Mxm Skinner V5.0, Questions/suggestions/bug reports Options

[geniusalz]

Finally, here it is ... enjoy

MXM Skinner Webpage for download

And check out the Skinning Guide too

----- IMPORTANT -----
This program requires Visual Basic 6 runtime files to be installed on your computer. The installer for the runtime files can be downloaded from the M$ site

FEATURES

- *Full PNG support!!! And transparency!
- *All screens editable (Title, Load, Menu, Saver)
- *Allows editing after creation of elements
- *Locking Elements to fix background in place
- *Menus for better organization
- *Right-click menu for elements
- *Elements viewable while moving/resizing
- Drawing Elements (Box, Line, Image, Text, MXM Menu)
- Generating skin folders (including XML files and all resources)
- Loading skins from folders
- Settings (System Colors, Music options, Timers, Modifiers, Conditionals)

*New this release

Not supported:
- Transparent boxes (they show up opaque)
- Fonts

This post has been edited by geniusalz: Oct 29 2003, 01:09 AM

[PuddWakkr]

quick question if I may...
what is the best way to go about adding a preview window using this program? I've always done this manually in the xml file but was wondering how to go about this using the program. Would it be under the video resources section?

[PuddWakkr]

Thanks alot, appreciate it.

[DBZRacer]

Sweet app. I'm trying it out now for the first time!

[Luke]

Looks VERY decent...
Any chance of allowing it to make themes for 16X9 tv's?? ;-)

[BenJeremy]

QUOTE (geniusalz @ Oct 29 2003, 12:57 AM)

That has been discussed before, and I thought it would be reasonable to implement widescreen/hdtv support after mxm completely supports it (as in outputs full resolution). If this has been implemented already, BJ, tell me about it so I can put it in skinner

Not yet.

I do have the equipment to work on it, though, so it will happen.

[ravage73]

QUOTE (geniusalz @ Oct 28 2003, 11:16 PM)

MXM Skinner 5.0 has been released with a complete step-by-step tutorial on how to create MXM skins. For more info, check out this thread in the Skinning Forum.

F***ING SWEET!!

[Luke]

Heh, no worries.. I just figured it could be stretched out or something... eitherway, my TV stretches what I'm working on just fine...

but now another question, I don't suppose it's possible to resize images within the skinner app??? I like to create 'boxes'... (png images of basically a frame)... Now I need at least 4 of them, all different sizes...
Is it possible to just create one resource, add it 4 times, and then use the skinner to stretch each copy into the appropriate size?? (instead of popping back to photoshop and calculating/tweaking 4 different images slightly)
The way it seems to work for me now, it just allows part of the image to be visible - doesn't stretch the image, just stretches the viewable portion...

still, sweet work.. makes it much easier!! ;-)

[geniusalz]

Skinner can't display stretched png images just yet. However, they WILL show up stretched on the xbox. So you don't need to make 4 pics; just resize them in skinner.

Guess I lied when I said full PNG support

This post has been edited by geniusalz: Oct 29 2003, 06:19 AM

[DBZRacer]

geniusalz, I tried the skinner out for the first time last night. I made (actually edited) my first layout that I wanted to use and just placed the Game list, thumbnail, preview vid, and background image using the skinner. Saved and loaded it into MXM and it worked fine.

I noticed I was off on the video preview vids so I decided to edit the skin, as well as add the rest of the elements I wanted like DriveEFree, DriveFFree, IP, and date/time. Now the same skin won't load up at all and freezes MXM... I'll give it another shot again later I guess but it happened a few times already.

And BTW, I tried to run the new skin I made in an app instance of MXM but for some odd reason whenever I changed the App instance of MXM, it changed the default dash instance of MXM as well.

Well thats my progress for the first day of skinning. I'll report back later when I have more progress.

[geniusalz]

Technically, a skin can't make MXM freeze.

But if the xml structure is broken, it might cause nothing to show up.
Or WMV9 can cause freezing.

Let's see your mxm_skin.xml file.

You probably know this already, but to start MXM with the default skin, goto safe mode (hold start)

This post has been edited by geniusalz: Oct 29 2003, 09:12 PM

[Luke]

QUOTE (geniusalz @ Oct 29 2003, 08:15 AM)

Skinner can't display stretched png images just yet.  However, they WILL show up stretched on the xbox.  So you don't need to make 4 pics; just resize them in skinner. Guess I lied when I said full PNG support

Heh, well that's easy enough to fix.. There was no reason for my boxes to be png, so I switched 'em to jpg... Works great - and should generate a lot more skins for mxm!!!!


This post has been edited by Luke: Oct 30 2003, 01:33 AM

[BenJeremy]

I'm working on creating COM-based tools to perform both FontMaker functionality and Bundler functionality.

The Bundler replacement is almost done, as a full-fledged COM object, ready for VB users to play with. Once these tools are done, it should be nice for geniusalz to incorporate. If I have time, perhaps I'll make a font/text display control, so that it can be fully integrated into the skinning desing screen.

[geniusalz]

Cool ... Just one thing; if you make a display control, make sure it is "lightweight"; i.e. draws using the container window's hDC.

[BenJeremy]

QUOTE (geniusalz @ Oct 30 2003, 11:04 PM)

Cool ... Just one thing; if you make a display control, make sure it is "lightweight"; i.e. draws using the container window's hDC.

Sure thing... I'll have to play around with a control and get something to you to test out.