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.
- 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.
- 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 follow http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/ios-packaging-compiled-mode.html
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 follow www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/android-air-devices-as-gamepads.html
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 follow www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/cross-promotion-of-air-games-mobile.html
Fixed Issues:
- Multiple stability fixes
- [Performance] Poor performance waiting for the GPU on Windows using Release binaries (3687958)
- [iOS8] A notification dialog is coming after launching any AIR applications. (3771162)
- Stage.restrict A-Z property gets applied to the programmatically entered text, on entering text via Keyboard with cursor placed at the end of text (3771860)
- StageText displayAsPassword displays text without mask in landscape on Android (3745033)
- Failing to call Context3D.clear before drawing on every frame no longer throws a runtime error. (3726980)
- Poor AIR performance while starting app after restarting Windows OS. (3690665)
- ADL crashes when Workers attempt to open local shared object. (3768436)
- StageVideo with camera doesn't work properly, no video is displayed. (3781244)
Known Issues:
- [AIR] [Android L] – Rendering issues with Direct and GPU render mode.
- [AIR] [Android] AIR Games icon is present apart from Adobe AIR icon on Android devices.
- [AIR] [Cross Promotion] certificate warning is shown on loadAd API. (3789840)
- [AIR] [Android] Application crashes on playing mp3 and video files. (3800251)
- [AIR] [Javascript] Custom cursor failed on the Jscode HTML AIR app, but success on the AS code AIR APP. (3792475)
- [AIR] Camera returns letterboxed video for webcam. (3780911)
- [AIR] Incomplete stack trace is displayed in Debug View. (3780862)
- [AIR] [Win] Unable to prevent default when pasting into TextField with AIR 14.(3776183)
- [AIR] AIR Publish Fails when Including Large Files. (3772815)
- [AIR] [Win] GPU accelerated video stop playing when screen resolution changes after NetStream.Buffer.Flush event. (3766000)
- [AIR] Dispatching Sound Complete. (3764974)
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
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