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Redraw Tutorials Or Advice?


halpain17

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I have been looking through posts trying to find information on table development. I have done a little of my own OG development and have a table in progress....

Hopefully soon I can share it, though it is a fairly simple ruleset just trying to get my feet wet.

 

I am more interested in recreating actual tables, however there is not much info I have been able to find on redrawing or on scripting.

(the only scripting I have learned is based on a original table)

I assume things are much different when you are using a ROM, DMD, actual table, etc.

 

I did see on one old thread where guys were talking about creating some tutorials, such a redrawing, however I could find anything that ever came of this.

Is there anything that might help? (so far I've used ~itchys~ templates for EM and OG machines, which were very helpful)

 

My assumption for redrawing is to take a picture of the playfield, and maybe draw it by hand on gimp2 or something. Just before I dive into a lot of work on something like that I want to make sure

that theres not some easier way of doing things, and I'm taking the long route.

 

Any help would be appreciated. I'm just one of those guys who learns real well buy tutorial, or example, not as much by tinkering. (I tend to get frustrated)

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  • 7 months later...
 

Hi, ahhh this is just my topic. I'm currently pushing to get the new LOR table out.

But once that is done, i will be making a series of tutorials dealing with everything to do with handling images and graphics for VP9.

 

I just checked out the Spanish Super-tut, there is some really useful information there for a newcomer.

it is however a real pain to get through. Important note: his playfield image dimensions are incorrect.

Hahah, i wish i had found that tut when i was starting out. Nice one GTX!

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Thanks for the links allknowing,

 

but woah! i have been through all of those. i have to admit, they are a lot of fun to go through.

There are some very good tips there. But to be honest, a lot of it is outdated and his Photoshop methods are time-consuming, and there are not a lot of fundamentals. Except for maybe the playfield prep and GI lighting. (but the playfield Photoshop tut, no. Rather go to Photoshop sites to learn how to do that. Don't go to VP to learn Photoshop. (also, understanding how web-graphics work is helpful with VP graphics). Scapino's ideas are good, but his photoshop guides are technically outdated. There are much faster methods to achieve that.

 

What i will be giving you guys is a very good run-down on how to handle images between VP and other graphic apps. (in concerns to dimensions & formats.)

This is vital, the most vital thing!

 

- illustrative guides to help you improve existing playfield images using Photoshop. Fast and effective techniques.

- further guides on how to handle almost everything you can imagine in terms of images.

 

i learnt a lot about handling VP graphics from LOTR & JPSalas. and it's about time we all had a chance to learn it.

Just give me some time on this, i need to do a lot of work on my current tables first.

 

Perhaps a better link would be the one from Wtiger which you posted on VPForums: (and that also deals with Gimp directly)

http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=tutorials&article=139

 

This other tutorial by Wtiger also has a good breakdown:

http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=tutorials&article=42

 

EDIT: This is the tutorial he's looking for.

http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=tutorials&article=134

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Halpain and anyone in general.

 

Here are two workarounds you can use for creating a playfield graphic.

(a lot of it is focused on Photoshop, but you can use Gimp in similar workarounds)

 

Common Steps:

- One of the first things you will need to do is start by constructing wall guides and such. Using a Hyperpin-media pack as a blueprint for your construction. Just set the image as a playfield image.

- Once you have your wall guides and plastics done, you then export your construct from VP to create the real blueprint.

- File >> export >> blueprint

 

Method 1:

- Take a playfield imagearrow-10x10.png from a "Hyperpin media pack" >> use that as a basis for your playfield graphic.

- Tinker with Photoshop or Gimp and look for tutorials from Photoshop sites. Look for tutorials on HOW TO REPAIR PHOTOGRAPHS

- Areas which you can't repair. Grab your pen-tool inside Photoshop, and start cutting out areas to replace color with. Make sure you name your paths to savearrow-10x10.png them.

- Use masks for everything. MASK MASK MASK. put a mask inside a mask, the layer with a mask inside a group, mask the group. create a group within a group, mask the newarrow-10x10.png group. MaSK all the way. it's non-destructive, and it's win-win.

- General Photoshop use: Name your groups, color your groups, use guides, use grids, use snap, learn shortcuts, programarrow-10x10.png your F-keys with Photoshop. USE PATHS. Now you're getting somewhere!

- Fixing the imagearrow-10x10.png: Use smart blur, denoise, curves, color balance, unsharp mask, high-pass (you need to find a tutorial to learn how to use high-pass).

 

Method 2

- Search ipdb, flickr, and google (set to high-quality for search)

- Get a truck-load of photographs together, just make sure you put them in folders. i list folders as ipdb, flickr, google, and Hyperpin. (You are going to thank me for that later.)

- Now copy your collected images into new folders, say, Upper PF, Middle PF, Lower PF. Slingshots, Bumpers, so on, so on... (i use Adobe bridgearrow-10x10.png or Picasa to sort images, there are good tuts available on how to use them.)

- Take the playfield image from a "Hyperpin media pack" >> Use it as a blueprint inside Photoshop/Gimp to lay out your new Photographs.

