http://www.adrianparr.com/?p=83
Here is a round up of some of the most popular ActionScript 3.0 (AS3) libraries out there to use. Let me know if I have missed an important one off.
NOTE: This list was originally for my personal use (that I thought I would share), it is not intended to compete with or replace the list maintained by OSFlash or RIAForge.
Update 29/10/08: Ted Patrick has put together a list of ActionScript Cloud/Service APIs that he going to highlight during his Adobe MAX 2008 keynote presentation.
Update 28/11/08: I have just come across the Actionscript Classes website. A very handy resource.
Update 11/01/09: Rich Tretola has a small list of AS3 Libs on his blog EverythingFlex.
Update 12/01/09: The Flashchemist has compiled a similar list on his blog.
Update 27/02/09: Check out Spark Project which includes the FLARToolkit for Augmented Reality
Update 11/08/09: I just stumbled across this (old) list of projects.
Update 19/12/09: Sean “theflexguy” Moore has just written a blog entry called ‘List of 34 More ActionScript 3.0 APIs‘. This is a follow-up to his original post ‘List of 22 ActionScript 3.0 API’s‘.
Update 22/12/09: “30+ ‘Must Try’ Open Source Actionscript 3 Libraries” and “30 MORE Awesome Open Source AS3 Libraries”
Update 28/01/10: “30 Classes AS3 bem úteis!”
Update 29/01/10: “15 Awesome ActionScript 3 Frameworks To Inspire Your Next Project”
Update 24/02/10: Emanuele Feronato has a good list of Isometric Engines on his blog
Update 19/03/10: Tom Krcha has posted a list of Flash Gaming Engines, plus a few othersthat were new to me
Update 09/07/10: FluxDb has a huge list of AS3 Libraries
3D Engines
- Papervision3D
- Away 3D
http://www.away3d.com/
- Sandy 3D
http://www.flashsandy.org/
- Alternativa Platform
http://blog.alternativaplatform.com/en/
- FIVe3D
http://five3d.mathieu-badimon.com/
- WireEngine3D (we3d) – A lightweight and fast 3D Engine for Flash 8/9.
http://osflash.org/we3d/
- Sharikura
http://temp.roxik.com/datas/physics/ - Infinity3d – In Russian
http://www.infinity3d-engine.com - AS3Dmod – A cross-engine 3d modifier library for Flash
http://code.google.com/p/as3dmod/ - ND3D – A small and lightweight AS3 3D Engine
http://code.google.com/p/nd3d/ - Flare3D – Export from Autodesk’s 3DSMax and then control using ActionScript (Commercial)
http://www.flare3d.com/ - noob3d
http://blog.badnoob.com/
- Adobe ”Molehill”
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flash/molehill/ - Sophie 3D - A Flash 3D Component that enables you to publish interactive 3D content online
http://www.sophie3d.com - zest3d – Open source realtime 3D engine for Adobe Flash
http://zest3d.digital-glue.com/
3D Game Engines
- PaperWorld 3D
http://paperworld3d.com/ - Yogurt3D
http://www.yogurt3d.com/
2D Game Engines
- Citrus Engine – Flash Sidescrolling Platform Game Engine (Commercial)
http://www.citrusengine.com/ - FlashPunk – Provide you with a fast, clean framework for prototyping and developing games.
http://flashpunk.net/ - flixel – A collection of Actionscript 3 files that helps organize, automate, and optimize Flash games.
http://flixel.org/ - PixelBlitz Engine -A game framework for Actionscript3
http://www.photonstorm.com/pixelblitz-engine - PushButton Engine – An Open Source, Flash game engine and framework that’s designed for a new generation of games.
http://pushbuttonengine.com/
Isometric Engines
- as3isolib – An open-source ActionScript 3.0 Isometric Library
http://as3isolib.wordpress.com/ - FFilmation – AS3 Isometric Engine
http://www.ffilmation.org/ - isoengineas3 – Flash Isometric Engine AS3
http://sourceforge.net/projects/isoengineas3/ - OpenSpace – Commercial
http://www.openspace-engine.com/ - Sean Cooper Isometric Engine – Commercial
http://www.games.seantcooper.com/IsometricEngine.aspx - TheoWorlds – Commercial
http://www.theoworlds.com/products.php - T.I.L.E. (Tangerine Isometric Level Editor) – Commercial
http://www.tangerinepop.com/ then click on “TECH”
3D Animation Framework
- Cast3D
http://www.cast3d.org/
3D Physics Engines
- WOW-Engine
http://seraf.mediabox.fr/wow-engine/ - jiglibflash
http://www.jiglibflash.com/blog/
Augmented Reality
- FLARToolkit
http://www.libspark.org/wiki/saqoosha/FLARToolKit/en - FLARManager
http://words.transmote.com/wp/flarmanager/ - ARtisan
http://onezerothrice.com/artisan/
Animation Tweening Engines
- Desuade Motion Package – A breakthrough AS3 library that combines keyframe-sequencing, physics, and tweening.
