MadCap Mimic five.0 supplies a new level of flexibility and ease for authors of software simulation movies whilst optimizing the user expertise to facilitate studying.
LA JOLLA, CA, October 05, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ — MadCap Software, Inc., the leader in multi-channel content material authoring as well as a showcase business for Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft XPS, nowadays announced that MadCap Mimic 5.0 is now available. Mimic is MadCap’s native XML, state-of-the-art software application employed for producing software simulations and tutorials. The latest version supports full-motion video (FMV) and integrated playback controls to improve the user experience and facilitate learning. Mimic 5.0 also gives several features to improve usability for authors, which includes enhancements to the recording procedure, compiling approach, formatting, and skins.
“With version 5.0, Mimic considerably advances, not just the encounter of the author, but also that of the user who ultimately views the simulation movies,” stated Anthony Olivier, MadCap Software co-founder and CEO. “Our new full-motion video and integrated playback features–coupled with much more customization options than ever–enable authors to create movies that maximize the end user’s comprehension quickly, efficiently and intuitively. This latest release of Mimic continues our commitment to empowering documentation teams to deliver superior value to their organizations, customers and partners.”
Full-Motion Recording
For the initial time, Mimic records entire movements with full video capture. This gives smoother animation in addition to the capability to record everything from YouTube videos and Window animations to animated dialog boxes and drop downs. The resulting simulation movies supply a far better user expertise and facilitate learning.
Authors have the flexibility to select among three options. “Video Select” records the entire movie as FMV within a single frame–ideal for capturing an actual video as it plays. “Automatic Select” directs Mimic to automatically capture images as the author performs actions inside the recording area. “Manual” gives single-click simplicity for enabling authors to manually select every new image to be captured throughout a recording session.
Playback Controls
With Mimic five.0, authors can now embed playback controls–such as Back, Forward and Pause–into the same Flash/ShockWave Flash (SWF) output file as the movie. There’s no longer a must ship these controls out in a separate HTM file. The integrated playback controls mean users can much more easily view movies at their very own pace, increasing comprehension and learning.
Usability Enhancements Consist of Updated Recording Process
MadCap offers a far more intuitive and flexible recording method with three new features in Mimic five.0. A “Record” button replaces the previous “OK” button; now when authors click on this button, the recording session begins immediately. Also new can be a system tray that replaces the sidebar. Clicking on the Record button launches a temporary pop-up that lists keyboard shortcut hints and points towards the Mimic shortcut button in the system tray. Therefore, when an author desires to perform an action, for example pausing or ending the recording session, there’s a selection between using 1 of the keyboard shortcuts or clicking the Mimic icon in the system tray to select an action from the context menu. Finally, a brand new “Save” prompt in Mimic five.0 prompts authors to save and name their movies as soon as they finish recording.
Mimic five.0 also features quite a few skin enhancements. The “Fit to Movie” selection automatically resizes the navigation toolbar, so it truly is exactly the same width as the movie–enabling navigation to seem to be component of the movie. The latest Mimic version also gives an embedded skin choice for Flash output, too as a brand new and more intuitive default skin for output, which authors can effortlessly change and customize.
Mimic five.0 features a number of other usability enhancements, such as:
- A command line compile/recompile flag, which ensures that a movie will constantly be generated when the author runs this command, regardless of whether or not changes were created towards the movie.
- Adjustable movie size for blank movies with options to set the width and height of a brand new blank movie.
- Page numbers for PDF and XPS output of a movie, which are automatically added towards the bottom of the pages.
- Compile-only trial watermark–allowing authors who purchase Mimic to make use of the movies they recorded throughout the trial period, since the watermark only appears on the trial output.
- Memory enhancements for greater speed and efficiency.
- Redesigned icons to generate a far more intuitive encounter.
Availability and Pricing
MadCap Mimic 5.0 is accessible these days, each separately and as portion of the MadCap MadPak. A standalone Mimic package is priced at $299 per single-user license. The MadPak, which also contains MadCap Flare, X-Edit, Capture, Echo and Analyzer, is obtainable for $1,299 per license. Assistance fees begin at $199 per year for the Bronze Level, $299 for the Gold Level, and $499 for the Platinum Level. Discounts for multi-year support contracts are also offered.
About MadCap Software
MadCap Software, Inc. is really a leading technical communication software firm specializing in integrated applications for end-to-end content development, delivery and management. MadCap’s software products offer state-of-the-art content workflow solutions for multi-channel publishing, such as the Web, print, desktop and mobile. Through its strategic partner Microsoft Corp., MadCap delivers solutions optimized for Microsoft Windows, Visual Studio, as well as the .NET atmosphere. Headquartered in La Jolla, CA, MadCap is home to several of the most skilled software architects and item experts in the documentation business. Learn much more about MadCap Software at www.madcapsoftware.com.
MadCap Software, the MadCap Software logo, MadCap Lingo, MadCap Flare, MadCap Blaze, MadCap Capture, MadCap X-Edit, and MadCap Mimic are trademarks or registered trademarks of MadCap Software, Inc., within the United States and/or other countries.