flash cs4
Posted by dermot on November 19, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Here’s a video of the new features in the upcoming version of Flash, CS4.
http://www.gotoandlearn.com/play?id=87
Why do they torture us with these ridiculous version names? MX, MX2004, 8, CS3, now CS4. It’s pointless and confusing.
Anyway - to the main point: for years, since version 4, the Flash developers haven’t cared much for animators. Most of the new features have been aimed at programmers/actionscripters. If you were one of the unlucky souls forced to use the program as an animation tool, you were stuffed. One case in point which shows the cavalier attitude towards artists: there’s a box which shows you which frame in a symbol is being displayed. This window is only wide enough for two numbers, or three if the number is “111″. So, if your symbol is set to frame 134, you’ll see the number 13 instead - or 34, if you scroll the digits to the right. This causes much confusion, and ruins workflow.
To fix such a tiny defect - to add a few pixels to that window - would be the work of an afternoon. This area has not been modified - and we’re currently working with version 9 (CS3). This is just the tip of the iceberg: Flash’s many flaws are wide and deep.
Well, it seems as if the chaps and Adobe (formerly Macromedia) have finally listened. The video above shows a completely revamped timeline, and IK - which will allow symbols to be parented to one another like models in 3D. Tweening has been completely overhauled, as well as the properties pane. All good…
BUT…
And it’s a big but - it’s possible that the new implementation of the timeline and tweening will break current work methods. In the video above the animator is able to scale the frames on the timeline - this might seem like a good thing, and it is for simple animations - but it will cause chaos with more delicate symbol based character animation - which depends upon carefully nested symbols to function. I don’t see how I can use that feature in the work that I do - it would trash the carefully nested symbols. (See my video on animating a walk cycle in Flash for an idea of what I’m talking about).
Until I get a look at the new version, it’s going to be a scary wait. Fingers crossed. I spent a few minutes playing with CS3 - it took me 5 minutes to find the stage. Think about that: I’ve used this program at a high level since 2000, and the location of the statge on bootup was a total mystery! If the Adobebots haven’t raised their UI design, then this could be very ugly indeed. Hopefully that won’t be the case.
Think happy thoughts…
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