- TweenNano – 1.6k TweenLite with Some Sacrifices
http://www.greensock.com/tweennano/ - TweenLite
http://blog.greensock.com/tweenliteas3/
- TweenMax
http://blog.greensock.com/tweenmaxas3/ - TimelineLite – Sequence/Group Multiple Tweens, Control Them as a Whole
http://www.greensock.com/timelinelite/ - TimelineMax – Sequence/Group Multiple Tweens, Control Them as a Whole
http://www.greensock.com/timelinemax/ - Tweener – A class for creating tweens in actionscript 2 and 3 – because there’s infinity between 0 and 1.
http://code.google.com/p/tweener/
- Tweensy
http://www.lostinactionscript.com/blog/index.php/2008/08/31/as3-tween-engine-tweensy-preview/ - TweensyZero – A light weight version of Tweensy.
http://code.google.com/p/tweensy/wiki/TweensyZero - GoASAP (ActionScript Animation Platform)
http://www.goasap.org/
- AS3 Animation System 2.0
http://www.boostworthy.com/blog/?p=170
- Animation Package
http://www.alex-uhlmann.de/flash/animationpackage/
- KitchenSync – KitchenSync is an ActionScript 3.0 library for sequencing animations and other time-based actions.
http://code.google.com/p/kitchensynclib/
- Gyro – A tween and animation library for ActionScript 3.
http://code.google.com/p/gyro-actionscript-animation/
- gTween
http://www.gskinner.com/blog/archives/2008/08/gtween_a_new_tw.html
- HydroTween + HydroSequence (based on GoASAP)
http://blog.hydrotik.com/2008/07/19/hydrotween-hydrosequence-rev32/
- AS3 Easing
http://www.uza.lt/codex/as3-easing/
- Twease
http://code.google.com/p/twease/ - BetweenAS3
http://www.be-interactive.org/works/20090428/slide_betweenas3.html - ByteTween –
http://code.google.com/p/thelaboratory-tween/ - Eaze – Blazing fast, chainable and compact Flash AS3 tweening library
http://code.google.com/p/eaze-tween/ - Actuate – Tween library for Actionscript 3
http://code.google.com/p/actuate/ - grape-as3 – Path-based ActionScript 3 animation library
http://blog.generalrelativity.org/actionscript-30/grape-animation-library/ - RabbitTween – A new fast and easy transition/tween engine for Flash AS3
http://blog.open-design.be/2009/09/26/rabbittween-new-fast-and-easy-transitiontween-engine-for-flash-as3/ - Tweaser – The anti-tween engine
http://www.tweaser.org/ - NanoTween – Small, lightweight tweening tool for Flash ActionScript 3
http://labs.eric-decker.com/2010/07/nanotween/
2D Physics Engines
- APE (Actionscript Physics Engine)
http://www.cove.org/ape/index.htm
- Box2DFlashAS3
http://box2dflash.sourceforge.net/
- FOAM – 2D Rigid Body Physics Engine.
http://code.google.com/p/foam-as3/
- glaze – 2D Rigid Body Dynamics & Game Engine for Actionsctipt 3.
http://code.google.com/p/glaze/
- motor2
http://lab.polygonal.de/motor_physics/
- Fisix Engine
http://www.fisixengine.com/default.asp
- PopShapes
http://lab.andre-michelle.com/physics-engine/ - Collision Detection Kit
http://coreyoneil.com/portfolio/index.php?project=5 - QuickBox2D – A mini-library created to work with Box2DFlashAS3
http://actionsnippet.com/?page_id=1391 - nape - caXe/haXe/AS3 physics engine
http://code.google.com/p/nape/ - WCK – Box2d Flash Alchemy Port + World Construction Kit (AS3 Physics Engine)
http://www.sideroller.com/wck/
Security
- AS3Crypto
http://crypto.hurlant.com/
Audio Libraries
- Popforge – ActionScript 3 code sandbox for various packages.
