Hiya dont really know if this topic fits in here but it is Dx related so we shall see if admin moves it :D Well i am working on a Grafiks Engine.. and i am right now designing the Interface modual.. I have been looking at the tutorial sent with the Oktorber SDK.. and i cant reallt figure out how they do the buttons, and edit boxes.. Well i have found a way to make the buttons look kind of well and ur abel to make em any shape or form.. Now i started with the Edit box.... I use ID3DXSprite for the button design and im abel to make it out of to calls.. and it looks quite well.. Now i want the text area to look like its sunked down.... There is ont easy way to do it.. and that is just to make a texture that looks like it.. but i want the user of my grafiks engine.. to be abel to give a filename to a texture that will be the background and then my engine will make the 3d effect.. Any one got any idees on how i shall do this in a quick and efficent way ??? Thx for all your help

Hi,

The way i'll do it in my new engine, after a few trials and error, i'll simple program a little tool for it.

The tool will work on a 256x256 or maybe a 512x512 texture to be able to put every necessary image-part of the theme into the final texture.

In the tool you will be able to define region. The textbox region, the button, the form border, titlebar, mouse cursor, and so on... After serializing all that information to a file. I'll be able to load it my GuiManager of my engine, with this informations the GuiManager will be able to create thoses "controls".

The tool will also be able to serialize form template, to allow me to create a Form in the engine using the current loading theme.

I dunno if that help,
Jonathan

Hmm that sound like a pritty good idea..

But i would rather have the engine do it when i add the controll .. just specifi the texture.. i get it to stetch the texture to the right size and anything.. so u can have any size.. "Pritty much anysize" and u can chose what color that shall be transparent and so on..

Hmm i might have fixed it now.. i will post if i find a good way to do it :D Thx anyways.. i will try to make a GUI Editor if i cant find a good way to do it :D

Thx

Or a simpler idea is to use a MaskedTexture (did that word exist ;) ) Simply predefine zones and draw into thoses using PaintShop or Photoshop.

When i'm talking about zones, i'm not talking about, for exemple, a textbox. The textbox can be split in a few zone: Top, Left, Right, Bottom, Filling. And those little zone can be strech easily without losing quality if you play with Texture Options like Clamping.

I don't say this is the best solution, but i think it's pretty versatile and easy to use once implemented.

Jonathan

Hmmm that sounds like a good solution..
because that gives the designer the ability to add cool grafiks as edges of the text box.. Like dragons or snakes and so on.. Maybe i will implement that to giving the user ability to make a quick text box with the function i got now.. and then a Custom Grafik Text Button where u can add stuff like that...

Hmmm I think i will add that to a to do list.. hmm first i need to make the do to list.. im just making the engine for fun.. i have re made it like 4 times now.. because i stoped working on it.. and then i went back to do more on it .. and noticed how bad i made it last time.. i never stop learning and something new that works better i implement it .. :D

I really need to sitt down and make a to do list and design the whole think.. but i dont know all the aspects of DX yet.. that is why i dont feel like doing it :D

HEHE lol.. i have been sitting for weeks trying to figure out how they do the nice buttons and so on in th October SDK.. and i just figured out how.. They use DDS textures with a alpha channel..

Will take a look at this now.. seems like a good way to do it..