Puzzle - 565 pieces

[JPD]

Here is a very little show where 565 hexagons are moving at the same time. It's necessary to have an enough strong PC and 32 Mo Graphic card. It use 565 PNG files and one JPG file 1280x960.

[Lin Evans]

Here is a very little show where 565 hexagons are moving at the same time. It's necessary to have an enough strong PC and 32 Mo Graphic card. It use 565 PNG files and one JPG file 1280x960.

Works flawlessly, Jean Pierre! Great execution and beautiful subject too!

Best regards,

Lin

[Ken Cox]

JP

looks good on my ati 9000 64mb system

ken

[alrobin]

JP,

Neat effect - worked smoothly on my system, too.

[JPD]

I saw on a french forum that the webmaster who is a specialist of another well know product was very proud to succeed a puzzle with 20 pieces. I think Lin did that with PTE and we see it's possible to do with more objects. Of course, I don't imagine to do that in a real slideshow, but we can see all the possibilities of PTE... this is the result when Igor and his team work... a great job.

[Lin Evans]

I saw on a french forum that the webmaster who is a specialist of another well know product was very proud to succeed a puzzle with 20 pieces. I think Lin did that with PTE and we see it's possible to do with more objects. Of course, I don't imagine to do that in a real slideshow, but we can see all the possibilities of PTE... this is the result when Igor and his team work... a great job.

Hi Jean Pierre,

Yes, the possiblities are endless and limited only by one's imagination. Indeed I did both a 20 and 30 piece puzzle - the samples for the Video Test are 32 layers on the puzzle. As you say, it's not something we would normally do in a real slideshow, but your 565 piece puzzle and being able to accomplish this without a huge RAM overhead shows the tremendous possibilities for P2E.

Best regards,

Lin

[Severn Bore]

Hi Jean Pierre

Nice little show. How on earth did you achieve this? I can only thinf of creting layers in Photoshop, but this would seem to be very time-consuming.

Best regards

Andrew

[JPD]

Hi Jean Pierre

Nice little show. How on earth did you achieve this? I can only thinf of creting layers in Photoshop, but this would seem to be very time-consuming.

Best regards

Andrew

It take me one day to do it with PaintShop Pro. I first do it to test PNG files in PTE and after have the idea to make a puzzle with it. To make the differents effects, I used Excel and it take about half an hour to do a new effect. I did some others effects with the same PNG files and all works perfectly. I have put the most interesting in this example. As I said, I will never put that in a slideshow.

[thedom]

Very impressive.

I was planning to make a 100 piece mosaic but I'm enough convinced with you demo.

What amount of work !

very nice anyway.

I saw on a french forum that the webmaster who is a specialist of another well know product was very proud to succeed a puzzle with 20 pieces.

Hahaha, I know who you're refering to.

It's a kind of french guru of <beeeep> software.

[JPD]

<beeeep>

Is it the translation of the brittain word "Jeeeep" ?

[Severn Bore]

Hi Jean Pierre

Thanks for explaining how you prepared your puzzle, but how do you use excel to create it?

Andrew

[JPD]

but how do you use excel to create it?

It's enough long and difficult for me to explain, but I'll prepare something. It will take me one or two days.

I did an explanation in french for the ellipse that you can find here. I don't always use the same method, but it's an example.

On the first column, there are text (in blue) and formulas (in red) which make the result I want. On the second column, I paste from the nodepad the part of the PTE file I want to change.

At the top of the sheet, there are the parameters of the ellipse I want to have.

The formulas take the information from the PTE file (GUID for instance) or from the parameters I put at the top. I use much the formulas of concatenation to recreate the comprehensible text by PTE.

For instance in the french Excel (not at all sure the formulas are the same for English version) :

I have formulas as : =" Angle="&Angle_D where Angle_D is a value calculated from the parameters I entered and " Angle=" is to do the sentence used by PTE.

I copy the first column and past it in the PTE file at the right place with the notepad.

Nota : With the V4.48, it was possible to directly open PTE file, but with the V5, when we open the PTE file, Excel (in fench) change some characters making wrong the file, it's the reason for which I use the notepad for V5, there is no problem, all the characters are good when doing that.

