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Type: technical

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Status: now reading

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Authors: Michael Kemper Guido Rosso Brian Monnone

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Tags: design web programming interface flash

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Description: As a competent Flash designer, you're probably comfortable with all of the basics thatAs a competent Flash designer, you're probably comfortable with all of the basics that Flash has to offer. However, you've probably looked at some of the amazing Flash sites on the web and thought, "How'd they do that?" Well, you'll find out in this book.

Flash allows users to create some amazing interactive interfaces to interact with Rich Internet Applications, eLearning systems, and simple web sites. In this book, two of the most talented Flash designers in the world will show you how to use them effectively to create breathtaking visuals for your Flash web sites. You'll also learn how to take advantage of Flash's powerful built-in vector-based drawing tools.

The authors discuss general background theory, such as site planning, color theory, and Information architecture. They reveal techniques using gradents, layers, lighting and shadowing, 3D objects, animation, and photo editing. Techniques are illustrated and the book concludes with a discussion of usability and final tweaks. There is also a tutorial on testing your work, and exporting and finally publishing it....

2006-07-17

 

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Type: technical

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Status: now reading

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Authors: Keith Peters Jamie MacDonald Manny Tan

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Tags: math flash actionscript

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Description: Forget school math class, Flash math is about fun. It's what you do in your spare time Forget school math class, Flash math is about fun. It's what you do in your spare time - messing around with little ideas until the design takes over and you end up with something beautiful, bizarre, or just downright brilliant. It's a book of iterative experiments, generative design; a book of inspiration, beautiful enough to leave on the coffee table, but addictive enough to keep by your computer and sneak out while no one's looking so you can go back to that Flash movie that you were tinkering with 'til 3 o'clock this morning. In "New Masters of Flash" the designers told us about themselves and deconstructed their finest effects. This time we've gathered the best in one book and simply asked them to go away and do what they do best: play. We give you the code and explain the essence, then you take your inspiration and run with it....

2006-05-27

 

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Type: technical

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Status: now reading

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Author: Keith Peters

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Tags: flash animation actionscript

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Description: Sure you can animate using motion tweens, in fact we'll help you do that with our FlashSure you can animate using motion tweens, in fact we'll help you do that with our Flash Cartoon Animation book, but isn't there something extra special in making things move with just a few lines of code?
In this book Keith Peters guides us through some basic animation theory and then demystifies the math and physics behind creating realistic animation, looking at trigonometry, velocity and acceleration, and bouncing & friction.
This book will teach you how to use Flash ActionScript to move the objects in your movies, rather than letting Flash's tween engine do it for you. The benefit of this is smaller, more realistic, more dynamic interactive movies that seem to come alive on your screen. Almost all of the code featured in this book will work fine in either Flash MX 2004 or Flash 8, and with a few minor adjustments, most of it can even be applied to Flash MX.
Although the text covers many advanced math and physics concepts, making for very realistic motion, there's no need to worry, even if you're a relative newcomer to programming and the last math class you took was in high school (and even if you barely remember that!)....

2006-02-24

  & 1 users

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Type: special

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Status: now reading

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Authors: Jim Fay Charles Fay

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Tags: children childhood parenting

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Description: Join Jim Fay and Dr. Charles Fay for a fun-filled approach to parenting children ages birthJoin Jim Fay and Dr. Charles Fay for a fun-filled approach to parenting children ages birth through six years. You will read easy-to-use, fun, practical techniques that you can put to use immediately. With Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood theres no need to dread trips to the store. Bedtime can be a breeze. Potty training need not be a pain. This book will give you solutions for a wide range of early childhood problems. Get started now so you can enjoy your young children, and as a bonus, their teen years and beyond....

