JavaFX Special Effects (eBook)

Lucas L. Jordan is a lifelong computer enthusiast and has worked for many years as a Java developer, focusing on user interface. He has previously written JavaFX Special Effects: Taking Java RIA to the Extreme with Animation, Multimedia, and Game Elements. Lucas is interested in mobile application development in its many forms.

Contents at a Glance 5
Table of Contents 6
Foreword 12
About the Author 13
About the Technical Reviewer 14
Acknowledgments 15
Introduction 16
Goal of This Book 16
Who This Book Is For 16
Who This book Is By 17
Chapter Overview 18
CHAPTER 1 JavaFX Design Considerations 19
Graphics and Animations in Applications 19
Controls and Layout 19
Graphics 23
Animations 26
Designers and Developers 27
Workflow 27
Showing off the Platform 30
Setting Realistic Expectations 30
JavaFX 31
Scene Graph 31
Designer Tools 32
Deployment 36
NetBeans 36
Open Source Tools 38
GIMP 38
ImageMagick 39
Blender 39
Inkscape 39
Audacity 39
Summary 39
CHAPTER 2 Effect: Particle Systems 40
Basic Principles 40
Visual Density 42
Particle Appearance and Behavior 42
Animation Implementation 42
Example 1: Core Classes 42
Example 2: Adding Some Controls 46
Example 3: Transparency 52
Example 4: Blend Mode 55
Example 5: Nonuniform Nodes 57
Example 6: Direction 61
Example 7: Nonlinear Paths 63
Further Considerations 64
Summary 65
CHAPTER 3 Effect: Visual Transitions 66
Getting Started 66
Example 1: Fade Replace 70
Example 2: Slide Replace 73
Example 3: Flip Replace 75
Example 4: Wipe Replace 80
Example 5: Burn Replace 83
Further Considerations 86
Summary 86
CHAPTER 4 Effect: Animated Lighting 87
Lighting Basics 87
Animating Light 89
Distant Light Example 91
Point Light Example 93
Spot Light Example 96
Light and Shadow Example 99
Further Considerations 102
Summary 102
CHAPTER 5 Effect: Advanced Interpolators 103
The Basics 103
Visualizing Interpolators 104
Built-In Interpolators 107
Custom Interpolators 110
Extending Interpolator 111
Quadratic Interpolator 112
Cubic Interpolator 113
Polynomial Interpolator 115
Windup-Overshoot Interpolator 117
Step Interpolator 119
Transition Example 124
Fade Transition 126
Slide Transition 126
Flip Transition 127
Further Considerations 127
Summary 128
CHAPTER 6 Effect: Physics 129
Simulation 129
Third-Party Implementation 130
Simple Example 131
Pendulum Example 138
Teeter Totter Example 142
Transition Example 144
Further Considerations 151
Summary 151
CHAPTER 7 Effect: Animated Image Sequences 152
Creating Images 152
Implementation 158
Further Considerations 166
Summary 167
CHAPTER 8 Effect: Animated Gradients 168
The Basics 168
Paint Types 168
Proportional 170
Animations 174
Simple Color Example 174
Simple Linear Gradient 175
Simple Radial 178
Multi-Colored Linear 180
Animated Stops 181
Animate Opacity and Stops 184
Progress Bar 187
Summary 190
CHAPTER 9 Effect: Audio Visualizer 191
What Is an Audio Visualizer? 191
Audio and the JVM 193
Audio and JavaFX 193
Java Sound 194
JavaFX and Java 200
Audio Visualizations 202
Controlling the Audio 204
Bars 206
Disco 208
Wave 212
Summary 214
CHAPTER 10 Effects: Physics and Particles 215
Particles as Bodies 215
Emitters as Bodies 223
Summary 228
CHAPTER 11 Pulling It All Together: Clown Cannon 229
Design Phase 229
Game Design 229
Graphic Design 231
Implementation 236
Game Life Cycle 237
Round Life Cycle 244
Summary 254
Index 255