LFPUG

The London Flash Platform Users Group (LFPUG) is a fantastic resource for those who work in the Flash community. They meet every month at various east london bars, which is great because it means that beer is always available, and they invite guest speakers to come along and talk all things Flash. This last talk was on 3D in Flash with two sets of speakers. First up were the legends responsible for Papervision, Carlos Ulloa and Ricardo Cabello a.k.a. Mr. Doob. Carlos kicked things off by talking about how to get started with Papervision. Ok so a 3D artist is essential for most tasks and a good knowledge of a 3D package (Maya, 3ds Max etc) is helpful. But the explanation of how to think in 3D was what got me interested. The introduction of the z axis and the concept of a sky box are all crutial in thinking outside (well actually inside) the box. Check out the papervision blog and get on the mailing list. It is actually quite easy to get started with this tool, once you have your basic 3D object, and the code not too difficult (although I'm sure it does get quite involved quite quickly).

Next up were the guys over at Special Moves. This company has been around for 7 years and specialise in creating 3D for all kinds of output with Flash being a major factor for them. We learned that there are many ways to create 3D, from simply faking a parallax effect, through to isometric games, through to fully immersive 3D environments. It was great to see some GT work being showcased. Christian Aid Week was a good example for them of a 3D model that was set isometrically and the viewer had no interaction with the actual model. They admitted that this work was extremely difficult for them in terms of nailing the animation but the end result is awesome. GT is more than likely going to be working closely with Special Moves in the near future so watch this space.

Both of these talks were extremely useful for me as most of us who use Flash will touch upon 3D in some way at some point. GT have already worked with both Special Moves and Papervision in the past. Check out a rhythm of lines which is due to go live any day now for the work done by GT using Papervision... it is going to be very cool.

swim

Here's a treat. This short film by movie makers Floris Kaayk and Sil van der Woerd from the Netherlands. It is a stark realisation of a fertility clinic and the consequences of playing God for a moment. The two seem fascinated by the world of the minutae and endeavour to explore such tiny worlds. Check out their portfolio site over at Microbia.

got milk

Some serious production values have gone into this excellent flash site built for the 'Got Milk?' campaign. What is lovely here is the attention to detail with a 3D modelled environment built to look like a miniature island. Tapping into our childhood love of board games you even get to toss a realistic looking die about your screen. Ok so the gameplay is a bit tough and if you are on a laptop with a trackpad you can forget it. But definitely worth a look and a bit of a play.

Play it here

renaissance

Just finished watching this devastating movie: Renaissance. Shot in an intriguing way the movie makers used motion-capture to gain the actor's performance then transferred this information into a 3D modelled environment, before using a computer generated rotoscope effect leaving only a black and white 2D image. The effect is startling. A hi-tech futruristic world is created in and around Paris. Set in 2054, significant advances in the world have transformed this iconic city into a crazy world where architecture meets technology. The story is that of a more traditional detective tale and film-noir is heavily referenced and highly accentuated by this delicious style.

It is great to see new and experimental mediums being generated in this way and also wonderful that this movie came out of France instead of the more powerhouse animation studios. The movie is not for everyone and it definitely requires a second viewing. Check out the really good flash website used to promote the movie here where a good use of the movie's style is incorporated.

lo-res trailer below | hi-res version here

panoramamarama

With the rumbles of doing a 3D flash project at work it is time for me to start flirting with this gimmic. How to build, rather fake, a 3D environment in the decidedly 2D world that is flash. More on our upcoming 3D project as and when I am allowed to divulge. But rest assured it is good. The folks over at Papervision have created a really good 3D engine for flash with some great demos. Check out their site and look out for the Rhino demo. But what is interesting with this panorama is how to create this effect. Follow the link here to see a superb panoramic effect created in a 2D flash model but replicating the real world very well. If you click on the image at any point and hold your cursor down you can see how they made the image work. Literally by chopping the image up into triangles and pasting them together. Ingenious.

iamstudio

iam-studios presents this FWA site of the day here. Using some really cool 3D character design with an animated robot dog with what looks like a speaker for a head. Drawing heavily on Pixar animation style here most notably their Luxo Jr lamp toon and also the imac g4 ad. But this goes a bit further and uses the dog's animation as you navigate through the site. Once you enter you need to use the blue pebbles to navigate through the site and each pebble has a different dog animation. Oh did I mention they are funny too. A nice clean design style with great use of white space. Simple, elegant navigation is the key here. But did they draw on our studios mantra at Good Technology (where I work) namely we are good technology (only he is i am studio, i am work etc) see the comparison here.