hsm's multimedia lounge

Just after getting MacOS X Tiger, I found a Quartz Composer in Developer's Applications. It is very interesting multimedia tool based on OpenGL, Core Image and Core Video. While MacOS X provides libraries for any application to work with these technologies - Quartz Composer is more like demo tool to show the abilities. But very powerful one. It uses visual programming interface to allow program any composition with a mouse - just drag blocks from library and link them.



Using this tool you can create really amazing things: 3d, particles, screensavers with RSS feeds, slideshows, video&audio broadcasting, interactivity, etc. Small file size. There are only instructions what to do. Source can be played on any Tiger in QuickTime.



You can get almost the same results as with Apple Motion, but without paying $299! Take a look at Zugakousaku samples.

But there is always some "but":

1. No timeline. You can imitate it with triggers, but it's not something to make you more creative.
   
2. As for possibilities demonstration tool - Quartz Composer gives you more then you can imagine. But still there are always some limitations, bugs, etc. in it. So you can get better results just programming and using the same libraries. Visual programming is a programming anyway.
   
3. There are some VJ tools made on Quartz Composer. But they are not perfect and even harder to use. I wish there will be VJ tool with timeline. But we already have Apple Motion.

Anyway, it's amazing tool. Worth of trying.