The first wave of Calling all cars is released.
With artwork from:
Matt Hawkins
Jerom
me (Matthijs Kamstra aka [mck])
Jonathan Greenwell aka Jonny Chiba
Dolly Oblong
Build, and race… have fun!
Categories
Categories
TextMate AS3
I’ve been using a code-editor for years now. I started with SEPY and now I’m using FlashDevelop. Both on Windows.
A colleague of mine still uses the Flash IDE (on a mac), so I decide to help him with his transition.
Sadly there is no free editor for the OSX that handles AS2/AS3, but TextMate is not very expensive and very lightweight. So I decide that TextMate would be the programme that would get him out of Flash IDE editor.
With a little help of Google (I haven’t used a mac for about 7 years) I found some help/instructions that are easy to follow. Sadly it didn’t work while I followed the instruction to the letter.
While you start reading the post below, start downloading Flex 3.2 SDK, it’s 118Mb but you’ll need it later on so why not start downloading it now.
Start reading here: textmate actionscript 3 and flex bundles, it’s about the files you will use. But besides being informative, I needed more help.
I found that here: setting up a as3 project in textmate, the same steps will be followed here
- Download Textmate (duh), if you want to test this, use the trail version.
- Download Flex 3.2 SDK and extract it into your
Developer/SDKsfolder (but there are more places where you can extract it: just read this, for example/Applications/Flexand/Developer/Applications/Flexis also allowed) - Subversion: follow the instructions from the tutorial: its very easy (read also the note at the bottom of the post)
- ActionScript 3 bundle from subversion: I can repeat myself: follow the instructions (to get the Terminal: Apple + space and type Terminal and get it from the list)
- This you don’t have to do: in the new Flex 3.2 SDK it’s already included
- I didn’t install this either and it worked just fine
- It seems that this is not necesarry anymore (perhaps there was an update of the AS3 bundle…). But if you need it: Follow the instructions, but for the
TM_FLEX_FILE_SPECS src/Main.asandTM_FLEX_OUTPUT deploy/Main.swfI needed some help because what ever I did, I couldn’t get the described window.
I found my answer in this:Thats a little hidden. With nothing selected in the project drawer, click on the little i at the bottom. Youll get a box to enter any variables you want for the project.
And this one was very frustrating:
TM_FLEX_PATH Developer/SDKs/Your Flex SDK FolderTM_FLEX_PATH /Developer/SDKs/Your Flex SDK Folderand in my case it wasTM_FLEX_PATH /Developer/SDKs/flex_sdk_3Note: Some of this is not necessary when you create a project instead of separate files: File >> New From Templates >> Actionscript 3 >> Project. Just check TM_FLEX_PATH if you installed flex in file that standard is read by Textmate. If not you need to fill it as described above (I needed to do that)
- The same as in the tutorial
- The same as in the tutorial
If you extract the Flex SDK, you will get a folder named “
flex_sdk_3” and the very observant reader will notice that the script used here doesn’t include the path “Developer/SDKs/flex_sdk_3“, so that is the reason you need to add it to the “shell variables” (number 7). You can also rename the folder to “flex_sdk_3.2.0” and then I don’t think you need to add it to the shell variables, but I haven’t tested it!Some extra information: svn is something that not everybody will use. So if you have no idea what it is, the bundle can also be installed without subversion. But the cool thing about subversion stuff is that it’s always up to date… (And I can’t help you with how you should fix it without svn)
Every blog mentions the price of Textmate: “single user license (39 ? $53)”. That’s not expensive; unless you live in the Netherlands: “single user license (48.75)” because we need to pay “Prices above include 25% VAT.” 🙁
Links in this tutorial:
textmate actionscript 3 and flex bundles
Flex 3.2 SDK
installing as3 and flex bundle for textmate.
flex and actionscript 3 with textmate and fcsh
I’m a member of Nice Paper Toys, well I’m also one of the four Featured Members of NPT.
Update #1: it seems that Nicebunny has a identity crisis (read more about this) and wants to be called by his normal name: Castelforte…… no problem…
Brian Castelforte aka “NiceBunny” (Brian) Castleforte (aka “no longer NiceBunny”) started this social network for papertoy designers and it’s still growing. We now close to a 1000 members. Time to celebrate? Yes, I personally didn’t think we would get this much members, but I’m glad that I was wrong. But Nicebunny Castleforte want more, more people should know about papertoys, and I agree.
And as a good “featured member”, I will use my blog to spread the word once again.
But what is it? What is NPT (Nice Paper Toys)?
