Adobe Bends Boundaries With Flash CS4

It seems like only yesterday I was installing the Creative Suite 3 package from Adobe. It was a simpler time, where I could sit back in my chair and ease-in to a new animation project. I knew the technical limitations and all the capabilities of Flash CS3. Honestly, not a lot changed from Flash 8 to CS3 other than the cosmetics, it was your typical upgrade. But today, I discovered why we pay Adobe $600 for those upgrades.

The new CS4 is worth every penny, or at least it would appear so. I haven't yet jumped into it, but I took a look at a video on Lee Brimelow's website, and I was floored. I had dabbled in the world of 3D in the past, using tools like Maya or Lightwave for 3D modeling and rendering. These programs were well developed and required an in-depth knowledge of the craft. I used to animate in Flash and get frustrated with shape-tweens, setting up motion guides and a few other shortfalls. But it appears that Adobe has finally overcome these hurdles, and then some.

The concept of inverse kinematics, a staple in the 3D animation world, is something that we're all aware of (whether or not we know the technical term). The new "bone" tool inside of Flash CS4 allows for incredible control and flexibility (pardon the pun) in your vector animations. You can create a set of symbols or a simple polygon shape, apply a bone structure to it and begin to bend, fold and contort your vector art in any way imaginable. This is the coolest thing I've seen in a while.

Along with the impressive new kinematic controls, Flash CS4 has also added some new ways of controlling entire animations as well as customizing your animations in 2D and 3D space. That's right, 3D space... That's a whole 'nother post in itself. The web is about to get a lot cooler - all due to that $600 price tag we love to hate. Adobe has obviously worked hard since acquiring Macromedia, and Flash CS4 is by far the best upgrade in a long time.

~Grant