Flash 8 Cookbook

1.13. Drawing Other Assorted Shapes

Problem

You want to draw a shape for which there is no built-in tool within Flash.

Solution

Check to see whether there is a drawing tool available that you can add to Flash via the Extension Manager.

Discussion

Flash includes a JavaScript extension layer. What that means for you is that it is possible to find and install additional functionality for Flash—including extra drawing tools. Though you may not necessarily find a drawing tool that draws exactly what you are looking for, it is worth taking a look. A good resource for finding such extensions is the Flash Exchange at the Macromedia web site. A direct link to the Macromedia Exchange is http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/exchange. Another resource with a few drawing tools is http://www.flashextensibility.com.

As time goes on, more Flash extensions are likely to be available, but at the time of this writing, the following are some of the most seemingly relevant:

Splat

The Splat tool allows you to draw shapes with circular inner shapes with curved shapes extending outward from it. The default settings create what looks like a splat of paint (hence the name).But by adjusting the settings for the tool, you can readily draw flower shapes and other, more abstract shapes. Splat v2 is the same as the first version, but with a few additional options, including random colors and a noise setting that applies a random distortion to each shape drawn with the tool.

Arrow

The Selection tool quite simply allows ...