I not wrong!.

A good graphics programs is not the "more-plugineable", is the more easy to use. A pro-cg-artist work hardly with the programs and the mouse, if the interface is really dummy, is hard to work with it.

Of course for rookie-users, they usually find a program with a lot of plugins.. this sux!, usually you use 3 or more plugins, the rest is only scanner/mouse/layer-work


-eng3d.softhome.net-

I''ve played with gimp for windows mainly making textures using the layers. I like the many filters it comes with including fractals. I mean there are tons of filters. I made a knob in the wood pattern using swirl deformation filter and it looked pretty. There''s also script support which I haven''t investigated yet. In theory I could script a texture and send others the script that they could modify. Something like having a generic texture template that could be expanded. I find working with layers easy. The multiply blending function is useful and so are the many different styles for brushes\pens. I made a blood splatter on a rocky wall by creating a bumpmap in bottom layer(optionally lighting it with point light) then put a yellow image on top of it on 2nd layer then drawing blood splatters with number 15 pen style on 3rd layer and multiplying it together with 2nd layer(I think). It came out ok with so little work. I think blending the blood patches might be ok to do.

There''s also a cloud render filter that could be blended(70% opaque) or multiplied with bottom bumpmap layer which results in a nice multi-colored rocky wall. I also had fun with geometric filters i.e. vector imaging. You create a shape in shape editor and then those lines depicting the shape will be converted to brush strokes(I think that''s how it works). There''s also that matrix function that modifies the colors of the original image just like under user filter option in paint shop pro 4.5. Put ones diagonal from upper left to bottom right in the matrix and you can create a nice fire like effect that could be used with wind filter to give it blurred appearance. Anyways, there are lot of options to play with in gimp, I''m surprised how stable the app is. Hasn''t crashed on me yet(1ghz tbird + 128meg ram). There is some problem when browsing through user created filters modules, some show error in a console but can be dismissed without doing anything bad to the main app. P.S. Many filters have preview boxes and that is nice.