2005-12-21

 

• Current

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Type: technical

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Status: I recommend

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Author: Sham Bhangal

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Tags: hacks flash tips tools

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Description: If you've ever seen an especially cool Flash effect on the web, gone straight to your If you've ever seen an especially cool Flash effect on the web, gone straight to your trusty Flash book to find out how to do it, then turned away empty-handed--Flash Hacks is for you. This unique book offers a collection of expert Flash tips and tricks for optimization, creating interesting effects, ActionScript programming, sound and video effects, and much more--and you don't need to be an expert to use them (although you'll certainly look like one). With Flash technology, you can create compelling web content, expressive user interfaces, and rich applications for the Internet--all of which dramatically enhance the user experience. But Flash is not just practical, it's a wellspring of opportunities to unleash your creativity and have fun. Flash Hacks dives straight into all that's fun and creative about Flash, while presenting useful programming techniques and practical--although never mundane--hacks that can make your work easier. Geared to cover Flash MX, Flash MX 2004, and Flash MX Professional 2004, Flash Hacks begins with hacks on authoring, testing, and web environments. You'll learn how to beat the Flash bloat bug, realistically simulate the web, create a JavaScript-free Flash sniffer, and hack a spellchecker for Flash. Other hacks in the book are grouped in the following areas: Primitives Timelines Symbols Flash Assets (sound, video, and bitmaps) Code hacks Events and event handling Advanced animation UI design hacks True to O'Reilly's popular Hacks series, Flash Hacks tackles problems and solutions that aren't dealt with elsewhere. You'll pick up insider tips from the experts, and learn about amazing and sometimes quirky aspects of Flash. If you want more than your average Flash user--you want to explore and experiment, unearth shortcuts, create useful tools, and come up with fun things to try on your own--Flash Hacks is the book you'll need....

2005-09-13

 

• Current

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Type: technical

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Status: favorite

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Authors: Keith Peters Todd Yard

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Tags: javascript flash extending jsfl

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Description: With the release of Flash MX 2004, Macromedia has given you a brand-new Extensibility Layer, With the release of Flash MX 2004, Macromedia has given you a brand-new Extensibility Layer, which lets you look under the hood of Flash and extend its functionality. You now have the ability to take your designs further than ever before—if you have an idea for a new feature, you can just create it yourself and "plug it in." This is the future of Macromedia Flash! Extending Macromedia Flash MX 2004 covers the entire spectrum of the new extensibility architecture in Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004. It includes in-depth tutorials on each new area—commands; tools; Timeline Effects; behaviors; use of the MMExecute command; executing Flash from the command line; and full coverage of XML to UI, which enables you to easily create custom user interfaces for your Flash Extensions. The final section of this book contains a comprehensive desktop reference to JavaScript Flash (JSFL), the new language that you’ll use to create your Flash extensions. These new features allow you to share code and design effects more effectively within a community or a production environment, and they also enable you to package up and reuse code within Flash, with a view to increasing productivity and decreasing production times. Extending Macromedia Flash MX 2004 will show you how to
• Speed up repetitive tasks in Flash with custom commands
• Add new tools to the toolbar for drawing any kind of shape or object on the stage
• Create automated tweens for any object onstage with Timeline Effects
• Define scripted behaviors that can easily be applied to any object Use these advanced extensibility tools to make Flash perform better than ever!...

2005-09-13

 

• Current

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Type: technical

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Status: I recommend

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Authors: Jobe Makar Ben Winiarczyk

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Tags: games flash gaming

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Description: Flash MX 2004 Game Design DemystifiedYour comprehensive guide to creating games using Flash Flash MX 2004 Game Design DemystifiedYour comprehensive guide to creating games using Flash MX 2004. It will take you through the process of creating a game in Flash MX 2004. The first several chapters introduce general processes for creating games, while the second section looks at the important concepts for creating realistic games. Such concepts include math, physics, collision detection, and collision reaction. A third section delves into more creative concepts: tile-based worlds, 3D visualization, artificial intelligence, using graphics, and using sound. Later chapters provide an introduction to multiplayer games, creating a high score list for games, and a selection games for which the authors share the development process, including code. The accompanying CD will provide the code for each function discussed in the book as well as working versions of the games....

2005-09-13