jheriko

20th January 2003 02:21 UTC

New APE: Opinions, Suggestions and Help.
A while ago, I thought it would be cool to wrap up a lot of semi-common AVS effects, which could be achieved through using multiple existing components, into one single, fast and easy to use APE - the multi filter. This APE still isn't finished.. I have optimised three of the working features so that they run fast (all faster than using old methods), the other three I will probably do tomorrow or sometime soon.

The idea of this thread is mainly to take suggestions for new stuff to be added to it (within reason... no solid 3d textured, lit and bump mapped landscapes please!) and also to find out if it is a good idea or not.

Please do not redistribute this APE since it is *NOT* a final version.

P.S. Ignore the broken combo box... I can't figure out how to fix it at the moment. You can use the up/down keys to select filter when the combo box has the focus.

anubis2003

20th January 2003 06:24 UTC

I like the included effects, but chrome is hard to get to work with the presets(maybe add options??). I would like to see an APE that acts like a 3-D Cube DM, but I'm afraid that might get all of the noobs to post presets that are nothing but an oscilliscope and the 3-D Cube. Try creating a better water movement.

dirkdeftly

20th January 2003 08:15 UTC

Get rid of the chrome w/out fast brightness, since really it's crome w/fastbri 0.5. Chrome has to have that doubling...or else it's not chrome :)
But really, I don't see much use in this in the long run; I think just doing a chrome APE that has more options, and the same for a border APE....

btw I think "convolution" was just a name CFP put on that effect ;)

jheriko

20th January 2003 13:00 UTC

Originally posted by anubis2003
an APE that acts like a 3-D Cube DM

Originally posted by Atero
But really, I don't see much use in this in the long run; I think just doing a chrome APE that has more options, and the same for a border APE....

btw I think "convolution" was just a name CFP put on that effect

UnConeD

20th January 2003 16:17 UTC

Convolution kernel or matrix is indeed the correct term (I brought it up in the convolution.ape thread).

Btw to fix the broken combo: a combobox has two heights, one for the always-visible part (fixed in msvc) and one for the dropdown part. The second height is set way too small, which is why the dropdown part doesn't seem to show up.
To fix it, go into the resource editor for msvc++, click the combo box's down arrow, resize the new frame that just appeared, and save.

jheriko

20th January 2003 19:21 UTC

Thanks for that tip UnConeD... I guess thats what I get for not having the documentation for my C++... you hear that PAK-9 I *need* my msdn CDs back!!

I was thinking of making a listbox underneath it and linking the two together through code.

jheriko

23rd January 2003 22:03 UTC

Here is a slightly newer version of the APE. The two disabled features are ones that I haven't finished coding yet... I was planning to finish them tonight but I can't be bothered. Here is an explanation of what they do though:

Reactive Alpha Blend: This will blend the filtered result with the current content of the frame buffer by an amount determined by getspec/getosc values. Rather than making one type of reactivity only I thought that I would make osc and spec sliders that you could use to choose which part of the visdata it reacts to.

Interpolate: Poor choice of word really, but I can't think of a better one. The idea of this is to smooth out the blending for the reactive blend and if 'toggle on beat' is enabled then rather than a clean cut from filtered to unfiltered it will fade between them. I will probably add a slider to alter the speed of this fading.

anubis2003

23rd January 2003 23:51 UTC

This keeps getting better. I really like the sound of the features that you are adding. I've had some trouble finding a preset to use the chrome filter(s) with. They don't seem to work quite as well as a normal chrome filter. It's probably something wrong that I'm doing, but oh well.

jheriko

24th January 2003 00:38 UTC

If you look at TC Plasma in Whacko III you will see that it uses a double chrome. The best use I have found for the chrome filter is presumably what it was intended for.. making things look metallic. By softening some of my 3D superscopes and then applying a double, or triple chrome filter, I have acheived some really good looking shiny metal effects. I've attached a preset as an example.

anubis2003

24th January 2003 00:49 UTC

That looks nice, but what is the buffer save for?

jheriko

24th January 2003 00:55 UTC

nothing... i just forgot to delete it

MaxPudding

24th January 2003 05:04 UTC

J, what about your mandelbrot.ape?

I don't have any idea to say for now, but rest assured, i'll think of something. Hopefully it's something usefull =D

Tuggummi

24th January 2003 08:35 UTC

yup, still too tech wise for me to understand... and i can't think about any new cool and really useful effects... Antialised superscopes would be cool (or a better filter than Blur!), but i don't even know is that possible in avs.

Uhm, wait, have you already done a blur effect? A Blur effect with a slider to adjust the blur sounds pretty useful to me...

anubis2003

24th January 2003 14:17 UTC

Yeah, a nice gaussian blur would be great. Or a motion blur.

MaxPudding

25th January 2003 05:13 UTC

yes, that's the same thoughts that i've been thinking. Why not try a gaussian, radial, motion or just simply blur ape. That would be nice.

OR

okay, i really dont know if this can be done, but this is my other idea. You could make an ape, where you can load any superscopes, like hexagon, square or circle superscopes. And then, from there you can edit the size, color , the beat detecion or etc. Well, that's just my 'crazy' idea, and hopefully it can be done =D

blazer1504

25th January 2003 08:46 UTC

I'd like to get maxium blended invert here, just because I use it alot, and now I have to use effect list and stuff to make it. Colormap works as well, but only if I use monochromed colors...
If this helps, here's how you cook it with effect list:

Input : replace
Output : maxium blend
Includes: invert.

The blur thing sounds good to me as well :)

skupers

25th January 2003 11:37 UTC

I would like another version of the chrome filter:

effectlist (input: replace, output: subtractive blend 2)
with a unique tone (additive blend, and you can set the color in the multifilter APE)

dirkdeftly

25th January 2003 17:57 UTC

umm...degnic, maxblend invert is the same as white utone w/invert enabled.

blazer1504

26th January 2003 09:45 UTC

Atero, WTF are you talking about ?! What I meant with max invert is for example if I have a preset with lotsa orange and I use max invert I get slight taste of light blue there too. Or if I use blue I get slight taste of yellow and so on... As far as I know you can't do such things with Utone...

MaxPudding

26th January 2003 10:08 UTC

Max invert? Sounds cool! Name it Invert II ! =D

jheriko

26th January 2003 20:38 UTC

Okay: Here is the list of what I'm working on adding at the moment then:

Cel Filter
Edge Detector
Adjustable Blurs (Motion, Gaussian, Normal)
Maximum Invert (I might make this into an Invert with every blend mode option instead of the usual three)
Color Chrome

Hopefully a lot of these features will be fast since there will be fewer effect lists.

I'll release a new version of the APE later tonight or tomorrow. If you want to go ahead and make presets that use this APE then do, because later versions will be backwardly compatible.