Category Archives: Previews

I'm continuing to work on the basic functionality and code for the series of HeroMachine Minis we'd like to do. One of the neat features -- not Earth-shattering or anything, just a fun little addition -- I've installed is a color guide:

When you mouse over a color, the line of text at the upper right tells you what that color is named. It "sticks" as well, always showing you what the currently selected color is. This should be helpful for color-blind folks using the program, but I think it'll still be a nice little addition for everyone who's wondered "What the heck color is that, anyway?"

Most of the names are from Photoshop, so don't blame me if they seem silly!

On the coding side, the applet is turning out to be much easier to program and much tighter. It will hopefully be much easier to "skin" and change, allowing for faster updates and additions down the line. That's the hope, anyway. I've learned a lot about writing code in the past five years that I can implement in the new version to make it all work faster, better, and more easily. The next big challenge is the scaling control.

If you've ever wished you could influence the design of an actual Internet application, now's your chance! I am designing the next generation of HeroMachine Mini-applets and I want to hear from you about what you do and don't want them to be like. The goal is to create one basic frame that can be used for any of these smaller applets by changing just a few pieces of data (and of course drawing all new items).

Here's the latest version of the wireframe (a basic layout without any design elements applied) I am considering for future "HeroMachine Minis" like a Face Maker, Alien Creature Creator, or what have you:

(Click for a larger version.)

The gray area would be for a 325x250 ad. Below that are general function buttons that affect the overall applet. The only "new" one is the "preview" button, which will remove everything except the current creation, shown full-screen. I might even include some zooming type of feature on that screen. Below that in light green are the various item category buttons (for instance "Headgear", "Undershirt", and so on).

The right side of the applet is for actually creating your image. The row of six small rectangles is for item previews, like you have in HeroMachine 2.5, so you can see a set of items before having to pick one. The currently selected item would be highlighted in white. You can scroll up or down an entire set of six items by clicking either below or above the green scroll button, or more than one set by dragging the scroll button itself. The green arrows at the top and bottom of the scroll bar allow you to scroll the preview boxes up or down one box at a time. Clicking on a preview box will select that item and put it on the dark yellow canvas area, applying the currently selected colors to it.

Below the preview boxes and the canvas area is a row of buttons that let you affect the current item or the entire image. Items can be moved up or down in layers, like in the current HeroMachine 2.5 application. You can clear the current item, clear all items, or clear just the currently selected item. The blue and yellow arrow buttons let you select the next or previous item in the set, acting like the left and right arrows that were previously integrated into the component selection boxes.

Below that row of buttons is the scaling control. This will let you stretch the currently selected item sidways or up and down. You can move the current item around on the canvas by clicking and dragging it.

Finally, to the right of the scaling control is the color selection area. The number of color boxes here is flexible. You can potentially set two different color areas as well as the line color. Selecting a color area tab will set that as the active region.

That pretty much covers it. I'd be delighted to hear any suggestions or concerns you might have about this proposed interface -- features to include that aren't there, features currently there you think would be useless, overall layout, anything goes.

With the HeroMachine 2.5 Expansion nearing completion, I am starting to think about the next big project I should work on. After a bit of back and forth, the one that has me most excited is the idea of a Face Maker, a HeroMachine-powered applet that would focus on the face and head. One site that does something similar is "Ultimate Flash Face", to give you an idea of what I am talking about here. I've got a rough draft wire frame model and some other thoughts after the jump.

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I had a request in the last thread to show if it's possible with the new components to have a suit and trench coat combination, so here you go:

In the next couple of weeks I'll be releasing some additional Expansion items, including a nice set of firearms by the invaluable Mark Shute. Since people seem to like guns and other assorted firearms, I thought I'd provide a preview of what they look like (click the image for a much larger version):

One of the things Mark does much better than I is creating drawings of mechanical items with clean, crisp lines that convey a sense of solidity. My Flash drawings tend to look like they were drawn with a brush, while Mark's are more like those rendered with a good set of technical pens. It works much better for these kinds of things, and I have to admit I learn something every time I work with his stuff.

This next expansion to the expansion is going to add several hundred items to the set, thanks to Mark, including some really nice shirts and belts, among many others. You can see the full set of items he's submitted here.