Skinning Fantasy Grounds?

[Tailz Silver Paws]

Hello folks,
I have for a while thought about making a skin for the Fantasy Grounds interface. I am wondering how I would do such a thing? Is it just a case of replacing a bunch of graphics with my own, or would programming be required to a degree?

[Zacchaeus]

If you take this apart (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?35819-Extension-5E-Theme-FG-GAP) you'll probably be able to figure it out.

[damned]

You need a base.xml which links to all the other files.
You will have one or more other files like: graphics_icons.xml, graphics_frames.xml which link to the various graphics elements
Then you will need the graphics elements.

If you create a desktop in PS or GiMP I can you a hand getting started...

[Mask_of_winter]

If you prefer videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQogq06PJHM

[Tailz Silver Paws]

If you take this apart (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?35819-Extension-5E-Theme-FG-GAP) you'll probably be able to figure it out.
Will doing so require a screw driver and hammer?

Create the artwork, that I can do. The programming aspect... not so much? But I'll have a look and see what I can find/break.


You need a base.xml which links to all the other files.
You will have one or more other files like: graphics_icons.xml, graphics_frames.xml which link to the various graphics elements
Then you will need the graphics elements.

If you create a desktop in PS or GiMP I can you a hand getting started...
Do those tings list the image size requirements for each item?

[Nickademus]

Sadly no. But I was considering making up an asset list for commissioning a theme. I can send you a copy if you like (might be a week or two though).

[damned]

The image sizes are not hard and fast. Frames are far more flexible. Icons and Buttons do have fairly defined widths if you want to maintain compatibility. Use existing assets as your guide for those.

[LordEntrails]

Hey Tailz, this guy has recently been putting together some themes and sounds like he's got it down pretty well now. Check out his threads and see if he can help you out more.
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?35819-Extension-5E-Theme-FG-GAP

[Tailz Silver Paws]

The image sizes are not hard and fast. Frames are far more flexible. Icons and Buttons do have fairly defined widths if you want to maintain compatibility. Use existing assets as your guide for those.
Where are the existing assets?

[damned]

Where are the existing assets?

In the rulesets.
CoreRPG and then whatever game system you are playing adds to and replaces some of them.
Themes do the same again.

[Nickademus]

What ruleset are you thinking of making a theme for?

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

I am attempting to get people together to do exactly what you're looking for... So far I've done some work on the 5E ruleset... Like Nickademus asks... what ruleset are you looking to work on?

Here is a link to the thread I started about this today:
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?35837-Project-Gui5E

Also, if you follow Zaccheus' advice of tearing apart my GAP theme, you will find it to be different than what's in the CoreRPG & 5E rulesets. I've customized how the folders are organized, so that it was a bit quicker to work on for me. Ultimately it will work the same, but I thought I'd give you a head's up.

[Tailz Silver Paws]

What ruleset are you thinking of making a theme for?

At the moment, just a basic D&D skin. But would like to do a WWII skin too when I start to convert my Beyond the Barbed Wire stuff.

Actually... I have some artwork that would make a really cool sci-fi skin...

[damned]

At the moment, just a basic D&D skin. But would like to do a WWII skin too when I start to convert my Beyond the Barbed Wire stuff.

ruleset was the keyword here. Themes are almost always ruleset dependant. You need to look at the ruleset you are building the theme for to see what elements it contains.

If you look at the teaser shot for Pathfinder
https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/15732217_10154118431666630_4689147105357444413_o.j pg?oh=5ca324040c19f27ef3d9a30f887f0801&oe=58F269C8

You will see a good chunk of the elements in use. Missing are character sheet frame, tabs, combat tracker frame and several other frames. what you do see is desktop sidebar, sidebar icons, chat frame, hot key bar, modifier box. this is about 14 to 1/3 of all the elements.

[Nickademus]

At the moment, just a basic D&D skin.
I'm going to assume you mean D&D 5E (as each ruleset has a different UI configuration, so you need to pick one). I too have been contemplating working on a theme, after my UA module and other extension... eventually...

