Flash Gets Sexier with Hundreds of Thousands of z-Buffered Triangles

Adobe Labs has a new Flash Player version available right now! Go git ya some. Here’s the skinny on what it adds to Flash…

Today, Adobe Flash Player 10.1,renders thousands of non z-buffered triangles at approximately 30 Hz. With the new 3D APIs, developers can expect hundreds of thousands of z-buffered triangles to be rendered at HD resolution in full screen at around 60 Hz. Using the new 3D APIs in Flash Player and AIR will make it possible to deliver sophisticated 3D experiences across almost every computer and device connected to the Internet.

Sounds purty sweet right. Well I gave it a shot with the demo game linked up in the labs, and indeed it is. Exciting times ahead. Also there’s been some talk about Unity exporting to Flash now. Hmmm.

That one thing your tablet is missing, is found

This can’t go unmentioned. Through magic of suction cup technology and, er, I don’t know what else. You can have a joystick on your iPad or Android tablet….

Also I’m mere minutes away from teaching a new Flash tutorial on…. Drumroll…. one of those slingshot type games where you pull back something and aim for a target. And this will have some code for incorporating in the Accelerometer if you publish to either an Android or iOs device. Here’s a quick peek…

Jessica Rabbit as Slave Leah: Its just that easy to down a server

So I just saw this link on Digg “Slave Leia Jessica Rabbit Sings for Jabba the Hut”. And how can I not click? Well whoever reposted this artwork from JimSam-X’s DeviantArt page wasn’t prepared for the amount of traffic that Star Wars / Roger Rabbit nerds are capable of. Their server is down. They just didn’t see this artwork for what it is: The perfect storm of I-grew-up-in-the-80′s-driven libido. Anyway, this pic just goes to show you, draw the right thing, and the internet will notice.  And it is a great illustration (are Jessica Rabbit’s knees usually that pointy though?)

Is everything scarier in reverse. Maybe.

Our friend Justin Cook pointed out this beautiful zombie-filled piece of animation (Justin made our zombie Toon Boom templates ) .

Oh and  look at this: Currently the highest rated comment on YouTube is… “i would still do that chick in white bikini…”  …  =)

FlashMindMeld! Listen to 60 Experts on Flash Gaming

Here’s a terrific resource for inspiration if you are planning to make a Flash game (or any game). I’ve made it through 5 of these interviews so far, and each 60 second sound byte  has been great. Worth a listen…

And if you want to go beyond just inspiration, CartoonSmart has plenty of tutorials on Flash Gaming as well!

Wait for it, wait for it….

I like to keep things “on topic” with this blog, vaguely animation related most of the time, so you might be wondering why I’m posting this video. Weeeeeell, just wait for it…

And yeah, thats pretty much how most fights would go with that weapon =)

Here’s the type of flower I’d want on Valentines

Cool flower, right. The animator (or possibly just uploader) Ben Reubold credits Freesound.org with the audio, and I just hopped on over to that site which looks like a great resource for free audio.

Want to read about animation for a change

Here’s an interesting article (thanks Dad) from the Wall Street Journal about something many of know about already: Good animation is a pain in the arse. Here’s a taste…

Insurance giant Geico is using the lo-fi animation for a series of TV ads. Some of the most successful amateur video-makers are fielding offers from agents and producers. One popular animation site, Xtranormal, has been adapting its technology for smart phones.

The graphics in these videos are simplistic, and the voices are typically computerized monotones—it’s a long way from the golden age of animation. But TV shows such as “South Park” have refined the art of using crude-looking animated figures to comment on the news of the day. The Taiwanese firm Next Media Animation pumps out animated spoofs online—sometimes in a matter of hours—in response to everything from Tiger Woods’s meltdown to Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the U.S. (Mr. Hu tosses the keys to his jet to President Barack Obama, calling over his shoulder, “Don’t scratch it.”) Now, the masses are getting in on the joke.

Here’s the Geico commercial they mention…

…. They have a point I guess. I’ve been dealing with a hangnail on my toe for more than 15 minutes. The only reason I’m flexible at all is because my teeth are about to deal with this.

Flash Player 10.2 with Stage Video

Neat right. A new Flash Player version. Or are these updates just old news as soon as they are news. Well this one does have some cool enhancements. You can read the full skinny here. Aside from the video playback enhancements which Adobe actually says “you probably won’t notice”, here’s some cool stuff…

Along with the new Stage Video architecture, we’re adding features in Flash Player 10.2 to enable even more polished experiences.

• Video at its best is immersive, so Flash Player allows you jump to true full screen playback with one click. Withmultiple display full screen support in Flash Player 10.2, you can now easily watch your favorite videos  in true full screen on one display while you multitask on another and get someworkdone (or not).
• Added support forcustom native mouse cursors lets designers and developers create their own static or animated cursors with silky smooth responsiveness, enabling richer game and application interfaces.
• New sub-pixel text rendering enhancements leverage Adobe typography research to further enhance text readability, especially for complex character-based languages.
• Support is included for the GPU rendering technology in Microsoft’s upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser.

And if you are privy enough to be using 2 monitors, that first bullet point really is a nice improvement!

I would stop walking to look at this

This is a priiity darn sweet window display. Holograms, nuff said…

Here’s what the description says…

This is the result of abstract:groove first collaboration with Hogan.Together with Exhibita Design Research Studio, we developed this holographic experience, inspired by the mood of the Hogan Shoes man collection. The installation has been presented in Milan during the FW 11/12 Man Fashion Week.