pcplane

I am new to the Car PC thing and do not have any experience in creating the menu programs known as "skins" I loaded the FB software and it seems to work but I cannot get a skin to work even using the Ninja thing. The icon stuff is nice and some of the tutorials explain what they do but if you do not know what order things are done you just click on stuff that does not work. Help icon does not work at all. Do you have to be online for it to work? I have read all the tutorials that I can find but none seem to be helpful. I am just trying to stay in the fusionbrain software programs and learning another skin program will not help. Are there any sites that have a step by step process? I really want to learn this as I have an application that is perfect. Just want to monitor analog inputs. Thanks for any help.

Joe

MP3Car.com

 

greenman100

Did you try the ninja kitty wizard?

pcplane

Yes, but I could not do anything with the image. It would change to a color indicating something but I don't understand the icons. I tried to create a jpg and import it but it refused the file type.

Joe

pcplane

I was able to create a screen that could display the data that I wanted in Power point and import it after using Ninja Kitty but I could not get the windows to work with the default skin being in place. There needs to be a better tutorial or i missed the one that could help.

Joe

GadgetBandit

Save your images as png files. And I make sure to save the files, using the directory structure in the content folder. I use an old version of Macromedia Fireworks and Photoshop. I started by cannibalizing the Sample Skin in the Configurator folder. First, just replacing static images, then creating new images and placing them. Configurator seems awkward at first, but it's actually pretty good for compositing graphic intensive skins.

GadgetBandit

pcplane

Thanks Bandit,

What does a properly installed folder "tree" look like? I have fusionbrain folder on my C drive. Inside that folder is a content folder and several fusionConfiguration.xml files. Inside of the content folder are fonts, functions and images folders. Inside fonts is veranda, inside functions is temperature sensor (celcius), inside images is static images folder. Am I missing anything? Thanks for any help

Joe

GadgetBandit

C:\Program Files\Fusion Control Centre Uber MDX Edition\Configurator\Sample Skin. In there is a FusionConfiguration.xml - the "Sample". It's a skin for dashboard instruments. if you bought a temperature sensor, you could hook it to Port 1 and one gauge(inside temperature) should actually work.

In there also, you'll find a content\images folder with more subfolders, one for each image type used by MDX. These are all of the images used with the "Sample Skin".

Backup the FusionConfiguration.xml and content folder in Program Files and then copy down the sample xml and content folder.

Open Configurator and the xml file. hopefully, instruments. In the text window(which you can't edit), after the header, the first section is "Function Instances". A couple of pages down, "Background images" and "Static Images". The first listing under Static Images is for the insidetemperature. File path and data.

Okay, in the window above(icon list manager), double click the Static Images icon and open Static Image #1. The data from the file.

On Graphic Pages window open the "Edit Graphic Properties" window. Right click on the very upper portion of inside temp image. careful! if you right click again, the image attachs to the cursor and you can move it around, but if you left click, same screen as icon list manager. The blue icon allows you to choose the file. Unfortunitely, the current file is never identified(2K!!). But from the file yous saw that it was insidetemperature.png. When you select the inside temp image, there should be reddish boxes on top. The larger is a multi-image sweep file, which hides when selected(2K!!) and the smaller one is a Text Label for the variable associated with the port 1. The Z-Order layers/orders the imges. 01 forward - .9 backward.

Dissect the change page buttons and you'll see how to show button states.

Have fun.
GadgetBandit

pcplane

Thanks Gadget Badit,

I was able to build a "page" using the guages in the sample program and move them around the screen. I would like to add a window to each guage and display the actual value in it. Is this done in layers? How do I get areas onthe screen to be the analog input? Can the text on the sample guages be changed? Do I need a Brain to do this stuff or can I evoke the virtual brain like in Ninja Kitty? Thanks for any help. At least I am making progress.

Joe

MP3Car.com

 

2k1Toaster

Sorry things have been hectic, I didnt see this thread.

If you want to display text on the screen then you make a label. If you want to display the raw value, then you tie the label to an analogue input. If you want to display a processed value like temperature/distance/light, then you display the variable that does the processing.

Things can be layered, that is what the Z field is for.

You do not need a brain for the software to work. You can bring up a virtual brain in any configuration file by using the debug options in the configurator and opening up your file in MDX.

Text does not display in the Configurator because it is not true text. It is displayed in MDX. Text in the configurator shows as a rectangle for the maximum size the label can be.

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GadgetBandit

2K1 couldn't say so, but buy a Brain, a couple sensor, and a pack of relays(relay are not essential, but the clicking is enpowering).

The text for gauge names are a part of the static image (.png). Use a png editor that uses layer - not powerpoint. Locate different gauge names on different layers and save as. Button states are the same way.

"How do I get areas onthe screen to be the analog input?" ?? Are you asking about displaying values from an analog input - text labels or
using areas on the screens for digital input - Buttons? Unless, you have a touch-sensitive touch screen.

GadgetBandit

pcplane

Thanks again guys. I want to display an analog input in a window. Probably a voltage divider using a VDO sending unit for oil press, oil temp, water temp, and later fuel pressure, etc. What software does PNG in layers?

Joe

greenman100

Photoshop

GadgetBandit

I use Photoshop and Macromedia Fireworks(gone). Look at Photoshop Elements.

GadgetBandit

pcplane

I created a display of the engine data that I would like to see in Autocad and saved it as a PNG file. I opened up the configuration and pulled this display into the graphic window. By changing the size of the display image in another software I was able to get the display to fill up the window. What happens next? I need to configure the analog ports, build the logic for temp convertions, create "lables" but in what order? I tried ninja kitty but it just defaults to another image. I can change the image but all of the port and data windows are the same. We need a software manual. Can all of the operations be done with a virtual brain option? I tried clicking the debug button and got some blocks to check but I do not know when this is to be done. Hardware is ez the software always seems to be the issue. Thanks for any help.

Joe

Attached Images

 

2k1Toaster

Well for every analogue input that you are reading, you will need to have a corresponding Brain Instance, and Analogue Input Instance. Then you can feed that through a Logic Block to convert it into temperature into a variable using the set option. Now that variable contains the temperature equivalent reading of the analogue input's voltage. So you can use that variable to make a text label, or to make a rotating image, or a multiimage, or whatever else you would like.

The wizard is just to setup all the brains and ports. You can use that if you want, but you will find yourself having to change more than it is worth for this application.

And I am writing a software manual. Most of what you are asking is not in there yet though. Here is what I have so far so you know I am not just b.s.-ing : http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/T...ual%20b004.pdf

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MP3Car.com