Ryan Campbell Flex/Flash Developer Blog

Plexiglass: 3D Components Made Easy at 360|Flex

In the time since 360|Flex Atlanta, Ben and I have made a lot of progress on OpenFlux. The majority of my focus has been on what's called Plexiglass. It consists of an alternate view class, 3D layouts and cameras allowing you to create 3D components with as little as a couple lines of mxml or css.

We've still got a ways to go, OpenFlux is still in alpha release, but I'm really happy with what we've done so far and I can't wait to show it off. My session at 360|Flex will give you a great idea on what's currently possible, how to get started and future plans. Not to mention some sweet demos with full source code provided.

I'll also be looking to the crowd to drum up discussion on where to go next with the project. Although OpenFlux has been quoted as "Flex 4 Now", Plexiglass is definitely beyond the scope of the Flex 4 SDK. We've got a pretty solid core, I've experimented with Flex 4 compatibility and I think with the communities help this project can go a long way.

Below is a quick example (took 5 minutes) of a regular OpenFlux List component using the FlowLayout and an OpenFlux List using Plexiglass with the SpiralLayout. You can see by the source code, Plexiglass is really easy to get started with.

If you are interested in learning more come check out my session on Monday afternoon. On Sunday there is also free training on OpenFlux with Ben Stucki and I'll also be there to show you how to build a 3D component (e-mail info@360flex.com to RSVP).

Lastly: This will be my third time going to 360|Flex. The previous 2 (Seattle, Atlanta) I had a blast, learnt a lot, meet a bunch of great people and it sounds like this one is going to be even better. I look forward to seeing you all there and if you see me around please come say hi.