools Menu.

Now lets have some fun. As with most multimedia software, you can create your own background image and apply it with the window. What's special here are the effects you can apply to your background.

Here is the opening screen for the project that I created. You can use either the normal rectangular buttons or your own graphic buttons.

Supported File Formats

Bitmap Formats
GIF, JPG, FIF, PNG, and TGA

Animation Formats
AVI, FLC, VDO, WDO, and GIF animations

Sound Formats
WAV, AU, MIDI, and CD-Audio

Creating a simple multimedia presentation in Formula Graphics 97 is a snap. For anyone who has not used multimedia software before, there will be a learning curve, but not a big curve for simple applications. Formula Graphics 97 can be used by a total beginner and advanced users will be happy with all that is available to them in this package.

There are several ways to view a Formula Graphics Presentation on the internet. You can download the Formula Graphics Java Player, a Netscape plugin, or an ActiveX control.

If you want to see some samples of what Formula Graphics can do on the internet (the first time I visited I got addicted playing the "Title Bite" game which was created with Formula Graphics), visit Formula Graphics. While you're there, download Formula Graphics 97 for yourself and check out the support forum.

Formula Graphics 97 is a free application! However, there are some limitations with the free version. If you register your copy of Formula Graphics 97, you receive these added benefits:

• Six months free upgrades
• Registered versions of Formula Graphics do not expire after the free upgrade period
• Registration allows you to password protect your project and bundle your artwork into a single file. Registered projects do not show the Formula Graphics banner.
  Only registered customers can use the Java player for web pages.

Formula Graphics Web Site

Estimated Street Price
$0.00 (US) It's totally FREE!
$50.00 (US) For the benefits listed above

Windows System Requirements
Windows 3.1, 95, NT

NOTE: The manual is for 32 bit systems only and the download for the manual is linked from the Formula Graphics home page and costs $25.00 (US).

Copyright Vikki Olds, All Rights Reserved