Flash in the Peg

As you probably already know, Adobe Creative Suite 5 has been released! This version of Creative Suite brings a boatload of new features designed make you more productive and creative. Come out to our next Flash in the Peg meeting on June 10, 2010, to find out how!

We’re still trying to decide just what great new features to show, but we’ve already settled on two, because they’re so cool: if you’ve only seen videos on Content-Aware Fill in action, come on out and see it live and in person - and as an added bonus, you get to see some of my vacation photos in the process! Watch as I make tourists vanish!

Plus, if you’ve ever fought with Wordpress or another CMS to style an off-the-shelf template, you will be amazed at how the new features of Dreamweaver CS5 make this a painless - and some might even say fun - experience. All that and more!

And since this is our last meeting for the first half of 2010, we will be holding our semi-annual software raffle: one lucky person will win the Adobe software product of their choice, up to a value of US $2100! Remember that you have to have attended a previous meeting in the last six months to qualify for the raffle.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, June 10, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in room W215, Red River College, Princess Street Campus.

Hope to see you on the 10th - it’s going to be great!

Adobe recently released both Flash Builder 4 and the Flex 4 framework. Join us at our next meeting to learn more about Flash Builder and how it can make you a faster, more efficient Flash/Flex programmer. If you’re used to writing ActionScript using Flash Professional, this meeting will be an eye-opener!

The first half of our meeting will introduce you to Flash Builder and show you how incredibly easy it is to integrate Flash Builder with Flash Professional to get the best of both worlds: the ease and power of visual asset creation in Flash Professional combined with the powerful code editing of Flash Builder.

In the second half of the meeting we’ll take a look at some of great new features in Flash Builder. From the new data-centric development capabilities to the new network monitor, cool new features of Flash Builder 4 will be demoed to help make you a more productive and happier developer.

And just to make it that much easier to get started with Flash Builder, one lucky person is going to walk away from the meeting with a FREE copy of Flash Builder 4 Premium, a $700 value! In addition to that, we’ll have some other great prizes to give away.

Your presenters at this meeting will be yours truly along with Devin Reimer. The meeting will take place on Thursday, April 29, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in room W215, Red River College, Princess Street Campus.

Pizza and beverages will be served; please RSVP to me (darren@flashinthepeg.org) to let me know you’ll be attending so I can make sure we have enough for everybody.

Hope to see you out on the 29th - if you’re a Flash or Flex developer this is a can’t-miss event!

Just a quick note that details of meetings are now being posted to Flash in the Peg’s Adobe Groups site. Please check there for upcoming get-togethers!

The details of our next meeting, to be held on April 9, have been posted to Flash in the Peg’s page on Adobe Groups.

Details of our next meeting have been posted on Adobe Groups.

Just wanted to send out a quick reminder about next week’s meeting. I also wanted to let you in on some exciting news about a fabulous offer from FITC.

At the recent Ajax World Conference, Adobe Flex was awarded the prize of “Best Open Source Rich Internet Solution,” and Flex Builder 3 was named the Best SDK. Flex is a compelling option for developing Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) that can be run consistently across browsers, desktops, and operating systems. Our next meeting will be an introduction to this exciting technology, where you’ll learn about:

• What is Flex?
• Why Flex - History
• Who’s using Flex
• Working with Flex Builder (Designing/Debugging)
• How Flex Works (Behind the Scenes)
• MXML
• Containers (Layout)
• Controls
• Charting Components
• Styling/Skinning (CSS)
• Flex Resources

Our presenter is Rasheed Akhtar. After university, Rasheed worked for IC Group, first as a web developer, responsible for the creation of online promotions. He then moved into business intelligence as their senior business intelligence developer. His responsibilities included the creation and execution of business intelligence strategy, as well as the management of enterprise reporting solutions for clients comprised of 30% of the world’s top brands and leading agencies. Primary technologies included .NET, SQL Server, and Flex. He also provides contracting/consulting services specializing in business intelligence, web analytics and RIA development. He has worked with numerous organizations varying from providing web analytics seminars at RRC to developing multi-language flash-based kiosk software for hardware manufacturers. He is currently working with AIS developing eLearning products for the health care industry. Rasheed’s responsibilities include product development (Flash/Flex, PHP, and mySQL) for both eLearning and business intelligence.

And now for that exciting little bit of news I mentioned: the good folks at FITC have graciously donated a number of passes for FITC Toronto! The conference runs from April 25 to 28, and features over 80 presentations on Flash and digital media from some of the biggest names in the world of new media. If you’ve attended the FITC Roadshows in Winnipeg, you’ve had just a small taste of how great the FITC events are! We’ll be giving away three passes at next week’s meeting, and another three at our February meeting. These passes have a value of $749, but considering the knowledge you’ll gain and the contacts you’ll make by attending, they’re worth much more than that.

(Everybody who attends is eligible to win a pass, but of course you’re responsible for your travel, food, and accommodations. Since I would really, really like these passes to be used, if you cannot take advantage of the free pass I do ask that you not put your name in for the raffle. Also, I’m in the process of setting up a discount for members of Flash in the Peg, so even if you don’t win a pass you can still save a bit of money on your ticket. I hope to have more details on the discount by next week.)

