810:088 Topics in Computing - Flash animation

Spring 2008

  1. VIP: Final Exam study guide is all done. Here is the email note you received too.

    1. Quiz One Study Guide will be part of final exam study guide materials. EVERYTHING in the study guide from January will be fair game.

    2. More Quiz One Study Guide from January.

    3. Valentine's Day eve QUIZ TWO was taken. Here is the study guide for that quiz.

    4. Quiz Four and Quiz Five had the same Study Guide.

    5. QUIZ FIVE: Study Guide review what students had trouble with on Quiz 4.

    6. The Graphic Symbol versus Movie Clip symbol item 12 of study guide example. It is set at only 5 fps (FIVE Frames Per Second), but you can also use the button and the checkbox to compare the behavior of Graphic and Movie Clip symbols.

  2. Student Flash published movies: Link to all four assignments pages.

  3. The Spinning Moon example shows what can be done with Flash ActionScript 3.0 and Flash CS3 bitmap graphics animation.

  4. The Growing Flowering Plant Example File for shape tweens: Wednesday, April 30th hands-on lab class.

    Creating animations using Shape Tweens by Chris Georgenes is an Adobe CS3 Video Workshop. Other Flash Video workshops are available here.

  5. LAST HANDS-ON computer lab CLASS is on WEDNESDAY at noon. Friday Flash class will be in ITT 328, our regular classroom.

  6. Summer and Fall Classes to consider taking for more Graphics and Animation experience using Flash, other CS3 apps like Fireworks and Dreamweaver, and Maya software.

  7. The Two Kinds of ActionScript 3.0 animation - Using a Timer versus using the EnterFrame event. Compare to this animation where the moving object bounce off the walls.

    More phases of the Cirplosion game and the original cirplosion game on the web.

  8. Thursday, April 24th: Color Experiments using Flash BitmapData class. Flash was only a vector graphics based tool until Flash 8 introduced the BitmapData feature. (Flash 8 is the immediate predecessor of Flash CS3, which also is sometimes aptly called Flash 9).

  9. Wednesday sound example with an extra feature not shown in class. You have the handout for this code, as well as the layers and timeline of the Library symbol.

  10. Examples Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 classes.

  11. Here is Shape Tween tutorial #1. Try it out.

  12. Examples/Practice #2: Shape Tween tutorial #2. Be sure to check out the http://www.nrg.be shape tweening example mentioned in tutorial #2.

  13. The Shape Tween .fla files from Friday, April 11th lab class, including the terrifying Red Pepper monster.

  14. Examples of Shape Tweens to give you ideas for your Shape Tweening assignment #4 - not ready yet.

  1. Information on MAYA 3D Graphics Fall 2008 class - 810:088 Topics in Computing can be repeated when the topic is a different one.

  2. Information on Microcomputer Applications and Systems Integration 810:022 class - which will have an emphasis on Adobe Fireworks in the fall of 2008 instead of Flash. 810:088 is way more than a sufficient prerequisite for taking 810:022. You do NOT need to have 810:021 to take it. I can have our CS department release the prerequisite hold for your UNI ID, if that is needed.

  3. Information on Computer Science Department Certificate in Computer Applications = 12 credit hours, 4 classes.

  1. Audio in Flash: Sound example and instructions. Monday, April 15th.

  2. Lab class - Friday, April 19th: Audio in Flash: Sound example with Visual Tracking of the left and right stereo channels.

  3. Two more sounds examples: ActionScript 3.0 and the .load() method and Event.COMPLETE argument to the .addEventListener() method.

  4. Before spring break code for playing sounds that were imported. Monday, March 3rd class.

Wednesday April 9th: Cirplosion Game and mouseX, mouseY, etc.
There will be an in-class quiz on this Wednesday 04/09.

STUDY GUIDE for April 9th: WEDNESDAY QUIZ #5, which is the same as the quiz 4 study guide.

Take home quiz/assignment is due on MONDAY 04/14. I will mention a few more things about the toughest question during the hands-on Studio II lab class on Friday.

Racing Rectangles application, with accurate report of the winner as well as a reset button.

Code from Friday 04/04 for racing rectangles first version and the second version (with Arrays).

