Hey all,
A new patch has been released for Wallpaper Engine that improves the editor features for scene wallpapers, especially 2D ones. It is now easier to add dynamic effects and image based animations. You can also drag and drop files into the editor to import them instead of using the file dialog (depending on the type of wallpaper you created). This allows you to add new models/images and replace texture inputs of existing ones (like normal maps).
After importing an image you can add effects to it on the right side. I have added a number of preliminary effects to choose from:
Some of them allow you to draw masks right in the editor. E.g. the previous 'water flow' template is gone and you can instead paint a flow effect with the new system and the built-in brush tool:
The effects can be applied to singular images, the entire screen or an offscreen target - which will become more useful as I implement upcoming features. All layers and some effects themselves support the standard Photoshop blend modes to control how they are rendered on the wallpaper.
A new preset system will allow me to ship Wallpaper Engine with standard assets more easily. I added three presets for testing purposes for now, snow particles, light shafts and a foliage object:
Lastly, a more advanced feature, you can link any layer as a texture input to another effect/material in the wallpaper. Together with the offscreen layer, this enables the creation of complicated effects with layers and objects interoperating.
I have not updated the guides with the new features yet, but will replace the current 2D guide with an example using the new system. You can already subscribe to the example project here http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=900945540 and download the project file as well: http://www.media fire.com/file/gy79f5zc7040kw9/waterfall.zip (copy them to projects/myprojects in the installation directory of Wallpaper Engine and open them in the editor with File -> Open).
The next update will be dedicated to bug fixing/localization updates. Following that, I will also implement a simple particle editor to edit & create new particles, add more image effects and possibly implement a system for key frame animations for all object properties.
- Kristjan
Full Changelog
Editor Additions
- Added image effect system to editor.
- Added fullscreen and offscreen layers.
- Added preset system to editor.
- Added additional layer options: visibility & 2D parallax X/Y scale.
- Added texture options when importing textures.
- Added texture control to configure/change textures of existing materials.
- Added paint brush system to draw opacity, flow and color maps in the editor.
- Added texture preview to editor.
- Added OLE drop interface to the window, to allow importing of texture/model/video files into the editor.
- Added resolution controls to 2D scenes.
- Added editable text inputs for slider control.
- Added composited image layer rendering to allow layer results to be used as texture inputs.
Misc Additions
- Added text input property "textinput" to project.json and web wallpaper.
- Added "editable" flag to sliders in project.json, which will show a text input to allow arbitrary values.
- Added lossless LZ4 compression for textures.
Fixes
- Fixed unfaving wallpapers in the browser.
- Fixed large file sizes being displayed incorrectly in the browser (at least as much as the Steamworks SDK permits, uint32).
- Fixed videos crashing when audio is disabled and an unrecognized audio stream is being loaded.
- Fixed cursor position in editor with high DPI.
- Fixed mip map compilation causing color banding.