Hexagon Framework Effects Demo
Here’s a small demo that I threw together yesterday which shows how the effects in the Hexagon Framework effects package can be used. The effects package contains classes that are used on display objects to apply an animated effect on them. That is not all however. The effects send a signal back to the calling class when they are finished and there are two more classes with that effects can be arranged, namely the EffectChainer class and the EffectCombiner class.
Currently there are AlphaFade, BlurEffect, ColorFade, ModuloEffect, MoveEffect, Pixelizer and TimeDelay who act as effects. The EffectCombiner can be used to combine several of the effects into one (which means that all combined effects use the same Timer) and the EffectChainer can be used to play back effects in sequencial order (including the EffectChainer which acts as an effect on itself). The TimeDelay is a non-visual effect which simply applies a time delay.
The class from where the effects are started has to implement the INotify interface which only contains one method, notify(). The effects (as well as the EffectChainer and EffectCombiner) use this interface to notify the caller and - if necessary - give back a callID that can be used to determine which effect has returned. More detailed info on this will be available in the API docs when the framework is released … soon™.
You can focus the SWF with the Mouse and press Space to skip through the effects.
6 Responses to “Hexagon Framework Effects Demo”
By Ryan Christensen [draw.logic]
on Jun 7, 2007 | Reply
This framework looks very promising I am looking forward to it. The TileMap file type and some of the data structures look interesting. I wonder what you are using for tweening/scripted anims? Tweener is pretty sweet. I am building a set of game engine templates myself and I love all these AS3 game based libs being released. I think that the flash9 as3 flex3 platform with apollo might create a very nice game market infrastructure. However I am missing the hardware 3d of director. I hope they revive this or roll in hardware open gl rendered support in flash. If not put me in charge of the product and watch it destroy the market. Anwyays, will be on lookout for this.
By sascha
on Jun 7, 2007 | Reply
Ryan, no classes especially for tweening have been written yet. Might be considered later. However what would you use them for in a game development?
An interesting bit about the GenericTile format is that it’s based on bitmap tiles but still supports animated tiles. More info on that later.
By Ryan Christensen [draw.logic]
on Jun 7, 2007 | Reply
The Generic Tile sounds interesting. For animations they can be used for all types of things in game engines take for instance scripted actions. This zeh post, check the cones in papervision lower down. That would be excellent as a scene scripter or scripted scene creator (i.e. flying through the streets or beginning actions) http://labs.zeh.com.br/blog/?p=104
We use an in house animation package and tweener for game engines such as shooter engines that have baked animations in them and act a certain way in the levels.
Here’s one sample: http://www.grillwithkingsfordu.com/game.htm
The game contains types like FlyThroughEnemy, ScrollThroughEnemy etc all configurable then the speed, arc etc are passed in.
Animation might not be good for the base libraries but the sample engines etc might be nice. All animations in the game above are Tweener because its pretty simple functional syntax.
By Andrew Garrahan
on Sep 30, 2007 | Reply
Looks great, can’t wait to use it.
This guy Seb Lee-Delisle has some tech demos in a similar vine.
http://www.sebleedelisle.com/?p=126