Newbie question: any filter to rotate an object and save as

[HGFortune]

Hi,

as I've started to do the GUI stuff for my VSTi (software) Instruments with graphical objects to control the instruments I'm looking for a filter which can rotate an object e.g. from 330° to 30° and save e.g. 81 images of rotation positions into separate .bmp files.

Simply imagine turning something like a volume knob on an amplifier so You know what I want to do have displayed onscreen with e.g. 81 different positions of this rotation. So moving the mouse cursor up/down upon this knob onscreen will give the impression of a rotating knob in the instrument.

It is decisive the quality of this rotation must be rather good not distorting the round shape of the knob beyond visible limits in rotating the knob.

Thanks for the help in advance
HG Fortune

[Tom]

HI,

Yes it's a newbie question, but why not ?
Menu Image/Rotate/free, you can progress by 0.1° step.
Why have you not tried it ?

Take care the size of the knob/ the size of the picture :
the number pixels of the sizes must be both odd-numbered.
If the object knob is exactly round and correctly centered in the picture, no problem.

But for rotate your knob with the mouse cursor, in a web page or an other interface, PhotoFiltre can't do anything for you.
Just can it gives you some pictures, no GUI control in any other interface.

[HGFortune]

HI,

Yes it's a newbie question, but why not ?
Menu Image/Rotate/free, you can progress by 0.1° step.
Why have you not tried it ?

Take care the size of the knob/ the size of the picture :
the number pixels of the sizes must be both odd-numbered.
If the object knob is exactly round and correctly centered in the picture, no problem.

But for rotate your knob with the mouse cursor, in a web page or an other interface, PhotoFiltre can't do anything for you.
Just can it gives you some pictures, no GUI control in any other interface.

thanks for responding.
well, doing this for each image separately is too much timeconsuming as this is definitively something for an automatic task.
simply to make things a bit more clear: my major subject is building VSTi instruments and the GUI stuff is 'only' a side task which should not afford too much extra work. So anything being automated is helpful as it is already taking quite a lot of time.

By now I'm using a gif-animator for this which works good as long as the knob itself is not rotated but simply the mark set to the positions. But some types of knobs require to rotate the whole knob.

I can do a lot of the graphical work with PhotoFiltre as it is quick and does certain things other progs on my PC (like Ulead IE) cannot do.

Anyway Your answer points to a direction there is no plugin for that around
but maybe somebody else has got a hint for me (those big ones like Photoshop ect. excluded) Additionally I should mention there is request for such GUI elements - so maybe a programmer is willing to do a plugin for this special job.


best regards
HG Fortune

[Tom]

Hi

I have done an example with PFStudio :

[HGFortune]

Ok, here is a sample of what I'm doing. maybe it is more elucidating than a description:



Ideally an automated 'rotation' saving to separate numbered images would also comprise a light source and a shadow setting.

Note: developing in a larger size gives better quality. But one can't reduce a strip in size as pixel-lines will be omitted and the knob will no longer rotate centered. So one has to batch-reduce the numbered images.

I can imagine this is a bit different from most usage of image processing covered here but nonetheless there is growing need for a qucik programm / filter / plugin covering this. Ok, one could use some 3d modellers for GUI element design but the time to learn these does not match what You really make use of it - and basically a program like PhotoFiltre could do this special task too with less learning time.

best wishes
HGFortune

[HGFortune]

Hi

I have done an example with PFStudio :

looks nice, quality is ok so far. but doing this for 81 images ???? instead of twelve or so ???

Also You can't turn light and shadow with a knob - looks not realistic then

with my prev. post You can imagine there are already a lot of further steps involved for doing just a 'simple' rotating knob ...

best wishes
HG

[Tom]

Hi,

I think if you would use the Studio release, you would have rather quickly a layer for that you name "Mark for rotate position".
- then you erase white color = transparency
- do any duplicata you wish and rotate each layer
- merge the mark and the basic knob

Then the mark can rotate (centered) and lightning or shadows does not change on the knob.
When you have done all the layers for a knob, you keep them for an other knob.
It does not seems very long for me...