http://code.google.com/p/popforge/ - Sonoflash – Dynamic AS3 Audio (Commercial)
http://www.sonoflash.com/ - tonfall – Tiny AS3 Audio Framework
http://code.google.com/p/tonfall/ - standingwave – Flash/Flex library for high-level audio synthesis
http://code.google.com/p/standingwave/ - Tone Class – AS3 Sound Synthesis
Part I http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2660
Part II http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2669
Part III http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2675
Part IV http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?p=2681 - SoundFX – Out-of-the-box audio filters with ActionScript 3
http://www.anttikupila.com/flash/soundfx-out-of-the-box-audio-filters-with-actionscript-3/ - ALF - Audio Processing Library for Flash
http://music.ece.drexel.edu/ALF - as3sfxr - A port of the C++ app sfxr to AS3. Generates custom retro game sound effects
http://code.google.com/p/as3sfxr/
http://www.superflashbros.net/as3sfxr/ - as3lameencoder – Lame MP3 Encoder running in Adobe AIR 2.0
http://code.google.com/p/as3lameencoder/ - as3wavsound – AS3WavSound (AWS) provides native support to play .wav files directly in Flash
http://code.google.com/p/as3wavsound/ - MicRecorder – A tiny microphone library
http://www.bytearray.org/?p=1858 - Shine-MP3-Encoder-on-AS3-Alchemy – Flash/Alchemy port of the lightweight Shine MP3 Encoder
https://github.com/kikko/Shine-MP3-Encoder-on-AS3-Alchemy - Pitch MP3 – Change speed of sound in realtime (Not PitchShift!)
http://blog.andre-michelle.com/2009/pitch-mp3/ - PitchShifter - Real-time pitch shifting (without change of duration)
http://iq12.com/blog/2009/08/25/real-time-pitch-shifting/ - soundtouch-as3 – AS3 Port of the SoundTouch Sound Processing Library
https://github.com/also/soundtouch-as3
Particle Systems
- FLiNT
http://flintparticles.org/
- Partigen (Not free)
http://desuade.com/products/partigen/ - Pulse Particle System – A general purpose AS3 particle system.
http://www.rogue-development.com/pulseParticles.html - Emitter – ActionScript 3.0 particle FX engine.
http://code.google.com/p/emitter/ - Stardust – ActionScript 3.0 Particle engine.
http://code.google.com/p/stardust-particle-engine/ - Orion – An all around simple and flexible particle generator.
http://blog.coursevector.com/orion - particlesun – A 3D or 2D Particle Engine for Actionscript 3.0
http://code.google.com/p/particlesun/
Data Visualization
- Flare – Create interactive data visualizations for the web.
http://flare.prefuse.org/
Loading Kits
- LoaderMax – Smart AS3 Loading
http://www.greensock.com/loadermax/ - BulkLoader – A library for managing multiple loadings with Actionscript 3 (AS3).
http://code.google.com/p/bulk-loader/ - Masapi – Flash/Flex/AIR AS3 Framework for the massive loading (MassLoad)
http://code.google.com/p/masapi/
- QueueLoaderAS3 – an actionscript library for sequential asset loading and monitoring
http://wiki.github.com/hydrotik/QueueLoader/ - SomaLoader – A lightweight loading manager written in AS3
http://www.soundstep.com/blog/downloads/somaloader/ - AssetLoader – A simple to use library that allows you to load multiple assets at the same time
http://doesflash.com/assetloader/
OOP Frameworks
- Cairngorm
http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/cairngorm/Cairngorm
- PureMVC
http://puremvc.org/
- Mate
http://mate.asfusion.com/ - Swiz – Brutally simple micro-architecture for Rich Internet Application development with Adobe Flex
http://code.google.com/p/swizframework/ - HydraMVC – A rewrite of the PureMVC API exclusively for Flex
http://www.hydramvc.com/ - RobotLegs – An Architectural (or Structural) Action Script 3 Framework
http://shaun.boyblack.co.za/blog/category/robotlegs/ - LayerGlue – A framework aimed at rapid website development for Flash & Flex.
http://www.layerglue.com - Slide – An application framework for Flex 2 and Flex 3
http://code.google.com/p/flex-slide/
- Guasax – an ease of use programming framework to provide ordered and scalable Flex applications
http://www.guasax.com/
- VEGAS – an AS3, AS2 and SSAS OpenSource Framework
http://code.google.com/p/vegas/
- Parsley – an application framework for Flex/Flash/AIR applications written in AS3
http://www.spicefactory.org/parsley/
- LowRa – AS3 version of pixlib.
