Win $25 for designing the best skin for the Fusion Brain's Software! - Page 3

neil_ross · 07-22-2007, 03:23 PM

yea i was thinking of having that as the background and then like you say a different dial with the needle in a different position it would mean doing 20-30 dials for each sensor but i suppose the more dials the more it will look like the needle is flowing!

ive just added some needles and labels on the buttons to give a better idea, the real thing would have a better looking needle (and center of the dial LOL), plus what ever buttons are needed - for me it might be more dials and less buttons!

ive done it in photoshop but i havnt a clue how to use the skinning program!

2k1Toaster · 07-22-2007, 03:33 PM

Well for the skinning, I suggest each of the bottom buttons become just 1 button. Save the button and its shadow as a *.png and then the text will be the "NAME" of the button with "SHOWTEXT" as true.

For the dials on the analogue just click multi-image and then add each one. It becomes more self explanatory as you use it.

neil_ross · 07-22-2007, 05:03 PM

got the hang of it now, OMG it will take a long time!!

what about this that ive just stolen from some obd software, it comes with all the dials as seperate pics so it would just be a case of several THOUSAND images for the dials!!!! unless i didnt bother with speed and rpm!

2k1Toaster · 07-22-2007, 05:09 PM

Set the image above as the background, then just do one needle rotating around in whatever angle resolutions you want with a size equal to the largest dial. Then you can scale that down to whatever. Scaling down is much easier than upscaling for the program and it looks better usually. Of course the best look will be each size has its own set because if they are transparent you may get some artifacts...

neil_ross · 07-22-2007, 05:16 PM

how do you mean transparent and artifacts?

neil_ross · 07-23-2007, 05:59 PM

ok, how do i show the actual value of whats being read, i.e if im reading RPM and i want the RPM to be displayed in numbers? i dont need to have like 7000 images each with a different number do i? ive just been doing this skin for RR, not finished but i thought it would be ALOT more universal that the dials, plus it doesnt take so much faffing around!!

Not finished yet but i thought i would get some oppinions, as you can see i have boxes to display the info, but i want the numbers displayed 12v, 5500rpm etc, etc

I was thinking this could be the skin for Brain Fusion:

and then this as the skin for RR, as RR is set to always be on to it will cover the 800x50 blank at the top of the Fusion skin:

Leaving it looking like this:

2k1Toaster · 07-23-2007, 06:19 PM

Nice!

I like it.

As for the value, if "Show Text" is true, then it will output the name and the value as text over the button (directly in the centre of the button).

So if you set name to "RPM" and have the equation as "t*2.0|t=VINC[!]" with the prefix and suffix blank then if the input voltage is 3 volts the button text will read "RPM: 6"

neil_ross · 07-24-2007, 12:41 AM

Cheers mate,

cool! so maybe i could have the top buttons inc the wrighting underneath as the button too and then et it not to display the name, just the numbers, then i could have the wrighting the same as RR font and the display like an old digital watch type look!

turbocad6 · 07-24-2007, 01:41 AM

doing the needles isn't that crazy really, if the gauges are all the background image for that page then you would need maybe 30 different needle images, maybe 2 times for large & small. that's not hard at all & could be done, what are you thinking that would be "several thousand" images???

even if the gauges are all individual, you just assemble them into a background image & they stay static

you then create a square image & put a pinpoint in the center, this is the point the needle rotates on, 30 images should be more than enough resolution, these same 30 images can be ALL the needles for ALL the gauges, the square needs to be transparent though, that's were saving as a *.png comes in, cause png's support transparency so the gauge shows & the only non transparent part, which is the needle itself shows on top of the gauge.

each sensor reading would corilate to an image, from 1-30... no thousands of images necissary

2k1Toaster · 07-24-2007, 01:45 AM

I think you got the hang of it turbo.

