You can enable it via "Settings->App Cursor->Mega Crosshair".
Very barebones for now. It uses the color of the current preset guides. No shortcut setup yet, and setting isn't saved.
I'm looking forward to your feedback!
Alright, just tried it - it's actually even more useful than I expected ! Now of course the excitement of trying such a fresh new tool might be making me a little biased, but so far I really like how the horizontal and vertical lines force me to check the correct alignement of features at all times.
"Taking a step back" has always been a bit of an issue on the Cintiq, since one has to stay very close to the screen in order to be precise ; but now for some reason, the big cursor allows me see the big picture more easily. And surprisingly, I do not find it annoying at all, visually speaking. Regarding color options : I happen to really like the current orange, and sometimes, less options is better after all !
Very interesting stuff - thank you so much for implementing it !
Glad you find it useful!
Should I keep it as a separate cursor option like it is in the menu now?
Right now it uses the preset's current guide line color, but I could add another menu to change it.
Also, I can make it more transparent in the middle. Do you actually need to see the center point at all, or is this just for the peripheral context that it brings?
Yeah, I think the way it is setup at the moment works very well - I like how the app cursor toggle (f6) is a separate thing from the megacursor, with the two not being mutually exclusive. For instance, I like to switch everything off for precision painting, but when constructing a sketch, I actually quite enjoy having the app cursor turned on + the megacursor displayed. Of course that's all very early on, but still, I find the setup very satisfying already.
Also it turns out that after using it for a few hours I do not feel the need for a fade-out in the middle after all - it feels very precise and sharp as is. Kindof makes me feel like a cyborg too
Anyways, I'm glad you are finding it useful already. I could also change the opacity while you are drawing. Anything is possible, so just think about it as you use it, and let me know. For now, I'll just add shortcut controls for it, and a separate color picker.
Yea, your attention is commendable. I'm looking forward to the perspective tool, would you care to share how it works? Is it like guides shown after setting up vanishing points, and having the drawn lines 'locked' to follow the guides?
Also, this may not be a bug but I kinda 'lost' the grip there
A quick tip if you try all these constraint modes.
Many use the Distortion Center position (cx/cy). By default this is set to the center of the screen, but you can change it by using a keyboard shortcut, that you can change in the settings.
Remember that this point is stored in SCREEN space, not canvas space.
LNP does not know your canvas position and zoom. So if you do pan or zoom, you will have to use the shortcut to set the center again to the right spot.
What I usually do is draw the center point on a layer by itself, then hover my mouse and use the shortcut to set the Distortion Center there. When I pan, I can just repeat the process so that things stay synced up.
The perspective presets will not behave correctly if you zoom though, even if the center stays at the same place. I might try to find a way around this in the future, but right now I'm not sure if it's possible.
I hope you still find these useful! As always, all feedback is welcome and appreciated. Have fun!
Edit: I forgot to mention. If you want the guides visible but not the actual constraints enabled, just uncheck the Distortion Scripting checkbox in that preset!
Hey Kamih, sorry for not reading carefully earlier: I tried the perspectives in the distortion presets, and I found them very useful. My intuition led me to expect setting a distortion center per axis (as 2nd or 3rd vanishing point), but I couldn't figure out how to do it.
If I'm reading the vanishing point / distortion center analogy correctly, then being able to zoom and pan freely could be a huge advantage. Especially if one is using out-of-canvas vanishing point(s) as such:
I wonder if there's a way to read & save the distortion centers using your suggestion (having it marked in a layer) and reading Photoshop's coordinates for the data on that layer. A 'clean' layer with only a single pixel marking an x-y location (in relation to the canvas) that Nezumi continuously reads.
Also, I noticed that when opening the graph variables in some of the distortion presets, the window would expand to fit them but not contract when u hide them, leaving the graph stretch (fully functional just visually off):
As for the Pressuve Curve Graph I mentioned earlier - the pink point is gone now, hidden in the sky above and outside the graph. The cyan is stuck at 0. Changing either the Gain, the Softness or the Min Value doesn't affect them. Not sure how I managed to do this
Yes, that graph window not resizing has been bugging me too. I'll fix it when I get a chance.
Regarding perspective again: yes, currently you just set the center, and then change the Width or Height parameters in the Distortion group to set the distance of the vanishing points. I will do some research to see if I can sync up these positions with the Photoshop canvas, as that would make it a lot easier to use.
