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Title: Flash Math Creativity by Manny Tan, Jamie Macdonald, Glen Rhodes, Brandon Williams, Kip Parker, Gabriel Mulzer, Jared Tarbell, Ty Lettau, JD Hooge, Keith Peters ISBN: 1903450500 Publisher: friends of Ed Pub. Date: February, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.83
Rating: 5
Summary: The Power of Math with Flash--1 year later
Comment: After having had this book a year now and well into Flash MX, I still find this one of the best resources for moving Flash MX (or Flash 5) into a level of creativity not available by mere hacking through script or twiddling with tweens. Even now I keep finding new little gems in this book. However, as some reviewers have found, this is not for those saddled with sluggish imaginations or sense of exploration.
This book is one of the few that assumes some background in or appreciation of math as a tool for developing algorithms. It's not a book for everyone, and one reader rightly pointed out that it's not a primer in math. So if you don't have math savvy, this book may not be your cup of tea. However, from what I saw, one need not be a math whiz to work through the different kinds of interesting algorithms contained in this book, and you will learning something about both Flash and math.
One of the best lessons this book can offer (besides the sheer joy of experimentation even though you're not sure what you'll create) is how to use different elements of geometry and a little algebra with Flash to do some very interesting things. After beginning by following instructions to make a snail spiral, I quickly found myself doing my own experiments by changing different vectors, values, colors and whatnot just to see what would happen. I was surprised by my own results, and then I took elements from different chapters, mixed them together for even more new discoveries.
This book is not a paint-by-the-numbers book, and unless you like to explore for the sheer joy of the exploration and learn something for no particular reason other than it's sort of cool, the book is not for you. It is not a "practical" book in the sense that if you learn how to create a Flash site for some suit, but it is very practical if you'd like an invitation to discover concepts in their own right.
Finally, I found it ironic that such a book using Flash 5 would be published almost exactly at the time Flash MX was unveiled. Well, the algorithms are even more appropriate for Flash MX because you can do so much with movie clip drawing methods with MX that were not available in Flash 5. It's probably not even going to have to be revised for Flash MX because the kinds of people who would buy this book would have little problem in taking its wisdom and doing even more with it in the new Flash.
Rating: 2
Summary: Is this the magic behind Flash?
Comment: Most of those amazing Flash films share have the very same secret: mathematics, especially geometry. Many basic and advanced techniques in this area need to be taught. A review of some basic concepts would also be helpful. It's true that a lot is done by trial and error, but those who grasp the basics are the ones who know what can be done with what is available.
This book has beautiful, colorful pages and many contributors, some with great ideas - learned from some imagination and from some trial and error.
Yet this one book fails considerably. Great opportunity, great idea. But no math is really taught, no basic technique is really given. What can be found is only a mixed bag of ad-hoc math solutions to produce some nice effects and little meat.
What is wonderful about this book is its potential. What is tragic about this book is its end result.
Rating: 5
Summary: Forget the Coffee Table...Keep this One by the Computer
Comment: This is honestly one of the best books that I've picked up in a long time. There are so many books lately, that appear to be nothing more than a ploy at being the first book on the latest release of such and such software application. Flash Math Creativity avoids using interface clips from the Flash authoring environment, in order to concentrate on the content and not on something that has a much more limited shelf life. This book has so much to offer beyond getting acquainted with Flash 5 or MX or whatever. Becuase of the choice of displaying only raw code, it's probably not the best choice for a beginning Flash user. The examples, although excellent, aren't always well annotated, and often leaves you scratching your head -- but that's part of the fun.
I really appreciate the fluid examples, and the challenge of using the provided content for further investigation. These experiments should keep me busy for some time.
The graphics are quite beautiful and it would be hard to look at them and ignore the value of these creations on the basis that it doesn't have a practical application in the area of web design, as one reviewer stated. Plus, when did I start reading books and enjoying Flash only to do corporate stuff.
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Title: ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition by Colin Moock ISBN: 059600396X Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates Pub. Date: 19 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $54.95 |
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Title: Flash to the Core by Joshua Davis ISBN: 0735712883 Publisher: New Riders Publishing Pub. Date: 24 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
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Title: Object-Oriented Programming with ActionScript by Branden Hall, Samuel Wan ISBN: 0735711836 Publisher: New Riders Publishing Pub. Date: 13 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
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Title: Macromedia Flash MX ActionScripting: Advanced Training from the Source by Derek Franklin, Jobe Makar ISBN: 0201770229 Publisher: Macromedia Press Pub. Date: 24 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $44.99 |
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Title: Fresh Flash: New Design Ideas with Macromedia Flash MX by Jim Armstrong, Jim Armstrong, Jd Hooge, Ty Lettau, Lifaros, Keith Peters, Paul Prudence, Jared Tarbell, Brandon Williams, Friends of Ed ISBN: 1903450993 Publisher: friends of Ed Pub. Date: August, 2002 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
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