Shape morphing algorithm? - actionscript-3

Is there a way to replicate by code what Flash Pro/CC does when you tween a shape into another one? Maybe a library is already out there?
Or, is it possible accessing some API within AS3 itself?

In AS3 you can include:
import fl.transitions.Tween;
However, this does not solve your issue; Tween within AS3 only allows you to Tween a static object, so you are left with two options:
Creating the MorphShape object in the Flash authoring tool, or
coordinate manipulation of the shape (which seems unrealistic)

Related

Anyone know a list of flash.includes? (as3)

I'm looking for a list of flash.include.whatever.whatever for as3.
If no one knows a list then can someone tell me the flash.include to use for drawing rectangle with the startFill and endFill things? Thanks for any help.
I didn't find anything on either of these googling, and the place I got the code for drawing a rectangle of course didn't have the flash.includes included in the example code... is their a reason so many people do that? Any way I can get around it?
Do you mean you want a list of the packages and classes that come with AS3? That is typically called the documentation and can be found here:
Adobe ActionScript® 3 API Reference
For drawing a Rectangle, you can start at flash.display.Shape. It has a graphics object with the methods .beginFill() and .endFill().
you can using a Graphics.
The Graphics class contains a set of methods that you can use to
create a vector shape. Display objects that support drawing include
Sprite and Shape objects. Each of these classes includes a graphics
property that is a Graphics object. The following are among those
helper functions provided for ease of use: drawRect(),
drawRoundRect(), drawCircle(), and drawEllipse(). You cannot create a
Graphics object directly from ActionScript code. If you call new
Graphics(), an exception is thrown.
The Graphics class is final; it cannot be subclassed.
here is a sample
import flash.display.*;
this.graphics.beginFill(0xff0000);
this.graphics.drawRect(0,0,100,100);
here is a Adobe Tutorial
AS3 all display class list here
You do not necessarily need to default AS3 include. fine compile. But include only the code you can see the hint. perhaps, CS4 after that if you use a specific class will automatically include. or ctrl+space is autocompletion.
As follows by default when you install the flash is because of the SWC path.
As per I know, there is not such a thing like Flash.include. May be you're trying to ask something else or may be i am still unknown about this feature.
If you found any positive thing about this, please let me know, i want to know that new thing.

How to extract the shape of MovieClip?

We have a flash application that we are planning on converting to javascript. It's a pretty simple map application with an image as the background and a bunch of simple polygon movie clips that represent destinations on the map.
I would like to iterate through each movie clip and extract the shape into an array of x,y points to redraw the polygon using an external javascript function.
Is this possible with actionscript?
If you want to export the shape coordinates at author time, you can do try the JSFL script recommented by #strille or this one or export transparent images (if that's not too limiting for your application).
If you need to export the shapes at runtime, you can use the awesome as3swf library to decompile the swf and export the shapes. Have a look at the ShapeExport wiki as there are couple of handy exporters for js like JSCanvasShapeExporter and the more generic JSONShapeExporter
There are ways you can read the coordinates from an SWF. For instance, I've written a parser in PHP (link). Getting the data doesn't help though, as it turns out. The Flash painting model is different enough from the HTML5 one enough to make transfer exceeding difficult. The main obstacle I discovered is that in Flash, a path can be filled with two fill styles: one for area enclosed by the path, the other for enclosed area considered to be "outside" by the even-odd rule (e.g. the pentagon in the middle of a star). Since the HTML5 canvas let you specify only one fill style, you can't redraw shapes from Flash accurately. I was trying to create a tool that extract shapes as SVG and was getting a lot of gap and holes in the result.
Flash Player 11.6 introduced readGraphicsData() which does exactly what you ask for.
If you need to target an earlier version, then there's no simple way to read shape coordinates from a display object with ActionScript at runtime unfortunately.
If you just want to extract the shape coordinates once someone has written a jsfl script for Flash CS3 which looks like it might be able to help you out.

actionscript library for interactive path drawing (or any other library for the equations

