Break Maps!?! help

[thelastninja]

Hello Peoples

Yes its me again, thanks for your help in the last thread I posted on here.

I've started work on a skin and Im 90% complete. The only thing Im stuck on is BREAK MAPS.

I just don't get them and I don't understand how to use them to get the desired effects.

I have a playlist which I want to stretch at a certain point, but it seems to just fly off across the screen and the part which is ment to be tiled isnt.


I've read the manual and I just don't seem to get it.

Could someone explain break maps in laymans terms?

Help appreciated guys.

Adam

:gasmask:

[fatal error]

the best explanation i have comes from a text file that Paul wrote for skinning updates back when resizing was first implemented.

here it is:

************************************************** *****************
* Ability to stretch skin extensions and controls
************************************************** *****************

The biggest enhancement to the skinning engine is the ability to
have extensions and controls in those extension to resize. This is
achieved through 'break maps' which define where an extension or
control 'breaks', and how the background for the extension or
control is tiled to fill in the stretched area.

There are two break maps: MapBreaksH.bmp and MapBreaksV.bmp

MapBreaksH.bmp defines breaks for Horizontal stretching. It
generally contains lines that are vertical (since a Horizontal
stretch requires a vertical break line) so don't get confused
about the naming. MapBreaksV.bmp defines breaks for Vertical
stretching.

Break lines must be straight (if you do not make them straight,
QCD will force them straight with possible unexpected results).

The left edge of a horizontal break line and the top edge of a
vertical break line define where the break begins. The width of
the break indicates what area of the bitmap will be used to tile
the break as it stretches.

Controls that are intersected by a break line are stretched.
Controls that are right of horizontal breaks, or below vertical
breaks will be translated.

Each break has a respective resize control.
Breaks are colored 0xNNNNNN (where N is the break number, 0-9), and
respective resize controls are colored 0xFF55NN.

Since all break lines for the entire skin are on the same map
bitmaps, indicating which break affects which extension is
defined by the resize control. The owner extension of a resize
control will be affected by the respective break for the resize
control.

An extension can only have at most one horizontal break, one
vertical break, and one resize control.

A break does not have to go all the way across an extension. This
means you can have a subsection of an extension resize. You can
also assign breaks to extensions that are completely internal to
the skin.

You can also define an area of each control that will remain
centered as it is stretched. Using the same color as the control's
map color, indicate the area on mapbreaks[HV].bmp that is to
remain centered.

************************************************** *****************
* More on resize controls
************************************************** *****************

The position of the resize control relative to the break lines it
controls, will determine which directions the resize will operate
in.

For example, if the resize control is below a vertical break, and
to the left of a horizontal break, it will be a left/down resizer.

Also, if you set resizing limits for an extension, if you click
the corresponding resize control, the extension will automatically
resize to the limits.

[thelastninja]

Cheers for that

I think I was renaming the mapbreaks h and mapbreaksv the wrong way round.

I'll be posting my first skin up here soon.

:bulb:

[fatal error]

Cheers for that

I think I was renaming the mapbreaks h and mapbreaksv the wrong way round.

I'll be posting my first skin up here soon.

:bulb:

if you still run into problems, email what you have and i will fix it.

f8tal.err0r@gmail.com

cheers

[regener8ed]

Hello Peoples

I have a playlist which I want to stretch at a certain point, but it seems to just fly off across the screen and the part which is ment to be tiled isnt.

:gasmask:

i have run into some issues when using the edge resizers on a draggable extension that would give results similar to what you've described. my advice: use a resize button instead.

[fatal error]

i have run into some issues when using the edge resizers on a draggable extension that would give results similar to what you've described. my advice: use a resize button instead.

by putting edge resizers at least one pixel width from the edge inside the extension, you eliminate weird behavior as well.

[regener8ed]

by putting edge resizers at least one pixel width from the edge inside the extension, you eliminate weird behavior as well.

that's good advice in general. i have always been in the habit of making sure there is at least 1 pixel of extension map around any controls i use in a skin. QCD used to have some wierd quirks with controls that touched or overhang extensions. i think most of those issues have been resolved over time, but i still think you eliminate the risk of such problems by simply using this rule.

however, the bad behavior relating to the (specifically left and up) edge resizers is something internal that has yet to be fully resolved.

[gsb521]

i also try to keep 1 pixel boders, as is evident in my vast array of skins. i dont really know how they will be part of the extension if they are not fully within it.

[thelastninja]

if you still run into problems, email what you have and i will fix it.

f8tal.err0r@gmail.com

cheers

I've finnished the skin I was working on, Its called Chrome Blue is available for download.

Thanks for your help in skinning btw.

:beer: