I've just released the "BackgroundFloors" set for the HeroMachine 3 Alpha. Here's a quick sample of some of the 2.x items -- plus some -- that have been redrawn for 3.0:
The idea behind these setting pieces that I'll be including in the "Background" slot are that you'll mix and match them to make up the environment you want. There are only a couple of full-environment items here, like the forest path, which I'm frankly not sure work all that well. The rest, though, are just pieces that you can use to build up the right effect.
I'm sure you'll come up with creative ways to use the new stuff, but let me know if you find any mistakes, see anything you don't like, don't see something you were really hoping for in a "Floor" set, or anything else that's on your mind.
I think the next thing to do will be a set called "BackgroundSky" or something like that, with the intent that they'd be placed essentially behind the Floors to make a complete environment. So give me any requests you have for those things that might not be included in that last request post.
After that I'll probably do some sort of middle-ground stuff like tree lines, mountains, etc. (kind of like the building roof retaining wall in this current release). Finally, at some point I'll just do a whole big set of "general environmental items" that you can stick where ever you want -- candles, books, single boulders, benches, that kind of thing so you can really dress the room just like you dress your character.
I don't know for sure if this is the right approach, so by all means feel free to opine about that too.
Those look great, I can’t wait to use them.
A+ Jeff, great job.
These ROCK!
A comic panel background and one that looks like the character is busting out of it would be cool.Some that looks like old paper or old books would also be cool.
I like the idea of building your own backgrounds Jeff. How about some Forground Items, like panel outlines. I have a theory this program could be used to make a full comic. If so, then we could have a fan comic section or something. Something to proportion your characters would be neat as well.
I can do panel outlines, sure. Although can’t you just use one of the square BackgroundShapes with a transparent middle to do the same thing? Or do you mean you want squiggly lines and alternate proportions to the square, that kind of thing?
I was just thinking a preset panel to make it look like the character was coming off the page.
uhm… terminator body parts?
Dang, Joseph! Err, i mean Jeff. Nice work on these. I especially like the great wave.
I think stormy skies should be in the next update.
Personally, I was refering to the different panels, in different proportions. But now that you mention it, the background shapes should work fine for me (I wasn’t thinking). Although a few line-like items to use would be nice, like the squiggly lines you mentioned, and maybe a tear panel with no middle.
Great job Jeff !
I specially like the Great Wave.
If it’s possible, I’d like to see a few individual paths.
Something like this:
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/8240/path.jpg
This type of panels is kinda what I mean http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m189/acebase_2006/Hero%20Forum/ComicPanel.jpg
Oh god….it’s 103 in The North-West…what the heck is wrong with the world?
“Something to proportion your characters would be neat as well.” – MartianBlue.
Do you mean like a height chart kind of thing, like in a police lineup? That would DEFINITELY be helpful. Not only as a background, but as an aid to getting the character’s proportions right.
Here is a site to get an on screen ruler for free. It helps a lot.
http://www.spadixbd.com/freetools/
Don’t know if this is in your plans, Jeff, but what about shadows to place under the characters, to give the composition some added depth. You had something like that in HM2.5, but I don’t see it here. Or am I just missing it?
jeff would the middle ground items include things like vehicles
if so here is one
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/5365/bike2n.jpg
it is a gravity sled (sorta like the brute chopper in halo 3)
Police line-up is exactly what I had in mind IMP, I made that same suggestion awhile back.
Thanks for the link HK, I’ll have to try that out sometime, although the line up would be a cool background in itself as Imp stated earlier
this maybe out of context but how about some multi-layered objects that serves as foreground and background elements such as rings of energy or magic runes that encompasses hands, whole bodies, or some more in depth griping system for hands that take up two layers that make holding things more realistic or even making shoulder items more believable.
@Any and all fans of “the Dark Knight”:
Check this out:
http://www.universaldesigns.ca/UDR/ID/IDjacket.html
It’s good.
I’m going back to bed now.
Hi Jeff PLEASE!!! a stained glass window or Organ Pipes as I play them for Religous or Horror Chracters
Hi Jeff PLEASE!!! a stained glass window or Organ Pipes as I play them for Religous or Horror Chracters
(why is it saying this is a duplicate comment,shouldn’t say that now because I added this part!! 😎 *_ *
Jeff these are all great.
If you’re doing skys can you add a starry sky. I know there’s a pattern with stars but there’s too many. I’d prefer just a few here and there like you might see at night in a city or something.
