MDX Configurator help needed

Dan2008 · 06-26-2008, 09:18 AM

I have started tinkering with MDX Configurator so I can figure out how to build a skin and have a couple of questions.

1. How do the Text Labels work? I changed what I thought was the text color and the entire text area changed to the new color. Is the text area a transparent-background overlay for whatever graphic it is on? For example, in the sample skin, the gauges have a black background with white text areas. Will the text display as white on a black background and not as a white rectangle?

2. This is more of a semi-bug report that a question. The button definition window has more content than can be displayed and has no scrollbars. Also, the window is not resizable and will not fit on a 1024x768 screen (got bad eyes, can't use higher-res).

I'm attaching pics related to both questions.

Thanks,

Dan

2k1Toaster · 06-26-2008, 10:47 AM

For the text labels, in the Configurator, they show up as opaque boxes. This is because the actual text is rendered by drawing a picture of each character onto the screen for each letter. MDX uses DirectX and so it is very fast and just draws the same image over and over by cropping different areas which is standard for bitmapping fonts. However the Configurator uses the default .NET drawing which is GDI+, and is much slower. Easier to program for, but much much slower. So drawing text where every letter is a character would just flash the screen when you move your mouse over the edit portion of the graphics section. Every time the mouse moves, it redraws. So basically that is the way it works. And the colour is the colour overlay of the text, so if the font you are using has white characters, then the colour you choose, will be the colour of the text. If the font is yellow, then by selecting blue as the colour the text colour will be yellow + blue = green.

As for the resolution, I have been designing at 1400x1050, and it should be ok at resolutions of 1280x1024 as well. I will try to make things more dockable so you can resize the window for smaller resolutions.

Dan2008 · 06-26-2008, 11:06 AM

Hmmm...so if I understand correctly, to get digital output for things like the speedometer, I would just use a text label instead of multi-image? If so that sure is a lot easier than creating images of all the digits from zero-top speed.

The button definition screen shot is using 1280x1024. That was the only way I could see the whole window and as you can see, the bottom has input boxes and buttons chopped off.

Another thing I have noticed in the Configurator is that some sections remain in the area when you cancel or accept but others return to the main selection window. For example, going into the text label area and opening the definition of a label then clicking cancel, the editor stays in the text label selection window. Multi-images, however, return to the main selection window when cancel is clicked.

Its not a problem, just letting you know about the inconsistancy.

2k1Toaster · 06-26-2008, 11:17 AM

In your sentence "to get digital output for things like the speedometer" are you taking "digital output" to mean a text readout of numbers? Just wanting to make sure as we use "digital output" to refer to the physical switching outputs of the Fusion Brain itself.

So if so, then text labels will work well for that.

Dan2008 · 06-26-2008, 11:56 AM

Yep...I thought about that after I posted. How about human readable output to keep things straight.

That really makes what I want to do MUCH easier.

Thanks!!!