looking for cell based asset conversion help

[leejsmith]

I had my GD3x for a few weeks and I am finding that asset conversion is now my biggest limitation on most projects. Mainly using the gd3asset.exe from command line in windows.

At the moment I am working on a packman game and I converted my images using this command line

C:\Users\lee\Pictures\gameduinosprites\gd3asset.exe -f pacman.gd2 -o pacman.h ghost1.png ghost2.png ghost3.png ghost4.png ghost5.png ghost6.png ghost7.png ghost8.png ghost9.png ghost10.png ghost11.png ghost12.png ghost13.png ghost14.png pack1.png pack2.png pack3.png pack4.png pack5.png pack6.png pack7.png pack8.png pack9.png pack10.png pack11.png pack12.png map.png pacdead1.png pacdead4.png pacdead7.png pacdead10.png cherry1.png

So this works, but I am at my limit and will have a error when I go over 32 handles. I also found that while this works ok it will not display any of the internal fonts and they are garbage so I guess something is corrupting the internal memory.

You can see the two pictures attached, one is the game running and then the 2nd should say press start.
So I need to get more images and this needs to be cells like the walk demo, but I have no idea how to do this. I have searched the forums and found that I need to install python and run scripts for the library like this


import Image

import gameduino2 as gd2



class Walk(gd2.prep.AssetBin):



   def addall(self):

       walk = gd2.prep.split(32, 32, Image.open("../assets/walk.png"))[1:]

       self.load_handle("WALK", walk, gd2.ARGB1555)



if __name__ == '__main__':

   Walk().make()


I have never used python and just following the setup instructions to get the gdasset running is confusing enough never mind how to create scripts to actually run the asset converter to setup images I want. I just want to spend time writing the games and not hours just to get graphics converted, so can anyone help me with what I need to do for a total python noob.  It was easier to write packman and make the ghost follow me around the map than this.

I also still have issues when some programs will stop running when the SD card is inserted.

[jamesbowman]

Right, the command line is easy enough for a couple of bitmaps, but at a certain point gets unwieldy.

I recommend you switch to cells. This is 100% Python-free.

For example, taking ghost1.png - ghost13.png, assuming that they are the same size, you combine them into a vertical strip, ghost1 at the top, ghost2 below it, etc.
Then provide this single file ghost.png to the asset converter, in place of ghost1.png - ghost13.png.

After asset loading in setup(), you then tell the hardware to draw "cells" out of that strip like this:

GD.BitmapHandle(GHOST_HANDLE);
GD.BitmapSize(NEAREST, BORDER, BORDER, GHOST_WIDTH, 24);
GD.BitmapLayout(ARGB4, GHOST_WIDTH, 24);


where here I'm assuming that 24 is the height of each frame.

Now you can draw ghost frame #3 with:

GD.BitmapHandle(GHOST_HANDLE);
GD.BitmapCell(3);
GD.Vertex2f(PIXELS(x), PIXELS(y));
or if your screen is smaller than 512x12:

GD.Vertex2ii(x, y, GHOST_HANDLE, 3);

Cells start at 0, so ghost1.png is cell 0, and ghost13.png is cell 12.

Does this make sense? Screenshot looks good - looking forward to seeing more of this.

[leejsmith]

Nov 3, 2019 15:11:14 GMT -8 jamesbowman said:

Right, the command line is easy enough for a couple of bitmaps, but at a certain point gets unwieldy.

I recommend you switch to cells. This is 100% Python-free.

For example, taking ghost1.png - ghost13.png, assuming that they are the same size, you combine them into a vertical strip, ghost1 at the top, ghost2 below it, etc.
Then provide this single file ghost.png to the asset converter, in place of ghost1.png - ghost13.png.

After asset loading in setup(), you then tell the hardware to draw "cells" out of that strip like this:

GD.BitmapHandle(GHOST_HANDLE);
GD.BitmapSize(NEAREST, BORDER, BORDER, GHOST_WIDTH, 24);
GD.BitmapLayout(ARGB4, GHOST_WIDTH, 24);


where here I'm assuming that 24 is the height of each frame.

Now you can draw ghost frame #3 with:

GD.BitmapHandle(GHOST_HANDLE);
GD.BitmapCell(3);
GD.Vertex2f(PIXELS(x), PIXELS(y));
or if your screen is smaller than 512x12:

GD.Vertex2ii(x, y, GHOST_HANDLE, 3);

Cells start at 0, so ghost1.png is cell 0, and ghost13.png is cell 12.

Does this make sense? Screenshot looks good - looking forward to seeing more of this.

yes it makes sense, I will do some testing.

what about the text corruptions will that be fixed after i change the assett format

[jamesbowman]

Yes, those are caused by the bitmap handles going past #16.

On FT81x bitmap handles 0-15 are for application use. 16-31 are set up for the fixed ROM fonts, so as soon as the handle count is below 16, they'll all be left intact.

Wow, that video looks like the real thing to me.

[leejsmith]

Nov 3, 2019 16:25:53 GMT -8 jamesbowman said:

Yes, those are caused by the bitmap handles going past #16.
insert code here


On FT81x bitmap handles 0-15 are for application use. 16-31 are set up for the fixed ROM fonts, so as soon as the handle count is below 16, they'll all be left intact.

Wow, that video looks like the real thing to me.

Yes it's looking ok so far, but I still have a lot of work on the ghosts movement and the power pill section.

I tried what you said, but it gave me an error error: 'class GDClass' has no member named 'BitmapCell' should this be GD.Cell ?

I also tried that and I just get jumbled graphics that does not change when i change the cell(value)

GD.Begin(BITMAPS);

GD.BitmapHandle(GHOSTS_HANDLE);

GD.BitmapSize(NEAREST, BORDER, BORDER, GHOSTS_WIDTH, 14);

GD.BitmapLayout(ARGB4, GHOSTS_WIDTH, 14);

GD.BitmapHandle(GHOSTS_HANDLE);

GD.Cell(2);

GD.Vertex2f(10, 10);

[leejsmith]

This is all I get and it should be a red ghost, It never changes if I try another cell or anything else.
I have to call it for tonight.

[jamesbowman]

My bad, sorry, should be:


GD.BitmapLayout(ARGB4, 2 * GHOSTS_WIDTH, 14);


because this bitmap is 2 bytes per pixel

[leejsmith]

Nov 3, 2019 18:04:25 GMT -8 jamesbowman said:

My bad, sorry, should be:


GD.BitmapLayout(ARGB4, 2 * GHOSTS_WIDTH, 14);


because this bitmap is 2 bytes per pixel

Great, many thanks this is working when used  like this

GD.BitmapHandle(GHOSTS_HANDLE);
GD.Vertex2ii(x, y,GHOSTS_HANDLE,CELL NO);

but this does not change the sprite no
GD.BitmapHandle(GHOSTS_HANDLE);

GD.Cell(sprite);

GD.Vertex2ii(10, 10);

and GD.BitmapCell is not recognised.


Anyway I now understand how this works so will carry on with my project.

[leejsmith]

The cells are doing what I wanted and I am very happy, I have added the font and lots more game graphics.
Also have added samples and need to work on these as the ones I found combined the wacka wacka and the game speed sound together.

[leejsmith]

my pacman progress.