I recently started my own company (eMCeeKay.nl) and I need to make a website for it…. Not really a problem besides that I don’t have any time to create a design.

So I was thinking about a easy way to update this website without spending extra time on that.

Because the main focus of the company is papertoys (urban papertoys), I need design or papertoy related info in my my new website ().

And I came with two ways to update it without extra effort: twitter (I tweet about a lot of stuff but primarily about papertoys) and this the content on this blog (category: urban-papercraft).

I started with the Twitter part.
There are two Twitter AS3 libraries that “speak” to the Twitter API: twitterscript/ and tweetr/.
But after reading the source I concluded that it was a little bit to much: I don’t want to tweet from emceekay.nl or do searches, so that was not the way to go.

A little google search gave me the solution: http://www.theflashlogs.org/flash/displaying-twitter-feeds-in-flash-with-rss/, simple using the standard rss from Twitter (in my case: Matthijs Kamstra – Twitter – rss).

The code on theflashlogs.org is pritty simple, and very easy to use.
So my code is a little addition to that, I need some stuff done to the rss feed:

• remove “MatthijsKamstra:” form the title
• convert @paperkraft to a link
• convert #Mecha6 to a link
• convert http:// to a link

Here is my code:

package nl.emceekay.twttr
{
	import flash.display.MovieClip;
	import flash.events.Event;
	import flash.net.URLLoader;
	import flash.net.URLRequest;
	import flash.text.TextField;
	/**
	 * // nl.emceekay.twttr.TwttrExample
	 * ...
	 * @author Matthijs Kamstra aka [mck]
	 */
	public class TwttrExample extends MovieClip
	{
		//default: http://twitter.com/matthijskamstra
		private var url:String = "http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/27657030.rss"; 

		private var _txt:TextField;

		public function TwttrExample()
		{
			stage.scaleMode = "noScale";
			stage.align = "TL";

			// generate textfield
			_txt = new TextField()
			_txt.x = 10;
			_txt.y = 10;
           		 _txt.width = stage.stageWidth - 20;
           		_txt.height =  stage.stageHeight - 20;
			_txt.wordWrap = true;
			_txt.multiline = true;
			_txt.autoSize = "left";
			addChild(_txt);

			// start
			getFeed(url);
		}

		//////////////////////////////////////// loading rss / show rss ////////////////////////////////////////

		private function getFeed (inURL:String) : void
		{
			_txt.htmlText = "getting tweets";

			var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
			loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onFeedHandler);
			loader.load(new URLRequest(inURL));
		}

		private function onFeedHandler (e:Event):void
		{
			_txt.htmlText = "";
			var _feed:XML = new XML(e.target.data);
			var _item:XMLList = _feed.channel.item;
			for each (var feedItem:XML in _item){
				var _title		:String = feedItem.title;
				var _pubDate	:String = feedItem.pubDate;
				var _link		:String = feedItem.link;

				_title = convertTweet(_title);

				_txt.htmlText += _title + "<br><i>" + _pubDate + "</i><br><br>";
			}
		}

		//////////////////////////////////////// twitter specific ////////////////////////////////////////

		// one place to convert the tweet
		private function convertTweet (inString:String):String
		{
			var _str:String = inString;
			_str = twttrStripName(_str);
			_str = twttrConvertHTTP(_str);
			_str = twttrConvertMention(_str);
			_str = twttrConvertHashtag(_str);
			_str = twttrConvertSmileys(_str);
			return _str;
		}

		// remove the writers name from the tweet
		private function twttrStripName (inString:String):String
		{
			var _str:String = inString;
			var _charNumber:Number = _str.indexOf(":");
			return _str.substr(_charNumber + 2);
		}

		// convert http-strings to links
		private function twttrConvertHTTP(inString:String):String
		{
			var _str:String = inString;
			var _array:Array = _str.split(" ");
			for (var i:int = 0; i < _array.length; i++)
			{
				var _str2:String = twttrStripChar(_array[i]);
				if (_array[i].indexOf("http") != -1)
				{
					_array[i] = "<u><a href='" + _str2 + "' target='_blank'>" +_array[i] + "</a></u>";
				}
			}
			return _array.join(" ");
		}

