GreenSock

AutoFitArea – Stretch/Scale/Position DisplayObjects to Fit Within a Rectangular Area

AutoFitArea allows you to define a rectangular area and then attach() DisplayObjects so that they automatically fit into the area, repositioning and scaling/stretching in any of the following modes: STRETCH, PROPORTIONAL_INSIDE, PROPORTIONAL_OUTSIDE, PROPORTIONAL_CROPPED, NONE, WIDTH_ONLY, or HEIGHT_ONLY. Horizontally align the attached DisplayObjects left, center, or right. Vertically align them top, center, or bottom. Even apply a minimum/maximum width/height for each attached object. AutoFitArea extends the Shape class, so you can alter (and yes, tween) the width/height/scaleX/scaleY/x/y properties of the AutoFitArea and then all of the attached objects will automatically be affected. Attach as many DisplayObjects as you want.

SplitTextField – Break Apart TextFields by Character/Word/Line for Easy Animation

What if you could take the existing text in a TextField and dynamically break it apart into individual TextFields for each character, word, or line so that you could animate them separately? Maybe your goal is to explode the characters apart or have words fall into place while fading in or blur sequentially. There are lots of great tools out there for creating interesting text effects but maybe you don't want an all-in-one solution with a new interface or API to learn. Maybe you're comfortable with the GreenSock Tweening Platform and you want to control all the animation yourself and minimize file size. That was the idea behind SplitTextField. It isn't meant to be a text effects engine - it simply breaks apart a TextField instance and swaps itself (a Sprite) into place where the original TextField was in the display list, retaining the same scale/position/rotation so things appear relatively seamless. The SplitTextField has a "textFields" property which is an Array containing all the child TextFields it created (one for each character, word, or line based on the splitType property). Then you can animate to your heart's content.

RoughEase and Ease Visualizer

Ever wanted a more "gritty" transition like an alpha fade that flickers a bit or a position tween that jerks around before reaching its destination? Ever thought to yourself "smooth eases are for sissies"? If so, you're gonna like RoughEase. You can define an ease that it will use as a template (like a general guide - Linear.easeNone is the default) and then it will randomly plot points that wander from that template. The strength parameter controls how far from the template ease the points are allowed to go (a small number like 0.1 keeps it very close to the template ease whereas a larger number like 2 creates much larger jumps). You can also control the number of points in the ease, making it jerk more or less frequently. And lastly, you can associate a name with each RoughEase instance and retrieve it later like RoughEase.byName("myEaseName"). RoughEase is included in all the tweening platform downloads and is available in AS2 and AS3.

Video Lesson: TimelineLite/Max Basics

If you're familiar with TweenLite and/or TweenMax but haven't tried the new TimelineLite or TimelineMax classes yet, don't missing out. They make sequencing and managing groups of tweens fun. Get acquainted with the basics by watching this 16 minute video:

GreenSock Tweening Platform v11 Released

After hundreds of development hours, countless caffine-fueled late nights, and a level of preoccupation with tweening that borders on obsessive-compulsive, version 11 is born. This is no minor update. It is by far the most significant (and extensive) upgrade ever.

Getting Started Tweening

This article will help you get up and running with the GreenSock Tweening Platform. It covers installation, importing, basic tweening, special properties, plugins, choosing which engine to use (TweenLite/Max/Nano), sequencing with TimelineLite, and some tips and tricks. If your new to the GreenSock Tweening Platform, this is the place to start.

TweenNano – 1.6k TweenLite with Some Sacrifices

TweenNano is a super-lightweight (1.6k in AS3 and 2k in AS2) version of TweenLite and is only recommended for situations where you absolutely cannot afford the extra 3.1k (4.7k total) that the normal TweenLite engine would cost and your project doesn't require any plugins. Normally, it is much better to use TweenLite because of the additional flexibility it provides via plugins and its compatibility with TimelineLite and TimelineMax.

TimelineMax – Sequence/Group Multiple Tweens, Control Them as a Whole

TimelineMax extends TimelineLite, offering exactly the same functionality plus useful (but non-essential) features like AS3 event dispatching, repeat, repeatDelay, yoyo, currentLabel, addCallback(), removeCallback(), tweenTo(), tweenFromTo(), getLabelAfter(), getLabelBefore(), and getActive() (and probably more in the future). It is the ultimate sequencing tool. Think of a TimelineMax instance like a virtual MovieClip timeline or a container where you position tweens (or other timelines) over the course of time.

TimelineLite – Sequence/Group Multiple Tweens, Control Them as a Whole

TimelineLite is a lightweight, intuitive timeline class for building and managing sequences of TweenLite, TweenMax, TimelineLite, and/or TimelineMax instances. You can think of a TimelineLite instance like a virtual MovieClip timeline or a container where you place tweens (or other timelines) over the course of time.

Licensing: "Free" != Better

Open source projects are great. Many provide elegant, refined code for free. They can save hours of development time and hassle. They're often a jumping-off point for up-and-coming developers to share their innovation with the rest of the community, inspiring others to write better code. Of course there are also plenty of open source projects that are riddled with bugs, poorly documented, and downright dangerous to use. The web is littered with abandoned projects that once seemed promising. It's like a clearance bin you'd find at a discount store - there may be some treasures in there, but you'll have to dig through a lot of garbage to find them.

Over the years, I've seen quite a few open source tweening engines pop onto the scene, get some buzz, and then gradually stagnate and fade off the scene. Many stay in Beta for ages. Some contain known, unpatched bugs. The community usually does a good job of eventually recognizing quality solutions and gravitating towards them, but there are always people who try out the "latest and greatest" thing, only to be disappointed in the end as it stagnates or fails to mature. Don't get me wrong - I'm NOT saying all other tweening projects have suffered this fate or are "bad" in some way. In fact, I have spoken directly with some of the authors like Grant Skinner (GTween), Zeh Fernando (Tweener), and Moses Gunesh (Fuse, GoASAP). I have the utmost respect for each of them, and this article isn't meant to diminish anyone's hard work or generosity in the least. From my perspective, however, there are some common frailties of open source projects in general that I have observed, and my goal has simply been to figure out a way to protect the GreenSock Tweening Platform from falling victim to them. I have learned that one of the key factors in keeping a project like TweenLite thriving is actually the licensing model.