Calling add-on developers for testing a new T3D 3.5 UI
by Nils Eikelenboom · in Torque 3D Professional · 02/16/2014 (7:46 am) · 17 replies
[2014-21-02]
I've been working on a new user interface for T3D 3.5. It's almost ready for a (beta)release on the recourse pages, but before doing so it needs some testing. I'm pointing to developers of add-ons like for example Walkabout and Verve. I want to create the possibility to test and adapt, as it will probably be used by some in the future; I've been getting requests to do this for some time now!
[+] Click to enlarge
The existing profiles, GUI files and scripts have been changed. Due to a chronic lack of time will there be no "switch my T3D theme button", at least not from me! If you created your add-ons with default-, core- or tools-profiles, it will change automatically after the implementation of the Dark UI. But perhaps you created custom profiles that need to be revamped as well. If you want to support this Dark UI then now is the time to provide me the right assets! I'll release it on the recourse pages on February, Friday the 21st 2014 (Next week)
This version for download is not the release version!!!
Download zip file here (3MB)
Download, extract and use etc. on your own risk. I can't be held responsible for any consequences possible!
Extract the files, copy and overwrite all on a new Empty or Full project folder.
Known current issues:
- Terrain painter buttons not highlighted
- Material Editor Layer Rollout text is not bright
- World Transform button stays dark in the Object/World Transform dropdown menu
- Radio button text too dark for background (see Snap Options in the picture)
- Radio button (tool profile) not clickable - added 17/2
- Ruler background GUI Editor transparent (sometimes pink) - added 17/2
- GuiTextEditSliderCtrl icons should be white instead of black - added 17/2
Let me know here what errors, issues, design mistakes and other problems you encounter with these files.
I will not respond to style and design remarks; how it looks is a matter of taste and this will be a take-it-or-leave-it release after all!
Thanks!
Cheers, Nils
Dark UI has been released on the recourse pages! [Go there...]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________I've been working on a new user interface for T3D 3.5. It's almost ready for a (beta)release on the recourse pages, but before doing so it needs some testing. I'm pointing to developers of add-ons like for example Walkabout and Verve. I want to create the possibility to test and adapt, as it will probably be used by some in the future; I've been getting requests to do this for some time now!
[+] Click to enlarge
The existing profiles, GUI files and scripts have been changed. Due to a chronic lack of time will there be no "switch my T3D theme button", at least not from me! If you created your add-ons with default-, core- or tools-profiles, it will change automatically after the implementation of the Dark UI. But perhaps you created custom profiles that need to be revamped as well. If you want to support this Dark UI then now is the time to provide me the right assets! I'll release it on the recourse pages on February, Friday the 21st 2014 (Next week)
This version for download is not the release version!!!
Download zip file here (3MB)
Download, extract and use etc. on your own risk. I can't be held responsible for any consequences possible!
Extract the files, copy and overwrite all on a new Empty or Full project folder.
Known current issues:
- Terrain painter buttons not highlighted
- Material Editor Layer Rollout text is not bright
- World Transform button stays dark in the Object/World Transform dropdown menu
- Radio button text too dark for background (see Snap Options in the picture)
- Radio button (tool profile) not clickable - added 17/2
- Ruler background GUI Editor transparent (sometimes pink) - added 17/2
- GuiTextEditSliderCtrl icons should be white instead of black - added 17/2
Let me know here what errors, issues, design mistakes and other problems you encounter with these files.
I will not respond to style and design remarks; how it looks is a matter of taste and this will be a take-it-or-leave-it release after all!
Thanks!
Cheers, Nils
#2
What say?
xing bu xing?
02/16/2014 (1:38 pm)
With your permission I would like to use(and test) this dark theme as a UI doing level design on my game under production(I'll back up all fist as usual).What say?
xing bu xing?
#3
02/16/2014 (2:51 pm)
This is excellent - thanks for this, Nils! I'll give it a go with Walkabout hopefully tonight. 
#4
02/16/2014 (2:55 pm)
thanks downloading now..Also the feb 21th one too!
#5
@DwarfKing: So that means Xing!
Looking forward to see some screenshots :)
02/16/2014 (5:47 pm)
The MIT licence of GG has been unchanged in these files. So as with the rest of all the files: you can do with it whatever you want, as long as it is in line with the licence agreement!@DwarfKing: So that means Xing!