NPT is the only papertoy network. You can show your papertoy creations. Collaborate with other artist, share you thoughts and ideas. It’s all nice, warm, fuzzy feelings, but I like it.
It a place that keeps you wanna make better stuff, become a better artist.
So if you have any questions about papertoys or NPT just leave a comment here. Or become a member and place a comment on my NPT page
Viva la paper!
Update #2: it seems that Castleforte is taking controle of NPT and laying down some rules:
One of my most popular post is about how to create papertoys (How to create your own papercraft).
It seems that a lot of people are interested in papertoys and how to make themselves.
On Nice paper toys (NPT) this question pops up now and again on the forum.
You can buy a book about it, if you want to know more about it: Urban paper toys (well you should buy this book anyhow because I’m in it 🙂 ).
But besides my post about this subject you’re on your own…..
Well perhaps not for long! I’ve been playing with this idea for a while now of making a tutorial series about papertoy and how you can make one yourself. That got me thinking….
It seems that people really enjoy making/creating papertoys, so why not make a book about it?
…… hmmm a book, I have never thought about writing a book (grammar is not really my thing, not in English and not in my native tongue), I never wrote a book or designed one (well… not recently).
So I have no idea where this series is taking me, but here it is:
I want to make a “book” about creating/designing Urban Paper toys. But I’m a internet designer/developer, I have no experience with book design, no experience with writing a book and no idea how to do it.
It doesn’t matter, I have my blog. I can write and rewrite as much as I want.
And I have something that a conventional writer doesn’t have: User generated feedback….. (no idea what that means? It’s you giving me comments/advice/whatever and helping me write this “book” by giving comments).
I say “book” because you don’t really need the book, because you can read it on my blog. But for the less internet savy peeps I can create a download link for a e-book or a you can buy a book.
I have searched for options to Self Publish and I found a couple, but these two sites seem to popup the most: lulu.com/ and booksurge.com/.
But before I can think about that, I need to write about papertoys and how they are made.
So this week I’m focusing on how I will do this on my blog.
But in the mean time, use the comments to show me what you want to know
And perhaps we will write a book 🙂
Categories
Now also on twitter
Because all the cool kids are doing it: you can find me also on twitter.
I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with another profile, but I’m just giving it a try.
Categories
Shameless selfpromotion
Shameless plug of the book I’m in: Urban Paper
In a previous post a wrote about the Calling All Cars project from Jack Hankins aka Horrorwood.
I couldn’t help myself, and even with a broken wrist I designed a Calling All Cars-Custom:
I know that there are some other drivers in the race:
Matt Hawkins
Jerom
and of course Horrorwood himself…
But lets be realistic…. this isn’t going to be a fare race.
A bear, penguin and a monkey: they are just circus animals. And don’t get me started about the zombi.
And the tires are just so one dimensional….
If this is the best they can find for this race, we don’t even have to race and just give me my price.
whahahahahaha 🙂
Just a linkdump, because my wrist is still broken:
We needed a external font library for a project that we did. Here are two links to useful information:
(Runtime font loading with AS3 / Flash CS3 (not Flex!))
http://blog.sitedaniel.com/2008/10/fontcontrol-class-external-font-library/
http://www.betriebsraum.de/blog/2007/06/22/runtime-font-loading-with-as3-flash-cs3-not-flex/
There is just one thing that could drive you mad:
If you additionally place a static textfield onto the stage with the same font the text in the dynamic textfield isnt shown anymore. Dont really understand whybut its probably the same problem as if you set the same font in the dynamic textfield (maybe a font collision?). A workaround is to create the font symbol in the fla and select it (the one with *) in the property inspector.
We used another approach, we removed every font used in the external font-library from the fla-library, and because the libraries can get big, I found this script that will make it easier:
http://www.mattmoore.com/projects/jsfl/Replace%20Document%20Fonts.jsfl
I said it before: I don’t like to regurgitate, but program is so good that I can’t help myself….
As we are now approaching the final release of FlashDevelop 3, this release is the last feature release.
FlashDevelop.org – View topic – FlashDevelop 3.0.0 RC2 released.
FlashDevelop is awesome! If you never used it, give it a try. And don’t be afraid that it’s not a final version: I’ve been using release 3.0.0 from the early beta, and never run into major bugs.
Previous post I mentioned my broken wrist (another 5 weeks….) and the coming of the book Urban Paper from Matt Hawkins.
One of the designers started a project to promote the book. This is a project from Jack Hankins aka Horrorwood.
Calling All Cars! Calling All Cars.
Read more about this project. Or the comments at NPT.
Download the template and lets start racing:
