I’ve mentioned this to a few people here and there, but here’s the official announcement: I’m working on a new book, which will be a successor to Foundation ActionScript 3.0 Animation: Making Things Move!
I’m not sure of the full title yet, I think the first part will be something like “Advanced ActionScript Animation…” No, it’s not Foundation ActionScript 4.0 Animation… since AS4 only exists in a still-evolving specification so far. Not sure if we’ll tack on a “Making More Things Move” or something yet.
Basically, when I originally wrote Making Things Move, there was just a whole lot of material I wanted to cover. It wound up at 400 pages and 19 chapters. So there was a fair amount that had to be left out. When I started re-writing the book for AS3, I was hoping to squeeze in some new subjects. But as it turned out, I decided to use a full object oriented approach, which made the code samples longer, and required a more in-depth explanation of classes, etc. So even with the same amount of material and chapters, it came in at a hefty 568 pages!
In addition to the things I had to leave out, there have been other areas I’ve learned about in the years since I first wrote out the table of contents for the first book. So back in April, I sat down with Ben Renow-Clarke from Friends of ED while at FiTC in Toronto, and started working out a spec for a sequel.
I’m not going to give away the full table of contents yet, but we’re looking at 10 chapters and 300 pages. You might have noticed me posting some isometric screen shots in the last week or so. That has to do with Chapter 3. 🙂
I’m pretty excited about the book. There’s a really cool range of topics, which I’ll leak out here and there in the coming weeks. A lot of the things are stuff I’ve touched on, but don’t consider myself a complete expert in, so it’s taking a fair amount of research and I’m learning so much. I’ve always said one of the best ways to learn something is to write about or teach it. In order to make something understandable to someone else, you have to have a personal understanding it on a level far beyond what you would probably ever have just in using that thing.
Update:
OK, the book is actually described on the Friend of ED website:
http://www.friendsofed.com/book.html?isbn=9781430216087
Furthermore, it’s on Amazon, where you can preorder it already. Wow. Talk about pressure. I’m trying to finish chapter 3 this weekend, and people can buy it already!
Congratulations! I can’t wait to get my copy and disappear in my office with it. I actually just spotted this on the FOE website last night. AdvancED ActionScript 3.0 Animation at http://www.friendsofed.com/book.html?isbn=9781430216087
That is great news! Part I was already my favourite Flash book, I am looking forward for the sequel.
Sounds great keith, can’t wait to see it 🙂
Seb
I’m totally psyched! Your book Making Things Move and Robert Penner’s Programming Flash book have been the most helpful and enjoyable books on the subject. I can’t wait to learn more, especially in OOP examples!
diamondTearz, ah… you are right. They beat me to the punch! 🙂
Where can I pre-order one!!! When!!!
Wow! Already? I am sooooo looking forward to it! Go Keith Go!
DJ
Ha ha… Awesome news! I’ve been following your blog for quite a while so I knew you were working on a new title already but I thought it would be AS4 related. But this, this is good stuff right here! More advanced stuff before AS4!!!
Thanks for great books!!!
Gordee, just edited the post to include the Amazon pre-order link. But seriously, this has a LOT of work to go before it sees anything resembling a printing press.
This is great news. I’ve owned both AS2 & AS3 for Animation. Can’t wait for this one!
Great news Keith. I am a physicist interested in Flash/Actionscript animation (mainly from a e-learning/real-physics simulation point of view). Your book was the first and best Actionscript book out of many I’ve read (bought both AS2 and AS3 versions). Very much looking forward to this one, especially coverage of the new FP10 API.
P.S. Also looking forward to seeing/meeting you at FOTB08!
No pressure. I’d buy the book if it only has ONE chapter!
Awesome, you just made my day 🙂
“Artificial intelligence including pathfinding and steering/flocking behaviors”
cant wait to check these!!
That is great news. I currently recommend the Making Things Move as an alternative textbook to two classes I teach. Good luck with the latest book, can’t wait to read it.
hi! The subjects covered seem intersting but since i am definitly really bad at math, is this book easy to read for someone like me?
tx
Thanks everyone. It’s really nice to see so many positive comments about the other book(s). Helps to drive me forward and make this one hopefully somewhere near as well received.
gropapa, the book is pretty hard to read right now, because it’s mostly in my head so far. 🙂
I’ll try to make it as painless as possible, but the simple fact is that you can’t completely avoid math in a lot of these subjects – not if you want a full understanding of them.
Gropapa, you should just check the first book.
kp made kinematics, 3D and physics so easy to understand, hes got the writing skills for these things, wish i could take one of his speakings some day 🙂
Today I work with flash programming and am often applying “tricks” i learned there, everyone nearby gets amazed with the ease i make such “complex things”. Im very thankful to that book and this sequence is definitely a must buy.
This makes me very happy. Pt. 1 is the only Flash book I’ve read cover-to-cover. And I’ve started them all. 🙂
Need more space? Drop the font size from 12 to 10!
27% more room!
😛
Great news, Keith.
I just finished Foundation last week (took me only a week, thank you for clarity!) and i’m already doing 3D like a pro.
I can’t wait to buy this one.
Thank you for everything.
Great book! Especially the chapter about creating isometric engine. The one thing I would love to see in that chapter is how to rotate to whole “world” along Y axis. I’m fighting with that one recently and I have no idea how to solve that 🙂
All best!