FLASH :: FLEX :: AIR :: ILLUSTRATION :: ANIMATION :: WEB DEVELOPMENT
Intro to MVC Part 1: The Controller Class – taterboy
July 13th, 2010 | Filed under: ActionScript 3, Flash, Flex, Games, Tutorials
About a year ago, @devgirl, introduced me to the MVC framework and provided me with a stubbed out demo of everything working together. There were many more class files than I was used to, one for data and variables (Model), one for all the graphic elements and UI controls (View), and one to control all the information between the two (Controller). My brain hurt for a couple weeks as I attempted to absorb what seemed like magic and how to apply it to a new job that was about to start. This process has changed the way I approach every project, even simple tasks with only a few lines of code. On smaller projects I may only leverage one part of the MVC framework and figured this was the best way to introduce it to others without it being so overwhelming. So today, I what to present the Controller class, which is part of the MVC framework.
How to Build an Engaging Preloader in Flash – taterboy
June 30th, 2010 | Filed under: ActionScript 3, Design, Flash, Flex, Tutorials
The Importance of a Good Preloader:
Everyone hates to wait, especially for websites to load. The only thing keeping a potential user sitting in their chair and staring at the screen, while your application loads, is the hope that eventually something great will happen. If that user is impatient, like most of us, the preloader may be the only opportunity you have to interact with a potential user/customer. The fact that something is moving on screen reassures users that your website has not locked up their computer. We may not think that a few seconds is a long time, but to the waiting user, it may seem like minutes. We should take advantage of this brief moment to make a good impression, give them a taste of what’s to come and develop trust.
Jump Back in TIme with HTML5 – taterboy
June 19th, 2010 | Filed under: Design, Flash
UPDATE 6/23/10
Google released a great new HTML5 resource HTML5 Rocks for those looking to learn more about HTML5, complete with samples and tutorials. Some of the coolest stuff (animation, transitions) is webkit based, it will be interesting to see how IE 9 handles this. Chrome Frame is an interesting concept for dealing with IE until IE 9 is released, kind of like an HTML5 plugin for IE 6, 7 and 8. I wonder if it will work with IE 9 to enable webkit supported HTML5 features?
I’ve been trying to work on new Flash and Flex tutorials, but keep getting sucked back into the HTML5 vs Flash debate. There are so many new quotes that reinforce that fact that a world without Flash is just not what the future holds in store. HTML5 and Flash a Reality Check
As an enthusiastic Mac fan for over 2 decades, I agreed 100% with Apple when they announced the end of the floppy drive. Steve Jobs has some good arguments for saying that the end of Flash is near, but all the logic put forth to support this claim does not seem to be supported by reality. Flash does have it’s faults, but so do all technologies we work with everyday. Plus, Apple’s track record on picking all the right technologies has not been without error, it did take them over twenty years to add a second button to their mouse.
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Building Custom Loaders in Flex – taterboy
June 5th, 2010 | Filed under: ActionScript 3, Animation, Flash, Flex, Tutorials
In an earlier post I talked all about building Flex UI components with Flash. This example shows how to create a custom loader component, in Flash or Flex, and use it to replace the standard Flex progress bar.
The Base Preloader:
I found a preloader class online that implemented the IPreloaderDisplay, this is required to build a custom preloader. You can find out more about building your own here. I took the class I found online and made it generic so I could use it as a base class for all my future preloaders.
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A Microphone And A Baby - Flash AS3 Microphone Class – taterboy
May 21st, 2010 | Filed under: ActionScript 3, Audio, Flex, Tips
Here is a little demo from some recent playing with Flash’s Microphone class.
Real demo is below the fold.
This is basically a microphone level meter that my son and I thought was pretty fun. Don’t wake the baby.
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Flash vs. HTML5 – taterboy
May 3rd, 2010 | Filed under: Flash, iPhone
Does It Have To Be One Or The Other?
I have never been a “use Flash because I like Flash”, kind-of guy. I do like Flash, but believe very strongly that we should only use Flash when there is a good reason to use Flash opposed to other available technologies. I’m very proficient in javascript and have always tried to see how far I can push other technologies into the realm of what I currently use Flash for. I have built HTML driven sites that have many of the same fancy roll-over effects, fading and non-reloading, immersive approaches that make them look like Flash sites. I have been building these type of sites as early as 2006, before many of the web standards we have today. I do not use Flash because I lack web skills, but where current non-Flash technologies fall short. These decisions are based on the needs of the each project, end-user, development time, SEO, etc. I will be an adopter of HTML5 and currently use many of the non-Flash technologies when needed. I can not see me adopting HTML5 as a one or the other sort of thing, it will be whatever the needs of the job require. I foresee, going forward, there will be many HTML5/Flash hybrid sites, just like there are now many HTML/Flash hybrid sites.
If HTML5 truly is a competitor of Flash, that is a good thing. It will only encourage better performing, feature-rich options in Flash going forward. This notion of HTML5 being a Flash killer, just is not true, at least for a long time.