Quiz April 2nd: Quiz 4 outline and study guide for Wednesday quiz.
  1. Monday, March 31st: Goalkeeping game with dX (change in x) added and a tracer feature added via a checkbox component. BE SURE TO CHECK THE CHECKBOX TO SEE THE TRAILS.

  2. Assignment #3: Slide Show assignments. GET THIS ASSIGNMENT DONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE PLEASE!

  3. The Wednesday 2/27 class lengthy handout FMA Adobe tutorial should be studied carefully. Be familiar with it from here and from reading your handouts.

    ASSIGNMENT #3 : The Slide Show Assignment was assigned on March 5th. 

    --------------------------------------------------------------------
VIP: Be sure to use Flash ActionScript 2.0 for this assignment.

    Do NOT choose or use Flash File (ActionScript 3.0)
       ---

           Choose to use Flash File (ActionScript 2.0)
              because the Cafe Townsend tutorial is from
              Flash 8.0 days, so the ActionScript code you
              COPY and PASTE is the older version 2.0 code.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
  4. QUIZ FOUR on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2nd.

  5. The slide show assignment was assigned on March 5th.
  1. Friday, March 24th mouseX and mouseY animation exercise. Please REDO this again on your own for practice.

  2. Monday, March 24th: Goalkeeping game (Stop the falling circles with the rectangle. You must CLICK on the Flash movie first to activate the arrow keys so you can move the blue rectangle.

  3. 3D using Flash: Simulating 3D and gravity using ActionScript.

  4. Friday, March 14th: Colors and Gradients experiments in Flash. You need to make a colorExperiment Movie Clip symbol and use ActionScript 3.0. Be sure to Export for ActionScript in the Advanced portion of the dialogue box when doing the F8 Convert to Symbol. Or you can do it later when it is already in the Library by right-clicking and choosing Linkage command.

  5. Friday, March 14th: Physics based animation in Flash. Uses ActionScript 3.0. Make sure ball is the instance name of your theBallSymbol. Place the ball in the lower left corner of the Flash stage. theBallSymbol should be exported for ActionScript, of course. See above note for the colorExperiment Movie Clip Symbol.

  1. Have you ever heard of iWeb software or having a .Mac account. Here is a new web site at web.mac.com/whitmanrilke.com that was created using iWeb software in the KAB 250 Macintosh lab.

    Another example FMA slide show using 9 different slides from Flowers in an Urn by Jan van Huysum.

  2. Here is a link to how to upload to sunny.uni.edu using Apple Macintosh free Cyberduck software. KAB 250 computer lab is where I made this PDF and did the screen snapshots.

  3. Drag and Drop review from Monday, March 10th class that covers the Friday, March 7th handout.

  4. A new event: Event.ENTER_FRAME and the .onHitTest() method. More flexible and less predictable than possible with Motion Tween animations. ActionScript 3.0 step by step.

  5. Puzzle Game: A L I C E is an animation programming language, thus the book cover that was cut up and turned into 8 separate movie clips using Flash.

    Play the game, then study some of the ActionScript 3.0 code and comments, then play the game a few more times.

  6. Friday, February 29th Leap Year Day class. STUDY and PLAY WITH THESE EXAMPLES.

  7. The Wednesday 2/27 class lengthy handout FMA Adobe tutorial should be studied carefully. Be familiar with it from here and from reading your handouts.

    ASSIGNMENT #3 : The Slide Show Assignment was assigned on March 5th. 

    --------------------------------------------------------------------
VIP: Be sure to use Flash ActionScript 2.0 for this assignment.

    Do NOT choose or use Flash File (ActionScript 3.0)
       ---

           Choose to use Flash File (ActionScript 2.0)
              because the Cafe Townsend tutorial is from
              Flash 8.0 days, so the ActionScript code you
              COPY and PASTE is the older version 2.0 code.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

    Upload Images using Dreamweaver successful test.

  8. QUIZ FOUR on Wednesday, March 5th will be a very fun time. In honor of 3/5, perhaps I should let you have a "cheat sheet" consisting of a 3 by 5 card. RESCHEDULED TO WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12th.

  9. Some of the code for playing sounds that were imported. Monday, March 3rd class.

Study guide for QUIZ TWO, which will be on WEDNESDAY, February 20th instead of being on Valentine's Day eve, i.e. Wednesday, February 13th.

