In The Press
Animatrix Computer Arts Uses MadCap Flare to Cut Multi-Channel Help Content Development by Nearly Half
Award-Winning Online Training Firm Replaced RoboHelp® with MadCap Flare to Eliminate Workarounds, Ensure Consistency Across Channels
San Diego, CA, USA – June 26, 2007 — MadCap Software, the leader in multi-channel content authoring and a Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Visual Studio 2005 showcase company, today announced that ANIMATRIX Computer Arts, Inc. has successfully deployed MadCap Flare. ANIMATRIX Computer Arts, an award-winning provider of online training development and design services, was able to cut development time nearly in half on its first project completed using MadCap Flare. Based on its initial success with Flare, which replaced Adobe RoboHelp, ANIMATRIX Computer Arts is looking at opportunities to use other integrated software within the MadCap MadPak, such as Mimic for software simulation movies.
Based in Houston, TX, ANIMATRIX Computer Arts provides a range of services, including computer-based training, Web-based training, computer-managed instruction, interactive kiosks, corporate presentations, and website design. Its customers, many of them Fortune 500 companies, represent a broad cross-section of businesses, including banking, oil and gas, computing, education, and government.
“For nearly two decades, our customers have relied on us to provide creative, superior online training,” said Debbie Richards, founder and president of ANIMATRIX Computer Arts. “The increase in multi-channel publishing driven by greater adoption of the Web means we need best-in-class authoring software designed to deliver training and Help content consistently across the Internet, intranets, CD-ROMs, and a range of computer systems. We are also thinking about Web 2.0 and looking down the road for software that can support us in the future. For us, that software is MadCap Flare.”
Multi-channel publishing was a particularly critical requirement for a medical device company, which turned to ANIMATRIX Computer Arts for online training that could be delivered on both CD-ROM and the Web. The training would provide guidance on the usage and care of a new device, helping to prevent accidental breakage by medical professionals unfamiliar with the new design. ANIMATRIX Computer Arts used RoboHelp® to complete the first project in early 2006. The training content that ANIMATRIX Computer Arts delivered met all functionality requirements; however, RoboHelp® required several workarounds to correct the Web version’s inability to recognize Flash-based content, problems handling PDF files, and other compatibility issues, which caused the project to come in a month late.
When it was time to start developing the second phase of training, Ms. Richards knew that her team at ANIMATRIX Computer Arts needed another Help authoring solution. In searching for alternatives, she was attracted by MadCap Flare’s robust capabilities and Web-centric native XML architecture. Because the ANIMATRIX Computer Arts team is comprised of Microsoft-certified developers, trainers and system engineers, Ms. Richards also valued MadCap’s strong support for the newest Microsoft standards, such as Microsoft Vista, XPS, DOCX, and Office 2007. Although Flare 2.5 was not generally available at the time, she signed ANIMATRIX Computer Arts as a beta customer, and used Flare to develop the medical device company’s phase-two training. MadCap’s online training and intuitive interface made it easy for her team to get up and running quickly.
“We could have just imported RoboHelp® content and all the formatting directly into MadCap Flare, but once we had the raw content, we entirely rebuilt the Help system in Flare. In doing so, we were able to take advantage of Flare’s broad format support and multi-channel publishing capabilities to eliminate the previous workarounds,” Ms. Richards said. “Even though it was our first time using
Flare, we completed the project in nearly half the time the first project took in RoboHelp®. Equally important, our customer is very pleased with the look-and-feel and easy navigation of the new Flare-based training.”
“As an award-winning designer of Web-based solutions, ANIMATRIX Computer Arts is at the forefront in delivering online training and Help systems for some of the world’s leading business and public institutions,” said Anthony Olivier, CEO of MadCap Software. “We are proud to support ANIMATRIX Computer Arts in creating a new class of online content that provides a consistent, interactive, experience. Our goal is to help customers save time and money using our superior, XML-based capabilities, and we are pleased by the fast-growing adoption among customers, like ANIMATRIX Computer Arts, who are recognizing the benefits of a modern, future-proof tool.”
Based on ANIMATRIX Computer Arts’ success with Flare, Ms. Richards recently emailed nearly 250 peers and customers when she heard about the MadCap seminar being held in Houston on July 11, 2007, saying “When we see a product that helps us save time and money, we want to be evangelists.”
About ANIMATRIX Computer Arts
Founded in 1989, ANIMATRIX Computer Arts, Inc. is a pioneer in the delivery of Web-based training, winning recognition as one of the top 25 Houston Web designers by Houston Business Journal. Headquartered in Houston, ANIMATRIX Computer Arts provides a range of services, including computer-based training, Web-based training, computer-managed instruction, interactive kiosks, corporate presentations, and website design. Today its customers, many of them Fortune 500 companies, represent a broad cross-section of businesses including banking, oil and gas, computing, education, and government. For more information, visit www.animatrix-arts.com.
About MadCap Software
MadCap Software is a trusted resource for thousands of companies around the globe for single-source, multi-channel authoring and publishing solutions designed to streamline the process of developing and delivering training content, learning and development programs, technical documentation, online Help, knowledge bases, and more. From authoring, publishing and translation, to cloud-based project and content management, to contribution and review in the cloud, you can streamline content delivery and manage the entire content development lifecycle with MadCap Software. MadCap Software’s services include product training, consulting services, translation and localization, and an advanced developer certification program. Headquartered in San Diego, California, with offices in Austin, TX, MadCap Software is home to some of the most experienced software architects and product experts in the content development industry.