		// convert mentions (@) to links
		private function twttrConvertMention(inString:String):String
		{
			var _str:String = inString;
			var _array:Array = _str.split(" ");
			for (var i:int = 0; i < _array.length; i++)
			{
				var _str2:String = twttrStripChar(_array[i]);
				if (_array[i].substr(0, 1) == "@")
				{
					_array[i] = "<u><a href='http://www.twitter.com/" + _str2.split("@")[1] + "' target='_blank'>" +_array[i] + "</a></u>";
				}
			}
			return _array.join(" ");
		}

		// convert hashtags (#) to links
		private function twttrConvertHashtag(inString:String):String
		{
			var _str:String = inString;
			var _array:Array = _str.split(" ");
			for (var i:int = 0; i < _array.length; i++)
			{
				var _str2:String = twttrStripChar(_array[i]);
				if (_array[i].substr(0, 1) == "#")
				{
					_array[i] = "<u><a href='http://twitter.com/search?q=%23" + _str2.split("#")[1] + "' target='_blank'>" +_array[i] + "</a></u>";
				}
			}
			return _array.join(" ");
		}		

		// TODO: [mck] convert   to a smiley image
		private function twttrConvertSmileys(inString:String):String
		{
			var _str:String = inString;
			return _str;
		}

		// remove "strange" characters from the end of the string
		private function twttrStripChar(inString:String):String
		{
			var _str:String = inString;
			var _charArray:Array = [',', ';', ':', ' ', '-', '_'];
			for (var i:int = 0; i < _charArray.length; i++)
			{
				if (_str.charAt(_str.length - 1) == _charArray[i]) {
					_str = _str.substr(0, _str.length - 1);
				}
			}
			return _str;
		}

	} // end class

} // end package

Currently I have only this proof of concept, but soon I will post the example on emceekay.nl…

Because this is part one of what I want to do, and don’t want to search for every link again, I’m posting also the WordPress link here (it’s just because I’m lazy).

So here the feeds I will be using:

• Matthijs Kamstra – Twitter – rss
• All Urban papercraft posts

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In this issue we will remain on the first phase of creation, the form. Here the accent is put on the sculptural aspect of denuded paper toys, giving an impression that each one of them represents it’s own species.
Here is shown a selection of more than 50 paper toys, but of course, there are lot of other different kinds of paper toys out there. Many great designs are left out because of various reasons and I feel really sorry for some of them.

by Marko Zubak, creator of II LOVE magazine

Download II LOVE magazine from YEBOMAYCU.

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It’s an article in Dutch: AD.nl – Cultuur en media – Liefdewerk ‘Oud Papier’.
(a rude and crude translation by Google to English: click here)

Some free publicity for the exhibit in Subwalk (Arnhem – the Netherlands).

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Marshall Alexander is, like me, one of the designers that are invited to contribute to the book made by Matt Hawkins (read more) and proud and active member of Nice Paper Toys!

Marshall is one of the most modest people that I know, but I don’t have to be….
He thought that he needed some practice, so before he launched his own papertoy series (Foldskool heroes) he created a series of custom:
A Hedkase by NiceBunny:

A SIZZA by Nick Knite:

A Speakerdog by Ben the Illustrator

And some of his own papermodels:

And after that I found his thing: the one piece papertoy…
I like this one very much:projectfatchunk

and it’s on a postcard!!!

And then he decided that he had practiced enough: and started with the amazing Foldskool heroes series:

I must confess that I didn’t took the time to download the Foldskool template when Marshall published it…. But when I did, I wanted to create one: the template is really very smartly constructed.

A little quote from Marshall’s site:

… aiming to make money doing what I liked to do best: graphic design and illustration. So currently I work as a graphic designer at a small company in The Netherlands and spend my spare time illustrating my childhood memories and designing papertoys. Enjoy!

I’m glad that I’m created a beautiful Foldskool heroes Batmobile, because his reaction was Nukk:
Marshall did a Drukk-custom, which I really love:

Nukk is really the bomb.

slideshow

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I normally would write about this project: you can adopt a papermodel for the right amount of cash. Especially the fact that you have to pay for a papermodel is something that I don’t like, but there is are free models, and a blank version…

Here is the free version in the download section

Here the examples:

and my personal favorite Nian:

and of course a blank template named P.I.Y.:

[via paperkraft.blogspot.com]

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Macula = Christopher Bonnette and he has a fascination for mythology and folklore.
Inspired by these myths/folklore, he create some paintings:

But he created not only paintings but also a paperToy series named: Squealer
This model is called Krampus:

There are different kind of skins:

(you can’t click on these images and download: visit the site yourself)

But has created some other models to:

You can see the complete Squealer series in the Squealer gallery (of view Krampus directly).

