The issue that prevented previous version to support ActionScript 3 was that Adobe has upgraded their security mechanism preventing global variable declarations to be exposed to external parties (as explained in this great tutorial by Ben Guerrette).

However, in ActionScript 3, you can declare functions to act as external interface, allowing to communicate with the Flash movie through a specified channel.

So in order to retrieve/set variables in ActionScript 3, you need to create two functions “arkSetVariable” & “arkGetVariable” and declare them as external interface:

import flash.external.ExternalInterface;

ExternalInterface.addCallback("arkSetVariable",arkSetVariable);
ExternalInterface.addCallback("arkGetVariable",arkGetVariable);

function arkSetVariable(varname:String, varval:String):void {
...
}

function arkGetVariable(varname:String):String {
}

The way you decide to implement these function is pretty much up to you. Since ActionScript 3 supports named arrays, an easy implementation would be:

function arkSetVariable(varname:String, varval:String):void {
arkVariable[varname]=varval ;
}

function arkGetVariable(varname:String):String {
return arkVariable[varname] ;
}


As these function use an array arkVariable using the variable name as index.

One last thing we need to do is to make sure the variable we need are initialised at startup. Failing to do this, they won’t exist in the array and GrandVJ will think they don’t exist and won’t update them.

Something like:

arkSetVariable("text","undefined") ;


Will call our function to set the “text” variable to “undefined” so that it is seen and updated by GrandVJ.

Here’s a little zip file containing a Flash file and it’s source code so you have a place to start with.

Let us know how it works for you!

http://www.arkaos.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=6828

This version has many new cool things which are detailed in the forum post, here is a recap:

• New ultra smooth engine
• Support for Akai APC40 & Generic midi feedback
  (also for Behringer BCR2000/BCF2000, Livid OHM, ..)
• Quartz composer player (Mac OS X)
• Support for Flash Actionscript 3
• Cell layer assignment
• Mixer state saving
• Added master blackout button
• New enhanced soft-edging algorithm
• Added vertical/horizontal position presets for TripleHead2Go
• Several Bug fixes.
• New fullscreen option (PC)

We plan to ship the final version at the end of this month so we encourage you to check if this new version is working fine and to report any problems or suggestions by creating a topic in the GrandVJ forum.

Happy testing, we hope you will have as much fun using this version as we had to code it!

As promised, here’s the first in a series of tutorials showing how to take advantage of the Flash capabilities within ArKaos GrandVJ. Note that it will also work for NuVJ and MediaMaster since the variables are the same.

In this tutorial I’ll explain how to tap into the EQ data to create some simple audio-reactive animations. We’ll be using some basic ActionScript 2.0 for the inexperienced Flash programmer. I won’t go into much detail on the how the code works but it should be enough of an introduction to allow some experimentation in creating new content for your VJ arsenal.

You can download the final .fla and .swf files here or follow along the video tutorial below.

While a lot of VJ content is produced with high-end motion graphics, 3D modeling, and video editing software, Flash provides some advantages over these platforms not immediately obvious. Although its primarily purpose is as a tool for web development and user interface design, its now a portable weapon of choice that fits nicely into any VJ’s arsenal. Besides its scalability, small file size and custom programming abilities, many video mixing software companies like ArKaos, are now embracing its capabilities by adding the ability to feed Flash EQ and text data for real-time visual manipulation.

Adobe’s Flash has grown significantly since its initial 1.0 release that focused solely around animation. Not until version 4.0 did it receive full scripting implementation allowing for some exciting new visual opportunities. It was widely considered nothing more than a toy by serious programmers until the release of ActionScript 2.0. With the recent release of ActionScript 3.0, the majority of new Flash users typically come from a development background. Animators attracted in to 1.0 have likely moved on to other packages or embraced ActionScript for all of its frustration and glory. Even then, Flash still attracts all forms of designers, developers animators and dabblers.