Hows your skin coming along?

turbocad6 · 07-24-2007, 01:55 AM

I've just been way too busy man, I havn't even opened my triple boxed package yet

soon

so when are we going to get some nice documentation or are you still upgrading & rewriting? I kinda stopped when you said stop cause your rewriting, then never started again

I got a new vehicle that I'm building & your brain will be a part of that one too, literally & figuratively I guess really

2k1Toaster · 07-24-2007, 02:00 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

I've just been way too busy man, I havn't even opened my triple boxed package yet

soon

so when are we going to get some nice documentation or are you still upgrading & rewriting? I kinda stopped when you said stop cause your rewriting, then never started again

I got a new vehicle that I'm building & your brain will be a part of that one too, literally & figuratively I guess really

My brain will be in your car!

Well the updating is done as far as I can see for the functionality of skinning. So any future updates should not effect any skins. The major change was that all the inputs evaluate a function now instead of hardcoded forumulas.

I too have been quite busy since I got off vacation, but I am trying! There is just so much to doucment...

turbocad6 · 07-24-2007, 02:08 AM

I know man, I wish I could help, but you'd have to write it down for me first

neil_ross · 07-24-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by turbocad6

doing the needles isn't that crazy really, if the gauges are all the background image for that page then you would need maybe 30 different needle images, maybe 2 times for large & small. that's not hard at all & could be done, what are you thinking that would be "several thousand" images???

even if the gauges are all individual, you just assemble them into a background image & they stay static

you then create a square image & put a pinpoint in the center, this is the point the needle rotates on, 30 images should be more than enough resolution, these same 30 images can be ALL the needles for ALL the gauges, the square needs to be transparent though, that's were saving as a *.png comes in, cause png's support transparency so the gauge shows & the only non transparent part, which is the needle itself shows on top of the gauge.

each sensor reading would corilate to an image, from 1-30... no thousands of images necissary

i understand the saving as a .png, this would be the same as saving as a .gif wouldnt it?

when i said about thousands of images i meant for something like RPM, you would need loads for the needle to flow rather than jump a gap each time, i did start making the needle and had it rotate as it should, but it just seems that to make it look good and flow you need to to do alot of images, of course for something like a fuel guage it wouldnt be so bad as it wouldnt notice so much.

i think im gonna go with the Road Runner one im making as it wouldnt look out of place when i bring it up.

Is there a way opening the brain fusion skin/software from the main page of road runner? or would i just have to put it in the applications page? it would be nice to have it open up like Freedrive etc.

oh and is this competition still going? not fussed if not as im gonna make it either way.

cheers for the advice though mate.

2k1Toaster · 07-24-2007, 04:27 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by neil_ross

i understand the saving as a .png, this would be the same as saving as a .gif wouldnt it?

Not the same. A *.gif has transparency but it is either transparent or not. A *.png can make any pixel any percent of transparent. So a *.gif is where it is 0% or 100% transparent. And a *.png is where it is anything between 0% and 100% so it overlays better expecially with shadows and such.

Quote: Originally Posted by neil_ross

when i said about thousands of images i meant for something like RPM, you would need loads for the needle to flow rather than jump a gap each time, i did start making the needle and had it rotate as it should, but it just seems that to make it look good and flow you need to to do alot of images, of course for something like a fuel guage it wouldnt be so bad as it wouldnt notice so much.

i think im gonna go with the Road Runner one im making as it wouldnt look out of place when i bring it up.

I will look into doing something with a rotate command. You will need to have a good image for it to work. If I can ever widdle down all the stuff I need to do, I will try this. Consider it on the list.

Quote: Originally Posted by neil_ross

Is there a way opening the brain fusion skin/software from the main page of road runner? or would i just have to put it in the applications page? it would be nice to have it open up like Freedrive etc.

Roadrunner can launch an application from a skin button just like gps. I dont really know the command but it exists. So yes you can make the default BMV2 skin's "radio" button into the brain button or something. It is all possible.

Quote: Originally Posted by neil_ross

oh and is this competition still going? not fussed if not as im gonna make it either way.

Yup still going. The only entrants so far, would be... well me.

So if it were over I would have won.

I guess nobody wanted to make a skin without a skin designer and the promise of one coming. Now that it is out, I hope more people will try. It isn't as time consuming as it looks since it is drag and drop.

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