Away3D 3.6 Essentials (Paperback)

Take Flash to the next dimension by creating detailed, animated, and interactive 3D worlds with Away3D

• Create stunning 3D environments with highly detailed textures
• Animate and transform all types of 3D objects, including 3D Text
• Eliminate the need for expensive hardware with proven Away3D optimization techniques, without compromising on visual appeal
• Written in a practical and illustrative style, which will appeal to Away3D beginners and Flash developers alike

In Detail

Away3D is one of the most popular real-time 3D engines for Flash. Besides creating various detailed 3D environments you can also create animated 3D scenes, use various special effects, integrate third-party libraries, and much more. The possibilities of using this engine are endless. But will you be able take full advantage of all these features and make a 3D application that is picture perfect?.

This is the best book for guiding you through Away3D, and the possibilities it opens up for the Flash platform. You'll be able to create basic 3D objects, display lifelike animated characters, construct complex 3D scenes in stunning detail, and much more with this practical hands-on guide.

Starting with the very basics, this book will walk you through creating your first Away3D application, and then move on to describe and demonstrate the many features that are available within Away3D such as lighting, shading, animation, 3D text, model loading and more. With the help of this comprehensive guide to all the information you ever needed to use Away3D, you'll find yourself creating incredibly detailed 3D environments in no time.

You begin with an overview of downloading the Away3D source code and configuring various authoring tools like Flex Builder, Flash Builder, FlashDevelop, and Flash CS4. Next you ease your way through creating your first primitive 3D object from scratch, then move on to creating stunning 3D environments with incredibly detailed textures and animations. You will make applications react to mouse events, with the click of a mouse - literally, learn ways to focus your camera and perfect your creation by viewing it from all angles, and take your Away3D application to the next level by overcoming the limitations in default Away3D algorithms. You will also learn optimization techniques to obtain the best performance from Away3D, without compromising on visual appeal.

Create stunning real-world 3D Flash applications, right from displaying your first sphere to creating entire 3D cities, with plenty of tips to help you avoid common pitfalls.

What you will learn from this book

• Draw primitive shapes such as cubes, cones, spheres, and planes without having to manually construct them from their basic elements
• Add eye-catching special effects to your Away3D application
• Warp, curve, modify, and bend 3D text to your will
• Focus the Camera and view 3D objects from all angles
• Improve mouse interactivity in your 3D application
• Integrate third-party libraries such as TweenLite and Stardust with Away3D to animate 3D objects and create particle effects
• Use sprites and sprite classes
• Utilize the power of Pixel Bender for image processing
• Export 3D models from 3D modeling applications such as 3ds Max, Blender, MilkShape, and Sketch-Up
• Get practical tips on achieving maximum performance in your 3D applications

Approach

Away3D is an impressive technology, and this book is focused on showing you how to create practical and fun 3D Flash applications with plenty of step-by-step examples, tips to help you avoid common mistakes, plain English explanations of the concepts and techniques used by Away3D, and honest advice to help you understand some of the inconsistencies in the Away3D code base.

Who this book is written for

This book is meant for beginners as well as experienced Flash developers who are looking to create 3D applications in Flash using the Away3D engine. Whether you are using Away3D for the first time or are a seasoned developer, this book will provide you with a solid foundation in taking Flash to the next dimension. It can also be used as a reference guide by Flash developers who are already familiar with Away3D.