[Severn Bore]

Hi again Jean Pierre

Thanks for the extra information. I will study it and see if I can try to get the same effect.

Andrew

[thedom]

It's enough long and difficult for me to explain, but I'll prepare something. It will take me one or two days.

I did an explanation in french for the ellipse that you can find here. I don't always use the same method, but it's an example.

Very interesting Jean-Pierre ! And I can know understand how you can make some work much quicker.

Is a full tutorial in french about your method avalaible somewhere ?

Btw, what do you mean with

I copy the first column and past it in the PTE file at the right place with the notepad.

Where exactly do you paste the column ?

Thank you in advance for your help.

[JPD]

Is a full tutorial in french about your method avalaible somewhere ?

Not yet.

I wait to know if english Excel version can read french Excel file with formulas before to begin an explanation.

First I haven't only one method to work, but one method for each work. For instance for the test "Hexagones", after create the 565 png files, I made a PTE project with one view, and for object a rectangle 1280 x 960 and as child one PNG file (an hexagon). I put on this child the number of key point I need with there good opacity and parameter (original and so one). I have just to copy and paste this view 564 always as child of the rectangle. It's only ten copy and past to have 1024 objects, then delete between 565 and 1024, so it's enough quick.

Save the PTE project. At this time, PTE give all the GUID for each object, and I have to change :

- The name of the file for each object and the name of the object.

- The positions for Keypoint1, 2 ,3..

- The % of Opacity if necessary (in this exemple, I put them in the first object, so it was good for all objects.

- The time for Keypoint2, 3 ...

After I have save this project, I open the PTE file with the notepad, select the part where are the datas for objects and paste them in a column of Excel.

In a second column I create several formulas for the first object on the same line than the values I have to change, when the different formulas are created for the first object, I put in all the empty cells of this column concerning the first object a formulas which copy the data of the cell of the first column. I select all the cells of the second column concerning the first object, copy them and paste them alway in the second column for each object (always only 10 copy and paste, then delete between 1024 and 565). These formulas give me for each object the right position and the right time for each Keypoints of each object. I copy the result and past it in the notepad in place of the lines which were selected at the beginning (I keep the notepad open during all the time).

Then save the file with the notepad and open it with PTE.

If the result isn't perfect, I just have to modify the formulas or modify the parameters which are used by the formulas, then copy the result and past it in the notepad (you must select before the lines to replace, because in this case, nothing is selected), save the file and reopen with PTE.

With what explained Hawk about copy a view or an object from a project to another, it's easier now, because you can work on one view each time, so it's easier to find the good line in the PTE file.

Where exactly do you paste the column ?

About you question for Ellipse, I create in Excel the lines for one ellipse, with formulas. In PTE, I create all the objects for an ellipse (I really copy and paste an existing ellipse), save the project, open it with notepad search the lines for the new ellipse, select and copy them and paste them in the column B of Excel in order each data of the second column is the same kind of data than in the firt column.

It's necessary to use the datas from PTE because of the GUID number.

The formulas in the fisrt column calculate the datas available with the parameters I put, so I have just to copy the result of the first column and past them in the notepad and save the PTE file.

It's very difficult for me to explain that in english and I hope it's comprehensible.

[alrobin]

JP,

Your English is very good - I understand the process very well from your explanation, and will probably try something like it when I find time. It's a lot of tedious work!

[JPD]

I understand the process very well from your explanation

Well, I was afraid nobody understand what I tried to explain because of my english.

It's a lot of tedious work

It's not so difficult as you think and it's enough quick. The only problem, which is not one for me, are the formulas, you must well know Excel or something else which do the same. You must also understand how is the PTE file, but it's very simple and clear.

[thedom]

Jean-Pierre,

Same answer as Al.

I know for sure how hard it is to try to explain something complex in english.

Thanks again for your detailed answer.

[alrobin]

I admire the ability of those of you whose native language is not English to express yourselves, as I know how difficult it is for me to translate things into French, even with the help of AltaVista "babel-fish".