Figured you image gurus would save me some browsing time. I'm looking for a bmp editor, jpeg->bmp converter, bmp->jpeg converter. Free is good, I'm not adverse to paying for a program if it's worth it. Here's the application: To make a custom gauge I need to produce 100 separate images which are "animated" by the gauge. So lets take an analog gauge with just the needle moving for the simple example. Design the gauge face with numbers, etc. This could be copied to generate 100 images. In the first image add a needle pointing at the 0 or starting value. In the next image the needle would point 1/100th of the way around the scale. So you'd want to maybe keep the needle base anchored and rotate the needle image. Might be easier than redrawing it from scratch. I'm thinking doing this kind of "animation" would be easier working with a bitmap? I suppose another approach would be to have frames/layers/objects using an image editor? (I have Digital Image Pro 9 but I don't know how to use it...suppose I could learn). Maybe break the picture up into components/layers. One layer would be the background and another layer the needle which could be rotated x degrees each image? suggestions?
I could probably help you out somehow...any decent image/paint program should be able to open a bitmap or jpeg image and then save it as something else.Post up a pic of the gauge you're thinking of. You are on the right track though Dave. Thing that kind of sucks if usually when you rotate an image the needle for example, will lose clarity the more it's rotated. Does your software have a paint brush and some of the other tools along one side?
This would be fairly simple in PS. And yes Layering is the answer. And yes, certain angles may make the edges of the needle jagged/pixelated. Some of that has to do with the original picture size/clarity. It may be easier to rotate that gauge against the needle....
I'd say create a .gif w/ 100 pages/layers. But as Scott said, it'd be very simple in Photoshop. I generated this in just a few minutes . . . Email me your files please, and i'll get to it my spare time this evening. [email protected]
Dang, It looks like I will have to get photoshop some time or other... It doesn't look like Digital Image Pro 9 handles bmp format. Wow I can't believe you guys are willing to put this much effort into it! If it looks like a bigger job than originally thought don't hesitate to just bag it. I'll post the instructions below. Basically each pic/frame is 160x128 pixels in JPG, BMP, TIFF, or GIF format. I was thinking of 2 custom gauges. Naturally a SRT-8 gauge to match my factory tach. The "SRT-8" where it is, "AFR" centered right under the needle pivot, and Digital in the EVIC area with the digits about the same size as when you display the digital MPH (or something proportional but fairly large) and a blue/teal color to match the EVIC display color. The first frame (0th frame) would say "RICH" (red letters) in the digital area and the 99th frame would say "LEAN" (red letters) in the digital area. So just for the digital area and the needle movement: pic0 - needle at 10.0, digital "RICH" pic1 - needle moved 1/100th of the way towards 18.0, digital "10.1" pic2 - needle moved 2/100th of the way towards 18.0, digital "10.2" ... pic98 - needle moved 99/100th of the way towards 18.0, digital "17.9" pic99 - needle at 18.0, digital "LEAN" The second gauge I wanted to do was the same as their DM-5 display. Believe it or not they don't have a custom gauge of their DM-5 display... Large digital in the center with a leds lighting up around the circumference in the appropriate color. Their product pics show it in "test" mode with all leds lit. In operation there would only be 1 led lit for the "needle" indicator. I'd like to have the black face with the only text on the face of the gauge being "SRT 8" in white replacing the "AFR wideband" at the top and "AFR" in white replacing the "PLX" at the bottom. No other text on the gauge face. They have pics of it all over their website. one of them is here http://www.plxdevices.com/products/dm5/afrsmcombo/ To get an idea of the way they put together the custom gauges they have a download page here. Some are bmp's, some are jpg's. You click on a gauge to download and it takes you to a second page where you scroll down just a bit and pick the type of gauge for that style. AFR, Temp, etc. http://www.plxdevices.com/products/dm100/customgauges.html I think it's asking too much of you guys. I was planning on plugging away at it for a few weeks... [/FONT]
Yea, just the face. I suppose putting a small recessed looking bezel would be too much? Wouldn't want to take up too much of the display for that and make the inside rest of it smaller... Maybe I should have got the DM-200, 60mm, but then I think it would have looked too large if it ends up on the A-pillar. :unsure:
Maybe just a bit larger and maybe bolder on the numbers/digital? That's outstanding! Unbelievable. I'm in awe:worthy:. I wish I had skills... I'm calling them about the increment from one frame to another. It takes 100 images but I'm not positive of the increment for the AFR controller from one image to the next. In their custom gauge library they have some inconsistencies. For example some are numbered from 10 to 18 and one is numbered from 10 to 19. So the increment for the needle movement would be dependent on the range of the divided by 100. I'll have to verify the range.
