DevX Supplemental Materials Welcome Download Bio

Welcome    

This is a small repository for supplemental materials that are/will be cited in articles I write for DevX. When mentioned in an article, this page will be a starting point for additional references, links, or downloads.

Articles with resources in addition to those posted at DevX are marked accordingly. Supplemental links are found at the bottom of this page.

• Fresh AIR for RIAs August 27, 2007 (bonus source code)
  Take a look at Adobe's AIR, and see why it might be your tool of choice for bringing web and rich Internet applications to the desktop.

• Connect the Dots: Rubber Bands with Flash's Drawing API November 18, 2005 (bonus source code)
  Using Flash's Drawing API to keep MovieClips connected at runtime isn't only easy--it has additional benefits. In addition to commonly used rigid lines, you can connect clips with rubber bands.

• Make Your Files More Expressive with Runtime Filters October 21, 2005 (bonus source code)
  Learn how to use Flash 8's dynamic filter effects, making it possible to add drop shadows, glows, bevels, blurs, and more to Movie Clips at runtime.

• Alpha Gradient Masks, At Last! September 25, 2005 (bonus source code)
  Finally! The soon to be released Flash 8 includes one of the features for which designers have been yearning for years--the ability to use an alpha gradient as a mask.

• 8-Ball to Win: Great New Features Abound in Flash 8 August 8, 2005
  Flash 8 may have just been announced but you don't have to rummage endlessly for the juicy details. This extensive review gives you a preview of all the great new features--for designers and coders alike--plus Studio pricing and more, all in one place.

• Planetary Orbits: Elliptical Animations with ActionScript July 25, 2005
  Bringing some degree of realism to a simulation of planetary orbits requires elliptical, not circular, paths. This article will show you how to create them. Also included is a major execution order "gotcha" that you may not be aware of!

• Master Simple Math Concepts to Electrify Your ActionScript June 23, 2005 (bonus source code)
  I know we said there would be no math, but this is way easier than it sounds. This practical article uses basic trigonometry in ActionScript to improve the flexibility and creativity of your animations. After this down-to-earth tutorial, you may never shy away from math again.

• Loading External Assets in Flash with Transitions May 19, 2005
  When using MovieClips, smooth transitions are often preferred over abrupt starts and stops. This article discusses how to load and unload external content with an accompanying alpha-fade transition.

• Create Sound Synchronization Magic in Flash, Part 1 March 21, 2005
  Remember the speaker cabinets from the '70s, with lights that throbbed to the music? Using a powerful third-party utility for Flash, you can create games and animations that use rapid audio synchronization to drive assets with sound instead of programming.
• Create Sound Synchronization Magic in Flash, Part 2 April 18, 2005
  Remember the speaker cabinets from the '70s, with lights that throbbed to the music? Using a powerful third-party utility for Flash, you can create games and animations that use rapid audio synchronization to drive assets with sound instead of programming.

• NOTE: These articles are on the v1 component architecture. An article on current component coding practices is planned for sometime after the release of 8-Ball.
• Master the Time-saving Power of Flash Components, Part 1 January 24, 2005
  In Flash, components--drag-and-drop modules of assets and code--are frequently used to promote code reuse and conserve file size, but they're not always cross-version compatible. Find out how to build components that work across several versions of Flash.
• Master the Time-saving Power of Flash Components, Part 2 February 22, 2005
  In part 1 of this series, you learned to build components that worked with multiple versions of Flash. In this follow-up you'll learn all the little extras that allow you to customize, extend, and distribute your components, for maximum ease and peace of mind.

Enjoy!
—Rich

Fresh AIR for RIAs     

This is an HTML/JavaScript version of the Flash CS3-based AIR application included in the article. It was developed using the Dreamweaver CS3 AIR development extension but you can use any editor with the AIR SDK (both also cited in the article).

• Bonus Files (zipped HTML, JS, images, 360K)

Connect the Dots: Rubber Bands with Flash's Drawing API     

Using Flash's Drawing API to keep MovieClips connected at runtime isn't only easy--it has additional benefits. In addition to commonly used rigid lines, you can connect clips with rubber bands.

• Bonus Files (zipped FLAs, 24K)

Make Your Files More Expressive with Runtime Filters    

Learn how to use Flash 8's dynamic filter effects, making it possible to add drop shadows, glows, bevels, blurs, and more to Movie Clips at runtime.

• Bonus Files (zipped FLA/SWF, 20K)

Alpha Gradient Masks, At Last!    

Finally! The soon to be released Flash 8 includes one of the features for which designers have been yearning for years--the ability to use an alpha gradient as a mask.

• Bonus Files (zipped FLA/SWF, 232K)

Master Simple Math Concepts to Electrify Your ActionScript    

I know we said there would be no math, but this is way easier than it sounds. This practical article uses basic trigonometry in ActionScript to improve the flexibility and creativity of your animations. After this down-to-earth tutorial, you may never shy away from math again.

• Bonus Files (zipped FLA/SWF, 20K)

Rich Shupe - FMA    

Shupe is the founder of FMA, a New York-based full-service multimedia development and training company specializing in online, and disc-based development. Shupe has been using Flash since its introduction as a cross-platform development tool and has discussed Flash and/or Director as a regular lecturer, panelist, and trainer at many conferences including FlashForward, Flash on the Beach, Macworld, UCon, QuickTime Live, and many others. Shupe teaches Flash in both commercial and academic environments, and is a faculty member at New York's School of Visual Arts. He is also a technical writer, authoring or co-authoring books including Flash 8 Projects for Animation and Interactivity and Learning ActionScript 3.0 (both O'Reilly). Clients include Apple Computer, McGraw-Hill, Pearson Education, IBM, Mott's Food Service, Loews Theaters, and Marvel Interactive.

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