View source for Adobe Shockwave

{{Short description|Multimedia platform}}
{{About|the Shockwave multimedia platform|the player|Adobe Shockwave Player|the application authoring platform|Adobe Director|"Shockwave Flash"|Adobe Flash Player|the [[Adobe Flash]] [[file format]] sometimes referred to as "Shockwave Flash"|SWF}}
{{distinguish|Shockwave.com}}
{{Infobox software platform
| name        = Adobe Shockwave
| icon        = Shockwave.svg
| image       = 
| caption     = 
| developer   = [[Adobe Inc.]], [[Macromedia]], [[MacroMind]]
| target      = [[Web browser]]s, [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[macOS]]
| editor      = [[Adobe Director]]
| runtime     = [[Adobe Shockwave Player|Shockwave Player]]
| format      = DIR, DCR, DXR
| language    = [[Lingo (programming language)|Lingo]]
| application = [[Browser games]], [[Desktop application|desktop app]]s, [[video games]]
| status      = Discontinued on April 9, 2019
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]<ref>[https://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/pdfs/Reader_Player_AIR_WWEULA-Combined-20080204_1313.pdf##page=205 Adobe Software License Agreement]. Retrieved November 10, 2011.</ref>
}}

'''Adobe Shockwave''' (formerly '''Macromedia Shockwave''' and '''MacroMind Shockwave''') is<!--DO NOT change to "was". MOS:TENSE says that articles on discontinued products should be written in present tense.--> a [[end-of-life (product)|discontinued]] [[multimedia]] [[platform (computing)|platform]] for building interactive multimedia applications and [[video games]]. Developers originate content using [[Adobe Director]] and publish it on the Internet. Such content could be viewed in a [[web browser]] on any computer with the [[Adobe Shockwave Player|Shockwave Player]] plug-in installed. [[MacroMind]] originated the technology; [[Macromedia]] acquired MacroMind and developed it further, releasing Shockwave Player in 1995. [[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]] then acquired Shockwave with Macromedia in 2005.<ref>
{{cite journal|last=Elia|first=Eric|title=Macromedia unveils Shockwave and Director 5|journal=Newmedia|url=http://www.faqs.org/abstracts/Computers-and-office-automation-industries/Macromedia-unveils-Shockwave-and-Director-5-Director-5-MOA-better-Xtras.html|access-date=September 23, 2010|year=1996|publisher=HyperMedia Communications|issn=1060-7188}}</ref> Shockwave supports [[raster graphics]], basic [[vector graphics]], [[3D graphics]], [[Digital audio|audio]], and an embedded scripting language called [[Lingo (programming language)|Lingo]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=R3d6H9c-x3wC Macromedia Shockwave for Director User's Guide, Volume 1], New Riders Pub., 01-Jan-1996</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8nAQ6l1TnGgC Macromedia Shockwave for Director, Volume 1], Hayden Books, 1996</ref>

During the 1990s, Shockwave was a common format for CD-ROM projectors, kiosk presentations, and interactive video games, and dominated in interactive multimedia.<ref name="HartGeller2008">{{cite book|author1=Kelly Hart|author2=Mitch Geller|title=New Perspectives on Dreamweaver CS3, Comprehensive|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Z2WhCwJAqMC&pg=PA429|year=2008|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn= 978-1-4239-2531-6|page= 429}}</ref> Various [[graphic adventure game]]s were developed with Shockwave then, including ''[[The Journeyman Project]]'', ''[[Total Distortion]]'', ''[[Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong Nou]]'', [[Mia's Language Adventure: The Kidnap Caper|''Mia's Language Adventure'']], [[Mia's Science Adventure: Romaine's New Hat|''Mia's Science Adventure'']], and the ''[[Didi & Ditto]]'' series. [[Video game developer]]s developed hundreds of free online video games using Shockwave, publishing them on websites such as [[Miniclip]] and Shockwave.com.