I am making a flash app where I want to have a user defined viewport like the stage in the flash IDE which the user can use to define objects that have a starting postition somerwhere off or on the stage and an ending position either or on or off the stage with the object then tweening between the two points.
My question is this: I want the user to be able to define a curved path for the object to tween along. Is there a library of code that I can use to define curved paths for the app?
Ideally I would like something similar to the functionality available in Flash, so a bezier curve sort of path that is subdivided into handles that can be dragged to define the path of the tween.
If there isn't an existing library, then do you know of the functions that I would need to define (mathematical equations related to drawing curves etc)?
Many thanks
You could use TweenMax with the BezierPlugin
Or define the path elsewhere and use LinePath2D

ActionScript / Flash - Programatically Bitmap-Fill IDE Drawn Vectors?

my current situation maybe akin to me painting myself into a corner.
i have many vector shapes drawn with the Flash Professional CS5 IDE, which have been converted into sprite objects and exported to actionscript. for example, here are 3 shapes:
i want to programatically fill each shape with a bitmap from my library. i realize i can fill these shapes with library bitmaps in the IDE, but i need to scale the bitmaps at runtime as well as swap them out for others.
how is it possible to programatically bitmap-fill shapes drawn within the IDE at runtime without having to also programatically redraw them?
what about using your shapes as masks rather than going through a painful on the fly drawing process ?
it would go like :
bitmap.mask = shape;
as long as shape is a DisplayObject, it should work.
otherwise you can still use a JSFL to export your shapes, store them as arrays of points and draw them at runtime.
here's a basic JSFL export tool
http://ericlin2.tripod.com/bugwire/bugwiret.html
here's an advanced JSFL tool:
http://www.lidev.com.ar/?p=192
here's a ( shamelessly self-promoting :) ) example of an application:
http://en.nicoptere.net/?p=1331
[EDIT]
NB when compiled, your vector shapes are turned into opcode, a set of instructions that you can't read easily.
it remains possible though: http://wahlers.com.br/claus/blog/hacking-swf-1-shapes-in-flash/ but still it's a bit complex if the same result can be achieived with masks :)

Is it possible to create a MovieClip using ActionScript 3 code or MXML?

I'm using the Flex 3 SDK and the free FlashDevelop IDE.
As I don't have FlexBuilder or Flash CS4 Professional I cannot make MovieClips graphically.
So instead I want to create a simple MovieClip using code or MXML. For example, lets say I want to create a MovieClip with 3 frames, and load a bitmap into each frame to create a simple animation.
Is this possible? I've had a good google around and the only examples I can find are of loading existing MovieClips and adding them to a stage.
You can create a movieclip with this simple code:
var mc:MovieClip = new MovieClip();
stage.addChild(mc);
That is of cause just and empty movieclip, you can draw on it with graphics property (see here).
As far as I know there is no way to create frame with actionscript. Though there might be some undocumented methods. There are some functions that do not appear in the documentation (like the addFrameScript method).
I would say the best way (if you absolutly can not use the Flash CS4), would be to have a series of Loader objects, and the hide and show them on every in sequence.
Just put them in an array and listen for the enterFrame event.
You can load in the bitmaps in the Loader objects.
If you use the links and checkout the examples in the documentation, I think you should be able to figure it out.
As far as I've seen, there is no easy way to create a MovieClip in Flex which behaves in a way one might see as comparable to Flash's implementation MovieClip. But I don't think you really want a MovieClip to begin with. Flex does not really play well with non-flex objects. Yes, it is possible to add something to a UIComponent, but you are much better off working withing the Flex framework than doing workarounds.
I would use the mx:Image tag to load your images. It is generally the cleanest way to load an image into Flex. It will let you embed the object into the SWF at compile time, which means that you will not have to point to an outside file. I will caution about having too many embedded graphics -- that will kill your download time and possibly your performance.
If you are only interested in having an animation move or re-size, then I would use the Move and Resize objects which are native Flex Tweens.
Your best option might be to extend the UIComponent class, add a MovieClip as a child-component, and apply the settings from MXML via proxy. e.g.,
public function set movieFrames(value:Array):void {
for each(var b:Bitmap in value) {
//add bitmap to _movieclip object.
}
}
You want a Sprite not a MovieClip. And use time instead of frames. There's a Timer class and a getTimer() function. Use them.
create a class that extends/implements Sprite.
Add a Loader class.
Google it exactly how it's done. (flashtuts.com or sth like that).