  1. QUIZ THREE will be on Wednesday, February 27th. It will cover the concepts you learned doing the Cars with Rotating Wheels.
    A quiz three CARS and WHEELS and ROTATING WHEELS review will occur as part of the Monday, February 25th class.

  2. Friday 2/22 class: Motion Guides practice and uploading with Dreamweaver review. Updated Friday evening

  3. More review of Guide Layers and Guided Layers in Flash.

  1. The first version of Horse and Colt running across the screen, as well as rearing up on their hind legs.

  2. theCarSymbol is to frontWheel and backWheel instances of RotatingWheelSymbol as theHorseSymbol (whether theHorse or theColt instances of that theHorseSymbol) is to what?

    theHorseSymbol is to frontLeg and backLeg instances of runningHorseLegSymbol (- okay, so I called it a blueRotatingBlade instead of a runningHorseLegSymbol in honor of Picasso! :-) -)

  3. Learning Flash is like Learning To Ride a Horse or learning to roller blade or first learning to ride a bike.

Here are Twenty of Twenty-One Flash assignments that I have had uploaded to the web server sunny.uni.edu so far.

Sunday, February 10th suggested readings, activities and Quiz Two note, etc.

Read over the following Creating and animating masks tutorial. You may wish to watch the video as well as study over the document. There are sample files available for you to try it out, not that you need them to try the concepts illustrated on the page and with the video. You can easily make your own example up and skip the AQUO logo specific example.

A fun Paddle Ball game that was used to test out Dreamweaver techniques. We will study this Flash game and its ActionScript 3.0 features in late April.
Another way to display Flash .swf files. And a 2nd example on sunny.uni.edu.
The practice file Filter.fla that goes with today's handout and lab (Friday, 2/8/2008). Drop Shadow of Author Tom Green (Tom and David are the authors of Foundation Flash CS3 for Designers).
  1. The way to upload your Flash movies to the sunny.uni.edu by using Dreamweaver. You have this PDF file as a handout from the Friday, February 8th class.

  2. Here is the new and improved upload Flash movies with the additional screen snapshot I forgot in the original.

  3. Dreamweaver and Flash. Dreamweaver is not just for uploading the .html and .swf file to your sunny.uni.edu account.

  4. Done BEFORE class: Filter.fla after doing the exercise and publishing it.

    And here is the one done during our Friday class. FilterMJ2.html

  5. Experiments on late Friday afternoon with Dreamweaver, Acrobat and Flash Filters (animated Drop Shadows, etc) on the text John Coltrane in honor of jazz improvising and experimenting. It can all be done with the Drop Shadow filter. See if you can figure out how?
Mask and Masked layer demonstration for snow day (Wednesday 02/06) that was uploaded using Dreamweaver software.

Email note about Dreamweaver and about Assignment One. The upload part of it was my bad. Sorry.

Uploaded this Flash movie using Dreamweaver in the UNI library at 11:40 p.m. Tuesday February 5th.

Uploaded this Flash movie using just downloaded free 30 day trial version of Dreamweaver at 1:05 a.m. in Wright 338A office.

Preview of Week #4 new material on Mask layers and Masked layers. For Monday, February 4th preview and review. Reading assignment is the links to Flash Help.

  1. This is the Friday February 1st example, which you have a handout for too. It is the Wheel deal! :-)

  2. You will eventually (for Assignment Two) be creating a Flash application that uses the Wheels on a CAR and has buttons to make the Car GO, STOP, Spin Back Wheels or Spin Front Wheels or Spin All Wheels. Study these Summer of 2007 cars examples.

  3. Here is about what we got done in class today: This is rotating wheel with only ONE of the TWO Stop buttons added (From the Friday Feb 1st lab).

REVIEW: January links and materials, including assignment one, quiz one study guide, and Flash purchase and free download information.

Pixels and the Moon animation: Flash Bitmaps Example is 14 pages.

Miscellaneous links: ActionScript 3.0 and flash/g folder in flash folder and the new g folder in web folder.

Timer objects have a .delay property and a .running property and a .currentCount property.

Here is the ActionScript 3.0 documentation, which is hard to find via google. And here is another link to get to that and others: Using Flash, etc. links.

Cirplosion Experiment one.

Grades April 14th - Quiz 1-5 only grades.

Flash Game course - May term - who is taking it so far?