Worklog for Pakz

Drawing/Pixeling tool (bplus)

Selection feature and icons

2016-05-01

I have started working on two larger features. I want a selection feature. This for moving around part of the image and to copy out a brush that can be pasted. And a mirror vertical and horizontal feature.

Another feature I want to add is icons. I have already drawn a number of them and put them in a seperate smaller version of the editor to test it out.

A smaller thing I will probably add next is the CTRL key shortcut to pick a color under the mouse. Hold ctrl then press the left mouse button.

I am now spending more time watching video's of people editing pixel art. I want to learn more myself on how to pixel and I want to see if there is anything I can put into my own editor feature wise.

I had a short break creating RPG topdown code that I put on the code archives.

Couple of days in the project

2016-04-29

The Sprite editor code on the code archives has been updated to the last version. Mirror draw mode and Brighten/darken color were last added.

http://www.blitzbasic.com/codearcs/codearcs.php?code=3267

V i d e o ' s :
I have gotten 5 positive reactions to some of the video's I posted on youtube where I draw pixel art. I never got that many reactions in that short timeframe of a couple of days. A lot of video's have not gotten any views yet though.

Playlist of all of the video's :
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb-0cCND12JQeyuIp1qQiNrBEjearT5RS

De b u g g i n g :
The last feature I added needs to be modified. The mirror draw is not aligned correctly. Different results left and right.

There is also a bug with the colors getting reset. I need to track that down.

M o d i f y / A d d :
The brush image need to be visible with different background colors. It can get lost on the screen. Need to think about that.

I want to add a round brush. Not to sure if I should add it soon. With the couple of hours I spend drawing I found the square brush useable.

T e s t i n g / W o r k i n g :
Yesterday I downloaded a dozen or more references from the Internet. I could spend a couple of hours today drawing and recording that.

E c t :
I am currently sitting behind the desk I ordered for my parents. I wanted to buy the same one for my home. I might order it next month or so.

New feature - Mirror Drawing

2016-04-28

Here a video of the new mirror drawing feature. The code is on my github.(pakz001)

Sprite Editor getting better

2016-04-28

Here a link to the last version : https://www.dropbox.com/s/qwnlkwanuv9xv07/SpriteEditor48x48.7z?dl=0

Here a link to a video of todays finished feature, darken and brighten selected color:

Workplace:
In a few hours a desk will be delivered at my parent hous. I also have a computer there on which I work to. (It is a lot quieter there)
The desk is going to be a 150cm wide desk. This last monday a conference chair was delivered. The chair was easy enough to assemble. I hope the desk is not that hard to assemble. Probably will take a while for everything to be done.

Programming:
Today I want to create a various sized grid feature in the editor and maybe a horizontal and vertical mirror feature.

The mirror feature is that one where there is a line in the center of the program and what you draw left is mirror-drawn in the right side.

I will probably make a gui element for the grid feature too, so you will be able to set the grid to larger and smaller. Or just maybe a + or - keyshortcut, not sure yet.

Maybe I will read back the notes and get more done today. I am now watching the video's of yesterday to see where a new feature could be usefull.

Video's:
I might spend more time working in the sprite editor. If I draw for lonfer periods I might think of a nice new feature. And I get better at art to and wil have art for future projects.
I might place the sprite/tile data in a folder on my monkey worklog today.

Here a youtube playlist with latest video's of the program. Tutorials and examples and such :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb-0cCND12JQeyuIp1qQiNrBEjearT5RS

Thinking of features to create.

2016-04-27

I have been using the program to draw several things(see video's at bottom of post) I hope to remember features I used and maybe think of to use in the tool.

One feature I would maybe already have finished today is a shading brush feature. I would let the brush pixel if on size 1 move around in a x pattern.
101
010
101

I also want to modify the fill outline feature to be able to fill with any color except the background color or one certain color. I would begin to introduce a method where there would be text at the mouse pointer asking to select the background color before fill starts at the press. It would allow you to outline a sprite made up of multiple colors.
This feature maybe will be done today to.

I need to fix the line function to work with the right mouse button.

And for the theory of if you don't spread you don't get I am planning of making a number of pixel tutorial drawing video's for youtube. I will use reference images to get a better quality. I still am not that experienced with shading though.

I got the idea to create some kind of line system with nodes. This would allow you to create/modify shapes. I need to spend time to think on how I am going to do that.

Here are video's of me trying the editor :

Here me drawing 2 monsters

Here me drawing a RPG game item (book)

Here me drawing a RPG game item (chest)

Here me drawing a RPG game item (flask)

Here me drawing a RPG game item (round gem)

Here me drawing a RPG game item (Sword)

Here me drawing a purple monster

Here me drawing another purple monster

Here me drawing a person

Here me drawing a slime monster

Here me drawing a penguin

Here me drawing a hammer

Here me drawing a spaceship

Here me drawing a cross

Here me drawing a egg

Here me drawing another penguin

Here me drawing a frogsnake

Here me drawing another penguin

Here me drawing a stone elephant

Here me drawing a rabbit

Here me drawing a monster

Here me drawing a funny ball

Here me drawing a log

--------------------------------------------------------------

Here a video of todays new shade feature :

Program current status

2016-04-25

Here a link to the last version :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qwnlkwanuv9xv07/SpriteEditor48x48.7z?dl=0

Here me testing out the outline fill feature.
https://youtu.be/n_LYXsF9siA

Here me drawing a patato head with the program using the lock color feature.
https://youtu.be/z5-8yqXZ_kY

I spend some time thinking what I could create to go with the pixel editor. I thought of one thing that is easy to create.

I want to create a small checkbox next to a color in the color section that will make the colors of that color indestructible. This would mean that if you draw ontop of it, it wil not get replaced. Right click on the checkbox disables all the others and enables the selected one.

I also have been thinking of creating a line memory feature. What would happen is that every line you draw gets stored in memory. But I need to spend more time thinking this through. Would they store the previous tile underneath the line to? And what if there is another line below it? Or would they just be on another layer?

ALso I have been thinking of creating isometric editing features. But I do not know if I wil just create a new editor project specific for isometric art. (IsoPixelEdit)

I also need to think through what I will do with the sheet width and height. Will I need to create a zoom in/out feature and scrollbars?

Also, the more features the editor gets, the more need there is to create certain buttons in stead of text and keyboard shortcuts.

It might also be wise to improve the current code base so it can be easily be put together and taken apart. I still need to spend more time thinking about that.

I also am thinking of making a message system (textline on the screen) that shows useage tips/shortcuts and faq and solutions and info on enabled features.

For now I can work on the indestructible color thing. I want to make a barebone version where I create it and test it. Then I can insert it into the larger project(s)

I also just got the idea to create a feature where you can load/display a photo on the editor. You would then be able to turn photo's into pixel art by putting the pixels based on the color of the photo. You would draw ontop of the photo, where the pixels then would be colored rectangles.

I am working from my github account (pakz001)

https://github.com/Pakz001/blitzplusexamples