Creature House Expression
{{Infobox Software
| name = Creature House Expression
| screenshot = Expression3 in WINE.png
| screenshot size = 250px
| caption = Screenshot of Creature House Expression 3.3.372
| developer = Creature House, now acquired by Microsoft
| author=Creature House (up to 3), P&A., Inc. (3J)
| latest_release_version = 3.3.372
| latest_release_date = Nov 2003
| operating_system = Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
| genre = Vector graphics editor with skeletal stroke capability
| license = Freeware Proprietary EULA
| website = [http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/en/graphic_designer/previous/expression3_home.aspx www.microsoft.com]
}}
Creature House Expression was an award-winning vector graphics editor developed by Creature House in Hong Kong, founded by Alex S.C. Hsu and Irene H. H. Lee. It was initially marketed through a developer/publisher agreement with Ray Dream Inc. subsequently Fractal Design Corporation and later MetaCreations under the trade name Fractal Design Expression.
The software was positioned as a companion to then-Fractal Design/MetaCreations Painter. Creature House regained full marketing rights from MetaCreations Corp. in late 2000 and published version 2 of the software under its own name as Creature House Expression.
The latest version of Creature House Expression published by Creature House Ltd is version 3.3.
In Sep 2003, Microsoft acquired the software product together with all related trademarks and titles and hired Dr. Alex S. C. Hsu as an architect. Eventually, Alex S. C. Hsu led a new Microsoft team to continue the development of the software under the code name Acrylic{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1833044,00.asp|title = Microsoft "Acrylic" Beta}} as part of a new Expression Suite Project initiated by Alex S. C. Hsu and others. In 2007, the original Expression application became part of Microsoft's Expression Studio suite of applications, rebranded and rewritten in WPF as Microsoft Expression Design. Windows XP and Vista versions are available, although Mac OS X support was officially discontinued.
Skeletal stroke
Expression uses a unique technology called skeletal stroke. There have been a few research papers on this technology, including the work of Alex S. C. Hsu and Irene H. H. Lee,{{cite book|author=Siu Chi Hsu|author2=Irene H. H. Lee|title=Drawing and animation using skeletal strokes|publisher=ACM|location=New York, NY, USA|year=1994|isbn=0-89791-667-0|doi=10.1145/192161.192186|s2cid=17961553|url=http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=192186}} who are the original developers of Expression.
LivingCels
Along with Expression, Create House also developed animation software called LivingCels, featuring the same technology, including skeletal strokes, as in Expression.{{cite web |title=About Creature House |url=http://www.livingcels.com:80/about.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620010851/http://www.livingcels.com/about.html |archive-date=20 June 2008 |website=LivingCels |access-date=20 June 2008 }} LivingCels was released as a public preview,{{cite web |last1=Neowin Staff |title=Microsoft's Creature House Acquisition |url=https://www.neowin.net/news/microsofts-creature-house-acquisition |website=Neowin |access-date=21 October 2018}} but never made it to final release after Creature House was purchased by Microsoft.
See also
- Microsoft Expression Design, the new product based on Creature House Expression
- List of vector graphics editors
- Comparison of vector graphics editors
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite web | url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/Expression/188430564623205 | title=Fan Page |website=Facebook | author=Marvin Guerrero | date=August 24, 2012}}{{rs|date=August 2022}}
- {{cite magazine | url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1864638,00.asp | title=Creature House Expression 3 |magazine=PC Magazine | date=September 28, 2005 | access-date=February 28, 2012 | last =Fott | first = Galen}}
- {{cite web | url=http://www.creativemac.com/2003/11_nov/news/msch2031106b.htm | title=Update: Microsoft's Creature House Acquisition |website=Creative Mac | date=November 6, 2003 | access-date=February 28, 2012 | last =Nagel | first = David}}
- {{cite web | url=http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-offers-beta-of-Adobe-rival/2100-1012_3-5740444.html | title=Microsoft offers beta of Adobe rival |website=CNET | date=June 10, 2005 | access-date=February 28, 2012 | last =LeMay |first= Renai}}
External links
- Creature House page: [https://web.archive.org/web/20040415033238/http://www.creaturehouse.com/expression3.htm Expression 3]
- P&A., Inc. page: [https://web.archive.org/web/20050306141809/http://www.panda.co.jp/expression3/ Expression 3J], [https://web.archive.org/web/20050404163533/http://www.panda.co.jp/products/e3pure/index.html Expression 3J Pure]
= Download Creature House Expression from Microsoft =
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060424232957/http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/en/graphic_designer/previous/expression3_home.aspx Archive.org archive of home page]
- [http://profile.microsoft.com/Regsysprofilecenter/wizard.aspx?wizid=792668ac-d4e9-4a34-b7f8-d1bb13ca88cc&lcid=1033 Microsoft Expression 3.3 Freeware Windows version] (57.3 MB), requires (No longer available) registration
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20050222200121/http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/5/d/a5d625a5-2e3d-4e9c-8608-6de48d7b569f/CreatureHouseExpression3_3.exe], Microsoft Expression 3.3 Freeware Windows version direct link to above file, does not require registration
- [http://profile.microsoft.com/Regsysprofilecenter/wizard.aspx?wizid=e5cfe3e9-ecd3-4e1d-b4e3-d2ae19ffd78c&lcid=1033 Microsoft Expression 3.3 Freeware Mac OS 8/9/X version] (55.8 MB), requires registration; there are versions for Mac OS 8/9 and Mac OS X in the archive
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060221065128/http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/9/d/f9d6312b-63cf-4cee-9fdb-cbd0f418dabf/E33Mac377Up.sit Update to Mac OS X version for Mac OS 10.3.5; fixes a startup problem] (2.9 MB), no registration required
- [http://www.metacreations.com/press/exp_mac_ships.shtml November 1996: Fractal Design Ships Expression for Macintosh]
=Reviews=
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051103003940/http://www.macworld.com/2003/05/reviews/expression3/ MacWorld]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051211081120/http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/illustration/gr/expression.htm About.com]