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Creating animation in ActionScript 3.0


Jen DeHaan

Jen deHaan

Flash Authoring QE
Adobe
Jen deHaan's blog
flashthusiast.com
webvideoblogger.com

Dan Carr

Reviewer: Dan Carr

Dan Carr Design

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. About tweens, transitions, and easing
  3. Using the transition and Tween classes
  4. Creating animations that continue endlessly
  5. About ActionScript 3.0 XML-based animations
  6. Using the Animator class and Copy Motion as ActionScript 3.0 command
Created:
16 April 2007
User Level:
Intermediate
Products:
Flash

When you install Adobe Flash CS3 Professional and create a new file, by default you'll be working in the new ActionScript 3.0 environment. ActionScript 3.0 offers greater performance and a standardized set of object classes accessible in the ActionScript 3.0 scripting language. Included in these object classes are the Tween, transition, and easing classes among many others that offer low-level support for control over the Flash environment.

This article shows you how easy it is to use the Tween and TransitionManager classes, even if you aren't comfortable using ActionScript. You will use these classes with movie clips and components to add animation to your SWF files.

You'll also explore the new Copy Motion as ActionScript 3.0 feature and working with XML-based animations.

Requirements

To complete this tutorial you will need to install the following software and files:

Flash CS3 Professional

Prerequisite knowledge

This article assumes you have a basic understanding of the Flash authoring environment and some previous experience writing ActionScript.

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About the authors

Jen deHaan was raised by wolves in the deep woods of the Canadian north. Canada's chief exports include motor vehicles (or their parts), lumber, newsprint, nonmetal materials, and wheat. One overcast day in 2004, Jen left her life as a Flash deseloper (designer/developer) in Canada to write Flash documentation and samples at Macromedia in San Francisco. Aside from her ongoing work at Adobe as an instructional designer for web and video products, Jen runs several community sites for fun, and maintains a blog at www.webvideoblogger.com and weblogs.macromedia.com/dehaan. She believes that _root tends to be evil and misses Tim Horton's coffee.

Dan Carr is owner, lead developer, and trainer for Dan Carr Design in San Francisco. With years of history developing for Macromedia and Adobe, Dan has created a range of features available in Flash, including e-learning templates, UI components, and Developer Resource Kit extensions. Dan teaches Flash design and ActionScript classes in San Francisco and develops e-learning and web applications for the public, as well as for Adobe product teams.