[TriLUG] OT: Flash or other dynamic programming

[Scott Lundgren]

>http://www.pergo.com/PergoDesign/US/US_Room_View/1,1033,USA,00.html
>Any clues as to a company that would do that? The Pergo one seems to be a
Flash app.

This is a bit out of my realm of understanding of graphics, but it seems
rather than storing one image of each choice permutation, they created one
stock image and then depending on the selection, the corresponding layer
within on top of the image is shown. For your example perhaps visualize
creating one stock image for both the round & square table tops. For the
round table top, you would make 10 images of the round table tops, 1 in each
finish each sitting on top of each other overlayed on the stock image. Then
create 5 images of the different leg types again overlayed on each other on
top of the stock image. Then as a user selects choices you only "reveal" the
selected layer. Instead of storing 1000 images of all the permuatations you
only have 1 stock image of each tabletop + # of finishes for that table top
+ # of legs. Then your configurator app starts with some default values for
which table finish & legs are to be shown for a table top type.

It could probably be done as a thin client app with Javascript, Dynamic HTML
& cookies to store state and the users choices  but the browser
quirks^H^H^H^H^H^Hcompatibilty would drive the deveoper nuts. Having it done
in Flash might be more sane.

What's the opinion of the guys at Blast?

- SL