In July 2011, a survey found that Flash Player had 99% market penetration in desktop browsers in "mature markets" (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand), while Shockwave Player claimed only 41% in these markets.<ref name="Adobe">{{cite web|title=Flash content reaches 99% of Internet viewers|url=http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/|publisher=Adobe|access-date=2014-08-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002003244/http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/|archive-date= October 2, 2011}}</ref> [[Adobe Flash]] and [[Adobe AIR]] are alternatives to Shockwave, with its [[Stage3D|3D rendering capabilities]], [[ActionScript|object-oriented programming language]], and capacity to run as a [[executable file|native executable]] on multiple platforms.<ref name="pcmag11">[http://www.pcpro.co.uk/adobe/27164/adobe-director-11-review Adobe Director 11 review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528074705/http://www.pcpro.co.uk/adobe/27164/adobe-director-11-review |date=2015-05-28 }}, Page 2, KEVIN PARTNER, 1 May 2008, PCPro Magazine, ''"Adobe's AIR technology makes it possible to deploy Flash as a desktop application"''</ref>

In February 2019, Adobe announced that Adobe Shockwave, including the Shockwave Player, would be discontinued effective April 9, 2019.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://helpx.adobe.com/shockwave/shockwave-end-of-life-faq.html|title=End of Life (EOL) for Adobe Shockwave|website=helpx.adobe.com|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref>

==History==
===MacroMind===
Shockwave originated with the VideoWorks application developed by [[MacroMind]] for the original [[Apple Macintosh]]. Animations were initially limited to the black and white of early Macintosh screens. VideoWorks was rebranded as Director 1.0 in 1987. Director 2.2 was released in 1988, and included the [[Lingo (programming language)|Lingo scripting language]] with extensibility provided by [[#Xtras|Xtras]]. A [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] version was available in the early 1990s. Director 3.0 was the last version by MacroMind, and released in 1989 which introduced XObjects to Lingo. [[Shockwave Player]] had still not been developed, and the sole means of publishing content remained generating executable applications.

===Macromedia===
In 1992, MacroMind (now MacroMind-Paracomp) merged with Authorware Inc. and became [[Macromedia]]. As the Internet became more popular, Macromedia realized the potential for a web-based multimedia platform, and designed [[Shockwave Player]] for the leading [[web browser]] of the time, [[Netscape Navigator]]. [[Shockwave Player]] was released with Director 4.0 around 1995, and branded Shockwave Player 1.0. Its versioning has since been tied to Director's versioning, skipping versions 2 to 4. Shockwave was now a two-part system, a graphics and animation editor known as [[Adobe Director|Macromedia Director]], and a player known as [[Adobe Shockwave Player|Macromedia Shockwave Player]].

Macromedia Director quickly became the de facto production tool for the multimedia industry. By 1993 it was used to develop most Macintosh CD-ROM games,<ref name="breen199312">{{cite magazine|author=Breen, Christopher|date=December 1993|title=A Spectacle Not To Be Myst|pages=144, 146|magazine=Computer Gaming World|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=113|access-date=29 March 2016}}</ref> such as [[point-and-click]] [[graphic adventure]]s.<ref name="cm85"/> Throughout the 1990s Director was credited with the creation of the majority of educational CD-ROMs.<ref name="pcmag11"/> It was preferred over competing applications due to its range of features, relative ease of use and Director's ability to publish executables for both [[Macintosh operating systems|Apple]] and [[Microsoft Windows|Microsoft]] operating systems.<ref name="pcmag11"/>

A less-sophisticated alternative to Director was Apple's [[HyperCard]].{{r|breen199312}} From 1995 to 1997 a competing multimedia authoring program appeared called {{Proper name|[[mTropolis]]}} (from {{Proper name|mFactory}}). In 1997, {{Proper name|mTropolis}} was purchased and discontinued by [[Quark, Inc.]], who had its own plans into multimedia authoring with Quark Immedia.

In December 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page04.html |title=Macromedia - Showcase: History of Flash |publisher=[[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]] |access-date=2024-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060717071243/http://www.adobe.com/macromedia/events/john_gay/page04.html |archive-date=Jul 17, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Macromedia acquired [[FutureWave Software]] and its FutureSplash products. [[Adobe Flash|Macromedia Flash]] 1.0 was released shortly thereafter. Macromedia now controlled two of the three leading multimedia platforms for the web, with [[Sun Java|Java]] being the third.

Macromedia Director 8.5 was released in 2001 and was the first version to specifically target the [[video game]] industry.<ref name="cm85">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20020102040226/http://www.creativemac.com/2001/08_aug/reviews/director85/director85-full.htm Macromedia Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio]}}, CreativeMac Reviews, AUGUST 1, 2001, David Nagel</ref> It introduced 3D capabilities, 3D text, toon shading, [[Havok (software)|Havok physics]], [[Real Video]], [[Real Audio]], integration with [[Adobe Flash|Macromedia Flash 5]], behaviors, and other enhancements.<ref name="cm85"/> 3D modelling programs such as [[LightWave]], [[Cinema 4D]], and [[3D Studio Max]] were upgraded to export 3D models for Shockwave.<ref name="pcmag11"/><ref name="cm85"/>

