Create avatars

From Whirled

Contents 1 Getting Started 1.1 Adobe Flash CS3 1.2 AS3 2 Code Examples 3 Documentation 4 Tutorials 5 Upload! 6 Sell!

Whirled avatars are animated characters that represent the personality, mood or style of the owner to the Whirled at large. Custom avatars are easy to make with the right tools, and let you create a truly unique appearance for yourself, or sell your creations to the eager masses. Follow the tutorials below for both step-by-step guides to the basics of avatar creation and helpful techniques for more advanced creators.

Getting Started

The simplest way to make your own unique avatar is to buy a remixable avatar. If you want to try your hand at some programming, you can make Avatars either in Adobe Flash CS3 or in standalone AS3.

Adobe Flash CS3

Adobe Flash CS3 is the tool our art department uses to make avatars. You can work from our pre-coded templates or create entire avatars from scratch. (Adobe's Flash page)

. Simple Tutorial

. Advanced Techniques

AS3

Standalone AS3 is targeted more at programmers. But don't be scared, just follow our tutorial! (A major plus of AS3 is that it's FREE!)

Simple AS3 Avatar Tutorial

Code Examples

Learning by example is the easiest way, so make sure to check out our many game examples on our SVN server. Some of these are created in Adobe Flash CS3 and some of these are created with standalone AS3.

Documentation Whirled APIs Whirled ASdocs which contains the all important AvatarControl Avatar creation FAQ AS3 References http://livedocs.adobe.com/flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/ http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/ActionScript_3 There are also numerous paper books available on the subject.

Tutorials Using Adobe Flash CS3 to build games Setting up your programming environment Hello Whirled: making your first program in AS3

Upload!

Once you are done creating an Avatar, you should upload it to Whirled!

1. Choose Me → Avatars to see the avatars you own.
2. Scroll down to the "Create your own Avatar" section.
   

   Click "Upload" to bring up the interface.
3. Click the Upload... button to get the avatar uploading interface.
   

   Avatar uploading interface.
   1. Click on the Name field and enter a name for your avatar.
   2. Click Browse in Avatar Media and find the swf file for your avatar.
   3. Click Browse in Thumbnail Media and find the bitmap (png, jpg or gif) file for your avatar's icon. (max. 80x60)
   4. Click on the Description field and enter a description of your avatar. This is only required if you plan to sell it in the shop.
4. Click Save to put your avatar in your inventory for use.

Sell!

1. Choose Me → Avatars to see the pets you own.
2. Click the name or icon of the pet you want to list in the shop.
3. Click the List Item button to bring up the shop listing interface.
   

   Items in the shop must have a description.
   1. Item Description: The listed text will appear in the shop on the item's details page.
   2. Strategy: This setting determines the item pricing strategy. The options are Hidden, Manual (default), Escalate, and Limited Edition. Each option is described to the right when selected.
   3. Sales Target: This field appears only when Escalate or Limited Edition option selected for Strategy.
   4. Coin Cost: This number determines the initial cost of your listed avatar.
4. Click List it! to add your avatar to the shop, ready for purchase.