Background Sky:
1. word balloon: http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/244203/2/istockphoto_244203-comic-book-word-balloons-2.jpg
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/986710/2/istockphoto_986710-word-balloons-with-flair.jpg
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs21/i/2007/239/8/c/Word_Balloon_Tutorial_by_dynamicsketch.jpg
2.storm.Massive Twister:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eOxAz1tU_cA/R2kmYFj6CnI/AAAAAAAAALU/_NUy5VQ0JYk/s400/strorm+5.JPG
3.mushroom cloud:
http://www.justpressplay.net/images/stories/mushroom-cloud.jpg
4.jet: http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/bbj1/images/boeing-business-jet1.jpg
5.hot air balloon: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/brainiac/hot%20air%20balloons.jpg
http://dvice.com/pics/inflatablevader.jpg
6.eagle:
http://z.about.com/d/healing/1/0/y/M/gtotem_eagle.jpg
7.helicopter: http://lighthousepatriotjournal.files.wordpress.com/2006/08/hungarian-eagle-helicopter_mi-24-hind.jpg
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00671/japan-helicopter-40_671281c.jpg
middle-ground.
1. popping out.
http://www.evazone.fr/blog/images/2008/07/hulk-homer-400×400.png
2. chopper: http://cdn.ezprezzo.com/crazypics/grimm_reaper_custom_chopper1.jpg
http://image.internetautoguide.com/f/aftermarket/jaguar-motorcycle-a-pouncing-cat-custom-chopper/14429286+cr1+re0+ar1/jaguar-motorcycle-leaping-jaguar.jpg
http://www.mile16.com/WoodChopper.jpg
http://blog.makezine.com/steampunk_bike2.jpg
3.western door: http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/22315.jpg
http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/revolution-door-1.jpg
4.steam punk door: http://www.craphound.com/images/vaultdoorbrass.jpg
5.steampunk phone: http://www.walyou.com/img/cool-steampunk-phone-1.jpg
6. weird cars: http://www.mitchell.derbycounty.co.uk/hamburger.jpg
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/motorshows/tokyo2005/concepts-weird-wonderful/03-large/daihatsu-ufe-f.jpg
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/editorial_images/non_imported/crashed_wienermobile.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Fzq94YVbHHM/SR3dqooNHUI/AAAAAAAAVNQ/EfsdNvAEsHQ/s400/Crazy-Cars-19.jpg
http://images.loqu.com/contents/964/903/image/08-08-20/2/6.jpg
7.lava flow: http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/volcano/images/anat_lava_flow.jpg
8. tidal wave: http://storageeffect.media.seagate.com/files/2008/11/tidal_wave_800x480.jpg
9.bench : http://www.designspongeonline.com/wp-content/uploads/bench3.jpg
http://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/break-apart-funny-bench-design.jpg
http://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/clever-plywood-chair-bench-furniture.jpg
10.steampunk plane: http://www.craphound.com/images/steampunkukraineplane.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/abramsv/R5f86O9HhII/AAAAAAAAE1Q/oKrq4nZTQ7o/767130222_342bd075a0_o.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gw9I8MBfDYM/SPj72zP52yI/AAAAAAAAADI/dKAaaf1Hxt8/s400/steampunk-dreamliner08.jpg
http://blog.sierra-217.srv.hosting.fi/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/levinairship.jpg
1. An erupting volcano.
2.A scarecrow in a cornfield during the Fall season.
3. Flocks and swarms of various flocking and swarming animals.
4. A sunken pirate ship.
5. Hell.
Jeff, could it be that the new backgrounds make HM3 a bit more unstable. I was using it twice today and every time I added an element of the new backgrounds, it set off the masking of the weapons and in my second attempt I added another item from that list which I couldn’t select afterwards anymore. So no deleting, or changing of colors etc.
Legatus, I don’t know of anything in this set that is different from the others. It IS quite a bit larger than average, clocking in at a hefty 850KB or so, which is the third largest to date. Is anyone else seeing oddness with it?
I’ve been having quite a lot of problems with masking and layering after loading a character. And sometimes items I had used before the save disappear when I load again and are replaced by completely different things.
Hmp, I thought I had fixed all the save bugs, looks like there’s still quite a bit of work to be done there. Sigh.
Hey Jeff, how about a bison skull in Floor?
hey,great job with everything!i love heromachine,
but theres is just one problem,how come there is no females?
i know there is a female zombie but you cant just make a blank model?will you be making female stuff too?and if not,will there be more updates to heromachine 2.5?
UI’m not sure if this is a bug, a gift in progress, or my meds have given me a wonderfuly new glorious side affect, but tice this week I’ve gone to make a character, I click on body, male standard, and click the first generic option (not meant as in insult, just a gross term) and PRESTO CHANGE-O REARANGE-O! the body has FEET! They even recolor with the body. Is there something I’m missing, getting without knowing, or halucinating about?
@RitoruBushi: Ooops. I think I did that with the new set of items. Crap. I’ll have to go in and fix that, my apologies.
It’s a legacy artifact resulting from equal parts incompetence and laziness on my part, I thought I had the basic item set template fixed but apparently the Backgrounds slipped through the cracks. My bad.
Does that mean no more auto feet? I really liked that feature, as it provided me with a method of sealing in the blank gaps from the let and right feet items (when I’d turn the body color to black).
Yes, that means no more auto feet. Can’t you just nudge the left and right feet items up one pixel to seal the gap when everything’s black? The problem with including them on the base figure is that it makes putting any odd-sized foot items on the body difficult.