Since my discovery of VJ’ing I immediately saw the advantages of using Flash. With the majority of my content being video I shot with my Sony Digitial8 camcorder, the juxtaposition between the gritty scenery I filmed and the hard crisp lines of vector objects of Flash, provided the visual style I was aiming to achieve. Some simple vector animations on a black or white background are great matte’s for luma key effects showing the footage in or behind those animations.

One of Flashes strengths lies in its ability to be completely resolution independent. As we grow to higher resolution standards, Flash grows with us. Additionally, changing aspect ratios to accommodate various display environments is as simple as opening the source file, changing the document properties and publishing. No need for re-renders or rebuilds with higher resolution source material.

Compared to After Effects, Flash may seem limited in its abilities. The seasoned motion graphics artist might gawk at the simplicity of the Flash timeline and tools available. Its strengths lie in the simplicity of its vector animation tools. With a little bit of ActionScript knowledge combined with a few timeline tweens you can create some pretty incredible particle style effects. I’ve found trying to achieve similar effects in After Effects using mask layers & plugins tedious and time consuming. Don’t get me wrong, After Effects is still damn incredible, but they each excel in their own way.

ArKaos GrandVJ provides some new Flash functionality not available in ArKaos VJ Midi by way of a 9 band audio EQ. Additionally, it no longer relies on the Flash 5 player and ActionScript 2.0 can now be utilized. GrandVJ works best with timeline based scripting so the class based system of ActionScript 3.0 isn’t recommended. In addition to the 9 band EQ there’s also variables for Low, Mid & High. Tying movie clip properties, X position, Y position, rotation, etc, to any of these variables gives some pretty cool audio-reactive effects. Crawl outside of the standard EQ style audio-responsive box and you can build objects that grow and populate based on any of the 9 bands values. Consider a simple rain animation where the speed and size of the rain drops increase exponentially. Use an additional band to control the direction of the rain and you end up with a raining life form that reacts and grows with the music.

I spend my day job as a web developer so I continually see new ways Flash can be used in my VJ sets. It’s sometimes difficult to stay focused on work when all I wanted to do is spend my time building new content. Fortunately there’s a trade-off in that the ideas I have for Flash VJ content sometimes carry over into the websites I build and can provide a new approach to the execution of my projects. With a little ActionScript and some simple vector shapes, the opportunities are endless.

Keep an eye out for a future article covering the basics on creating audio-reactive Flash animations for use with ArKaos GrandVJ

July 21, 2009
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Rich Media Institute
525 Venezia Ave.,
Venice, CA, 90291

How to create interactive Flash animations for GrandVJ?
Learn with the pros and raffle a free license!

ArKaos is pleased to sponsor La-Va.org’s Flash Video Mixing Workshop: an afternoon of lectures, live demonstrations, and discussions of programming techniques, platform quirks, and methods of creating interactive Flash visuals in a live setting.

Flash animation has become a weapon of choice in a VJ’s arsenal due to its small file size, flexible scalability, and (most importantly) the potential for interactive programmatic elements.

Ben Guerrette (VJ ECIN – creator of Trigger Motion), will demonstrate developing audio reactive Flash visuals for use with Arkaos GrandVJ. Ben has worked with ArKaos to integrate Flash into GrandVJ and the Numark NuVJ in addition to providing stock Flash visuals included with both releases.

Eric Medine (MkUltra) will be demonstrating the interactive and dynamic text capabilities of Flash as well as MIDI-reactive Flash animation.

Following the lectures and technical demonstrations will be a raffle for a licensed version of Arkaos GrandVJ and Resolume v3, and a live Vj battle between MkUltra and ECIN.

Check out the announcement on the Lav-Va.org Blog for more info!

About LaVa (Los Angeles Video Artists)

La-Va (Los Angeles Video Artists) is a loosely organized communtiy of video artists working primarily in the field of live video mixing and improvised visuals. The goal of the LaVa community is to promote and nurture the movement of video mixing and improvisational video art in the greater Los Angeles area.