Away3D 3.6 cookbook : over 80 practical recipes for creating stunning graphics and effects with the fascinatnig Away3D engine

Annotation Three dimensions are better than two_and it's not a secret anymore that 3D is here to stay. Gone are the days when Flash was just used for 2D animations. In the last few years online Flash content has undergone a revolution with the introduction of real-time 3D engines for Flash. Away3D is the big daddy of them all_which makes it the ultimate resource for top-rated 3D content development and for powering today's coolest games and Flash sites. Away 3D 3.6 Cookbook is your answer to learning all you need to take your Flash or Away3D skills to the next level_ and having fun doing it. This book is your practical companion that will teach you more than just the essentials of Away3D, and will provide you with all the tools and techniques you need to create a stunning 3D experience. You will find recipes targeting every possible field related to Away3D, 3D development pipelines, and best practices in general. You will find practically relevant content exploring advanced topics, which will clear your way to developing cutting edge applications_not to mention saving hours of searching for help on the internet. The recipes in this book will teach you diverse aspects of 3D application development with Away3D. They will guide you through essential aspects like creation of assets in external programs and their integration into Away3D, working with material, animation, interactivity, special effects, and much more. Each topic is packed with recipes targeting different levels of complexity so that even experienced Away3D developers will find a lot of useful and unique information. By the time you are done with this book, you'll be creating your own awesome Away 3D applications and games in less time than you can say "design." Read more... Abstract: Annotation Three dimensions are better than two_and it's not a secret anymore that 3D is here to stay. Gone are the days when Flash was just used for 2D animations. In the last few years online Flash content has undergone a revolution with the introduction of real-time 3D engines for Flash. Away3D is the big daddy of them all_which makes it the ultimate resource for top-rated 3D content development and for powering today's coolest games and Flash sites. Away 3D 3.6 Cookbook is your answer to learning all you need to take your Flash or Away3D skills to the next level_ and having fun doing it. This book is your practical companion that will teach you more than just the essentials of Away3D, and will provide you with all the tools and techniques you need to create a stunning 3D experience. You will find recipes targeting every possible field related to Away3D, 3D development pipelines, and best practices in general. You will find practically relevant content exploring advanced topics, which will clear your way to developing cutting edge applications_not to mention saving hours of searching for help on the internet. The recipes in this book will teach you diverse aspects of 3D application development with Away3D. They will guide you through essential aspects like creation of assets in external programs and their integration into Away3D, working with material, animation, interactivity, special effects, and much more. Each topic is packed with recipes targeting different levels of complexity so that even experienced Away3D developers will find a lot of useful and unique information. By the time you are done with this book, you'll be creating your own awesome Away 3D applications and games in less time than you can say "design." Content: Cover Copyright Credits About the Author About the Reviewers www.PacktPub.com Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1: Working with Away3D Materials Introduction Using a single MovieClip for multiple materials Controlling the MovieClip of MovieMaterial Streaming VOD from FMS for VideoMaterial Interpolating material color dynamically with DepthBitmapMaterial Creating normal maps in Photoshop Generating normal maps using Away3D NormalMapGenerator Getting your hands dirty with Pixel Bender materials Assembling composite materials Chapter 2: Working with Away3D Cameras Introduction Creating an FPS controllerCreating Camera Depth of Field Effect Detecting whether an object is in front of or behind the camera Changing lenses Following a third-person view with a spring camera Tracking screen coordinates of 3D objects Transforming objects in 3D space relative to the camera position Using Quaternion camera transformations for advanced image gallery viewing Chapter 3: Animating the 3D World Introduction Animating (Rigging) characters in 3DsMax Controlling bones animation in Collada Working with MD2 animations Morphing objects Animating geometry with Tween engines Moving an object on top of the geometry with FaceLinkChapter 4: Fun by Adding Interactivity Introduction Adding rotational interactivity to an Away3D primitive by using Mouse movements Implementing advanced object rotation using vector math Creating advanced spherical surface transitions with Quaternions Interactively painting on the model's texture Dragging on geometry by unprojecting mouse coordinates Morphing mesh interactively Creating a controllable non-physical car Chapter 5: Experiencing the Wonders of Special Effects Introduction Exploding geometry Creating advanced bitmap effects using filtersCreating clouds Visualizing sound in 3D Creating lens flair effects Masking 3D objects Chapter 6: Using Text and 2D Graphics to Amaze Introduction Setting dynamic text with TextField3D Interactive animation of text along a path Creating 3D objects from 2D vector data Drawing with segments in 3D Creating a 3D illusion with Away3D sprites Chapter 7: Depth-sorting and Artifacts Solutions Introduction Fixing geometry artifacts with Frustum and NearField clipping Removing artifacts from intersecting objects Solving depth-sorting problems with Layers and Render ModesChapter 8: Prefab3D Introduction Exporting models from Prefab Normal mapping with Prefab Maintaining workflow with AwayConnector UV map editing with Prefab Creating terrain Generating light maps Creating and animating paths Chapter 9: Working with External Assets Introduction Exporting models from 3DsMax/Maya/Blender Exporting models from 3DsMax to ActionScript class Preparing MD2 models for Away3D in MilkShape Loading and parsing models (DAE, 3ds, Obj, MD2) Storing and accessing external assets in SWF Over 80 practical recipes for creating stunning graphics and effects with the fascinating Away3D engine In Detail Three dimensions are better than two--and it's not a secret anymore that 3D is here to stay. Gone are the days when Flash was just used for 2D animations. In the last few years online Flash content has undergone a revolution with the introduction of real-time 3D engines for Flash. Away3D is the big daddy of them all--which makes it the ultimate resource for top-rated 3D content development and for powering today's coolest games and Flash sites. Away 3D 3.6 Cookbook is your answer to learning all you need to take your Flash or Away3D skills to the next level-- and having fun doing it. This book is your practical companion that will teach you more than just the essentials of Away3D, and will provide you with all the tools and techniques you need to create a stunning 3D experience. You will find recipes targeting every possible field related to Away3D, 3D development pipelines, and best practices in general. You will find practically relevant content exploring advanced topics, which will clear your way to developing cutting edge applications--not to mention saving hours of searching for help on the internet. The recipes in this book will teach you diverse aspects of 3D application development with Away3D. They will guide you through essential aspects like creation of assets in external programs and their integration into Away3D, working with material, animation, interactivity, special effects, and much more. Each topic is packed with recipes targeting different levels of complexity so that even experienced Away3D developers will find a lot of useful and unique information. By the time you are done with this book, you'll be creating your own awesome Away 3D applications and games in less time than you can say "design".. What you will learn from this book Approach The book consists of recipes, each of which delivers a detailed solution to a specific problem scoped inside a broader topic of the chapter. Each recipe contains a detailed guide of what you need to set up for the solution to work, the full example code, rendered images, and step-by-step explanations so that you will be able to fully understand the mechanics of the program. Many recipes don't stop at giving only one solution to the problem but also suggest alternative or more advanced approaches to the same problem giving you much a broader set of options in your development process. Who this book is written for The book is written for experienced Flash developers who want to work with the Away3D engine as well as for those who are already acquainted with the engine but wish to take their skills to the next level. Basic knowledge of Away3D and familiarity with ActionScript 3.0 and OOP concepts is assumed.

