Painter's Image Hose as a Concept Tool

[sandman]

Having experimented with Alchemy (http://al.chemy.org/), I wanted to also explore what could be achieved using Painter for concept ideation by creating shape clusters;

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/design01.jpg

Although I could have created multiple captured dab variants to render the individual shapes within the cluster, this would not have been very practical. Fortunately, Painter has a very neat feature called the Image Hose, which can randomly spray image (shape) elements contained in a nozzle file/library.

In this thread, I will be posting a series of custom resources for you to try the technique. The first thing to note is that two components are required to apply the image elements to the canvas or default layer;

1. A Image Hose brush variant.

2. Image elements contained in a special nozzle file (which can also be added to a nozzle library).

Although Painter ships with default Image Hose variants and a nozzle library, they did not meet my specific requirements for concept ideation. Below are download links to my custom Concept Hose brush library and Concept Nozzles library for Corel Painter 7 and above;

Concept_Hose.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/Concept_Hose.zip) (128 KB) brush library.

Concept_Nozzles_PC.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/Concept_Nozzles_PC.zip) (283 KB) nozzle library (PC platform).

Concept_Nozzles_Mac.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/Concept_Nozzles_Mac.zip) (279 KB) nozzle library (Mac platform).

After unzipping the resources, I would recommend placing the brush library in a Users workspace> Brushes folder, and the nozzle library in the same users workspace folder (older Painter versions may differ).

Again, both the custom brushes and nozzle libraries need to be open in Painter in order for them to work together. The brush library can be loaded via. the Load Brush Library option in the Brush Selector Bar Menu. The Nozzle library is loaded via. the Nozzle Selector flyout menu from the Toolbox palette;

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/OpenNozLib.jpg

At this stage, I would just recommend trying out the different Concept Hose variants in combination with any of the nine nozzles in the Concept Nozzles library.

A few notes on using the Concept Hose variants;

In developing the brushes, the main emphasis has been on random variability of the applied nozzle elements (i.e. color tinting, opacity, size, angle). Apart from brush size changes, it is possible to further change parameters in the Brush Control palettes, such as increasing the Spacing value to give fewer shape elements along the length of the stroke, or increasing the Jitter for example.

Variants outlined in green, with names beginning with SRan, have Size set to Random, whilst the remaining variants have size controlled by stylus pressure.

Although most of the nozzles have been created using black shape elements, the applied color cannot be changed in the normal way. It is possible however to tint/ colorize the applied image elements using the Grain setting in combination with the Additional color selected Colors palette. A Grain setting of 100 percent will yield the as saved nozzle element colors/ values, and a Grain value of 0 percent will opaquely colorize the nozzle imagery with the Additional color selected, with intermediate values providing tinting.

Variants with Tint in the name can be used to tint/ colorize the applied nozzle elements, again using the Additional color selected;

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/TintColor.jpg

I'll be posing more resources and info. using this technique later in this thread, so please keep checking back.

David

[sandman]

Painter also has a neat feature which makes it possible to record a stroke path and play it back. What is even cooler is the stroke pressure data is also recorded, and if the corresponding variant has size controlled by pressure, then you can see where this is heading.

Suppose you had a general gesture/ orientation for your overall concept design/ character, it is then possible to record the stroke (even permanently save it). The same stroke can be repeated again and again, with just a single mouse click anywhere on the canvas or layer.

With the Concept Nozzles and variants though, it isn't the exact same stroke, as if you remember from my first post, the nozzle elements have been configured to be applied randomly along the length of the stroke, and there is still the option to add Jitter to the mix. Take a look at the following short movie in which I am using single mouse clicks and undos to play back a recorded brush stroke. The same nozzle and variant are used, however each and every stroke is different, but following the same general path;

NozPlayback.mov (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/NozPlayback.mov) (flashing images warning).

I was so impressed with the possibilities of this method, I even reprogrammed my Wacom mouse buttons for single click, undo and redo;

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/Wacom_Mouse.jpg

Recording a stroke is easy, select the Record Stroke option in the Brush Selector Bar menu (you should then see a tick next to it), select any of the Concept Hose variants and draw a continuous stroke on the canvas or default layer. Now select the Playback Stroke option from the same menu and click anywhere on the canvas/ layer.

