Adobe Flash and Interactive animation architecture :Adobe Flash and Interactive animation architecture


Background and History :Background and History In the beginning only ASCII text After wide-spread use of WWW, limits of HTML became evident Many motion graphics platforms were under development Technologies must use limited network resources


Background and History :Background and History Browser ”wars”; Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator implemented their own HTML tags Incompatibilities, extra work for developers Flash could do standardized graphics output, regardless of browser Content creator’s decided to begin using Flash – major turning point


What is Flash? :What is Flash? On a webpage, they are applets Applets are made with an authoring environment, like Adobe Flash CS3 Playback of content requires plug-in Applets exist on a server usually with .SWF extension


Structural contents :Structural contents One .SWF is one applet, containing everything needed to run Vector graphics, raster graphics, keyframe, video and ActionScript data Image and video data is encapsulated Flash is proprietary format


Vector Graphics :Vector Graphics Flash is a vector graphics program, which supports raster graphics. Graphics consist of.. vectors, which may be filled with color or image. Bézier curves, can be controlled via control points Anti-aliasing + vector graphics = resolution (or layout) independent playback


Raster Graphics :Raster Graphics Flash can use any image formats supported by authoring system Procedurals, ie. gradient Generally, raster graphics are heavier on network load


Flash Sound :Flash Sound Placement, duration, volume and repeat behaviour can be defined Usually synchronized with animation, but can just lay on the Timeline Often event driven sound f/x ActionScript is a good tool for controlling sound


Animation :Animation Existing objects can be keyframed Interpolated in-betweens: motion tweening and shape tweening Possible to set keyframes for almost every parameter


Interaction :Interaction Build any User Interface imaginable on 2D surface Can use mouse, keyboard, webcam input API supports additional libraries Visual example: http://amigo095.ru/ Keyboard: http://www.volkswagensnake.nl/


ActionScript :ActionScript Is the Flash API, accessed from the authoring system Can be used for data processing and capturing user input Content creator needn’t be a programmer The most potent feature of Flash Can be extended with libraries, for ie. 3D graphics


Example :Example


Authoring environment :Authoring environment


Authoring environment :Authoring environment Conceptually, works like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw Has additional stuff for motion graphics and web Applet can be published as .SWF and previewed


Conclusion :Conclusion Motion vector graphics for web with sound Easy to use; many video training tutorials available.. .. but requires knowledge of usability design and media usage