PLUGIN: AGSBlend. AGS Graphic Library - Source Available

Calin Leafshade · Mon 14/02/2011 15:59:45

AGSBlend is *designed* for 32-bit sprites with alpha transparency. Since the background doesnt have that then you are essentially doing unnecessary calculations so you should use the built in functions.

Monsieur OUXX · Mon 14/02/2011 16:33:21

Thank you Sir

Construed · Wed 16/02/2011 06:30:45

Could this added functionality perhaps enable me to draw one sprite to another at a specified location on the sprite?

Calin Leafshade · Wed 16/02/2011 11:50:20

Thats kinda what it's for yea.

Construed · Wed 16/02/2011 12:04:49

Nice, just what i was looking for!
Thanks.

Construed · Wed 16/02/2011 12:43:41

Any idea why the draw is coming out splintered like this?

Calin Leafshade · Wed 16/02/2011 14:48:39

Not without seeing the code.

But remember this only works for *32bit* sprites.

Construed · Wed 16/02/2011 18:56:45

Ah, ok.

I'll have to start keeping track of the bits

Thanks- Jar

Construed · Wed 16/02/2011 19:41:40

Sorry for bombing your thread, but i have one last question,
Is it possible to assign the drawing to an entire loop of sprites or just to an entire characters loops?

EDIT:Or perhaps a way to assign it to a large multitude of sprites at once?

Ryan Timothy B · Sat 02/07/2011 01:50:35

Hey Calin,
First time I'm checking out this plugin. I actually haven't even done anything with it yet, but I'm already curious. Why aren't you using an extender function for DrawAlpha and the other functions or is that not possible with a plugin?

Also, if I create my own dynamicsprite with AGS, will it actually allow me to draw an alpha channeled sprite to that? Since a created sprite will be pure pink. Thanks a bunch.

Calin Leafshade · Sat 02/07/2011 07:37:12

The plugin API doesnt expose the dynamic sprite struct but i guess you could make it an extender in the header if you really wanted.
Or alternatively you could wrap the function in an extender function if you feel its necessary (I know you know this. it's 1 line of code)

As for creating a new sprite it should work as expected since a new dynamic sprite with an alpha channel will init to 255,0,255,0 so the resulting blends will take the alpha channel into account.

There are a couple of reasons you shouldnt use this plugin anymore though if you are a programming whizz such as yourself.

Firstly it's inefficient. Every time a sprite is drawn the surface is locked and unlocked. For repeated draws this is terribly inefficient. I could have added a "locksprite() and releasesprite()" function but that increases the likelihood of errors for inexperienced scripters so i kept it simple.

Secondly the engine source is open now. You should just edit the drawsprite function in the engine source so you dont have to deal with a plugin for such base functionality.

Thirdly you sacrifice alot of the object orientation with c style functions like this. Ideally (if still using the plugin) you should rewrite it with its own drawing surface object using the Managed Object interface provided by the plugin API.

Ryan Timothy B · Sat 02/07/2011 18:34:33

Unfortunately I don't know enough about C# (if that's what the engine and editor are created with) to add my own alpha blending abilities.

Although I am tempted, since I really want Character.Speaking to return true whenever the character is talking, regardless whether the character has a speech view set and is animating. But as I said, I don't yet know enough to even look into adding these features for myself.

Knox · Wed 31/08/2011 18:30:54

Hi Calin,

Ive got this plugin working great and using it a lot. Its awesome!

I was wondering though, how could I make a simple gui background alpha sprite be applied over another gui in "screen" blend mode? Do I have to draw it to a dynamic sprite everytime that GUI is opened, or can I set something somewhere into the properties of the gui.background image directly (somehow). Its so that a sprite of a light-cone is blended over objects underneath it to make it look like its lighting that area.

Its number "8" in the enum eBlendModes.

Calin Leafshade · Thu 01/09/2011 13:53:27

Theres no mechanism for one gui being drawn onto another in a different blend mode so you would need to do all your drawing manually onto a *single* dynamic sprite and apply that to a single gui.

However the blending modes are limited due to the fact that they can only be blended with another single sprite and not with the sprites and stuff beneath it in the draw order.

For instance you cant use a gui in screen mode to draw on top of a room background below it.

Monsieur OUXX · Mon 02/12/2013 15:42:42

Download link broken. anybody has it?

Crimson Wizard · Mon 02/12/2013 16:57:51

We have a version with few portability fixes in ags repository: https://github.com/adventuregamestudio/ags/tree/master/Plugins/agsblend

Calin Leafshade · Mon 02/12/2013 20:15:59

The plugin has been rendered obsolete by the latest version of AGS.

Except the Blur and Highpass functions maybe.

Crimson Wizard · Mon 02/12/2013 21:18:42

Quote from: Calin Leafshade on Mon 02/12/2013 20:15:59
The plugin has been rendered obsolete by the latest version of AGS.

Why? 3.3.0 supports only "normal" alpha blending mode, while plugin presents about 20 special effects (Add, Subtract, Burn, etc).

Calin Leafshade · Mon 02/12/2013 21:29:40

That's true I suppose. I never really considered those useful.

selmiak · Mon 02/12/2013 23:30:32

Oh they are. Will they be in 3.3.1 or 3.4.0?
Of course they should be appliable to every object/GUI/whatnot seperately and not a gamewide default blending mode in general settings.