Version 2.0 released
Version 2.0 is out. The final version is in the downloads, including the full source code, an SWC for Flex, and an MXP for Flash. Since the beta version I've
- Added a number of speed optimizations.
- Fixed emitter rotation in 3D space.
- Tested with Flash CS4.
Posted on 27 October 2008
Speed improvements
I checked in a number of minor changes today. These are mostly minor speed improvements which collectively will add up to a significant improvement for some effects. Most of the changes are to reduce the number of objects that are created and destroyed in the 3D Actions.
Posted on 14 October 2008
Version 2.0 beta released
I added version 2.0 beta to the downloads yesterday. Changes include...
- Added a number of zones to the 3D package - FrustrumZone, ParallelogramZone, BitmapZone, GreyscaleZone.
- Added a random conter.
- Improved performance of the Collide actions.
- Enabled scaling of the 2D BitmapZone and GreyscaleZone.
Posted on 2 October 2008
Updated examples
I updated the examples with code for version 2 of Flint. I added a few more examples at the same time. I really believe version 2 is now better and just as stable as version 1 for 2D development. 3D is also very stable - I just need to finalise a few features before going to beta.Posted on 25 September 2008
More 3D Zones
I've added four new 3D zones to Flint.
- FrustrumZone - lets you use the camera frustrum as a zone. Particularly useful for removing particles when they leave the view.
- ParallelogramZone - creates a 2D zone in 3D space. the zone has four sides. If the sides are at right angles, the zone is rectangular.
- BitmapDataZone - creates a zone from a BitmapData object. Any points in the image with an alpha greater than 0 are points in the zone. the image may be stretched and skewed when creating the zone.
- GreyscaleZone - creates a zone from a BitmapData object. Black points in the image are excluded from the zone. Other points are in the zone with a weighting proportional to their luminosity.
I also optimized the Collide actions, approximately doubling their speed.
Posted on 22 September 2008
2.0 Alpha 2 released
I just uploaded version 2.0 alpha 2 to google code. The main change from alpha 1 is the renderers for Away3D and Papervision3D, plus some minor changes and fixes. You can get it form the downloads section or via SVN.Posted on 17 September 2008
Papervision pixel renderer
I added a pixel renderer for papaervision this afternoon. It uses Papervision's effects layer with a Pixels object.
In doing so, I found a bug in Papervision. The code doesn't work without the bug fix, in as much as removing one particle removes all particles unless you fix the bug in your copy of Papervision. The bug report and fix are here.
Posted on 16 September 2008
Improved Papervision3D rendering
I added some improvements to the papervision3D rendering to the SVN repository this morning. Rotation now works on DisplayObject3D particles, the materials are managed in a similar way to the Away3D material management, and various other changes too.
I'll update the docs and get an Alpha 2 out soon.
Posted on 15 September 2008
More Away3D and Papervision3D renderer development
Today I added to the Away3D renderer implementation. It will now render particles using an Away3D Object3D or a Flash DisplayObject. In the later case, an Away3D Billboard is used, in the form of a MovieClipSprite. I also started work on Papervision3D renderers, with two basic renderers. One uses Papervision's DisplayObject3D type for the particles, and the other uses Papervision's Particle type.Posted on 8 September 2008
Away3D renderers started
I was planning to spend a significant amount of time on Away3D and Papervision3D renderers this week, but unfortunately work got in the way of that. I have, however, just uploaded a simple Away3D renderer and a very basic example to test it. I only had an hour to work on this so it's very crude at the moment. I'll hopefully get some more time next week to work on it and other renderers.
Posted on 5 September 2008
