We found 3D Carousel, by MediaANT, one of the most exciting presentation DNN modules available to date. 3D Carousel also offers the largest variety of features; you can generate spectacular image galleries, extravagant menus, and ambitious product presentations. Here are highlights:
3D Carousel Feature Highlights
- No portal modifications required—Does not require special configuration modifications to your portal
- User-Friendly Configuration—The module can be entirely configured through Settings. All options are already pre-set, and in most cases drop-down lists or dialogues support the selection of entries.
- Wide Selection of Presentation Options—Data input on radius, perspective, speed and mirroring enable you to configure the Carousel to your exact specifications. All text and background colors are freely configurable.
- Various Rotation Options—You have options of choosing between automatic rotation, rotation via buttons, and no rotation.
- HTML-Style Support—Font size, font color and line spacing of all texts can be configured freely with the help of selection lists. Extensive text formatting can be effected via a sub-set of HTML tags.
- Choice of Events Triggered—clicking on a Carousel image will allow you the options of opening a page with detail information on the Carousel image, follow a link to another page, or perform no action.
- Optimized Loading—The Flash file displayed has only 37Kb and is furthermore loaded asynchronously (AJAX/HTTP request principle). This ensures that the display speed of your web site is not affected by the module.
A common criticism, of DNN produced websites, is that they look boxy and do not offer a creative, eye-catching flair. The 3D Carousel module is about to change all that.
Feature Set:
No matter what your business, 3D Carousel will produce an aesthetically pleasing presentation to promote your products and services.
With a basic understanding of HTML, you can create powerful presentations in a very short time.
No Flash programming experience is necessary. 3D Carousel can be configured entirely via the settings of the module.
The 3D Carousel is also available is a developer version that will allow you to use the module outside of the DNN portal environment. This allows the module to be used in ASP.net, Java, PHP, and HTML pages. It can be integrated into any website through an HTML page and a XML file.
Another perk—you can integrate any number of modules in your portal. It is even possible to have multiple Carousels on a single page.
Ease of Use:
3D Carousel is designed for DotNetNuke® beginners. The management control panel has all the settings you’ll need to configure the module, handy. The details page is completely configurable with a basic understanding of HTML.
Ease of Setup:
3D Carousel can cater to your computer skill level as you build your website. You can label yourself a computer beginner, intermediate, or advanced. If you are not familiar with computers, start as a beginner and you won’t be overwhelmed by complex features. After you master the basics you can move to higher levels to make your presentation even more sophisticated.
Help/Documentation:
Perhaps the most important part of your 3D Carousel setup is the information that the help section provides you. Support, at MediaANT, was excellent—Although the module came with a well documented help file and some examples of configuration, I still needed help with understanding the exact layout of the detail pages. I had contacted MediaANT with the purpose of having these questions answered. I was pleasantly surprised that I received a prompt response from Oliver Krueger, the same day, and all my questions were immediately answered.
Buck's Summary:
Fairly simple to set up, inexpensive, and powerful, 3D Carousel is an outstanding presentation module that delivers the most for your dollar. Because the module's toolset is designed for novices, anyone can set up this module quickly. The step-by-step instructions and helpful diagrams show what to do each step of the way. I was a bit concerned on how uploading images was being handled. You must first install your images via the DNN File Manager before configuring the module to use these images. This presented a problem for me due to the fact that it would require a user to have administration privilege to use the File Manager. After consulting, with Oliver, he assured me that the upcoming version will have an improved image uploader.
I was very impressed to see Amazon.com using a carousel on its pages. Our sales staff, at our parent company Jive Media (jivemg.com), informed me that they had received 5 new web design contracts last week based on the demonstration of the 3D Carousel module. Very impressive.
A complete list of features and working samples are available at http://www.3dcarousel.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx. The module can be purchased here.
A working example on DNNprofessor.com can be found here.
Buck Anderson's DotNetNuke Training, Video Training, and Internet Marketing Resource Center DNNprofessor.com. Free tips to
improve your business with DotNetNuke, XMod, website design techniques, and proven
unconventional Internet Marketing Solutions that attract the attention of today's
savvy Internet buyer at DNNprofessor.com. © 2008 Jive Media Group LLC and Buck Anderson.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
|