If you wish to permanently save the recorded stroke for later use, select Save Stroke from the Brush Selector Bar menu, assign it a unique name, and after saving it will be selectable in the Strokes flyout menu, again from the Brush Selector Bar.

If you want to regulate the size of the nozzle elements along the stroke path (head and neck for example), record the stroke with one of the Concept Hose variants which is not bordered in green, and use one of that series (size controlled by stylus pressure) to playback the stroke, otherwise nozzle element size is randomized.

As you can see from the screenshot below, I have already saves several custom strokes, which I can select from prior to selecting the Playback Stroke option. Incidentally, previously saved strokes may be deleted via. the Stroke flyout menu in the Auto-Painting palette, but not selected from that palette for single stroke playback.

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/StrokeRecPlay.jpg

David

[sandman]

Unlike Alchemy, Painter does not currently have the same mirroring options. I was able to use Painter's Kaleidoscope plugin to build a very limited template version however;

Mirror Pad link (http://www.jitterbrush.com/?p=158)

Although restricted by physical size and shape of the mirroring area, it is fun to use, and better than nothing;

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/MirrorConcept.jpg

I have managed to build several scripts to automate the vertical and horizontal mirroring of canvas/ layer imagery (albeit post rendering), and I will also be sharing these later.

David

[sandman]

If it was going to take me an hour to create a single nozzle file, then using them for concept ideation would not be very practical. I have many questions to resolve, such as what type of shapes work well together, and ideally, needed to create nozzles in less than a minute. Fortunately this is possible.

The nozzles themselves are very basic, containing normally 5 individual shape image elements at the most. Although nozzle creation in Painter can be time consuming and complex, these are basic, 1 rank nozzles which utilize the Make Nozzle From (Layer) Group command.

In constructing a nozzle, each shape element is first placed on its own default layer, such that the area around it is transparent. The imagery can be anything from a brush stroke or filled selection, a region of copied and pasted imagery, or a Text/ Dingbat character (after conversion to a default layer). The most efficient method I have found to date is to use selections which I save to a custom Selections Portfolio library, which can be dragged to a new layer, resized/ distorted if required, and filled with black using the Paint Bucket tool. Always remember to create a new layer before dragging a new selection, and as a double check, make sure that the number of layers you have matches the number of image elements you have in your document.

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/Sel_Nozzle.jpg

My custom Selection Portfolio library for Painter 7 and above (seen in the above screenshot) contains over 100 selections and can be downloaded from the links below;

Concept_Sel_PC.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/Concept_Sel_PC.zip) (204 KB) for PC platform.

Concept_Sel_Mac.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/Concept_Sel_Mac.zip) (203 KB) for Mac platform.

To load the above library, first launch the Selection Portfolio palette (Window menu> Selection Portfolio), then choose Load Library from the Selection Portfolio palette flyout menu.

After placing the image elements on individual default layers, highlight every layer in the Layers palette (hold down the Shift key whilst clicking on each layer in the Layers palette, or Layers menu> Select All Layers in Painter 11), then select Group Layers from the Layers palette flyout menu. Note that a nozzle can also comprise of just 1 element, but the initial single layer must be grouped first.

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/GroupLayers.jpg

After grouping the layers, select the Make Nozzle From Group command from the Nozzle Selector flyout menu in the Toolbox palette.

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/NozzleGroup.jpg

A new nozzle file image should now have been generated by Painter. Choose Save As and save it as a Painter .rif file with a unique name. As this nozzle file has not been added to a nozzle library, to load it, use the Load Nozzle command from the Nozzle Selector flyout menu.

So far, I like the versatility of using saved selections to create nozzles, as it is easy to scale and distort them prior to filling, and their comparatively small library file size, easily shared with other users.

Just a final note on size of the nozzle imagery. Unlike Alchemy, these are bitmaps, so try to keep the size of the elements to the maximum at which they will be rendered, although for the purpose we are using them, they upscale reasonably well with increased brush size.

