Topic: LaserBoy Feature List

[Fanny Pack]

I'd like to request a feature list for LaserBoy.  Maybe make it a locked topic and pin it and update it as you add new things.  I would be more inclined to use it if I knew what it is useful for.  I know you can make 3D frames and WAV files but I am looking for specifics.

[BlinkenLights]

ok here goes..

ILDA (Formats 0-5)
DXF (no spline yet)
WAV
ADAT WAV SET (for reading/writing ADAT shows)
BMP (bitmaps can be used as palettes, images to trace, or color map)

3D drawing (XYZ)
built in views (front top side etc)

Frame transforms (flatten, mirror, flip, rotate[turn], beam enhancement, optimize, many more)

Frame set transforms (copy, paste, move, create, reverse, randomize, etc)

Built in Frame effects (turn any single frame into an animation)

Built in framset effects (apply transforms to entire sets of frames)

thats a start.. ill let james get the specifics to ya

[James]

LaserBoy reads and writes ILDA 0 - 5.

reads DXF as a frame set from a directory of alphabetically ordered files
POINT
LINE
POLYLINE
LWPOLYLINE
ARC
CIRCLE
ELLIPSE
TEXT

writes DXF as a frame set to a directory of alphabetically ordered files
LINE
POLYLINE

reads BMP as background image for tracing
reads BMP as a color map for vector art
reads BMP as a color mask for vector art

writes BMP of any or all frames at any resolution square

reads and writes PAL, plain ASCII palette table

writes 6 channel WAV file of X, Y, r, g, b, i laser signals optimized for display
joins components parts (XY) (r) (g) (b) into 6 channel WAV laser signals
joins 6 channel WAV with 2 channel WAV to form 8 channel WAV laser signals with audio
splits 6 or 8 channel wave into components parts (XY) (r) (g) (b) (LR)
manages channel sample offsets for scanner to color to audio time alignment

reads 6 channel WAV with LaserBoy sub-code information
reads ADAT tape transcriptions (sort of)

LaserBoy provides a feature rich, 3D visualization environment for viewing, analyzing, creating and manipulating 24 bit color vector art for laser display.

There is a strong emphasis on color and palette manipulation, color conversion, color reduction and vector art colorization using palette spanning techniques.

If you also get the (free) Dev-C++ compiler, you can add or modify functions that provide named effects that are available to apply to frames or frame sets in LaserBoy.

James. 

[Fanny Pack]

LaserBoy provides a feature rich, 3D visualization environment for viewing, analyzing, creating and manipulating 24 bit color vector art for laser display.

There is a strong emphasis on color and palette manipulation, color conversion, color reduction and vector art colorization using palette spanning techniques.

This is the section I am interested in.  Details would be nice.  Or even a list of menu items. 

[James]

LaserBoy provides a 3D cube of short integer space that can be viewed at any magnification, rotation or offset.

It can automatically show all the frames as an animation at a settable frames per second rate or as fast as possible.

It can auto-rotate a single frame for a strong sense of 3D.

It can automatically show a frame set animation WHILE rotating the view.

It allows you to jump to the first or last frame. You can select a continuous series of frames by choosing the start and the end of the selection. Individual frames may be selected or deselected, inside or outside of a series of selected frames. Several frame set transforms work on only those frames that are selected.

LaserBoy implements a set of concepts that break down the tasks of working with laser vector art. A vertex is a single point in space. A vector is the line that joins to vertices, a segment is a series of zero or more vertices. A lit segment is a series of vertices that represent something that the laser will actually need to draw. Frames of laser art in LaserBoy are already assumed to be sets of lit segments. Individual lit segments can be distinguished from each other for re-coloring and applying motion effects and can be rearranged, in order and direction to optimize the frame to the shorted path between lit segments.

This is still only a very small part of what LaserBoy does. 

James. 

[James]

If you really want to know......

You should get the latest version of LaserBoy and call me every day like Alec does! 

James. 

[Fanny Pack]

Honestly, I did download a version a week or two back to see what you have been up to with it.  I had a hard time reading the menus.  All of the different colors make it hard to read.  I poked around for a few minutes and had no idea what the menu items meant so I ditched it.  My level of tolerance is pretty low when it comes to figuring out software unless I know it does something I need.  So there is a dilemna.  In order to figure out what your software does, I have use it and figure it out.  But, I don't have a desire to figure out software that might not do anything I want.  Hence, my request.

Of course, I dont have any room to talk since my software doesn't have any documentation, either.  But, I am working on it.

[James]

I guess I can understand that. If you think of it first as just a way to view laser vector art and gradually learn how get to more out of it, eventually, you see there is a general theme or idea to the whole thing and it holds together pretty well.

There is a lot to it!   

James. 

[James]

I'd be glad to go over it with you on the phone! 

James.