Our meeting is set for Thursday, January 29th, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., in Room W411, Red River College, Princess Street Campus. Hope to see you all out!

oin Flash in the Peg on Thursday, December 11, as long-time FitP member and PaperVision guru Clayton Wilchowy introduces us to PaperVision 3D (PV3D). Clayton is the Senior Interactive Technology Specialist at DMT Development Systems Group Inc. He’s been working in Flash long enough to get excited when they introduced transparency as a feature back in Flash 3, and has been a dedicated professional with the software ever since. Little known fact – the advent of PV3D completes the circle for Clayton - who first set out to be a 3D animator after finishing school, but was sucked in by the employment offerings of the ever expanding World Wide Web - so you know this meeting is going to be a great one. His presentation should include as much of the following as can be squished into our meeting time:

• What is PV3D?
  • What it does
  • History
  • Who’s doing it? (dev shops)
  • Who’s using it? (corporate)
  • Examples
• What you need to know to get started
  • ActionScript Classes & Class Libraries
  • How to write “fake” 3D
  • How “real” 3D is an extension (the secret of render engines)
  • Combined technologies
• The Papervision3D Metaphor
  • Scenes
  • Cameras
  • Objects
  • Materials
• Realtime demonstration
  • Pointing to PV3D library in Flash Settings
  • Testing Demo File
  • Creating Scene
  • Creating Objects
  • Assigning Interactivity
  • Assigning Textures
  • Importing Collada model
• Papervision and Paperwork – a developer’s perspective on how it incorporates into regular Flash demands, and keeping the boss happy.

Instead of our usual 7:00 start time, we’re going to kick off this meeting at 6:30 p.m. so that we can talk about some of the highlights to have come out of Adobe MAX last week in San Francisco. In case you missed it, there were lots of exciting announcements last week, and to give you a bit of a primer I’ll be sending out an email within the next couple of days about the conference. Time and technology permitting, I might even be able to give you a brief demo of Adobe Flash Catalyst (previously known as Thermo), an exciting new tool to speed RIA development.

But wait, there’s more! As this is our last meeting of 2008, it’s also time for our software raffle! If you’ve been attending meetings, writing book reviews, or otherwise earning raffle tickets over the second half of this year, you have a chance to win the Adobe software of your choice, up to a value of $2100 US! But remember, to must be in attendance to win!

So join us at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 11, in room W411 of Red River College, Princess Street Campus. If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP to me.

Join us October 23rd at RRC where we’ll be looking at H.264 and its role in delivering Flash video content.

Ever since August 2007 and the 3rd update to Flash Player 9, Flash Player has supported MPEG-4 standard container files that contain video and audio data encoded using H.264. What sort of greatness has ensued? We’ll cover off some of the basic advantages of using this format as well as delving into the availability and scalability of fullscreen content. Hope to see you there!

We’ll be meeting from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, in Room W411, Red River College, Princess Street campus. Please RSVP if you plan to attend!

Listen, Speak, Celebrate, Advocate

On Thursday, September 25, 2008, New Media Manitoba, the Graphic Designers of Canada, Flash in the Peg, and The International Game Developers Association bring you the first ever,
“National Digital Media Day!”

National Digital Media Day brings together professionals, industry associations, and provincial partners from around the country to celebrate the impact of interactive media throughout the nation. The goal of this event is to raise awareness about the benefits digital media producers have on the economy and to prevent further cuts to the new media industry at the National level.

The province of Manitoba has vigorously bucked the trend of slashing innovation by investing in Manitoba producers through Science, Technology, Energy and Mines’, Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Fund, and Tax Credit programs. We’re thrilled to play a provincial role as plans move forward and we’re ecstatic about promoting the innovators within this province!

To help celebrate on September 25, we are very privileged to have a 30-minute keynote presentation delivered by Robert L. Peters. Rob is the former president of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda), a foreign feature correspondent for Communication Arts magazine, a Fellow of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), and author of the book ‘Worldwide Identity’ published by Rockport. He is also the founding principal of CIRCLE, an award-winning design consultancy formed in Winnipeg in 1976.

Rob’s presentation on Thursday will be on the topic of, “Do the right thing. Do the thing right,” that he is also delivering this Fall at the digital conference in Brighton, UK. His presentation will contain practical advice, and ‘pithy insights’ from around the world with age-old principles applied to current media scenarios. Rob will make reference to “Maxim
Dictum,” a methodology he applies to work and to life with some profound insight.

AND the evening doesn’t end there! Following Rob’s presentation we will continue to stir the proverbial new media pot with sounds from DJ Lil’Phil who will mix an eclectic melange of house, disco, techno, electro, down tempo, trip/hip hop, 80s, lounge, and acid jazz.

You can register for this event online. Our host will be the Pastry Castle Café on the corner of Arthur and McDermot in Winnipeg. Cost is $5 and includes two drink tickets and enough cheese to make a Swiss schoolboy blush (cash or cheque made out to “New Media Manitoba” will be collected at the door). Please note, you MUST REGISTER in advance for this event. Doors open at 7 pm, followed by Rob’s keynote at 8 pm. The music spins till late.

We hope to see you out!

*The partners for this event gratefully acknowledge the support of Science, Technology, Energy and Mines.

It’s Going To Be Brilliant.

Be one of the first to see the next big thing from Adobe on September 24, 2008. Join in to see and hear first hand how something very special will help you get to brilliant faster. Save the date and get a good look at what’s to come.

We will have more details as the date gets closer, but plan on some pretty cool goodies to be given away.

We’ll be meeting at 7:00 p.m. on September 24, 2008 at Red River College, Princess Street campus, room W411. Please R.S.V.P. if you plan to attend.