Interactive ROI Calculator using Flash Catalyst?

Hello, a client of ours has asked us to create an interactive ROI calculator similar to the one in the following link:
http://bit.ly/98vjCF
Our design and production department does work in Flash, mainly to create simple web banners, however they're not hardcore Flash developers by any means. We'll be upgrading from CS4 to CS5 with Catalyst soon. Is it possible to create an interactive ROI calculator using this software or would using a seasoned Flash developer be a better choice?
Thanks for any info.
henry

Hi Henry,
You can use Flash Catalyst to design the UI of your calculator, both for protyping and optionally for final production too. However, to do the actual calculations you'll have to write a bit of code using another tool. For example, you can import the Catalyst project into Flash Builder and wire up the calculation logic to the UI you've created. This gives you the option of having a nontechnical designer work on the UI, while a less design-oriented developer writes code without having to worry much about the visuals.
The underlying code used in a Catalyst project is Flex 4. This should be a snap for a seasoned Flash developer to work with. Or, a Java or JavaScript developer should also be able to get up to speed on Flex pretty easily (especially if the UI was already built in Catalyst and the dev is just wiring up the "business logic").
Hope that helps,
- Peter

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[email protected]

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