3D Flash Animator 4.9.6.2

You can download 4.9.6.2 from ...

http://www.3dfa2.com/files/3DFlashAnimator4Setup.exe

This version has significantly improved 3D export with new properties to control the camera, lighting, material, and physics of 3D models and their children.

The new version also includes AS3 methods like addChild, getChildAt, and removeChild for manipulating the child elements in the display list of an element.

The following animation, which is included in the samples, uses the new features, and shows how the Flash 9 player can render up to 20000 shaded polygons per second.

http://www.3dfa2.com/samples/alphabet_soup.html

Hopefully the new 3D and AS3 features will encourage more users to try exporting to the Flash 9 format, which still needs another few weeks of beta testing before it becomes truly reliable.

Looking Superb

Glad to see 3DFA is making progress.

I take it that importing 3D files is still buggy? I couldn't seem to get it to work.

Also, will it support textures that are uv-mapped?

There will be several texture options soon, including uv bitmap textures (slow) and vector paint textures (fast). The 3D Shape element is returning, along with script modeling and more script control over the polygon meshes.

3DFA currently imports 3DS and OBJ files, but Flash style vector rendering has no z-buffer and requires hidden face removal otherwise the models may appear distorted.

Unfortunately, many programs that export generic 3DS and OBJ files expect the renderer to use z-buffering, so they ignore the traditional hidden face conventions.

Therefore, after importing a model, you may need to manually correct each component of a model using 3DFA's hidden face options.

Some 3D programs even export their meshes with each polygon in the mesh having an unpredictable direction. Special processing is being added to try to compensate for this, but at the end of the day, some 3D files will never be suitable for Flash rendering.

At the moment, 3DFA's built-in renderer only renders the model as it will appear when exported to Flash.

If you are interested in seeing 3DFA's 3D features reach maturity then we are at that stage of development and testing that you should report any model that does not import properly.

and where is this "hidden face" option? thanks

Open any component that contains polygons, in 4.9.6.2, you'll see an option that says "allow backface removal" (renamed to 'hidden face' in future releases)

The Flash quality option in the above sample has just been changed from 'high' to 'autohigh' - which makes quite an amazing difference to the rendering speed.

If nobody has any objections, 3DFA's default might be changed back to autohigh. This means the flash player may decide to reduce the antialiasing if the desired framerate cannot be met. This caused some concern about jagged edges in the dark past, but hopefully enough people these days are running a 2Ghz processor.

Ok, I had issues loading some models but will try them again. I was able to load a simple box that was made in Wings3D. But there's two things I would like to mention...

1.) There use to be a default gray material already set when a 3D model was loaded. This just makes it easier to see if your model loaded.

2.) You have to select "All Files" to be able to see OBJ files. This extension should be added with the 3DS one in "Models...".

I will do some more testing.

Also, why isn't there a "Add 3D Element" where you use to be able to draw 3D shapes. This seems to only be visible if you load a 3D model (in the properties of a loaded model)?

Models are now loaded in their design colors. You should change the movie background color if you need more contrast on light colored objects.

As mentioned before, the Shape element is being re-introduced with improved features.

Bug reports, like missing obj files from the file open dialog, are always appreciated. But these reports need to be sent to the contact email address rather than posted in the forum. If you are using the 3D features and would like to contribute to the quick development of features you need, then the best way to contribute is to converse with the developers by email.

There will be new releases very regularly over the next few weeks as the bugs are being ironed out.

3DFA crashes when i use this command in edit box:

<a href = "link to url">name</a>

...and try export movie.

Btw. Why my fonts looks so... indefinite(?) when i try export them to 'edit box'. In 'small text' everything looks good, but in edit box not.

Once again ... please do not post bugs reports in the forum, or they will be deleted. If you think you have a bug problem, send an email to the contact address on the website.

Many bug reports are actually user errors, and almost all bug reports require more information from the user. Saying "this or that looks wrong" is never enough. If we can't see it, we can't fix it.

After sending a report to the contact address, you will almost always be asked to send a screenshot or a small cutdown movie file which demonstrates the problem.

Please make our job easier by sending as much information as possible with your initial report.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kusco

Once again ... please do not post bugs reports in the forum, or they will be deleted. If you think you have a bug problem, send an email to the contact address on the website...

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Sorry. I send email with that bug.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 3DH

3DFA crashes when i use this command in edit box...

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Should be a small text, not edit box. Anyway, please check this movie on 3DFA 4.9.6.2 and try export movie. Next change html code and add target:

<a target="_self" href="http://board.flashkit.com/board/showthread.php?t=739271">3dfa forum</a>

...

On the 2d properties, it would be nice to have rotation controls. If you can't do x,y,z, the x and y would be good as well, and I definitely gotta ditto the request for uvmapping.

Anyway thought I'd drop my 2 cents in.

-J

Not sure what you mean by rotation controls, however, the next release uses the right hand panel now for 3D tools just like the 2D tools on the left panel.

Does anyone have any comments about the new website front page animation before it goes live? This animation will grow into more of a comprehensive advertisement over the next few months.

http://www.3dfa.com/samples/3dfa_logo.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kusco

Not sure what you mean by rotation controls, however, the next release uses the right hand panel now for 3D tools just like the 2D tools on the left panel.

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.....basically where you can set the initial velocity(acceleration, scale rate, etc) for the object on the x and y, put in a simple control for setting its rotation speed.....

........check out the attachment.

"Angular velocity" is the same thing as rotational velocity. This feature used to say "Rotational velocity" but was changed to keep it consistent with the corresponding script property. Is that what you mean?

Kind of, but I was thinking more along the lines of 'x' and 'y'.........

Nevermind, I found it :0,...........

..........did someone mention "user error" earlier?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kusco

Does anyone have any comments about the new website front page animation before it goes live? This animation will grow into more of a comprehensive advertisement over the next few months.

http://www.3dfa.com/samples/3dfa_logo.html

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I've been playing with the new 3d the last couple of days, it's getting very impressive. On your animation, how exactly did you get the sphere to show poly by poly, like it was fading up?

Hopefully, the new version 3.9.6.4 will be released tomorrow.

It has a new element called "3D script" which gives you functions to add vertices and polygons at runtime, and to build meshes and models and animate them. It pretty much gives you unlimited 3D ability, although texture mapping won't be available until later in the month.

The animation on the front page of 3DFA.com uses the 3D script to rebuild the spherical mesh on each frame, each time adding an extra few polygons.

The reason the swf file is only 6k is because it contains nothing but 100 lines of script.

Yes, the version numbering is getting a bit ridiculous as we reserve version 5.0 for the final Flash 9 version, which is still a few months away, and will contain features that few Flash developers have even dreamed of yet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kusco

The animation on the front page of 3DFA.com uses the 3D script to rebuild the spherical mesh on each frame, each time adding an extra few polygons.

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Quite nice demo..

I was under impression that flash does not render using zbuffer so how did you get away polygon sorting issue in this demo? I mean that transparent quad in middle sphere, cuts nicely, no polygons fighting which one is drawn first?