[HGFortune]

Hi,

I think if you would use the Studio release, you would have rather quickly a layer for that you name "Mark for rotate position".
- then you erase white color = transparency
- do any duplicata you wish and rotate each layer
- merge the mark and the basic knob

Then the mark can rotate (centered) and lightning or shadows does not change on the knob.
When you have done all the layers for a knob, you keep them for an other knob.
It does not seems very long for me...

thanks, but You can't deny that an automation function for this would save a lot of time. And btw. the aforementioned rather new freeware GIF animator can perform this job already in about the same quality even exporting to separate frames needed for further processing.

As You'll have seen a knob is just one element of all being used on the GUI thus time used adds up rapidly. Please don't underestimate this.
And it is not just the graphics doing VSTi, more important is the audio and synthesies engine behind the graphics. (simply google for HG Fortune VSTi and see the number of entries found .... you'll notice I'm a quite busy guy now even doing the GUI stuff myself to have the way I want it to.)

Btw. I'm using the Studio version which I bought recently therefor I asked whether there is possibly a plugin for such a job being automated around.

best wishes
HG

[Tom]

Yes i have well understoud you are very busy, but i don't know such automatic tool for this kind of task

If it could help you : (in PhotoFiltre Studio documentation) http://www.photofiltre-studio.com/doc/index.htm

Code : Tout sélectionner

Développement des modules externes

    Les modules externes peuvent être écrits par tous les développeurs ayant des connaissances dans un des langages suivants : Delphi, Visual C++, C++ Builder, C standard et ASM.

    Pour réaliser les modules externes, les programmeurs doivent charger un kit de développement sur le site www.photofiltre.com dans la section Plugins. Ce kit contient les interfaces de développement, la documentation des fonctions ainsi que quelques exemples.

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Development of external modules

    External modules can be written by all developers having some knowledges in one of following languages : Delphi, Visual C++, C++ Builder, C standard and ASM.

    To create external modules, programmers must download a development kit from the web site www.photofiltre.com in Plugins section.
This kit contains development interfaces, documentation, functions and some examples.

[carlo taradel]

for sure there are other free software that can be used , and that will allow you to do it quickly

BUT ...l

PF and PFS are very intuitive you can learn the use just playng with them.

For the task you ask something as Gimp with GAP (the Gimp Animation Package) will be MUCH better...BUT learning to use them is a time consuming experience, and if gimp is not very intuitive the Gap (that is what you will need more) is really complex

So the point is you like more do it in a slow but simple and intuitive way ...or learning how to do it quickly ,but quickly only once you learned the how to

(Learning to do ONLY what you need for that work will be much more quicker...but it's really tricky to use unknow complex software as the GiMP Animation Pack withouth knowing its basics ,just a little mistake and you will be lost

However if you want try with GIMP&GAP you can post your question here http://www.gimptalk.com ,in the general help forum.

[carlo taradel]

About writing a plugin for the task
PFS plugins must to be compatible with PF so they can't use the more advanced features of PFS as the support for layers.

But the plugin you need had to rotate layers...i don't think this could be done with the corrent SDK that is the same of PF.

[Tom]

About writing a plugin for the task
PFS plugins must to be compatible with PF so they can't use the more advanced features of PFS as the support for layers.

But the plugin you need had to rotate layers...i don't think this could be done with the corrent SDK that is the same of PF.

Sorry Carlo, but i think you walk on a foreigner way.
You would better to let answer a connoisseur. (I'm not)

[carlo taradel]

sorry Carlo, but i think you walk on a foreigner way.
You would better to let answer a connoisseur. (I'm not)

could be could me point to my mistake?...that was almost a guess
but that sdk seemed to me the same used for PhotoFiltre
But yes i'm not a developer and stepped out my territory sorry