GreenSock » Tween

BlitMask – Scroll up to 1000% faster

Jack — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:07:21 +0000

A BlitMask is basically a rectangular Sprite that acts as a high-performance mask for a DisplayObject by caching a bitmap version of it and blitting only the pixels that should be visible at any given time, although its bitmapMode can be turned off to restore interactivity in the DisplayObject whenever you want. When scrolling very large images or text blocks, BlitMask can greatly improve performance, especially on mobile devices that have weaker processors.

Code Hinting and Strict Data Typing for TweenLite and TweenMax Vars

jack — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 21:30:52 +0000

Having a hard time remembering all the special properties that you can define in your TweenLite or TweenMax "vars" parameters? I don't blame you, especially with all the nifty plugins available. If you'd like to get the convenience of code hinting and improved debugging with strict data typing, you'll love the new TweenLiteVars and TweenMaxVars classes. As of version 5.0, they have been completely rewritten to accommodate method chaining which greatly reduces the amount of code necessary (compared to previous versions).

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

Jack — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:21:08 +0000

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

Jack — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:44:29 +0000

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

Jack — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:04:58 +0000

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:

Getting Started Tweening

Jack — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:40:55 +0000

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

jack — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:15:58 +0000

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

jack — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:15:28 +0000

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

jack — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:37:15 +0000

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.

OverwriteManager – control how (and if and when) tweens get overwritten

jack — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:06:30 +0000

OverwriteManager resolves conflicts between tweens and controls if (and how) existing tweens of the same target are overwritten. Think of it as a referee or traffic cop for tweens. For example, let's say you have a button with ROLL_OVER and ROLL_OUT handlers that tween an object's alpha and the user rolls their mouse over/out/over/out quickly. Most likely, you'd want each new tween to overwrite the other immediately so that you don't end up with multiple tweens vying for control of the alpha property. That describes the ALL_IMMEDIATE mode which is the default mode of TweenLite when it is not used in conjunction with TweenMax, TimelineLite, or TimelineMax. This keeps things small and fast. However, it isn't ideal for setting up sequences because as soon as you create subsequent tweens of the same target in the sequence, the previous one gets overwritten.