http://code.google.com/p/lowra/ - CASA Lib – An Open Source Code Library for ActionScript 2.0 & 3.0
http://casalib.org/ - FlashMVC – A flexable lightweight framework engine for AS3.
http://www.flashmvc.com/ - Hive – A state-based MVC framework for AS3.
http://code.google.com/p/as-hive/ - Soma and SomaUI – An AS3 MVC framework and software to generate an AS3 flash site based on it.
http://www.soundstep.com/blog/downloads/somaui/ - Spring Actionscript – An offshoot of the Java-based Spring Framework.
http://www.springactionscript.org/ - SmartyPants IOC – Dependency Injection for Adobe Flex and Flash
http://smartypants.expantra.net/ - fosfr – AS3 open source framework
http://code.google.com/p/fosfr/ - Flight Framework
http://flightxd.com/flightframework/ - CycleFramework – A view management and development oriented framework
http://code.google.com/p/cycleframework/
Website Frameworks
- Gaia – An open-source front-end Flash Framework for AS3 and AS2 designed to dramatically reduce development time
http://www.gaiaflashframework.com/ - flashflowfactory – Helps you to easily setup a Flash website
http://blog.stroep.nl/2010/10/introducing-flashflowfactory/
Debug / Stats / Trace / Output Panels
- flash-tracer – Vizzy Flash Tracer that shows Flash Player debug content and log
http://code.google.com/p/flash-tracer/ - De MonsterDebugger – An open source debugger for Adobe Flash, Flex and AIR
http://demonsterdebugger.com/ - Arthropod – The easy Flash and AIR Debugger
http://arthropod.stopp.se/ - Alcon – A lightweight debugging tool for ActionScript developers
http://blog.hexagonstar.com/downloads/alcon/ - SWFProfiler – FPS and memory usage monitor
http://www.lostinactionscript.com/blog/index.php/2008/10/06/as3-swf-profiler/ - FlashPreloadProfiler – an open source multi-purpose profiler designed to help productivity and stability during development
http://jpauclair.net/FlashPreloadProfiler/ - LogWatcher – Adds a view to Eclipse that allows log files to be monitored for changes
http://graysky.sourceforge.net/ - ThunderBoltAS3 – Logging ActionScript projects using Firebug within Firefox
https://github.com/sectore/ThunderBoltAS3 - ThunderBoltAS3Console – Logging ActionScript projects using Firebug within Firefox
https://github.com/sectore/ThunderBoltAS3Console - FlashTracer – Mozilla Firefox Extension
http://www.sephiroth.it/firefox/flashtracer/ - Hi-ReS! Stats – Performance Monitor
https://github.com/mrdoob/Hi-ReS-Stats - SWFConsole – A free developer tool for Flash AS3 projects that gives you output in all environments
http://rohanlatimer.com.au/swfconsole/ - Flash-Console – Flash AS3, logger, debugger, console
http://code.google.com/p/flash-console/ - $.console – Make Actionscript 3 debugging easier and more portable
http://www.uza.lt/2007/08/25/console-flash-debugging-console/ - Xray – The AdminTool
http://osflash.org/xray - Console.as – Debugging AS3 With Firebug’s Console
http://marumushi.com/news/debugging-as3-with-firebugs-console - LuminicBox.Log – Logging API for AS2 and AS3
http://code.google.com/p/luminicbox-log/ - Kap Inspect
http://lab.kapit.fr/display/kapinspect/Kap+Inspect - Output.as – An output class from Senocular
http://www.senocular.com/flash/actionscript/?file=ActionScript_3.0/com/senocular/utils/Output.as - PV3DDebug – View critical Papervision stats
http://jasonbejot.com/easier-dev-with-pv3ddebug - ReflexUtil – Runtime debugger for adobe flex components
http://code.google.com/p/reflexutil/
Other APIs and libraries
- facebook-actionscript-api – Actionscript API for the Facebook platform.
http://code.google.com/p/facebook-actionscript-api/
- as3facebooklib – ActionScript 3.0 API for Facebook.
http://code.google.com/p/as3facebooklib/
- Yahoo Maps API
http://developer.yahoo.com/flash/maps/
- corelib – ActionScript 3.0 library for several basic utilities (JPEG Encoding, MD5 Hashing, JSON Serialization).
http://code.google.com/p/as3corelib/
- as3flexunitlib – ActionScript 3.0 framework for unit testing.
http://code.google.com/p/as3flexunitlib/
- as3flickrlib – ActionScript 3.0 API for Flickr.
http://code.google.com/p/as3flickrlib/
- as3mapprlib – ActionScript 3.0 API for Mappr.