Flash programmers have always enjoyed a freedom of expression unparalleled in other programming platforms. And with the release of AS3 and CS4, Adobe has propelled that freedom of expression into the third dimension.

But long before AS3, Flash developers were experimenting with 3D. And applications like Papervision3D formalized these endeavors into a robust object - oriented class structure. The acceptance and popularity of Papervision3D has become a driver of change in the Flash developer community.

Originally conceived by Carlos Ulloa in November 2005 and converted to Great White by Ralph Hauwert, Papervision 3D has grown from approximately 20 to over 300 classes. It ’ s maintained by a 10+ member core and committer team. And with the release of Papervision3D, 2.0, developers worldwide have been contributing to this phenomenal open source project.

But what ’ s so special about 3D? Why should you even care? Besides the “ wow! ” factor, 3D has the highest learning impact on your brain: driven by the most efficient information processor in your body – your visual cortex. If you want to inject information into your client rapidly – do it visually!

It ’ s not just visual stimulation that creates a good learning environment; it ’ s also tapping into your client ’ s emotions. This is the essence of brain - based learning; an emotionally driven 3D visual experience. That ’ s why 3D RPGs (role - playing games), like Second Life, have so much popularity on the web. They ’ ve tapped into their client ’ s emotionally driven visual cortex.

Creating complete web experiences like the one described previously required extending Papervision3D beyond its present framework. And one of the purposes of Professional Papervision3D is to provide you with the necessary tools to do so.

Flash 3D coding has come a long way since the early days of Flash. And the 3D coding architectures of the future will not only be fast (incorporating such technologies as Pixel Bender and Alchemy), but also self - generating. Full 3D websites including 3D models will be created using graphical methods very similar to those of Flash Catalyst.

This book and its website bridge the gap between the old and the new, showing how Papervision3D ’ s solid OOP (object oriented programming) structure can be extended to add additional features, and looking into the next generation of 3D architecture, which incorporates auto - code generation using tools such as Flash Catalyst and Flash Builder.