Hi, I've just started to write a blueprint for a Spray tool. You can find it here: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/SpecSprayTool
I need input on the following topics:
1) I propose that 3 parameters can be controlled (scaling, rotation and color). Every parameter has limits and a randomness to fine tune how the variation works. I need to know your thoughts about this and any nuances that might appear while coding, or on the UI... which leads me to the second question.
2) Having so many boxes and buttons on a toolbar is going to take a lot of space. I suggest to have the settings placed like in the UI example and where 'Other options...' is put another button that unrolls a window with the variations controls (check boxes for activating scaling, rotation and color variations, limits and randomness). Any other viable suggestion with the purpose of reducing clutter will be welcomed ;)
3) I've put the use 'lightness of background' as an available option but I'm not sure what should affect exactly: width? scattering? Ideally, I would like to see that every parameter (width, scattering, scaling, rotation and color) could be altered by this switch independently (I'm going to aim high ;): and also by the tablet pressure).
4) This tool uses two radiuses: outer one is the Scatter radius, it's the maximum area in which the tool has effect. Inner one is the Width radius, it's the are in which most of the items are sprayed. I made the mockup this way but now I dislike it a bit. I think is more intuitive to adjust the maximum affected area with the Width parameter, and let the Scatter radius be a % of it but going towards the center (i .e.: always Width radius>Scatter radius). Tell me what you think of this behavior.
I think that's was all. Regards.
I may have one comment concerning the clone/copy/singlepath:
First of all, I think (and I hope everybody agrees) that it's necessary that the used brush could be any item, not only a single path. (The same than the clone tool works, you can clone any item: path, shape, group, text...)
So this raises the issue of the "single path" mode, how can this be handled if the brush is a group of shapes ?
Steren
2008/8/7 Steren <steren.giannini@...400...>:
I may have one comment concerning the clone/copy/singlepath:
First of all, I think (and I hope everybody agrees) that it's necessary that the used brush could be any item, not only a single path. (The same than the clone tool works, you can clone any item: path, shape, group, text...)
Yes, of course this tool clone/copy modes does work with any kind of object; anything that's clonable right now is usable with this tool.
So this raises the issue of the "single path" mode, how can this be handled if the brush is a group of shapes ?
Steren
That's a good point. I suggest that whatever the data on the clipboard is, the group, shape, text or whatever should be converted to a path before starting to paint. Of course the original object data in the clipboard is preserved unaltered for later use; it's just a background conversion to a single path used specifically for this particular mode and tool. Is this doable?
I think we need to be able to spray several different objects (say up to 3) in one go, and we need more spacing controls - in particular scattering along the line and perpendicular to it. Also we need an opacity control which could also depend on background color. In general, if we implement all options that make sense, I'm afraid it won't fit the bar - it will be more like the Tile Clones dialog :(
Also, if you have Xara or Xara LX, go to Freehand tool, create a brush from some object and click Edit brush. You will see a dialog with a lot of options. I don't like everything there, but it might give you some more ideas.
Although it would be ideal to have a large number of items easily accessible on the toolbars, this is not, of course, possible.
Maybe a simple work-around it is to set up buttons on the tool options bars that quickly open the dialogs. In fact, there could be a set of buttons (or selection group of some sort) which allows even certain tabs/sets of options to be opened quickly and easily. Then all the more advanced/less used options could reside in the dialogs but still be easily accessible. Yes, key commands are great, but nobody (or few) can remember them all.
Of course, there can be super-dynamic ways of implementing this, but I'm not quite the genius to figure it all out. I just thought it might be a good, user-friendly way to link the toolbars to the dialogs.
Of course, another option (which would be a user-toggled option) is to use a button to make extra tool options bars available with the other options. Click it to toggle them on, use what you need, click to toggle off if you need the work space. Or, click to toggle on, toggle off automatically on mouse-exit from the toolbar (or entry onto the canvas).
JF
bulia byak wrote:
I think we need to be able to spray several different objects (say up to 3) in one go, and we need more spacing controls - in particular scattering along the line and perpendicular to it. Also we need an opacity control which could also depend on background color. In general, if we implement all options that make sense, I'm afraid it won't fit the bar - it will be more like the Tile Clones dialog :(
Also, if you have Xara or Xara LX, go to Freehand tool, create a brush from some object and click Edit brush. You will see a dialog with a lot of options. I don't like everything there, but it might give you some more ideas.
I knew I was forgetting something...
2008/8/7 bulia byak <buliabyak@...400...>:
I think we need to be able to spray several different objects (say up to 3) in one go,
I added some tabs for the settings of each object.
and we need more spacing controls - in particular scattering along the line and perpendicular to it.
I've added X/Y spacing (maybe it should be called X/Y scatter). How would you like this to work? My idea is: - Scatter set to 100%: Scatter area is the same as Width. - Scatter set to >100%: Scatter area is bigger than Width. - Scatter set to <100%: Scatter area is smaller than Width. Remember that the scattering area is the zone where item population decreases progressively.
Also we need an opacity control which could also depend on background color. In general, if we implement all options that make sense, I'm afraid it won't fit the bar - it will be more like the Tile Clones dialog :(
Does the "use background lightness" fit this for you? Or you want specifically color and not lightness?
Also, if you have Xara or Xara LX, go to Freehand tool, create a brush from some object and click Edit brush. You will see a dialog with a lot of options. I don't like everything there, but it might give you some more ideas.
I took a brief look so I haven't made my mind about its usability.
Regards.
participants (4)
-
bulia byak -
Joshua Facemyer -
Pajarico -
Steren