Almer/Blank Labs

So after getting my hands on the new Hype framework, I wanted to put together a simple demo together that utilizes a combination of the SoundAnalyzer class and some 3D eye candy (via Papervision3D).

First off, I can say that I really like being able to play around with the sound spectrum using only a couple lines of code. I also used the Rythm class to run an enter frame method, which is very convenient in that I didn't need to manually set up an event and listener.

Lastly, I wanted to also utilize a tweening engine to smooth out the particle movement, but doing so cut the framerate by about 80% (a little better with TweenMax/TweenLite, but still not good enough). I also briefly played around with the Flint particle emitter, but I'm not familiar enough with Papervision/Flint to get it working how I wanted.

UPDATE - I decided to give a tween engine one more shot, and was able to use TweenMax while keeping the framerate at an acceptable level.

UPDATE 11/06/2009 - Updated code sample to reflect demo swf.

UPDATE 3/29/2010 - It's come to my attention that Wordpress tends to be a bit moody when it comes to code formatting in posts, especially in the case of vectors (which use the greater than/less than characters). That said, I've posted a couple pastebin examples:

Link --> Document class
Link --> ApplicationView class

...read more...

I just came across one of the coolest AS3 toolkits I’ve seen in a long time – Hype. Basically, the point of Hype is to make UI design as easy and fast as possible. It includes commonly used algorithms used in visual and audio design such as grids, shapes, random placement, chaos patterns, and audio spectrum calculations. It’s also capable of calculations such as custom timing (run a callback every 2nd frame, etc) with minimal coding requirements, and a callback system that is much more efficient than AS3’s native Event system. Another great feature is the use of Object pooling and unordered lists. The concept of this is to minimize Object creation (thereby keeping memory requirements as small as possible) by recycling Objects rather than recreating them on the fly. This is obviously a standard best practice when designing code projects, but Hype will do the dirty work for you and let you focus on the fun stuff. From the looks of the intro video, the toolkit looks to be well-written using a combination of a core framework and an extension package (which is highly flexible and easily built upon). It looks like a minimal set is included for now, but I’m sure additional extension kits will be added along the way (plus allow developers to add/share there own). The framework is slated for release on Saturday, October 31st. Check out the video HERE, and the examples HERE. Happy coding

I know the RMI hasn't been running as many live workshops out of Los Angeles as we used to -- and that's because we've been focusing more resources on the RMI Online Training. But we have resumed live workshops here over the summer, and are incredibly pleased to host Joshua Davis for a special two-day workshop on accelerating creativity in ActionScript 3, on Thursday/Friday October 1st and 2nd. I'm posting about this course in particular (since I do not take the time to post on all of our live workshops) because it's not every day that people in and around Los Angeles have the opportunity to study with a renowned artist and designer like Joshua Davis. But also, because I've seen the course materials and subject matter, and I can say with confidence that this course is going to make all the students feel more creative in Flash, making code-driven creations, with fewer hurdles and less setup time. In short, I strongly recommend this course if you are a designer or developer, with a minimum level of comfort in AS3, looking to unleash the artist within! Do not miss this rare chance to study with a great talent, and amazing motivator, and learn some really useful techniques that will make you a stronger Flasher. And, just to make it even easier: a) there's student pricing and b) the code 'laflash' will save you 20% So, go on. Do it. You'll be glad you did.

Joshua Davis on Youtube on HYPE Framework (4 parts) http://is.gd/3onOE http://is.gd/3onP6 http://is.gd/3onPF