A growing collection of ActionScript 3.0 and Flash CS3 tutorials, some were prepared with a mathematics and science educator in mind but a great majority are of interest to all Flash developers.
We are adding new tutorials to this site all the time. Visit our site often! Click on the menu items above to browse the whole collection.
NEW TUTORIALS
A Gummy Bitmap: Custom Bitmap Transformations in ActionScript 3 We show our custom AS3 BitmapTransformer class in action. In one example we have a bitmap whose vertices can be dragged in an arbitrary way and the image is distorted accordingly in all sorts of contorsions. In the second example, we throw in a dash of tween, and create 'an elastic' image. Great visual effects!
Tween Tricks in ActionScript 3 and Flash CS3 In this tutorial we explore less common ways of using the AS3 Tween class. The class is remarkably flexible. Instead of tweening properties directly related to motion or appearance, we tween a property of an auxiliary object. We show how to use the technique to create tweened nonlinear motion, tweened text effects, and a 'balloon' effect. We also illustrate the built-in AS3 easing functions.
AS3 Experiment: A Bitmap Rotating in 3D Explodes into Particles Don't miss this stunning visual effect created by Dan Gries. An image revolving in 3D dissolves into a changing cloud of thousands of particles. The cloud can be rotated with the mouse before the particles come together again. (Advanced and Experimental.)
An XML-based RadioButton Quiz in Flash CS3 Learn how to create a simple quiz interface supplied with content from an external XML data file. This particular quiz structure uses only RadioButton components, but the ideas are adaptable to other interfaces as well. Detailed, step-by-step explanations. (Intermediate Section.)
Rotating 3D Objects with the Tween Class in ActionScript 3 We use the AS3 Tween class and the AS3 collection of easing functions to create interesting rotation effects for a hexagonal cylinder drawn at runtime. The Tween class can tween any numerical property of any object! And it has many events to play with. (Advanced and Experimental.)
Cube in Bloom: Distorting Images in ActionScript 3 We construct a vibrant gallery of flowers on a cube. We provide custom AS3 classes: BitmapTransformer, CubeMenu, and ImageLoader. These classes make it easy to customize and to create 3D menus, galleries and other applications that require image loading and distortion. (Advanced and Experimental.)
Parametric Art Gallery - A Visual Experiment in ActionScript 3 Create your own gallery of visually stunning interactive images made up of parametric curves. We provide a sample gallery and everything you need to experiment on your own and build your own collection. Don't miss this one! (Advanced and Experimental.)
Using the TransitionManager Class in Flash CS3 and ActionScript 3 We discuss and present examples of how to use a very useful yet somewhat underdocumented AS3 class: the TransitionManager. The class allows for creating many cool transition effects between MovieClips, including Wipe, Blinds, PixelDissolve, Photo, Zoom and others. We show examples of each. We also demonstrate in action the events 'allTransitionsInDone' and 'allTransitionsOutDone' that are discussed in LiveDocs and seem to work well. We give several simple examples, and then build an xml-driven slide show that uses transitions. (Basic Section.)
Loading Images and Spinning Them in 3D in Terms of AS3 Custom Classes - Take 2 We show how to use custom AS3 classes to construct a Flash CS3 applet where a couple of two-sided images can be span in 3D. This time, images are loaded at runtime from external files. The concurrent loading is done by a custom ImageLoader class that extends the EventDispatcher class. We show how to create custom events in AS3.
Introduction to Writing and Using Custom ActionScript 3 Classes with Flash CS3 We discuss the three ways that AS3 custom classes can be used with Flash CS3. Then we present a simple applet. In the initial version of the applet, the code is placed on the MainTimeline. We show how to move the code into a custom class. In the new category: Bridging the Gap!
MOST REQUESTED TUTORIALS:
Simple 3D Drawing in Flash CS3 A step-by-step tutorial that walks you through the basic techniques of 3D rendering in ActionScript 3. We begin with a revolving cube and end with a parametric surface. (Advanced section.)
Loading External Clips and Videos in Flash CS3. Learn how to load and control external swf files at runtime, including those contaning Flash Video (flv) files. (Intermediate section.)
Using an External XML file In this tutorial, we show how to use an external XML file to load data into a Flash movie at runtime. The advantage of this approach is that an XML file can be easily edited without recompiling the swf file. As an example, we built a gallery of polar curves by combining the XML technique with our parametric curves grapher. (Advanced section.)
A Simple Function Grapher in Flash CS3 In four setps, we explain how to built a simple function grapher in AS3. The user can choose the x and y ranges as well as the function being graphed. This simple applet uses our mathematical expressions parser, the custom AS3 class MathParser.
The Display List, The Stage, and addChild in Flash CS3 We start from a very elementary example of a "solar system" animation and use it to explain the child-parent relationship in ActionScript 3 and Flash CS3. We discuss the notion of the Display List in Flash CS3, and explain the concept of the Stage and the meaning of the keyword "stage" in AS3. (Intermediate section, although the first part is rather basic.)
ColorPicker Component in Flash CS3, Drawing with the Mouse in AS3 This tutorial shows how to apply the new and really cute ColorPicker component in Flash CS3. We built a simple applet in which the user can draw on the screen using the mouse. The user chooses color using the ColorPicker. (Basic Section.)
A Gallery of Customizable 3D Surfaces in Flash CS3, A Custom 3D Surface Class in AS3 We build a collection of spectacular 3D surfaces that can be rotated by the user. Then we create a custom ActionScript 3 class that makes it easy to use the collection for creating a variety of visually engaging Flash apps. Don't miss this one! (Advanced section.)
Using the Tween class in Flash CS3 and ActionScript 3 We give several examples of using the new class in AS3 - the Tween class. This class allows for easy creation of interesting visual effects and animations. We build control panels that smoothly slide in and out of place, with a nice 'bounce' to them. We also show a 'spin and snap back when dragged' example. (Basic Section.)
Flash Tools for Developers: 3D Graphers in ActionScript 3. A new article at the MathDL Flash Forum that contains custom AS3 classes and customizable templates for creating 3D graphers in Flash CS3. (Custom Classes for Mathematics Section.)