MacroMind
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Marc Canter, Jamie Fenton, Mark Stephen Pierce |
| Fate | Merged with Paracomp in 1991 to form MacroMind–Paracomp; later merged with Authorware Inc. in 1992 to form Macromedia |
| Headquarters | Chicago (1984–1988), San Francisco (1988–1991) , United States |
| Products | MusicWorks, VideoWorks, Director, Art Grabber/Body Shop, Comic Works/Graphic Works, MazeWars+, Three-D, Renderworks, Fireworks, Mouse Practice |
MacroMind was a software firm specializing in Apple Macintosh applications, established in Chicago in 1984 by Marc Canter, Jamie Fenton, and Mark Stephen Pierce. Its first offering, SoundVision, integrated tools for music and graphic editing; however, the graphics component was eliminated prior to launch, and the product was renamed MusicWorks, focusing solely on music composition. The company is also known for creating the animation software VideoWorks (which was later renamed Director). Early titles such as MusicWorks and VideoWorks were published and distributed through Hayden Software.
In 1988, MacroMind moved its headquarters to San Francisco. Three years later, in 1991, it merged with Paracomp, resulting in the formation of MacroMind–Paracomp. The following year, it combined forces with Authorware Inc., leading to the creation of Macromedia.
Products
- MusicWorks (1984) – software designed for music composition
- VideoWorks (1985), VideoWorks II (1987), VideoWorks Interactive – animation software for multimedia
- Art Grabber/Body Shop (1985) – clip art creation tools
- Comic Works/Graphic Works – vector-based object painting programs
- VideoWorks accelerator – compiler designed for VideoWorks animation files
- MazeWars+ (1987) – networked multiplayer game inspired by Maze War
- Director (1987) – rebranded version of VideoWorks II
- Director 2 (1988) – commercial edition of VideoWorks Interactive
- Director 2.2 (1989) – introduced Lingo (programming language), a versatile scripting language for animations
- Director 3 (1989) – incorporated XObjects functionality
- Three-D (1990) – software for 3D modeling and animation
- MacroModel
- Renderworks (1990) – rendering application supporting Three-D files
- Fireworks (1990) – post-production tool for Renderworks outputs
- Mouse Practice (1992) – an interactive tutorial for mouse skills featuring a scuba diver avatar
See also
- Marc Canter – co-founder and CEO of MacroMind
External links
- Resume of Mark Stephen Pierce
- Download link for MazeWars+
- Computer Chronicles: Desktop Publishing #1 (11/2/1986) – demonstration of desktop publishing software including MacroMind Comic Works