I've customized how the folders are organized, so that it was a bit quicker to work on for me. Ultimately it will work the same, but I thought I'd give you a head's up.
I was going to ask this in the other thread, but better here. Doesn't this mean you've changed the graphics' definitions in a bunch of xml and/or lua files and thus introduced several dependencies that could conflict with other extensions and cause upkeep every FG update?

[damned]

I'm going to assume you mean D&D 5E (as each ruleset has a different UI configuration, so you need to pick one). I too have been contemplating working on a theme, after my UA module and other extension... eventually...

I was going to ask this in the other thread, but better here. Doesn't this mean you've changed the graphics' definitions in a bunch of xml and/or lua files and thus introduced several dependencies that could conflict with other extensions and cause upkeep every FG update?

Nah - you could put all xml content in one single file. How you organise XML files and image assets is pretty much irrelevant. I try and stay with the same format as the ruleset Im modifying because its easier to compare quickly files of the same name and location. But they can really go anywhere... load order is important sometimes but other than that...

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

I'm going to assume you mean D&D 5E (as each ruleset has a different UI configuration, so you need to pick one). I too have been contemplating working on a theme, after my UA module and other extension... eventually...

I was going to ask this in the other thread, but better here. Doesn't this mean you've changed the graphics' definitions in a bunch of xml and/or lua files and thus introduced several dependencies that could conflict with other extensions and cause upkeep every FG update?

I believe as long as the cross references are made correctly in the "graphics_buttons.xml" & "graphics_icons.xml" they will override any ruleset dependencies. Ultimately when I was working with all of the resources I found the organization to be a bit haphazard and arbitrary, so I just dumped them all in the same folder, and changed all of the links in the .xml files. That way there is one large folder of all of the resources, in alphabetical order. This is much easier to find and locate the exact file you're looking for. If I didn't re-organize everything this way, I'd still be at work on the first skin. I'm at work now re-working how my master illustrator files are organized, so that they make a bit more sense as well. While I'm doing that I'm thinking I will work on simplifying some of the redundant resources (specifically all of the windows, which damned has given me some helpful info on.

I did everything I could to stay away from anything I thought would cause incompatibilities for upcoming FG updates. As long as they keep the same name scheme for the resources, then they should be fine.

[Nickademus]

Okay, so you didn't mean .lua when you mentioned it in the other thread. I see, if you re-define every graphic asset then yeah, you could reorganize them without conflict. Interesting idea. I would be interested in an asset list if you've compiled it while reorganizing.

[ll00ll00ll00ll]

there was actually 1 .lua file I needed to mess with (char_weapon.lua).. It basically was causing the mouseover highlight on the character sheet weapon roll box to use the resource called "rowshade" when I wanted it to use "fieldfocus". Other than that one though, I don't recall having to modify any other .lua's. I think I had to include the "number.lua" for one of the common/template .xmls to work properly.

In any event, when I finish it up I will post it all.

As of right now I have the master resources in illustrator, organized with the artboard names the same as the resulting resource names. This makes it very easy to batch change / export the resource files. I don't know how it would be possible to modify each file one at a time. Do you have access to illustrator?

I think I can create a pdf with named pages for reference...

[Nickademus]

I don't have Illustrator. You can modify each file individually with Photoshop, Gimp, or Paint.NET; they are just .png's and .jpg's.

[Tailz Silver Paws]

If you create a desktop in PS or GiMP I can you a hand getting started...
If your intrested about giving me a helping hand, I'm using GitHub to host this build, since it will be a freebie and an experiment to see how hard/difficult/painful making a skin is.

https://github.com/WyldFurr/FG-D20SRD-Theme

At the moment I just popped a background in there I like, yet to think about buttons and the rest of the GUI.


I'm going to assume you mean D&D 5E
*gasp*

Wash your mouth out! How dare you utter such heresy in my presence!

Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition. The one and only true edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

There can only be one! Or two.... maybe three or four...

[Nickademus]

Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition. The one and only true edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

You are dead to me...
/overreact

Sending you a message about something related.

[Tailz Silver Paws]

You are dead to me...
/overreact

Sending you a message about something related.

Such language, do you kiss your mother with that mouth? ;)