Centrafuse Skin Editor V.20 - Progress

[NFSC]

So can you please post some pics so that we can see what you have fun with. I'm very interested in it.

NFSC

[Zerach]

Originally Posted by NFSC

So can you please post some pics so that we can see what you have fun with. I'm very interested in it.

NFSC

You Bet! I must admit I wasn't ready to do up the pics when I posted that comment. As I am switching between skining and code debugging. So it was functional but not very showable.

However I've done a lot of work today, it's really hot but I stayed inside and did some things.

These are mockups and not nearly finished; I was fooling around with the main menu and changing the functional layout. As most skins today are mostly the same layout with visual additions I wanted to do something that could redesign the layout of the buttons as well. So the following pictures of the main menu are of centrafuse running the changes made with the editor and the other pics are of the new feature I added to the editor this weekend.

Notice that the buttons and icons (editor2.jpg and editor3.jpg) are flexibly drawn and removed via the checkboxes on the right. This is a great feature as all onscreen icons are drawn as per these switches, so the skinner can modify icons and buttons in an efficient manner without either one getting in the way both functionally and visually.

I spent some time using this feature while doing the skins and without and I have to say it's one of those things that I though could be used but didn't realize how MUCH I used them when I put them in.

Anyways take a check, it's an additional feature I'll be freezing this version and moving to next week's release with some minor functional debuging tomorrow.

Check out the forums next Monday for the new version.

Right now it's time to get the motorcycle out and go for a ride.

Cheers!

[knightmare]

will this editor allow for easy color changes too or just buttons changes?

[Zerach]

Originally Posted by knightmare

will this editor allow for easy color changes too or just buttons changes?

Adobe will allow for easy color changes(for those that have it). My png file format support isn't even 100% compatible on displaying, I'm hoping to find something that will display png format properly and then I'll look in to more graphical related features.

Right now it's a tool for the visual layout of all the components buttons icons headers etc.

[AnandP83]

Originally Posted by Zerach

.....My png file format support isn't even 100% compatible on displaying, I'm hoping to find something that will display png format properly and then I'll look in to more graphical related features.

you might want to just make your own custom user control, inherit from the picturebox, and override the OnRender() for that file type - assuming you are using VS .NET 2005.

[NFSC]

Thanks Zerach for your pics. Looks really good what you are doing. I played with gimp2.0 to create new png-files and that is really hard work; even I'm not really a good skinner.

NFSC

[Zerach]

Originally Posted by AnandP83

you might want to just make your own custom user control, inherit from the picturebox, and override the OnRender() for that file type - assuming you are using VS .NET 2005.

No...I'm not using VS, I'm using Delphi .net and it's the compiler that doesn't have the proper support...and so far I haven't found a component or inherited class that can do what I need it to (proper transparency and opacy effects).

Anyways I've tried new compilers and such and still no go...But that is far down the developement trail that I'll start doing graphics features. I'll probably look to adobe to see if they have an SDK that will help me out, it'd be nice to have their libraries to do some cool stuff with.

[Zerach]

For those that are interested I took a bit of time off last weekend to get some other work done around the house.

I've started doing the final touches on the main screen skining. I've added all the necessary components to the XML reader and will have to figure out a little more with my XML writing code, It's an astetics and functionality problem that I'm having.

With luck I'll be done for the weekend and I'll release. If not VERY soon after.

With all the components of the main screen done you should be able to
- Put menu anywhere
- Drop down or slide out menu
- Put controls on the sides rather than top and bottom
- Arrange labels in different area's of the screen
- Arrange buttons anywhere
- Move the connection icons around the screen
- Add logo's where ever you want.

Think creatively with your shapes and make pictures rather than buttons and redesign the interface while your at it. I'm going to do a bunch of main screens and disconnected ideas to show those skinners out there what they could do with a little imagination, some of you might already have things prep'd and ready to show me

Here's another teaser:

[Zerach]

Here's a screen shot of stuff I'm working on, shows something other than buttons!

[knightmare]

Originally Posted by Zerach

Here's a screen shot of stuff I'm working on, shows something other than buttons!

does the needle move based on gps speeds?....lol thatd be awsome