skinned vis question [Archive] - Quintessential Forum

fatal error

11-20-2003, 06:49 AM

I've been experimenting with the skinned vis options

is there maximum limit number of frames you are allowed?

Paul

11-20-2003, 06:52 AM

Nope no limit.

fatal error

11-20-2003, 06:56 AM

is there a reason why you cant click/drag player around in skinned vis areas?

Paul

11-20-2003, 06:57 AM

No good reason... (although dbl-clking them turns them on/off, if that's even related to this train of thought :} )

fatal error

11-20-2003, 06:59 AM

just experimenting with it
I covered about 30% of skin face with animation just to see what I could and couldnt do

Young Twig

11-20-2003, 09:31 PM

No good reason... (although dbl-clking them turns them on/off, if that's even related to this train of thought :} )
Whoa,. I didn't know that. I'm off to test it.

fatal error

11-20-2003, 09:44 PM

by not being able to click/drag player from within a skinned vis area it isnt wise to cover majority of the body face with animation. thats where my train derailed. :D

Paul

11-20-2003, 09:48 PM

by not being able to click/drag player from within a skinned vis area it isnt wise to cover majority of the body face with animation. thats where my train derailed. :D
I will change it so you can drag from the skinned vis.

fatal error

11-20-2003, 09:59 PM

I will change it so you can drag from the skinned vis.
excellent Paul

is it possible to go as far as having like a VisMap1.bmp for example and map each frame?

Paul

11-20-2003, 10:01 PM

excellent Paul

is it possible to go as far as having like a VisMap1.bmp for example and map each frame?
Is this because you want the vis area to change so you can expose other controls behind it?

fatal error

11-20-2003, 10:06 PM

Is this because you want the vis area to change so you can expose other controls behind it?like make outside edge of body appear animated using the same method as the Body.bmp. white being transparent.

here's what I've been using to test on:

Paul

11-20-2003, 10:14 PM

like make outside edge of body appear animated using the same method as the Body.bmp. white being transparent.
A nice idea, but it's not something I'm planning on doing. Maybe after all the other skinning stuff I'm working on is implemented.

fatal error

11-20-2003, 10:16 PM

A nice idea, but it's not something I'm planning on doing. Maybe after all the other skinning stuff I'm working on is implemented.
ok cool, I knew its a low priority thing but I had to try

:D

Paul

11-20-2003, 10:20 PM

I looked at your test skin, it would be cool to be able to do something like that.

fatal error

11-20-2003, 10:23 PM

I looked at your test skin, it would be cool to be able to do something like that.
just something for future dev consideration

thanx Paul

Young Twig

11-20-2003, 11:06 PM

your test skin looks like a visual style... any plans? :)

fatal error

11-20-2003, 11:09 PM

your test skin looks like a visual style... any plans? :)
butchered a windowblinds skin to do that, so........ no

Young Twig

11-20-2003, 11:10 PM

butchered a windowblinds skin to do that, so........ no
lol..............

Xymantix

11-21-2003, 02:04 AM

That's kind of an interesting idea - the shape/size of the player could change based on the music playing. Wild!

Tokelil

11-21-2003, 02:21 AM

That's kind of an interesting idea - the shape/size of the player could change based on the music playing. Wild!
Im not sure how usefull that whould be, but.... wicked!!! :D

fatal error

11-21-2003, 03:53 AM

while I'm at it, I'll suggest using a progressive slider approach to resonator vis type as another option for future dev too. current way is like thermometer fill.

Paul

11-21-2003, 04:04 AM

while I'm at it, I'll suggest using a progressive slider approach to resonator vis type as another option for future dev too. current way is like thermometer fill.
You mean like a 'tracking slider'?

fatal error

11-21-2003, 04:07 AM

You mean like a 'tracking slider'?
yup, exactly

fatal error

11-21-2003, 04:10 AM

dont mind me, i'm just more or less talking out loud here about things I'd like to see.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 06:35 AM

by the way, making something this look good playing songs with constant high peaks is difficult, lol

i've refined it some if anyone is still interested

Paul

11-21-2003, 07:24 AM

by the way, making something this look good playing songs with constant high peaks is difficult, lol

i've refined it some if anyone is still interested
Hehe, kinda cool. I like it better with vu meters vs peak meters.
Makes me want to do the vis map frames dealy.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 07:35 AM

Hehe, kinda cool. I like it better with vu meters vs peak meters.
Makes me want to do the vis map frames dealy.
is there alot to it? vis maps, that is...

Paul

11-21-2003, 07:39 AM

is there alot to it? vis maps, that is...
Well, like any new feature, I'd have to design it, figure out how it will integrate with the current skinning model, how to make it somewhat skinner friendly, how to architect it into the code, how to make it run fast...

But as far as skinning features go, it's not as painful as some (like my current endevours).

fatal error

11-21-2003, 07:45 AM

Well, like any new feature, I'd have to design it, figure out how it will integrate with the current skinning model, how to make it somewhat skinner friendly, how to architect it into the code, how to make it run fast...

