Esquimo is an animation editor with a graphical user interface, which generates output files, equipped with its own 3D engine. It allows you to create three-dimensional animation without knowledge of Actionscript. The created animation is exported as a SWF file and is ready to use on the website. We put special emphasis on the size of generated files. Interesting effects can be achieved at the file size, even below 40 kB.

Esquimo is very easy to learn. In fact, after several minutes of use, you will be able to create simple animation. While designing Esquimo, we thought about the fact that both the beginning webmasters and advanced developers can take advantage of its possibilities. Of course, knowledge of ActionScript3 opens new opportunities. Esquimo has a relatively easy-to-use API that lets you enter elements of interaction with the user.

Since version 1.3 Esquimo doesn't generate SWF with transparent background. This is because of using Stage3D as a base of displaying graphics. This is one of few things that we had to say goodbye. In exchange for that we replace the software rendering engine with new one that uses new Flash Molehill API. That means the new rednering engine is supported by GPU what takes much load of CPU. If you compare a scene compiled in Esquimo 1.2 ( software engine ) with the same scene compiled in Esquimo 1.3 ( engine with GPU acceleration ) you will notice way lower CPU usage.

Generated SWF can be loaded as a movie clips from AS3 level and manipulated freely, which in practice gives you infinite possibilities. Experienced programmers will probably benefit from the mechanism of communication between SWF generated in Esquimo and the object-parent that is has loaded. Thanks to this communication it is possible, inter alia, to track the 2D coordinates of object displayed by SWF, coming from Esquimo.

Esquimo API gives also possibility for handling events, making it easier to control user activities in relation to the 3D objects displayed. Handling of events generated by the mouse on 3D objects, timeline controlling are just some of the features of API Esquimo, which is still under development.

Esquimo main features :

• user friendly graphics interface
• high displaying accordance on the editor work view and output SWF
• small size output files
• no actionscript knowledge required ( but if you are familiar with AS3 you can take lot of advantages )
• Adobe flash authoring tool not required
• set of predefined objects with rich customization options
• STL, LWO, 3DS and .X (Direct X - static meshes only) import geometry including textures
• common way of creating the 3d animation - cameras, lights, predifined or imported 3d meshes, timeline like on major 3d applications on the market
• simple in use API
  • AS3 driven timeline
  • tracing objects coordinates
  • events handling
• GPU accelerated rendering engine ( based on Molehill )