This is probably a pit premature, but I can pretty much guarantee that you will be seeing a version of Making Things Move for AS3, at the end of this year or early 2007. Nothing official yet, but I had a brief talk with my editor the other day, and he’s into it and I’m into it, and I’m pretty sure the publisher will be into it. There’s no way they’d release a new version of a book within a year of the first version, so it’s still a ways off. Haven’t even entered formal talks about it, and probably woudn’t begin writing til early summer. But I wanted to get some feedback – are there any particular areas that could use more coverage? Less coverage? New topics?
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First of all, awesome work on the AS2 version of Making Things Move! This book is easily the most useful book I’ve purchased in the last 3 years.
For the new book, I’d love to see a chapter or two on moving objects through 3D space, similar to some of Thomas Glyn’s old projects – where he was able to define curvilinear paths through 3D space and have the camera follow the paths. (http://www.thomasglyn.com/thomasglyn2002.html)
Word to the publishers, I’d buy the AS3 version of Making Things Move if it came out today. It’d be a perfect way to learn AS3.
A few more things to add to the wishlist…
It’d be great to have a chapter about mode7 or similar pseudo-3D engines. Yes, there is sample code available on the web, but Making Things Move! explains the concepts and theory so well.
Also raycasting and particle 3D would be great!
Thanks for the ideas. Of course, I can’t guarantee how much new stuff will get in there, if any. But if there are any areas that there’s a lot of agreement on, I’ll try to add them.
That’s great news ;)the best thing is that with this book, the concepts of animation are really well explained so you can use the code in other languages too … keep it going !
I also agree on that the book was nothing but superb. An idea could be to prolong the book with an extra chapter where you combine a few techniques together, like the end in a good movie where all the pieces come together. And one thing you really have to put in there; An Ending, suddenly the book had reached the end and I just wanted a word saying, well you can’t get it all in just one try, try again 🙂
Fantastic book, Keith.
It was interesting how you introduced how to build classes in the first couple chapters, then you never developed it further to show how to make reusable 3d packages, collision packages, etc. Although that’s probably more appropriate for a OOP book, it was something I was half expecting to read towards the end for some reason.
I also think demonstrating how to produce sequenced movement, i.e. the Fuse kit (http://www.mosessupposes.com/Fuse/) or the animation package (www.alex-uhlmann.de/flash/animationpackage/), would be a really nice addition to a an already perfect book.
Again, my hat’s off to you for writing such a sweet book and I look forward to buying the AS3 version.
Put in some of the stuff that Andre Michelle does or FlashGuru’s early maelstrom examples.
also the bitmapdata class is the new kid on the block that no one really knows what to do with. yes, you can copy and paste pixels….but this pixel level control needs to be expanded on. maybe it could be a book on its own.
josh k
ps i know moses is speaking at FF about the fuse kit this week. small world!
Hi Keith,
Is this still in the pipeline? Just got the O’Reilly AS3 Cookbook 🙂
Yeah, should be due out February or so.