AdvancED ActionScript 3.0 Animation

This chapter covered numerical integration—what it is and the problems that come with it. You now know that you’ve probably been using Euler integration (and you now know how to pronounce it) and you have a few alternatives available to use. And most importantly, you hopefully have an idea about when to use each one because they all have strengths and weaknesses. Euler, Runge-Kutta, and Verlet are not the only forms of numerical integration. A quick check on Wikipedia brings up this list of interesting sounding names: Backward Euler, Semi–implicit Euler, Velocity Verlet, Beeman’s algorithm, Heun’s method, Newmark-beta method, Leapfrog integration, and Monte Carlo integration. I have no idea what they all are, but it might be fun to find out. Over to you! Next up, we’ll dive into some brand new Flash 10 features regarding 3D! 273 Chapter 7 3D IN FLASH 10 Since I’ve been involved in Flash, I’ve seen a new version of the Flash authoring tool, along with a new Flash Player, come out about every 18 months. Shortly after each version is released, the rumors, speculations, and wish lists for what will be in the next version begin. Routinely, one of the longed- for features is native 3D. And just as routinely, hopes are dashed when it doesn’t appear. Until Flash 10. You could always do 3D in Flash by scaling and positioning things to make them look like they are nearer or farther away.

This book is a compilation of advanced ActionScript 3.0 animation techniques for any user creating games, user interaction, or motion control with ActionScript. It's an anthology of topics that follow from the author's earlier book, Foundation ActionScript 3.0 Animation: Making Things Move, and things that became possible in version 10 of Flash Player. This book covers a diverse selection of topics that don't necessarily lead one into the other. You don't need to start with Chapter 1 and read it cover to cover. Just start with any chapter that looks interesting and jump around as you see fit. In this book, you'll find chapters on advanced collision detection, artificial intelligence and steering behaviors, isometric projection, using the camera and microphone for input, 3D, and much, much more. AdvancED ActionScript 3.0 Animation is also more experimental in nature. The techniques shown here might not be the best way to do things, but they should work well and get you started in your own efforts to achieve a perfect implementation. In fact, many of the chapters can be seen as introductions to very complex topics that could fill a whole book by themselves. Many of these subjects have been extensively covered elsewhere, but not necessarily targeted for Flash or ActionScript 3.0. So it took a fair amount of work to pull the data together and get it all working and explain it all clearly in ActionScript. This book will inspire you to find out about subjects that you might not have considered before, acting as a springboard into your own research into the possibilities of ActionScript 3.0.

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Keith Peters lives in the vicinity of Boston with his wife, Kazumi, and their daughter, Kristine. He has been working with Flash since 1999, and has co-authored many books for friends of ED, including Flash MX Studio, Flash MX Most Wanted, and the ground-breaking Flash Math Creativity. In 2001, he started the experimental Flash site, BIT-101 (BIT-101.com), which strives for a new, cutting edge, open-source experiment each day. The site won an award at the Flashforward 2003 Flash Film Festival in the Experimental category. In addition to the experiments on the site, there are several highly regarded Flash tutorials which have been translated into many languages and are now posted on web sites throughout the world. Keith is currently working full time doing freelance and contract Flash development and various writing projects.