Greeting fellow Away3d'ers!
The latest release of Away3d has been... released! There are fairly minimal
changes to the structure of the framework, but there has been quite a big
shift in the folder structure for the trunk. If you are interested in
upgrading to this version then it is probable that you won't want to mess
around with svn settings mid-way through a project, so for this reason the
original structures have been preserved in the tags - with 2.4.0 and 3.4.0
retaining the old structures exactly allowing you to switch (hopefully)
without incident
For the trunk though, things are looking very different, and for a few good
reasons. We wanted the Flash 10 version to be on equal footing in the svn,
without having things stuck in branches where they are harder to find. We
also wanted users to have an easier time finding examples and versions. And
finally, we wanted something that was expandable for future versions, such
as the production version of haxe. so now the root folder in the trunk looks
like this:
trunk >
fp9 >
Away3D >
src >
AwayBuilder >
src >
AwayTools
src >
Examples >
Away3D >
AwayBuilder >
AwayTools
Collada
Flex
HelloAway3D
JigLibFlash
fp10 >
Away3D >
src >
AwayBuilder >
src >
AwayTools
src >
Examples >
Away3D >
AwayBuilder >
AwayTools
Collada
Flex
HelloAway3D
JigLibFlash
Flash 9 and Flash 10 versions have dedicated folders at the top level, with
identical internal structures. The main source has been split into core
Away3D code, AwayBuilder code and (soon to be created) AwayTools code - a
new library that will collect some of the more complex geometry and
texturing features, making the core release smaller and easier to maintain.
The various examples we had dotted around the place have now been collected
into an examples folder that mimic the source folders, with certain
dedicated others for Collada, Flex etc.
On to the syntax changes you may spot in the new version. Firstly, all
examples in the Away3d folder have been re-written from purely a
typedchecked point of view. This was always possible, but is now made clear
at the start. For completeness, the init object way of doing things is left
i the examples, but as a commented shortcut above the new code. So now you
can easily pick your preference!
Next, there have been some changes in the loader classes, again to make
things more easy to get to grips with. First off - a few methods have been
opened up to allow typechecked loading in line with the changes made to the
examples. This has added a few new getters and setters to the docs which
should reveal more about the loader classes, and again help with learning.
Secondly, the root loader object has been renamed Loader3D, and the default
cube loader renamed LoaderCube. For anyone upgrading, these are most likely
the only syntax errors you will encounter with your code - everything else
should run as normal.
There have been a few new features added to this release, including:
- Vector graphics and fonts support.
- Typed-checked loader support.
- Geometry modifiers for exploding, welding, mirroring…
- Depth material for creating depth masks.
- Normalmap and Bumpmap generators from geometry.
- Light pre-baking on textures.
the last two are still in development, but we wanted to include teh code for
them in this release so that you could start experimenting - certainly they
open up a new world of possibilities with preparing 3d graphics for flash.
We are hoping to be able to post more demos and code on these features soon.
for the vector graphics and font additions check out the post on Away3d.com
for some examples, the source of which can also be found in the examples
folder in the svn:
http://away3d.com/away3d-24-34-released
docs have yet to be updated - this will be occuring in the svn and on the
livedocs pasges in the next few days.
Finally (as I always say ;)), this release is tested thoroughly with our
many examples, but as with anything, there is always the chance of bugs
slipping through the net. If you encounter a bug with the new code, please
let us know! we will do everything we can to rectify the problem.
Enjoy the new release!
The Away3d Team
--
Rob Bateman
Flash Development & Consultancy
[email protected]
www.infiniteturtles.co.uk
www.away3d.com