And there is also a blank version to customize:

Just visit the site and click on the blank squealer, or follow this link.
There are also some building instruction.

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Ric pointed out to me that there is an update on the SPIKY BABY DELUXE SERIES from Shin Tanaka:

This is a special one, you don’t want to mis this series: the master himself is giving some new models away in this download.
Of course the SPIKY BABY are designed by some very talented designers, and you should check them out (see the links below), but I’m a fan, and the models Shin makes are really cool.

So lets take a look at this SPIKE BABY custom:

Don’t know how they are called but the link is called “SMN” and the image “SNKR” (sneaker?)

Link and image is called “TTB”

As other SPIKY BABY series you can download all models at random, but I don’t have the patience to download them all that way.
So I hacked it a little and give you all the links at once:

1. 460 374
2. akira 385
3. Akishi Nishida 376
4. BARON UEDA 126
5. BOUNCE 965
6. BOX 026
7. David Horvath 279
8. DavidFlores 396
9. eshimasa 854
10. gumliens 553
11. HARIKEN 525
12. HYPER CORE 128
13. KAIJIN 339
14. KAZUHIRO HINO 944
15. KIMA 962
16. koraters 204
17. MOCHIWO 541
18. mori chack 559
19. mori chack heavy blood 195
20. mori chack instinctive 519
21. NO23 Tomohiro 391
22. REACH2 828
23. REACH 609
24. SHIN 813
25. T9G 394
26. Terry 207
27. TOUMA2 924
28. TOUMA 107
29. NEKONOKO 546
30. CUPCO 1 864
31. CUPCO 2 956
32. CUPCO 3 128
33. CUPCO 4 454
34. devilrobots 246
35. MAD 697
36. DavidFlores blue 769
37. DavidFlores green 857
38. MAD BARBARIANS 465
39. VFDR
40. TTB
41. SMN G
42. SMN P
43. SMN M
44. BSHITT 754

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Jerom is a French artist, which makes it very hard for me to follow his blog: it’s in French which I don’t speak….
But Google is nice to help me a little: translate Jerom’s blog.

Jerom uses his blog not only for papercraft (as I do: Flash and Papertoys), so here a link to separate the paperToy on the blog from the rest: papertoy.

Oke but why am I writing about Jerom? I “promised” to feature all the participating artists of the book by Matt Hawkins on my blog! But Jerom is also part of the Nice Paper Toys social network where I also can be found.

The first time I saw work from Jerom I noticed that the template he created where very simple, with cool designs.
For example:

But recently he started a experiment with Google Sketchup and Pepakura (read my tutorial about creating papermodels with these 2) which are very cool.

Technical I’m cheating: there are no download templates, or blank templates of these models (at the time of writing this post), but I’m guessing that there will be (in the nearby future).

There are 3 models which can be found here (or read the Nice Paper Toys post from Jerom).

And I’m only showing the coolest:
Diabolito

Just check the rest on Jerom’s blog

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I have written about the paperToys book from Matt Hawkins before: it’s a book about the most talented paperToy designers in the world!

(and I’m part of that group )

Because the list is so impressive I should write about these people…..
And I already did that: a lot of these paperToy designers are part of my Urban papercraft series

But there are some where I will not write about: not because they are not talented, but they don’t meet the requirements for my definition of Urban Papercraft. So I hope I don’t offend someone, but this group of designers will be striked out (like this)

1. Shin Tanaka — read my posts yes, wrote about him more then once…
2. 3eyed Bear — read my post
3. Speaker Dog — read my post
4. Toypaper — read my post I love papercraft/Flash
5. Sjors Trimbach — read my post one of the first paperToy designers a wrote about.
6. Ken Munk — read my post I really like the idea of hunting trophies
7. Carlo Giovani — very talented though
8. E440 — read my post
9. Illectronics — read my post
10. Jonny Chiba — read my post
11. PHILL — read my post
12. Marshall Alexander
13. Nice Bunny — read my post very recently
14. SIZZA — read my post
15. P.P. Bear 100% loading
16. Big Chief
17. Lou Lou
18. Bryan Rollins
19. Christopher Bonnette — Update #2: read my post
20. Grumm — nice dude!
21. Jerom — Update #1: read my post
22. Burlabox
23. Rommy very, very, very cute, but no blank template
24. Cubotoy — very beautyfull, can’t find blank template, pitty
25. Matt Hawkins

I see I have my work cut out for me….

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