David

[sandman]

Below is a screenshot of the custom Painter scripts/ custom palette I created to further expand what can be achieved with the Concept Hose variants and nozzles.

http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/ScriptsPalette.jpg

The scripts can be run directly from the Scripts palette by first selecting a script and clicking the Play button. A more convenient way is to run them from a custom palette, where additional command shortcuts can also be added via. Window menu> Custom Palette> Add Command. If you intend to run scripts from a Custom palette, the library location is critical (see instructions here (http://www.jitterbrush.com/?p=726)).

The top three 'Draw mode' scripts are for use when applying nozzle imagery where you may want to mask or confine the strokes to selections on the canvas or layer.

Next are the Mirror Canvas H and Mirror Canvas V scripts. These will float any imagery on the canvas to a new layer, duplicate the layer, flip the top layer either horizontal or vertical, and select Multiply as the blending mode. Each layer can then be moved independently using the Layer Adjuster Tool (automatically selected).

Mirror Layer Horizontal and Mirror Layer Vertical scripts will duplicate the current layer and flip the top layer either horizontal or vertical. The Layer Adjuster tool is again selected automatically. Note that if you select (highlight) all the layers in the layers palette before running either of these two scripts, then the same operations will be performed on all the layers selected.

The AutoShapes x5, x5 MH and x5 MV scripts are for use when Playback Stroke has already been selected. A new document will be created and 5 pre-recorded strokes will be automatically played back, and arranged neatly on separate layers. The MH and MV scripts perform addition mirroring operations (horizontal or vertical). Note that if Playback Stroke was not first selected, then either no imagery will appear, or only in the top left corner. Example image here (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/AutoShapes_x5.jpg).

AutoShapes Explorer 1 and 2 scripts automatically generate 5 documents, each containing 11 small but potentially unique shape clusters from elements of the currently selected nozzle. Each cluster is contained on its own layer, and these can be moved around to form new shapes with other clusters using the Layer Adjuster tool (automatically selected). The Explorer 1 script produces 3 dabs per cluster, while the Explorer 2 gives 5 dabs per cluster (making the resulting shapes a little busier). As these incorporate the Auto Clone (Auto Dab) command, brush size has no effect, as the dab size appears to randomize between zero and the nozzle element 'as saved' size. Rotation is also randomized (360 degrees) and cannot be limited, nor can opacity be randomized using the Opacity Controller. I normally use these latter scripts with the Hose 1 variant to produce black silhouetted clusters in combination with black nozzle elements. Example image here (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/ShapesExplorer1_04.jpg).

Links to the above script library download are below. Due to changes in Painter, I had to make scripts for each specific Painter version, and these are only available for Painter IX through 11 (all files approx. 29 KB);

For Painter 11 Users;

P11_HoseScripts_PC.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/P11_HoseScripts_PC.zip) (for PC Platform)

P11_HoseScripts_Mac.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/P11_HoseScripts_Mac.zip) (for Mac Platform)

For Painter X Users;

PX_HoseScripts_PC.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/PX_HoseScripts_PC.zip) (for PC Platform)

PX_HoseScripts_Mac.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/PX_HoseScripts_Mac.zip) (for Mac Platform)

For Painter IX Users;

PIX_HoseScripts_PC.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/PIX_HoseScripts_PC.zip) (for PC Platform)

PIX_HoseScripts_Mac.zip (http://www.jitterbrush.com/concept/PIX_HoseScripts_Mac.zip) (for Mac Platform)

David

[Arshes Nei]

"Where does he get all those wonderful toys...."

Thanks so much for these posts!

[sandman]

"Where does he get all those wonderful toys...."

Thanks so much for these posts!

Thanks Arshes Nei.

I guess I make resources for Painter as an alternative way of expressing my creativity (alternative to actually painting that is). I just experiment with the features and try to create something useful by combining the snippets of discovery.

Strange as it sounds, I don't think I'd learn nearly as much about the application if I didn't have to continually find workarounds for the many bugs, but they do make the simplest of tasks seem like hard work.

David

[Ak-Nolij]

Bookmarked. Nuff said. I love using Alchemy, so this is probably a great alternative and possibly figuring out some really neat and useful tricks.

*props*