MacroMind

**MacroMind** was a multimedia software company founded in Chicago, Illinois on April 16, 1984 by Marc Canter, Jay Fenton and Mark Stephen Pierce.

## History

The company was originally named **Chicago Software** in April 1984. Three days later, it was renamed MacroMind after a character from Fenton's hit game *Gorf*.

MacroMind's first project was SoundVision, a combined music and graphics editor. Before the release, the audio and graphics features were split into MusicWorks and VideoWorks. MacroMind's earliest projects were distributed by Hayden Software.

Much of the MacroMind's early work also involved contracting for other companies. In December 1985, Fenton implemented a customized version of VideoWorks with Tiny BASIC that was licensed to Apple Computer to build training discs for their early Macintosh line.

By March 1988, the company had grown to 22 employees and was self-publishing its products. After a round of venture capital funding, MacroMind moved to 410 Townsend Street in San Francisco, California in 1989. In 1991, MacroMind merged with Paracomp to briefly become MacroMind-Paracomp, then merged with Authorware Inc. in 1992 to form Macromedia.

## Products

* MacroMind MusicWorks (October 1984) - music composer
* MacroMind VideoWorks (June 1985) - multimedia animation software
	+ MacroMind VideoWorks Player - for runtime playback of VideoWorks files
	+ MacroMind VideoWorks II (1987) - added support for color
	+ MacroMind VideoWorks Accelerator (1987) - animation compiler for VideoWorks files
* MacroMind ArtGrabber with Body Shop (1985) - clip art software and desk accessory
* MacroMind ComicWorks (1986) - a paint program with text editing and multi-page layout capabilities
	+ MacroMind GraphicWorks 1.1 (1987) - a version with the same user interface and updated graphics libraries
* MacroMind Utility Disk (1986) - a collection of useful graphical desk accessories
* Maze Wars+ (Fall 1986) - multiplayer network game based on the classic *Maze War*

* MacroMind Director (1989) - evolved from VideoWorks Professional
	+ MacroMind Accelerator (1989) - animation compiler for Director
	+ MacroMind Director 2.0 (April 1990) - evolved from VideoWorks Interactive Pro, which introduced the Lingo scripting language
	+ MacroMind Player - for runtime playback of Director files
* MacroMind MediaMaker (1990) - early video editing and compositing software
* MacroMind Three-D (1991) - 3D modeling and animation software
	+ MacroMind 3DWorks - animation, lighting, and camera setup
	+ MacroMind RenderWorks - rendering of 3DWorks projects in 8 or 24-bit color
	+ MacroMind FireWorks (formerly ImageWorks) - post-production of RenderWorks graphics

A few products initiated by MacroMind were actually released by MacroMind-Paracomp:

* MacroMind Action! 1.0.1 (1991) - a graphical presentation program
* MacroMind Director 3.0 (1991) - introduction of XObjects
* MacroMind TitleMaker (1991) - a utility for making animated titles

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *The Birth of MacroMind* by Marc Canter, p.63. Festival Ars Electronica. 2003-08. Archived 2003-09-20.
2. ↑ MacroMind Inc., BizStanding. 1984-04-16.
3. ↑ Marc Canter's Work and Careers by Chris Jacques, *Intro. to Multimedia*. Archived 2006-04-23.
4. ↑ Peripherals; Portable screen for Apple by Peter H. Lewis, *The New York Times*. 1985-02-19.
5. ↑ An Unofficial Brief History of Director by Luke Wigley, Lingo Workshop. 2017-01-27.
6. ↑ Software Finds Home Sweet Home Here by Daniel Brogan, *Chicago Tribune*. 1988-03-20. Archived 2020-07-06.
7. ↑ History by John Henry Thompson. Accessed 2019-12-29.
8. ↑ No Flash in the Pan: Macromedia survives a decade by reinventing itself by Benny Evangelista, *San Francisco Chronicle*. 2002-05-05.
9. ↑ MacroMind, Paracomp plan multimedia software merger by Eric Lai, *Computer Business Review*. 1991-07-15.
10. ↑ Merger builds multimedia powerhouse by Jeanette Borzo, *InfoWorld*, p.9. 1992-03-09.
11. ↑ Desktop Publishing #1 (including MacroMind ComicWorks) by Stewart Cheifet, *The Computer Chronicles*. 1986-11-02.
12. ↑ MacroMind Three-D does animation and rendering by Doug and Denise Green, *InfoWorld*, p.73. 1991-07-15.
13. ↑ DIRECT-L archives -- July 1999, week 3 (#73). Archived 2007-03-17.

## External links

* MacroMind (firm) at WorldCat Identities
* MacroMind at the WikiWikiWeb
* MacroMind at the Macromedia Wiki
* MacroMind at Wikipedia