BRUSCA

New Actionscript 3 Australia Zoo Banners

Posted by Brusca under Adobe, Australia Zoo, Flash

We just launched the new home page for the Australia Zoo website. This has some very nice features. New flash banners and an Ajax accordion to help deliver fresh daily content.

Below are some examples of the flash banners and a flow of how the display object works loading in the flash banners.

The home page flash banner loads in external (swf) banners and can currently take 1,2 or 3 banners rotating through. Each banner can have sound but is not critical and is developed to handle both regardless.

The initial swf stage file is only 24kb and loads each banner individually on a Timer() function. The stage is set to scale and will align the externally loaded banners to the center of the stage upon loading and if the stage is re sized.

Banner 1 of the new Australia Zoo Banners

Whale watching banner, from the new Australia Zoo banners

Showing the display objects and how they load the flash banners

Above you will see the displayObject layout for loading in the external banners. As mentioned the banners load in on a Timer() function and iterate through the length of a banner array, which is being passed through the swf object embedded in the page. This allows us to develop banners and add them dynamically without having to alter a core file.

If an individual banner has an existing sound file, this is also loaded externally to the swf file and stops the Timer() function until the sound has completed playing. Once sound is completed playing the timer will start and continue to rotate through the banners.

Also displayed at the bottom left of the banners are banner buttons, allowing a user to click through to a banner at anytime.

There is some more work to be done on fine tuning these. Creating AS3 packages, making the banners even more modulated. Allowing for the sound to be turned off permanently using stored objects so upon multiple refreshes the sound is switched off.

Check them out here www.australiazoo.com.au.

Cabarita Goodness

Posted by Brusca under Uncategorized

Crab burying itself into the sand

Macro on the beach at Cabarita

Rock Macro at Cabarita

I took these on my little Nikon s700 using the macro settings. These shots were taken at Cabarita Beach in Northern NSW. For a full list of shots, check out my Flickr photostream.

Kevin Rose iPhone App Review

Posted by Brusca under Apple

Kevin Rose reviews the iPhone application ‘Topple’. Looks like a fun download.

I have been wracking my brain for some good and unique ideas for new iPhone apps. Not easy as there are thousands of Apps on the App Store now. Will keep thinking and wondering what market there is left. Any thoughts?

Simple AS3 Particles using TweenLite

Posted by Brusca under Adobe, Flash

Particles in AS3 using the TweenLite engine. Code is below, very easy to follow.

//import the tween classes
import gs.TweenLite;
import gs.easing.*

//create the container and particles
var particleCotainer:MovieClip = new MovieClip();
var particleArray:Array = new Array();
var particleArrayb:Array = new Array();
var maxParticles:Number = 200;

//add the particle container to the display
addChild(particleCotainer);

//create the function to add the particles
function addParticle(e:Event)
{

var dot:Particle = new Particle();
var dotb:Particle = new Particle();
particleCotainer.x = stage.stageWidth/2;
particleCotainer.y = stage.stageHeight/2+120;
dot.scaleX = dot.scaleY = Math.random() * .8 + .2;
dotb.scaleX = dotb.scaleY = Math.random() * .6 + .1;
dotb.xMovement = Math.random() * -200;
dotb.yMovement = Math.random() * -200;
dot.xMovement = Math.random() * 200;
dot.yMovement = Math.random() * -200;
particleArray.push(dot);
particleArrayb.push(dotb);
particleCotainer.addChild(dot);
particleCotainer.addChild(dotb);
dot.cacheAsBitmap = true;
dotb.cacheAsBitmap = true;

//create the movement for each particle
TweenLite.to(dot, 2, {y:dot.yMovement, x:dot.xMovement, alpha:.5, rotation:90});
TweenLite.to(dotb, 2, {y:dotb.yMovement, x:dotb.xMovement, alpha:.5, rotation:-90});
TweenLite.to(dot, 8, {y:200, alpha:0, rotation:90, delay:1.5, overwrite:0, ease:Strong.easeIn});
TweenLite.to(dotb, 8, {y:200, alpha:0, rotation:-90, delay:1.5, overwrite:0, ease:Strong.easeIn});

}

//create the timer to call the function. Runs every 100 milliseconds
var myTimer:Timer = new Timer(100);
myTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, addParticle);
myTimer.start();