But as far as skinning features go, it's not as painful as some (like my current endevours).
cool, then given I spent the past day and half on this I'm sure I can wait on the current endevours :D

fatal error

11-21-2003, 08:35 AM

unless I'm doing something wrong, VU meter seems less animated

Paul

11-21-2003, 08:36 AM

unless I'm doing something wrong, VU meter seems less animated
Depends a lot on the music I guess.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 08:38 AM

Depends a lot on the music I guess.
Primus makes it bounce like crazy but Alkaline Trio it peaks out and stays there,
lol

Paul

11-21-2003, 08:41 AM

Primus makes it bounce like crazy but Alkaline Trio it peaks out and stays there,
lol
I guess it needs an auto-vis-gain.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 08:45 AM

I guess it needs an auto-vis-gain.
i can barely skin let alone come up with that, lol

Toe

11-21-2003, 09:23 AM

Primus makes it bounce like crazy but Alkaline Trio it peaks out and stays there,
lol
I've noticed that Primus seems to be one of the best for use with vis plugins. If you haven't already tried it, I highly recomend The Rabbit Hole (Sonique vis w/wrapper) running fullscreen with Primus. :)

fatal error

11-21-2003, 09:34 AM

I've noticed that Primus seems to be one of the best for use with vis plugins. If you haven't already tried it, I highly recomend The Rabbit Hole (Sonique vis w/wrapper) running fullscreen with Primus. :)
as a rule I usually avoid visual plugins or visuals...period. but since the addition of skinnable visual areas I've been playing with it to see what I can do, hence the thread.

Young Twig

11-21-2003, 02:20 PM

like make outside edge of body appear animated using the same method as the Body.bmp. white being transparent.

here's what I've been using to test on:

That seems like painful work. How about a setting in skinkid.ini/skinfamily.ini like
SkinVis1TransColor=#ffffff
What if someone was using white in their skin vis anyway? Plus here you could use the traditional #ff00ff... :D

fatal error

11-21-2003, 02:33 PM

That seems like painful work. How about a setting in skinkid.ini/skinfamily.ini like
SkinVis1TransColor=#ffffff
What if someone was using white in their skin vis anyway? Plus here you could use the traditional #ff00ff... :D
the only painful part has been making each frame transition nicely into the next, mapping is easy.

Young Twig

11-21-2003, 02:36 PM

the only painful part has been making each frame transition nicely into the next, mapping is easy.
I think of mapping as a pain. If it's easy for you, more power to you.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 02:40 PM

I think of mapping as a pain. If it's easy for you, more power to you.
what's painful about it to you? maybe I can help.

Young Twig

11-21-2003, 03:16 PM

what's painful about it to you? maybe I can help.
I don't know. IT's just easier to fill a transparent area with some color than to make everything a set color. (The set colors... Some of the stuff is off by a pixel or 3.... )

fatal error

11-21-2003, 03:22 PM

I don't know. IT's just easier to fill a transparent area with some color than to make everything a set color. (The set colors... Some of the stuff is off by a pixel or 3.... )
ummm don't you usually start with blank white background when you start to design a skin?

Young Twig

11-21-2003, 04:48 PM

ummm don't you usually start with blank white background when you start to design a skin?
yes i do... i'm talking about the skin vis thing. I think it would be easier to have a transparent color (sorry, but white wouldn't always do) than to map it.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 05:00 PM

yes i do... i'm talking about the skin vis thing. I think it would be easier to have a transparent color (sorry, but white wouldn't always do) than to map it.
you're missing the gist of what I'm saying.
mapping each frame of the type i'm using in example above eliminates a need to specify a transparent color because it would use same method as if it were drawing a Body.bmp. if there are 30 frames as in my last example, it would then cycle thru the 30 looking for the shape in the color set by Paul that corresponds to it. anything not that specific color in the map wouldnt be drawn regardless if it was white or not.

Young Twig

11-21-2003, 05:45 PM

you're missing the gist of what I'm saying.
mapping each frame of the type i'm using in example above eliminates a need to specify a transparent color because it would use same method as if it were drawing a Body.bmp. if there are 30 frames as in my last example, it would then cycle thru the 30 looking for the shape in the color set by Paul that corresponds to it. anything not that specific color in the map wouldnt be drawn regardless if it was white or not.
I'm saying why not do just the opposite. IT will look for everything EXCEPT a certain color. I just see that as being easier... at least it would be easier for me.

Paul

11-21-2003, 05:50 PM

I'm saying why not do just the opposite. IT will look for everything EXCEPT a certain color. I just see that as being easier... at least it would be easier for me.
Because that's not how QCD is skinned. Everything in QCD deals with maps.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 05:55 PM

I'm saying why not do just the opposite. IT will look for everything EXCEPT a certain color. I just see that as being easier... at least it would be easier for me.
white is the color is in every mappping bitmap that determines that nothing is drawn there. I don't see why that would change for something that doesn't have any value really, except esthetics.

