Here is a performance test by Jack at GreenSock who created TweenLite and TweenFilterLite that tests Tweener, TweenLite, Fuse/ZigoEngine and Twease animation kits for flash. This test is only AS2 but in this test TweenLite is quite a ways ahead in means of performance for many tweens via code. I would like to use this in AS3 to check the speeds there as well but from the onset it appears if you have many tweens that the smaller TweenLite kit compared to the AS2 version of Tweener and Twease is the better bet for performance.
Personally I don’t do much AS2 other than maintenance or converting to AS3 so I will be digging into this further this week in AS3 to check the speeds.
In Jack’s AS2 benchmark it appears they are pretty even up until around 150-200 Tweens per half second. If your application is built in AS2 and has more than 200 Tweens per second (very possible in gaming and just to have processing left over for other things) then TweenLite seems like it has less overhead. TweenLite is pulling in a respectable 10FPS on this machine at 500 tweens per .5 seconds.
UPDATE: Jack has updated the test to include AS2 (the dog) and AS3 for Tweener and TweenLite. This version in AS3 the threshold is much much higher and Tweener at 1200 tweens comes in around 10fps on this machine while TweenLite comes in at 1200 tweens at 15-20fps. They again are pretty even until around 800 tweens per second on this test machine where a critical mass is hit, at that point TweenLite starts scaling a bit better and around 1200 tweens is roughly double the FPS. I need to look further at the benchmark test as it is made by one of the authors but Jack is a respectable source and offers the source so anyone is willing to look at this. Results will vary but I think this still shows Tweener has a slightly smaller overhead (which when you compound it with many short tweens it adds up) but does not negate the use or quality of Tweener as 1200 tweens per half second is very respectable thanks to the new AVM2 virtual machine in AS3, but it is always important to perform to save up room for other kits such as Papervision3D and memory for more assets. I think this has been a very worthwhile exercise and I think that a need for a comparison tool for all animation kits in AS2 and AS3 (or just AS3 as we move forward), it will only improve both toolkits. Also, not just straight tweens but bezier, color, filters and general movement.
As always thanks Zeh, Jack and Nate for your excellent toolkits and work that you put out there.
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October 22, 2007 at 2:02 am
[…] can read more here This entry was posted on Sunday, October 21st, 2007 at 5:57 pm and is filed under flash. You can […]
October 22, 2007 at 9:25 am
Jack has now included the AS3 tests on that same post. Also note that Zeh has included some explanation in the comments section about the speed differences involving Tweener.
October 22, 2007 at 11:49 am
Hey Nate,
Updated. btw Thanks for your contrib to AS3 Tweener. It is a great kit. I think performance tests and benchmarks can only improve performance so I see this as a good thing. I think that Jack did a good job getting his kit into the channels. He also highlighted where TweenLite might be useful where other tools with more overhread like Tweener’s special properties and other kits overhead can slow things down. It really is a by project decision but many times I need the bezier curves or tools from other kits but animation kits should be small and compact and extremely fast. I think this will help all kits for the better knowing there is a benchmark out there. It is a win for everyone if we focus on performance.
October 22, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Don’t know if you’ve seen this, but Moses of MosesSupposes/Fuse just released an open source tool for benchmarking animation systems in AS3. Looks similar to the GreenSock one in some respects. http://go.mosessupposes.com/ He’s posted it in relation to an animation system called ‘Go’. It looks like the goal of the project is not to be the new Fuse or replace the myriad AS3 animation systems out there, but rather act as a common base that those systems can run on top of. Interesting stuff. http://blog.mosessupposes.com
October 22, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Thanks for the heads up just saw it as well on my reader. Looks promising I think this is needed.
October 23, 2007 at 12:34 am
[…] Posts Flash Animation Kit Speed Performance Test (Tweener, TweenLite and Twease) in AS2/AS3 [benchmark]Motion Detection In Flash (AS2 and AS3) and C#AS3 3D Rooms and First Papervision3D FPS Engine by […]
November 19, 2007 at 2:38 pm
[…] And please people do not use the standard Flex effects anymore…. they just SUCK. Use other animation kits like Tweener and Tweenerlite (Benchmark). […]
January 24, 2008 at 5:22 am
[…] And please people do not use the standard Flex effects anymore…. they just SUCK. Use other animation kits like Tweener and Tweenerlite (Benchmark). […]