» 2010 » October

Blender 2.5x and add-ons

Oct 302010

Blender 2.53 (it is now 2.54, soon to be 2.55) introduced a new way of applying extensions (Python scripts basically). These are called Add-ons and they make playing around with scripts very easy to use and play around with. Blender 2.5x and add-ons are basically setup now in File > user preferences > Add-ons.

And there are a lot of them!

Blender 2.5 and Add-ons

They can be enabled very easily by just clicking on the checkbox on the right-hand side. For example, here is the standard list of items that can be added to your scene by pressing Shift-A… Read more...

Flash CS5 and HTML5

Flash 2 Responses »

Oct 262010

With the advent of HTML5, Flash CS5, and all the brouhaha about them both I thought I would jot down my thoughts on the matter. This post is about Flash CS5 and HTML5, it is not about Flash CS5 vs HTML5.

First though, here is a précis of developments…

Adobe have recently also brought out an HTML5 pack for Illustrator and for Dreamweaver.

Apple have reversed their decision to disallow Flash CS5 apps compiled into iApps onto the iTunes store (although the iPhone and iPad still do not have a flash player). Read more...

10 tips for creating ePubs in InDesign

InDesign 1 Response »

Oct 252010

Ebooks are becoming extremely popular due to the success of devices such as the iPad and Kindle. The good news for designers is that InDesign is fully equipped to generate the publishing industry’s preferred, ePub electronic book format. I recently delivered a course in generating ePubs from InDesign. Here are 10 tips for effectively exporting your InDesign files to ePub.

1) ePub is based on xhtml so it is a linear, text based format. All text must be set as part of a single, continuous thread if it is to appear in the correct sequence. Any items in separate boxes will be placed at the end of the document. Read more...

Illustrator and SVG, an example of getting your vectors onto the web

HTML5, Illustrator 1 Response »

Oct 192010

Hot on the heels of an HTML5 pack for Dreamweaver, comes an HTML5 pack for Illustrator…

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/illustrator_html5/

…however Illustrator has been able to output its work to the web for a while, particularly using SVG, so I thought I would do a little experiment and see how Illustrator outputs to SVG.

When you create some artwork you now have several choices in getting that artwork onto a web page. You can…

illustrator export

File > Export > canvas (html)

File > Export > png Read more...

Is it too early for HTML5 courses?

HTML5 No Responses »

Oct 192010

We recently had an email from somebody asking us why were launching an HTML5 course when it’s not even supported properly in all the browsers. It’s an interesting question which I thought was worth answering here as well.

For what must be 12 months now we have been getting requests for HTML5 courses, and have been pushing back on the grounds that “the technology isn’t ready yet”. Having said that we now feel that if you are building internal apps where you can dictate the browser, or are using specific features which do have good support, then there is no reason why you can’t start getting to grips with HTML5. Read more...

Flash CS5, the World Construction Kit, and Joints

actionscript 3 4 Responses »

Oct 072010

In this post I will show you a simple example of using Flash CS5 , the World Construction Kit, and Joints.

Having created a simple world using the World Construction Kit previously…

The World Construction Kit and Flash Cs5

…I can now play around with the various joints that you are given. For example…

Distance Joints, Revolute joints, Line joints, Weld joints, Mouse Joints, Pulleys, Prismatic joints, Friction joints.

To start with I will just create a Revolute joint and a Distance joint and a Joint that is not a Joint (i.e. type none). To create these all you need are the following… Read more...

Linking to external websites and resources from a Captivate project

Captivate No Responses »

Oct 072010

There are a number of reasons why you might choose to link to an external resource from a Captivate project. For example, you might want to provide access to detailed background reading within a web-based PDF, or it may be useful to direct users to a website or blog for further help and support.

If you were doing this from a web page, it would be easy — you would simply create an ordinary hyperlink, which you would direct the the URL of the required resource. You could even make the external resource open in a separate browser window or tab by using the “target” attribute. Read more...