Uh oh... I just called them and talked to one of the tech guys. Turns out that the SM-AFR controller has a range from 10 to 20. Doh... That means that the gauge should probably be numbered from 10 to 20 and the increment would be .1 (I think). He sounded a little confused too. He said they use some sort of tool to generate the sweep so he wasn't absolutely positive. He did sound convincing that the AFR controller reads from 10 to 20. He said that the Ferrari gauge in their custom library was actually the first one and done by hand before they got or made the tool so it should be right. It's only numbered from 10 to 18.75... and it doesn't have a digital component. The S2000 Honda gauge is only numbered from 10 to 18. It does have a digital component. On that one the 98th image is 17.8 and the 99th image is 17.9 so I don't know what to think. 0th image would be RICH 1th image would be 10.1 2nd image would be 10.2 .... 98th image would be 19.9 99th image would be LEAN Does that work out right?
No. that looks about perfect! but need a decimal point and one to the right. "11.0". I know this is really rude at this point, I'm really sorry, but I have to leave for bowling. Should be back by 11, or tomorrow. Sorry again.
Ok, I got this far and then realized that I am going to end up with only 80 images. I am guessing that it HAS to be 100 images, right? Is there a way to calibrate it to use only 80? The way that you have it setup, the max images that could be used is 80. There is really no good way to have the needle move 100 times, and have the digital readout go from 10 - 18 at .1 intervals.... Not sure what you would like me to do....
Yea, I thought of that too. See post #12 above. The guy seemed to be pretty sure the SM has a range from 10 to 20... That would work out right for .1 increments. I think I'll be visiting them Friday so I'll be able to get a very clear and concise answer to this. In their custom library they have custom gauges that read from 10 to 18 and others that read from 10 to 19.75 so I don't know what to think. I'm thinking go from 10 to 20... dammit, that would require reworking the face... I'm going to look at a couple of their custom gauges downloaded from their website and make a spread sheet comparing them image by image. The control module for the display gauge (DM) only knows gauge type. That would be the Sensor Module (SM) type -- AFR, WAT, EGT, etc. So for each SM there has to be a fixed range. The DM doesn't know what's being displayed. It just displays the next image for a particular increment or increase of output voltage? from the SM. Maybe since they daisy chain modules with a serial bus they have their own protocol with messages indicating what the sensor is reading from 0 to 100... But if they have gauge displays that go from 10 to 18 and other displays that go from 10 to 19 then one of them is going to be reading wrong. I think?.... So he said 10 to 20 but I'll have to double check with an R&D engineer to be sure (If they don't thow me out first).
So, is what I have what you were looking for? About the pics: Well, I watched the sample videos of the gauges on the site and it looks like they have "blank" images in them. (Meaning the needle moves slightly, but the digital reads the same.) I could try to add a few of these "blanks" in the mix, but the numbers are odd. I was thinking I could add them like this, 2-3-2-3-2-3-2-3. In other words, I would add two between 10 and 11, 3 between 11 and 12, and so on.... Just not sure how that will look. Let me know what you find out, and I will finish it up. Shouldn't take long.
Please stand by. I'm still trying to get clarification from PLX. It's still unclear whether the gauge should be graduated from 10 - 20 or graduated from 10 - 18. They sent me a data sheet and there is an inconsistency in it. It's possible (but I doubt it) that the display module does some magic to compress the range by truncating the SM's output from 18 to 20?