Young Twig

11-21-2003, 06:03 PM

Paul spoke, I'm done.

Paul

11-21-2003, 06:21 PM

white is the color is in every mappping bitmap that determines that nothing is drawn there. I don't see why that would change for something that doesn't have any value really, except esthetics.
Actually there is nothing special about white. There are colors that are defined for controls, all others are ignored.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 06:24 PM

Actually there is nothing special about white. There are colors that are defined for controls, all others are ignored.
thank you for clarifying that Paul

Xymantix

11-21-2003, 08:58 PM

fatal error

11-21-2003, 09:06 PM

By the way, nice work on the vis, fatal! There's a lot of potential in QCD for doing some really cool skinnable visualizations, but it takes something like this to give others (like me!) good ideas and inspiration.
thanx, looking forward to see what comes out of this

Paul

11-21-2003, 09:09 PM

By the way, nice work on the vis, fatal! There's a lot of potential in QCD for doing some really cool skinnable visualizations, but it takes something like this to give others (like me!) good ideas and inspiration.
Glad to see ideas taking form. I can only provide the tools, I have to rely on all of you to put them to good use.

fatal error

11-21-2003, 10:35 PM

just outta curiousity, i put a 2nd one on the bottom to see what if I could put on dent in cpu......not much impact

Paul

11-21-2003, 10:37 PM

just outta curiousity, i put a 2nd one on the bottom to see what if I could put on dent in cpu......not much impact
I noticed you used the same vis for the left and right pumper. Just an FYI you can specify up to 3 vis's, each doing left, right or mono, or each a different vis type.

Xymantix

11-21-2003, 10:56 PM

Paul

11-21-2003, 11:00 PM

I forgot if this was requested before - have you ever thought about providing more than 3? 4 would be nice (2 different L&R), 5 would be nicer, etc. My thinking wasn't to have a half a dozen going off all at the same time, more along the lines of providing X different types and allowing the user to select which they prefer.
Yea, I could extend the number of vis's. I'm sure many would like 'as many as possible', but I like to think of a max number of vis's that makes sense. Is 5 the most you could want, and what would be the reason for 5 (or if the number is N, let me know why N would ever be needed).

regener8ed

11-22-2003, 02:07 AM

re: number of vis areas - i would personally use at least 4 (to make displays that use a combination of up/left, up/right, down/left, and down/right.) an extra vis to mess with beyond that i guess would be a bonus, but especially convenient since you can overlay extensions and use up vis areas rather quickly.

also, if you come up with a way to make vis motion mappable to show motion at the edges of a skin, wouldnt you want to do the same for sliders?

Paul

11-22-2003, 02:22 AM

also, if you come up with a way to make vis motion mappable to show motion at the edges of a skin, wouldnt you want to do the same for sliders?
Ooooooh shit. Here we go. ;)

fatal error

11-22-2003, 04:13 AM

Ooooooh shit. Here we go. ;)
....can opened, worms everywhere..........

fatal error

11-22-2003, 04:15 AM

I noticed you used the same vis for the left and right pumper. Just an FYI you can specify up to 3 vis's, each doing left, right or mono, or each a different vis type.
yup, but now i've got it separated left and right and littles ones on the sides using vu meter

fatal error

11-23-2003, 05:05 AM

fatal error

11-23-2003, 05:49 AM

reconfigged this to have the left and right but for some reason the right side draws left to right the same as the left side regardless of me adding

vis1drawdir=right
vis2drawdir=left

any ideas why?
nevermind, a work around was just a total reversal of frame order not just flipping vis1 horizontal

hedge

11-23-2003, 06:10 AM

is there any way to get the skinned resonators to have jumping peaks (like winamp 2's 'spectrum analyser') that would hold the max position longer than the falling bars. just like to know if i could integrate this effect into my winamp port of blizzard.

fatal error

11-23-2003, 06:22 AM

Heigar

11-23-2003, 07:58 AM

No there isn't ,but that would be cool and beable to make it a different color would be cool also.

Young Twig

11-23-2003, 06:17 PM

Yeah. There is a way. It's called MeterzPak. If only plover could get the bitmap backgrounds and the per skin config.... That'd be so amazing.

plover

11-25-2003, 06:55 AM

I would like to set up MeterzPak to load configurations specified in skin files. Compared to the skinned vis, the drawback of this is that MeterzPak necessarily occupies the vis window. Perhaps a setting could be added to the skinned vis that would let the skinner specify a vis plugin that would draw the specified map area.

(Do you suppose we need to add a "can of worms" message icon... :) )

fatal error

12-07-2003, 08:44 AM

although dbl-clking them turns them on/off, they don't seem to stay off for more than one song, by the way.

how about a right-click menu with on/off there maybe?