Looking forward to see some screenshots :)
#6
github.com/andr3wmac/Torque3D/tree/themes
It's very rudimentary at the moment but it works for the most part. Essentially I did a massive find and replace that put a global theme variable in front of all references to gui or tools. I based it off the directories you included in your theme. The following directories:
02/16/2014 (8:55 pm)
Quote:Due to a chronic lack will there be no "switch my T3D theme button", at least not from me!Ask and ye shall receive! Haha. I took a shot at a theme system:
github.com/andr3wmac/Torque3D/tree/themes
It's very rudimentary at the moment but it works for the most part. Essentially I did a massive find and replace that put a global theme variable in front of all references to gui or tools. I based it off the directories you included in your theme. The following directories:
- art/gui
- core/art/gui
- core/scripts/gui
- scripts/gui
- tools
#7
Also, the new color looks better :)!
02/16/2014 (9:34 pm)
Looks awesome. If I can use it I will include it in the Torque3D Advanced Pack I'm building which will basically includes all the improvements to Torque3D.Also, the new color looks better :)!
#8
Hahaha, marvellous, you already gitted the thingy :D
I like this quick development! Thanks!
***
For you @all who want to implement this into your main working project; it would be wise to wait until the end of the week when the known bugs/issues have been fixed. There are still some parts that need a bit of work.
02/16/2014 (11:13 pm)
@Andrew mac: Quote:Ask and ye shall receive! Haha. I took a shot at a theme system: github.com/andr3wmac/Torque3D/tree/themes
Hahaha, marvellous, you already gitted the thingy :D
I like this quick development! Thanks!
***
For you @all who want to implement this into your main working project; it would be wise to wait until the end of the week when the known bugs/issues have been fixed. There are still some parts that need a bit of work.
#9
[+] Click to enlarge
Edit: Now I see I opened the portal shape, that came along with in the empty template 3.5, should that be there at all?
02/18/2014 (4:54 am)
toBump(%pic);
[+] Click to enlarge
Edit: Now I see I opened the portal shape, that came along with in the empty template 3.5, should that be there at all?
#10
The rulers in the GUI editor for example are default white, with black lines:
If one would like to change that, then the project needs to be recompiled. This because it's defined in guiEditCtrl.cpp:
It would be better to define these 'style definitions' in /tools/settings.xml IMO.
02/18/2014 (7:53 am)
The only thing that is bothering me a bit is that some GUI element styles are hardcoded. The rulers in the GUI editor for example are default white, with black lines:
If one would like to change that, then the project needs to be recompiled. This because it's defined in guiEditCtrl.cpp:
void onRender(Point2I offset, const RectI &updateRect)
{
GFX->getDrawUtil()->drawRectFill(updateRect, ColorF(1,1,1,1));
Point2I choffset(0,0);
if( mRefCtrl != NULL )
choffset = mRefCtrl->getChildPos();
if( getOrientation() == ORIENTATION_Horizontal )
{
// it's horizontal.
for(U32 i = 0; i < getWidth(); i++)
{
S32 x = offset.x + i;
S32 pos = i - choffset.x;
if(!(pos % 10))
{
S32 start = 6;
if(!(pos %20))
start = 4;
if(!(pos % 100))
start = 1;
GFX->getDrawUtil()->drawLine(x, offset.y + start, x, offset.y + 10, ColorF(0,0,0,1));
}
}
}
else
{
// it's vertical.
for(U32 i = 0; i < getHeight(); i++)
{
S32 y = offset.y + i;
S32 pos = i - choffset.y;
if(!(pos % 10))
{
S32 start = 6;
if(!(pos %20))
start = 4;
if(!(pos % 100))
start = 1;
GFX->getDrawUtil()->drawLine(offset.x + start, y, offset.x + 10, y, ColorF(0,0,0,1));
}
}
}
}It would be better to define these 'style definitions' in /tools/settings.xml IMO.
#11
EDIT: Oh, there's another change to make in main.cs: s/"tools"/$Pref::Theme@"tools"
It's still a bit janky though... doesn't give me the full experience like installing the theme by overwriting the assets the regular way.
02/19/2014 (4:10 am)
Andrew, did you have to change any other parts of the UI with your theme changes? I can't open the editors at all.EDIT: Oh, there's another change to make in main.cs: s/"tools"/$Pref::Theme@"tools"
It's still a bit janky though... doesn't give me the full experience like installing the theme by overwriting the assets the regular way.
#12
02/19/2014 (9:54 am)
I haven't extensively tested it all. In fact the second it showed signs of working I put it up on github. It's more of a demo of how it could be done. Perhaps it can be revised into a proper theme system for a future release.
