What's New in Director 8.5 > 3D Basics > What you need to know |  |

What you need to know

Director 8.5 is a major evolutionary step forward for Director. If you're not familiar with Director, you should gain at least a basic knowledge before tackling 3D in Director 8.5. The Director 8 documentation and help files included with Director 8.5 are the place to start.

You can perform many basic 3D operations using Director 8.5's built-in 3D behaviors. For more information, see Using 3D behaviors overview. Most complex 3D operations, however, are performed using Lingo, Director's built-in scripting language. The 3D documentation assumes you understand Lingo. If you have not yet learned Lingo, you'll want to start by reading Chapter 6, "Writing Scripts with Lingo," in Using Director Shockwave Studio for Director 8. You should also familiarize yourself with the Lingo Dictionary, which lists alphabetically all the Lingo commands and properties available in Director 8. The Lingo Dictionary defines each Lingo expression, illustrates its syntax, and provides examples.

Because 3D is primarily controlled by Lingo, the new 3D commands and properties are described in detail. The new 3D commands and properties are first listed by category. For a treatment of the same commands and properties in the standard Lingo dictionary format, with syntax and coding examples, see the 3D Lingo Dictionary.