Category Archives: Programming

Flash Math Creativity: Second Edition

Flash Math Creativity is a book of iterative experiments in generative design. It’s a showcase of the fifteen authors’experiments. The book will explain how these work and how you to can experiment further yourself. Each author does four experiments. Each experiment takes up four pages. We give you the code and explain the essence, then you take away your inspiration and run with it. The purpose of the book is to learn through experimentation because you are inspired to do so, not because someone is telling you to do so.

via apress.com

Erik Natzke – Yelloo Poster

Created by a computer, using self-directed generative programming in Flash.
13.75″ x 19.75″ (12″x17″ image area)
8lb Matte Cover. 4 Color Offset Printing. US$20.00 US$18.00

via natzke.com and flickr.com

Bright Lights

ActionScript 2.0 Best Practices

  • Use runtime filters sparingly. If you can turn it into a raster graphic with those filters, it will likely be a smoother animation. This will be a delicate balance between file size and performance
  • Use motion tweens instead of shape tweens whenever possible.
  • Don’t have transparent things on top of transparent things. When transparencies overlap, the processor usage multiplies.
  • Keep your frames per second at or below 30. I’ve seen many applications trying to run at 60+ fps. I usually set my applications at around 24.
  • Use easing only where you need it.
  • Learn about cacheAsBitmap. This can speed things up or make them slower, it depends on the context. If you have an animation, keep cacheAsBitmap as false, the cached bitmap will have to be regenerated every time the animation changes, so this isn’t worth it. However, on a vector graphic that doesn’t change within itself, cacheAsBitmap might be a good choice.

via adobe.com

Mark Coleran, Fantasy UI Designer

Mark Coleran is a visual designer who has worked in a wide range of design disciplines from print graphics to motion design and visual effects. His work in motion graphics has included television show titles and branding through to his specialist area; the design, creation and animation of fantasy user interfaces for film. Over the years this work has seen him create interfaces for such films as The Bourne Ultimatum, Tomb Raider, Mission Impossible 3, The Island and Mr and Mrs Smith.

via coleran.com

Live Coding

Live coding is a new direction in electronic music and video, and is starting to get somewhere interesting. Live coders expose and rewire the innards of software while it generates improvised music and/or visuals. All code manipulation is projected for your pleasure.

via TOPLAP UK – live coding to make music to drink beer to.

onedotzero 2009 brand identity

This year’s festival theme of ‘convergence and collaboration’ inspired wieden + kennedy to take advantage of onedotzero’s vast fan base and constant, online conversations to create this new identity. They have harnessed dialogue from twitter, facebook, etc, and have channelled the content via specially produced software devised by computational design wizard Karsten Schmidt (a.k.a. Toxi) through colourful ‘ribbons’ that move organically as if alive. These ribbons gravitate towards invisible paths that will ultimately mirror onedotzeros font and logo: a living, breathing identity that encapsulates the themes of the festival.
http://www.onedotzero.com/blog/brand-identity/

via wk.com

Processing by Toxi

Codebased motiondesign, 3D demos, interactive visualisations, audio-visuals & tools using Processing, Shockwave and Flash. Source code released under Creative Commons License.

via toxi.co.uk and postspectacular.com