Taking the Test:
There are some online HTML5 browser tests you can use to test compatibility. Until all of the major browsers (IE) fully adopt this standard, it is not a viable option for most web development needs. Even Safari is not fully complitent with the HTML5 standard according to this test. I got 115 out of 160 with Safari 4.0.5 and 113 out of 160 on my iPhone, with some of the most important UI support still not supported.
Here is a great video, sent by Greg Wilson, that puts the HTML5 vs. Flash in perspective for now.
Flash CS5 to iPhone? Not So Fast – taterboy
April 25th, 2010 | Filed under: Flash, iPhone
Updated Below
Just days before the official announcement of Adobe’s suite of CS5 applications, Apple Inc, updated their iPhone Developer Agreement with a few lines like, “Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++…” and “Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited”. The web was abuzz with what all this meant for Adobe and other third party tools that make developing for Apple’s iPhone more accessible. It was speculated that this was a clear shot from Apple Inc, across the bow of S.S. Adobe Systems, Inc. It might as well have been a headline that read, “Safari Dropping Flash Player In a Push for HTML5”.
On April 15, 2010, Adobe forged ahead and introduced Flash CS5 and all of its iPhone app building potential. Were they disoriented from the blast still ringing in their ears, or did they know something the rest of us didn’t?
As we internally discussed the repercussions of the Apple Development Agreement update and what it meant for our future on the iPhone/iPad platform, we contemplated the words “originally written in …”. Perhaps this was not as bad as it sounded. We are, after all, users and fans of Apple products and are very concerned by the thought of this great company becoming that grouchy old man in the neighborhood that just put up a huge warning sign stating “If You Are Not an Objective-C programmer, You Shall Not Pass!”
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Illustrating In Illustrator 101 part 3 of 5 – taterboy
December 24th, 2009 | Filed under: Design, General Info, Illustrator, Tutorials
Defining Shapes
Lines:
Some may think that illustration is all about the lines, comics and other art styles may give this impression. I use line-work in most of my illustration styles, though not always black lines. If you do not use lines in your work, you use color or some other means of creating contrast between forms and objects. It is this contrast between colors or light and dark values that produce the lines we think we see everyday in the world around us. We will discuss the use of line-work and contrast to properly define shapes using light and shadow.
Comic artists may use line-work, but on closer inspection we find that those lines do a lot more then just define the shapes of the drawing. The line weight varies as it contours each element. This line variation builds the foundation of the form which gives the illusion of dimension. As you can see with the simple line drawing below. The drawing on the right has more depth while the left circle looks more like a cave drawing.
Create Adobe AIR Badges At Any Size – taterboy
December 16th, 2009 | Filed under: ActionScript 3, Design, Flash, Flex, Free Components/Classes
UPDATE: 2/17/10
We added a redirect option to the HDBadge that allows AIR application install badges that are too small (smaller than 214×137) to redirect to another page or call a javascript function. The size 214×137 was as small as I could shrink the badge before the AIR install dialog would not show up (tested on a Mac w/Safari). See updates below.
Are you sick of trying to design around the existing Adobe AIR badge templates. In most cases they are way too large or have a look and feel that does not really match your design. A few companies have their own custom solutions with AIR badges that are nicely integrated into their sites. I wanted that for the updated ChessJam site, but instead of building one badge for each size, I wanted a completely flexible (one size fits all) solution from one swf.
The HDBadge Features:
1. One Size Fits All - The size of the badge is determined by the size you use in the object/embed code of the swf. The swf does not stretch, so you could have a badge that is 40×20 and 800×600 from the same swf, depending on your needs.
2. Smaller Footprint - One of the reasons the current badges are so large is they display AIR/App install error messages. This version hides the button after clicking revealing a console type area behind it. The error text conforms to the size of the swf.
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Building iPhone Applications with Flash CS5 - video – taterboy
December 6th, 2009 | Filed under: ActionScript 3, Flash, iPhone
Lee Brimelow at gotoAndLearn.com posted a great video tutorial showing how easy it is to build iPhone applications with Flash CS5. Here are a few subtle observations from watching the presentation.
1. The iPhone development option in Flash is no small part of the next Flash release. The Flash Team really want to make the process as pleasant as possible. It will be easier to build iPhone apps, according to the video, then it was to build AIR applications when AIR was first released.
2. Flash CS5 will have a more Flex-like feel and better coding experience when writing code in the actions palette.
3. iPhone hardware acceleration will be in the final release of Flash CS5, the video has an exciting preview of different examples of Flash animations using hardware acceleration on the iPhone.
It’s hard not to cynical, the official announcement was made at MAX seemed too good to be true, the lack of hardware acceleration made the pre-release applications less appealing, but things seem to really be coming together as we are coming closer to the final release. The last obstacle is the size of the applications themselves. We want to release applications that can be downloaded over the air.
By the way, I am still waiting on my pre-release version of Flash CS5, maybe Santa can put in a good word for me. I have been nice all year.
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