From the original SynthMaker forum (2004–2014), with its members’ names and dates.
CoreStyler ·
Hi all SM'z.
I present my new system for making fully skinnable any plugin or standalone.
Maybe someone has already done things like that but i will present it anyway.
First look a the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM_ivXKO ... e=youtu.be
In the video is shown a skin change under Hardcore Kicks VSTi 2.x (still beta and not released).
The skin is contained into a txt file (an array) and the pictures are retreived from the filename.
At that time, it can change: pictures, knobs, switches, text fonts (style and size also), colours....
I maybe will add also X,Y Position of main modules in the future, in order to move parts of the UI.
By that way, i can make many skins for a plugin without using all native GUI components and without compiling each one as different plug. (done for example on sylenth1)
Another good thing (for me) is that any client/user of a synth can develop new skins in a practical way and without sending them to the developer... A joy for skin designers! 😉
Please, comment! 😍
djbrynte ·
looks awesome is it same skin when reloading the plugg?
CoreStyler ·
No are totally different pictures.. but i started from the first to create the second. The blue one is an edit of the first. in fact the look very simlar!
😀
I can also use completely different UI bitmaps, colors, fonts, knobs, switches... but positions remain the same.
trogluddite ·
Like it, that's great work 🙂 Surprising how fast it can change too..
Often I have wished for this with some plugins - for example when they are too dark or bright to use well on a small laptop screen etc.
This would be a great way to add support for alternative languages too. All plugins seem to be in English - OK for an Englishman like me, and maybe OK for common things like Frequency, Resonance etc. - but often I think must be frustrating for non English speakers when functions have unusual names.
CoreStyler ·
Yes. is quite fast. But the video was done in my laptop running Intel core i7 quad (2.0ghz) 8 gb ram nvida GT 540m (1gb) windows 7 64.
My test with a computer: Pentium 4 3.0ghz, 1 gb ram DDR (1), Ati 256 megabytes (old) with Windows 7 32.. with that system to load the plug take 5 seconds approx and 3-4 second for changing skin.
Yes. With that way is possible to add any kind of data. Translations, Colors proprieties... 🙂
Dell ·
That is very ingenious considering the knobs are not affiliated to the graphic user interface!
Have tried it multiple hosts as of yet?
CoreStyler ·
For now i tested it on FL studio 10 and Nuendo 4.
Works much more faster on nuendo.
I will try with other sequencers demos, like Ableton Live studio1 or others.
CoreStyler ·
Tested and works perfectly also in Ableton Live!
CoreStyler ·
Just a little problem i have. When changin the skin all on the preset remain equal but the switches change value (or reset).
This make many problems because the preset will miss many I/O.
I dont know where this problem is generated. But i think that should be a trigger into the switcher that reset count when changing picture... Anyone has the solution for that trouble?
this switch maybe?
Dell ·
Hi.
I believe the settings automatically reset when power is lost. Such a result reminds me of the DBX Driverack I was setting up for a friend that lost all it's settings once it lost power if, you did not save the settings upon making the configuration.
CoreStyler ·
The bool move to false when loading new images of the switcher. I should maybe create a new switcher module that does not do that! 😀
CoreStyler ·
Done. but i had to redesign entirely the switcher button.
This switcher use a counter and int > 1 reset the count. Changes of index is done only by mouse clicking (and by preset too).
Seems to works well and finally the UI elements are loaded correctly and without erasing the data. It also make skin change much more faster! 🙂
I do not added at the moment CC values. If you want to do, pls reupload. 😍
if forgotten... if you use it, you should replace the inputs on the image paths with the commons filedialog in the same way of the original switcher.... 😉
Here a new view of the Skins changing. Now is much more faster!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYNbe3FnOgM
Dell ·
Glad to hear you got it sorted out. 🙂
I created similar a device however I used (tapped in) the Preset Manager. It doesn't give the user the ability to create a customisable skin as your model. What it does is allow me to select different effect modules and move them in forefront to save visual space. Somewhat like AcmeBarRig's method but not as sophisticated. My version is Neanderthal. 🙂
I encountered the same dilemma as you (knobs would default to original settings once the GUI was no longer the main focal point), which I remedied by inserting a Preset Manager in each effect module. This may not occur to you for you are switching skins, whereas I am moving effect modules from the foreground to the background.
I will need to download your project again for I received an HTML document upon my first try. I was using an Alpha Browser at the time of Download so I am certain it is the root of the problem.
Cheers!
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