In Detail

Three dimensions are better than two-and it's not a secret anymore that 3D is here to stay. Gone are the days when Flash was just used for 2D animations. In the last few years online Flash content has undergone a revolution with the introduction of real-time 3D engines for Flash. Away3D is the big daddy of them all-which makes it the ultimate resource for top-rated 3D content development and for powering today's coolest games and Flash sites. Away 3D 3.6 Cookbook is your answer to learning all you need to take your Flash or Away3D skills to the next level- and having fun doing it.

This book is your practical companion that will teach you more than just the essentials of Away3D, and will provide you with all the tools and techniques you need to create a stunning 3D experience. You will find recipes targeting every possible field related to Away3D, 3D development pipelines, and best practices in general. You will find practically relevant content exploring advanced topics, which will clear your way to developing cutting edge applications-not to mention saving hours of searching for help on the internet.

The recipes in this book will teach you diverse aspects of 3D application development with Away3D. They will guide you through essential aspects like creation of assets in external programs and their integration into Away3D, working with material, animation, interactivity, special effects, and much more. Each topic is packed with recipes targeting different levels of complexity so that even experienced Away3D developers will find a lot of useful and unique information.

By the time you are done with this book, you'll be creating your own awesome Away 3D applications and games in less time than you can say "design".

Approach

The book consists of recipes, each of which delivers a detailed solution to a specific problem scoped inside a broader topic of the chapter. Each recipe contains a detailed guide of what you need to set up for the solution to work, the full example code, rendered images, and step-by-step explanations so that you will be able to fully understand the mechanics of the program. Many recipes don't stop at giving only one solution to the problem but also suggest alternative or more advanced approaches to the same problem giving you much a broader set of options in your development process.

Who this book is for

The book is written for experienced Flash developers who want to work with the Away3D engine as well as for those who are already acquainted with the engine but wish to take their skills to the next level.

Basic knowledge of Away3D and familiarity with ActionScript 3.0 and OOP concepts is assumed.