Book Description
Easy 3D has long been the holy grail for desktop designers, and this book provides an exciting overview of the most wanted 3D effects using Macromedia Flash MX.
3D is a tricky area. The specialist software is expensive, it's complex, you can't deliver it on the web with any great ease, and it's not exactly interactive.
This book is for Flash users who want the whole subject sorting out! It is devoted to setting 3D straight, by showing you the simple, powerful, and sometimes downright mind-blowing 3D effects Flash is capable of.
Sometimes, as this book shows you, all you need is the right idea, and Flash is capable of delivering some of the most incredible material. Here we look at light and shadow effects, isometric 3D, parallax effects, methods of focusing, plus an innovative slice engine that delivers the most incredible and convincing 3D models! Clear step-by-step instructions show you how to replicate the effects and give you an insight into how you might use them for your own designs.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Synopsis
Digital 3D is a tricky area -- and until the day someone makes 3D TV commercially viable, it's going to remain a tricky area. What is 3D? Can you genuinely render 3D on a flat screen? Do you have to spend a year's wages to get a dedicated piece of 3D software? Do you have to conjure up a bunch of complex math techniques to make the grade? Is anyone going to answer these interminable questions? Well, listen: we're not out to work ourselves into the ground here. We want 3D and we want it fast, and we want to use Flash to get it. In a series of clear and concise demonstrations, this book shows you exactly what can be achieved in Web 3D. Some of the most cunning designers around have put their heads together to present these: the most wanted 3D cheats in Flash.This book will show you that you can: Lie your way into 3D with simple drawing techniques Cheat a 3D interface with cunning use of light and shadow Fool Flash into thinking it can render genuine 3D, and con the Internet into delivering it for us in double-quick time Hoodwink visitors into thinking they're witnessing focus and depth of field Improve your depth of deception with an innovative slice engine to create convincing 3D objects Trick users into thinking they're moving through a 3D space Summary of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction to Flash 3D Chapter 2 Light and Shadow Chapter 3 Scaling for 3D Chapter 4 Isometric 3D Chapter 5 Focus and Depth of Field Chapter 6 Parallax Scrolling Chapter 7 Text Effects in 3D Space Chapter 8 Drawing API and Math for 3D Chapter 9 3D Slice Engine Chapter 10 Departure Lounge: Moving beyond Flash 3D