#13
I really like the dark theme though, Nils! And you even overhauled the menu GUIs ;).
02/19/2014 (12:40 pm)
Yeah, at the moment it's not so much theming as maintaining two entirely separate whole editor suites :P. Though I really don't know what other option there is. I guess all the non-GUI scripts should be common. Hmm.I really like the dark theme though, Nils! And you even overhauled the menu GUIs ;).
#14
The main reason I didn't add a switch my theme button! During the 1st "makeover" did I learn that the "Default", "Core" and "Tools" style definitions and graphic assets aren't fully separated from each other (though this was the intention I believe:). IMO, before getting to a theme system, the whole GUI structure needs to be cleaned up and revised. That can't be done "in a few days", and preparing the change request for T3D 3.51 even much longer. There are so many changes to be made that I thought; overwriting the whole thing at this time would be the best thing to do, or else it will stay on my desktop forever.
Though I was amazed by the speed @Andrew got it on Github, even it is only a test and not fully done. So perhaps there's a way to do this after all, maybe with a little bit of ducktape to keep it together ;)
Another option I was thinking about, is to duplicate the templates during the T3D setup (edit: or "Generate projects"), overwrite with files, and choose your theme with your T3D Toolbox. This way (compared to Andrew's method), you won't have GUI assets in your projects you'll probably never use.
02/19/2014 (5:59 pm)
Quote:Yeah, at the moment it's not so much theming as maintaining two entirely separate whole editor suites
The main reason I didn't add a switch my theme button! During the 1st "makeover" did I learn that the "Default", "Core" and "Tools" style definitions and graphic assets aren't fully separated from each other (though this was the intention I believe:). IMO, before getting to a theme system, the whole GUI structure needs to be cleaned up and revised. That can't be done "in a few days", and preparing the change request for T3D 3.51 even much longer. There are so many changes to be made that I thought; overwriting the whole thing at this time would be the best thing to do, or else it will stay on my desktop forever.
Though I was amazed by the speed @Andrew got it on Github, even it is only a test and not fully done. So perhaps there's a way to do this after all, maybe with a little bit of ducktape to keep it together ;)
Another option I was thinking about, is to duplicate the templates during the T3D setup (edit: or "Generate projects"), overwrite with files, and choose your theme with your T3D Toolbox. This way (compared to Andrew's method), you won't have GUI assets in your projects you'll probably never use.
#15
I really appreciate your download as a drop-in menu replacement for an existing project though!
02/19/2014 (6:13 pm)
Using the project manager is a good idea. What really needs to happen is a script redesign to modules, so you could choose modules with the UI theme you wanted. And so that different UIs (play GUI, editors, menus) were fully decoupled from each other, or maybe all depended on a single 'theme' module that provides just the asset files.I really appreciate your download as a drop-in menu replacement for an existing project though!
#16
Of course this only will work for existing projects with untouched default GUI's. If the custom style definitions (profiles) aren't fully separated from the default ones, you'd overwrite your work and get unwanted results.
02/19/2014 (6:34 pm)
Quote:I really appreciate your download as a drop-in menu replacement for an existing project though!
Of course this only will work for existing projects with untouched default GUI's. If the custom style definitions (profiles) aren't fully separated from the default ones, you'd overwrite your work and get unwanted results.
#17
Thank you for your cheering, input and help!
@Andrew & @Daniel; If you would like to take this further like me, let me know. We can divide the work if this is needed / wanted / enough time for :)
02/20/2014 (11:38 pm)
It's Friday already.... so Dark UI has been released on the recourse pages to everyone :)Thank you for your cheering, input and help!
@Andrew & @Daniel; If you would like to take this further like me, let me know. We can divide the work if this is needed / wanted / enough time for :)
Torque Owner Dwarf King
Noble Games Production
Perhaps that nice dark theme should be accompanied by a little song text :o)
Blac is the colour that is good,
so say I and many mo;
blac is my hat, blac is my hood
blac is all that longeth therto.
Summe men sayen that I am blac -
it is a colour for my prow;
ther I love, ther is no lac,
I may not be so white as thou.
blac wol do as good a nede
as the white at bord and bedde;
and therto also trew in dede,
and therto I ley my lif to wedde.
Wind and water may steyne the white,
iwis; the blac it may not so.
ther is the blac is all my delite;
I am iholde be skile therto.
pepper withoute it is well blac,
iwis; withinne it is not so.
lat go the colour an tak the smac,
this I sey by me and mo.
All in old English of course :o)
I am going to test this now...