Adobe AIR Beta Channel Update
This beta release provides access to the latest AIR runtime and SDK (with compiler) for Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android. You can download the AIR beta here: Download Adobe AIR 15 Beta - Adobe Labs
Below are some of the key features and benefits of AIR 15. Please see our release notes for full details.
New Features:
- Stage3D “Standard” profile support for iOS and Android
In the Flash Runtime 14 release we introduced the Stage3D “Standard” profile which provided many advanced 3D features. At that time, the “Standard” profile was only available on desktop platforms. In the AIR 15 release we are extending this coverage to mobile platforms. If a device supports OpenGL ES3, it can successfully request the “Standard” profile and use the same advanced features as the desktop platform. For additional information, please see our Stage3D Standard Profile article.
- Relaxing Stage3D Render Target Clear
In previous versions of Stage3D, after switching the render texture through Context3D::setRenderToTexture, you were required to clear it before drawing. In this release, we're removing this limitation and optimizing the use of render textures. This change will allow you to further optimize and reuse depth and stencil buffers between different render textures. For additional information, please see Relaxing Render Target Clear Operation in Stage 3D.
- StageText.drawViewPortToBitmapData now supports Retina displays
Currently, AIR will allow a bitmap with the same width/height of the StageText object to be passed into drawViewPortToBitmapData. While fine for standard resolution displays, this is not sufficient for Apple's Retina HiDPI displays. Based on customer feedback, we've altered the drawViewPortToBitmapData method to accept a doubled size BitmapData with StageText's view port on a Mac Retina display, and then draw a HiDPI image from the view port.
- Improved Packaging Engine is now default - iOS
Starting AIR 15, new improved IPA packaging engine is now the default packaging mode when packaging for AOT targets ipa-app-store, ipa-test, ipa-ad-hoc and ipa-debug. If you encounter any packaging or runtime issues, please report at http://bugbase.adobe.com. To use older packaging mode, use "-useLegacyAOT yes" in the ADT command, before the signing options. To learn more about the feature, please read Faster Compiling with AIR for iOS
- AIR Gamepad Enhancements
AIR Gamepad feature enables the app developers to provide a second screen on Android mobile devices for the Flash based browser games. AIR Gamepad API enables Flash based browser apps to connect to a paired Android device running the AIR Runtime app and therefore allowing the Android devices to be used as game controllers or second-screen interfaces. Following enhancements are available starting AIR 15.
Multiplayer Support
Gyroscope Events
Magnetometer Events
Applying skin as AIR gamepad screen
To learn more about the feature and usage guidelines, please see Android Devices with AIR as Gamepads
- AIR Cross Promotion
Adobe AIR 15 now supports cross promotion of AIR games for mobile devices. Cross promotions can be effective in saving some amount of advertising cost. With the right partnership, you gain access to a wider customer base with a demographic similar to that of your application. This cross promotion is free and works on a credit system. All you need is to earn enough credit points by promoting other AIR games to begin your own promotion campaign. The AIR SDK offers the new AdViewer API for promotion campaigns as a SWC, it provides functions to load and show in-game advertisements. You earn credit points for promoting AIR games by other developers based on ad impressions and clicks.
To learn more about the feature and usage guidelines, please see Cross Promotion of AIR Games for Mobile.
- VideoTexture Support in AIR (Windows Beta)
We've introduced a new ActionScript feature that allows hardware accelerated video to be used as a source texture in a Stage3D environment. Currently, using video with Stage3D requires the use of the Video object, which is not accelerated, and manipulation of the bitmap representations of the video frames. This new feature, called VideoTexture, allows direct access to a texture object that is sourced from a Netstream or Camera object.
The following sample code demonstrates the use of the VideoTexture object.
1. Create a VideoTexture object and attach a NetStream (or Camera) object to the VideoTexture object:
var ns:NetStream;
var context3D:Context3D;
var texture:VideoTexture;
texture = context3D.createVideoTexture();
texture.attachNetstream(ns);
ns.play("video.3gp");
texture.addEventListener(VideoTexture.RENDER_STATE, renderFrame);
2. A texture representation of the current video frame can be retrieved from the callback function for the VideoTexture.RENDER_STATES event.
function renderFrame(e:Event):void
{
// Render on stage3D with VideoTexture
}
Please note that this is an "extended beta" feature. The initial implementation is for Windows AIR only. We are committed to expanding this feature to AIR mobile and Mac in a following release. We'll also consider an implementation in Flash Player if there is sufficient demand.
Fixed Issues:
- Crash on iOS devices on calling CameraRoll.LoadPromise function with new fast packaging engine.
- Adobe AIR Runtime initiates the wrong launch image Default@2x.png, when Default@2x.png and Default-375w-667hh@2x.png images are packaged.
- Launch image Default-414w-736h@3x.png is not appearing in standard display mode on iPhone 6 Plus.
Known Issues:
- [iPhone 6 Plus] Wrong screen size and dpi is returned through the runtime APIs.
- [iPhone 6 Plus] iPad Launch image appears on iPhone 6 Plus in standard display mode, when both iPhone and iPad launch images are
- packaged together.
- Unable to install the application from Flash Pro CC on iOS simulator after updating iOS SDK and iPhone simulator with 7.1
- Hurlant.Base64 encode doesn't work with new fast packaging engine.
- iOS tlfText not rendering, when application is packaged with new fast packaging engine.
- Shared apps are crashing on android.
About the Beta Channel
If you would like real-time notification for announcements related to the AIR Beta Channel please follow the Flash Runtime Announcements forums by choosing "Follow this forum" from the right-hand menu on the Forums page.
You can find instructions for getting started with this release here: AIR Labs Page