As of 2001, over 200 million people had the [[Adobe Shockwave Player|Macromedia Shockwave Player]] installed, making Shockwave a common format for online video games.<ref name="cm85"/> Websites such as [[Miniclip]] and Shockwave.com were dedicated to Shockwave and Flash-based video games.<ref>[http://www.shockwave.com/home.jsp Shockwave.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528102909/http://www.shockwave.com/home.jsp |date=2015-05-28 }}, Shockwave and Flash-based video games</ref><ref>[http://www.miniclip.com/games/en/ Miniclip English Games], Shockwave and Flash-based video games</ref>

===Adobe===
Macromedia was acquired by Adobe Systems in 2005, and the entire Macromedia product line including [[Adobe Flash|Flash]], [[Adobe Dreamweaver|Dreamweaver]], [[Adobe Director|Director]]/Shockwave, and [[Authorware]] was now handled by Adobe. Director is currently developed and distributed by [[Adobe Systems]].

The early 2000s saw a decline in the usage of Director/Shockwave as most multimedia professionals preferred [[Adobe Flash|Macromedia Flash]] and other competing platforms. After the Adobe acquisition, no new versions were released for four years.<ref name="pcmag11"/>

In 2007, Adobe released Adobe Director 11, the first new release in four years.<ref name="pcmag11"/> It introduced [[DirectX 9]] native 3D rendering and the [[AGEIA]] [[PhysX]] physics engine, panel docking, [[QuickTime]] 7 support, [[Windows Media]], [[RealPlayer]] support, [[Adobe Flash|Adobe Flash CS3]] integration, and [[Unicode]] support.<ref name="pcmag11"/> It was considered an "incremental release" by reviewers and the scripting editor was still considered "primitive".<ref name="pcmag11"/>

As of 2008, the market position of Director/Shockwave overlapped with Flash to a high degree, the only advantage of Director being its native 3D capabilities.<ref name="pcmag11"/> However, with the release of [[Adobe Flash Player|Flash Player 11]], GPU-based 3D rendering was now supported using [[Stage3D]] (the underlying API), [[Away3D]] or [[Flare3D]] (3D game engines). And after [[Adobe AIR]] was released, Flash programs could now be published as native applications, further reducing the need for Director.<ref name="pcmag11"/>

In February 2019, Adobe announced that Adobe Shockwave, including the [[Adobe Shockwave Player|Shockwave Player]], would be discontinued in April 2019.<ref name=":0" />

==Xtras==
'''Xtras''' are plug-ins for the Lingo scripting language that enable additional functionality into a Shockwave project. Xtras are typically used to add file system I/O, hardware integration, and advanced multimedia functions. Xtras are supported and available for [[Adobe Director]], [[Adobe Authorware]] and [[Adobe Freehand]].

Many of Director's own functions are implemented as Xtras. Xtras use the Macromedia [[Open Architecture]] which was designed to allow easy creation of interchangeable components between Macromedia products. Adobe maintains a list of third party Xtras.

Xtras for Microsoft Windows (32-bit) have an {{Not a typo|.X32}} file extension. Xtras for [[Mac OS]] generally have an {{Not a typo|.XTR}} extension. The file extension *{{Not a typo|.X16}} is reserved for Xtras for Microsoft Windows (16-bit).

==See also==
*[[Adobe Flash]]
*[[Adobe Integrated Runtime|Adobe AIR]]
*[[Adobe Acrobat|Adobe Reader]]
*[[Microsoft XNA]]
*[[Microsoft Silverlight]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer/ Adobe Shockwave Player]
* [https://www.adobe.com/go/sw_full_exe_installer/ Adobe Shockwave Player 11 for EXE Installer]
* {{Webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025175331/http://www.adobe.com/products/xtras/ | title=Adobe Xtras}}
{{Adobe Director}}
{{Adobe Systems}}

[[Category:1995 software]]
[[Category:Adobe software|Shockwave]]
[[Category:Animation software]]
[[Category:Computing platforms]]
[[Category:Discontinued Adobe software|Shockwave]]
[[Category:Graphics file formats]]
[[Category:Macintosh multimedia software]]
[[Category:MacOS multimedia software]]
[[Category:Macromedia software|Shockwave]]
[[Category:Multimedia frameworks]]
[[Category:Obsolete technologies]]
[[Category:Windows multimedia software]]
[[Category:Video game development software]]