Microsoft announces Flash competitor, Silverlight

In the wake of Adobe's Flash CS3 release, Microsoft announces its next-generation, cross-platform, cross-browser web client runtime called Silverlight.

This runtime will allow the playback of files using various forms of interactivity on both PC and Mac platforms. Silverlight will essentially deliver rich interactive applications for the web that incorporate video, animation, and interactivity. It also has the ability to run in fullscreen HD video mode while supporting 720p video, and through mobile devices.

I don't think that this is a Flash-killer by any means, if anything it will be more fuel for Adobe to try and keep the Flash platform as top dog of web interactivity.

There are more details as to Silverlight's capabilities in this MSDN blog post.

Flash CS3

Flash CS3! AS3, animation tween-to-actionscript conversion, AS3 UI components, new video components, AI/PSD native import, new debugger, new drawing tools, and so much more! Can't wait to get my hands on this.

I've been so busy over the last 2 months at my new job, that I lose track of whats going on in the Flash world. Cahlan and I now work for different companies, but we both still have a great passion for the new and cool stuff going on with Flash. I'm now the lead interactive developer for Sandman Studios. (Pay no attention to the old website, we've got a cool new one in the works.) Sandman does alot of Hollywood special effects, games, interactive dvds/cd-roms, and of course websites. They have their hands in alot of mediums. Its exciting to see the potential this little company has.

Lately, I've been experimenting with PaperVision3D, a powerful AS2/AS3 3D engine. Here are a few examples of PaperVision:

Cell shading
Star Wars game
Material test
Material test 2
Panorama
Tons more

PaperVision is amazing, its lightweight, very powerful, and opens the door for so many design possibilities! I can't wait until something like this is built into Flash. I will post some of my tests later next week.

Anywho, thats all I got for now.