- Once you have wall-guides and plastics constructed in VP. Export that as a blueprint, and use it inside Photoshop/Gimp as a fine precision blueprint for laying out your plastics images and everything else.

- ... The rest, well, it's a long and complicated process, this is the method i use for the tables i work on.

 

 

PLAYFIELD DIMENSIONS:

This is the most crucial and vital step you have to take before you do anything with graphics. Here is how to do it:

- create a new table inside VP

- go to Table >> Dimension Manager

- choose the table from the list for you recreation. (Note: you can also create the dimensions yourself based on the real table. but these are good to start with)

... now the fun startsarrow-10x10.png!

 

- File >> export >> blueprint

- openarrow-10x10.png the BMP file inside your graphic app

- Image >> image size

- Enable the constrain tick-box

- NB: enter 1920 as your height. clickarrow-10x10.png OK. Done!

- save your new image as a PSD. (or whichever open-format your app uses)

This is the golden-rule. it took me weeks of experimentation and failures to find it, and it works with WS and FS formats a-like. You will not find this written anywhere else.

And who would have guessed this would work for WS-formats, 1920 is your monitor width, not your height. it makes logical sense for FS format because of the screen rotation.

All you have to know is that it works!

 

IMPORTANT: This is the same template you will be using for all of your playfield, light, and plastics graphics.

- when you're ready to export for VP. save it as a JPG. Quality 8.

 

For plastics in the lower half of the screen. i'm using 1024 x 2048. This increases the detail for areas closer to the viewer. but starts to blur the image after about half-way up the playfield.

 

That's it for the basics.

I know this is all very brief, i will be making tutorials for all graphical matters sometime soon in the future.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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to start redrawing a playfield correctly you should hope to have four things as a good starting point.

 

first from my experience is a blueprint extracted from the tables manual. Use this as a base for not only your redraw but import into vp to line up table objects correctly and make the build a hell of alot quicker and easier.

 

Second is try and obtain a playfield scan, even an old playfield from an older version of the table.no matter how bad or how much blur it contains. line this playfield scan up to your blueprint and use it as a base for your redraw.

 

third is get as many pictures of the table as you can, seach the internet far and wide, you may be suprised what can be found searching through google images alone. these will be used as a reference and can even be cut up and aligned on top of your playfield scan to help redraw.

 

Number four and most important thing to learn is the pen tool, whatever your poisen photoshop , illustrator or gimp it will be your most used tool. search youtube there is as many instructional video's as there was pinball machines created.

then once you have mastered that one tool you can pretty much recreate anything with patience and alot of practice.

 

 

redraw the light inserts first, then an outline of the table and the main colors, do it all on seperate layers. hide your solid color layers after you make them and unhide them later. i like to then "ink" all items on table, i use a wacom cintiq and draw straight on the screen, but i started out with a mouse. i redrew the lethal weapon 3 playfield with mouse only so it proves that you dont need a fancy tablet for detailed redraws if you cant obtain one. then color everything in on a seperate layer undernieth the ink'd outline. add text and so on.

 

 

i used this method many times to redraw all my tables and others i never got around to using. at one stage i was redrawing a playfield a week. and have about 12-15 playfields ready for the day i feel like working in vp again. but all the smoke and mirrors i used to love have now been phased out and it's not as fun anymore. was great seeing how far i could push the boundries of a 10 yr old program. but in saying that im glad the new aditions of vp10 and beyond may introduce more people to authoring tables. i'm never going to disapear totally from this scene.

dr_whoplayfieldredraw-1.jpg

dr_whoplayfieldredraw-2.jpg

dr_whoplayfieldredrawcopy.jpg

junkyard_redraw2SKETCH.jpg

junkyard_redraw2.jpg

junkyard_redrawnewest.jpg

lethalmastercopy.png

fridayupdate.png

lw3final.png

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as for scripting tables thats easy open up and read code line by line

 

see what different tables have different code, any jp table is a good reference to start with, his code is clean and easy to follow.

 

destruk tables are your handbook for table building. he has pretty much built every table or scripted it at one stage and his code is a great reference for how any table works.

 

unclewilly tables are also a greta reference and i have learnt alot of tricks from his stuff.

 

i wouldnt recomend reading my code as a starting point, i dont comment much and can be hard to follow what is happening sometimes if you are new.

Don't start with a table with lots of toys and alot of stuff going on. try an older solid state machine first to get used to the basics.

 

the more you do the better you will get its all about practice and patience. you can't be a JP overnight.

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as for scripting tables thats easy open up and read code line by line

 

see what different tables have different code, any jp table is a good reference to start with, his code is clean and easy to follow.

 

destruk tables are your handbook for table building. he has pretty much built every table or scripted it at one stage and his code is a great reference for how any table works.

 

unclewilly tables are also a greta reference and i have learnt alot of tricks from his stuff.

 

i wouldnt recomend reading my code as a starting point, i dont comment much and can be hard to follow what is happening sometimes if you are new.

Don't start with a table with lots of toys and alot of stuff going on. try an older solid state machine first to get used to the basics.

 

the more you do the better you will get its all about practice and patience. you can't be a JP overnight.

Hey aren't you that guy that used to make like really good VP tables a long time ago? I kind of remember ya. :P

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