This has improved quite a bit since I saw it I think a year or 2 ago. Great work! As soon as I saw the bendy lazy mouse mode I jaw dropped and I picked it up. Now... Symmetry? Maybe? :P Keep it up!
Hi there again - I am running into a bug (a minor inconvenience really) : I seem to be unable to completely exit the application in order to proceed to an update. The actual Windows process shuts down properly, but when I run the installer I am nonetheless getting a warning stating that an instance of LNP is still running. I suspect there might be an associate service still running, but I am unable to identify it.
Rebooting my computer fixes the issue, but it is not always a very practical option.
You probably forgot to exit Photoshop. The plugin doesn't get unloaded until PS closes, and only then will the installer let you install (otherwise it won't be able to overwrite the plugin).
edit: by the way, if you guys need support, email or live chat on my website is always faster, and lets me track issues more easily.
I agree about angle restrictions, those would be nice. Being able to define angles would be a plus. At any rate this little app is badass. It's like I can draw. Like I know what I'm doing!
I wonder what else you could add to that little gem of yours. I can only dream of symmetry in PS...Now THAT would make you BOTH handsome AND awesome. For real!
Since I now have a fancy overlay layer in LNP, I can render all sorts of things!
I'm experimenting with a draggable distortion center that shows up when you hover over it. (I could have a setting that allows these to be always visible but at reduced opacity).
If this kind of setup works for everyone, I'll use it for more cool stuff, like setting up ellipses so that you can draw perspective circles, more vanishing points, etc..
Thanks for trying! Did you see I also added an isometric constraint mode?
I'm working on a general perspective preset where you set the focal length, the horizontal tilt and vertical tilt. This way, you can keep the same center point and just adjust the horizontal tilt when you need to rotate objects.
What do you think?
edit: and regarding the 'snap-to' axis. I haven't changed anything so you're probably getting used to it. I know it can be tricky sometimes, especially when the axis are close to each other. I'm thinking of adding options to choose which axis it should snap to. But I'll probably need a completely separate Perspective section in LNP to do this...
I like the draggable center, it's definitely easier to move it around without a 'pins' system implemented. I still can't find a use for the perspective constraints, unfortunately, when my distortion center is outside the canvas. Zooming-out makes placing lines accurately difficult, especially in angles with close axis.
A tool that let's you setup 1,2 or 3 perspective points anywhere in or outside the canvas, and provide dynamic axis-guides as Nezumi already does will be incredible. This can be applied to 3D work process as well. Maybe there's already something similar out there?
I'm working on some dynamic measure points for the perspective constraints.
These are spaced at equal 3d distance to each other, along each perspective axis.
They allow you to compare distances from the same depth point.
With these, you can for example quickly draw a perfect cube in perspective.
What do you guys think?
I will fix that.
And yeah, I have "better ellipse tool" in my TODO list. There are ellipse presets right now but you can't rotate them or interact them on the overlay. Now that I can have overlay interactions, I want to make something better.
You say that the ellipse tool in Sketchbook is clunky. How would you like to be able to interact with it?
What do you mean exactly when you say "draw ellipse from center here"?
Have you tried my Concentric and Connected Ellipse presets?
It's not a trivial problem for sure, and I'm sure they had to make compromises.
There are many things that you need to consider for ellipses:
the degree, the angle, the center, the size (measured along minor axis from center)
You need to be able to draw them quickly sure, but you should also be able to easily place them in a perspective square to draw perspective circles.
Thanks for the scenario description!
A lot of stuff to think about...
Quickly regarding your last item, you can do perspective transforms in Photoshop already.
Edit -> Transform -> Perspective.
If you have perspective grid lines drawn in already (with or without LNP), you can use the PS transform tool to map a flat area to them.
When you're moving the cursor around before drawing, I assume every point is on a flat screen at Z = 0. Only when you start drawing does Z change, so that the points are correctly spaced in 3d.
Because of this, you should only compare measured distances from the same depth.
It's hard to describe. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
I find it useful, but you guys might have better ideas.
Yeah I understand what you mean, but there's no way you can accurately gesture small angle increments, so your system will always be off by a margin of error.
When I created this I didn't really have in mind working backwards like you are describing. To me, this has always been about laying out a basic perspective layout first, and then painting over it.
I do see that working backwards can be useful too, as many people use 3d mockups these days. But there are just so many parameters to reverse engineer (field of view for image size, horizon, tilt, vanishing points...).
This is an active field of research and is not a trivial problem.
Well damn. Like someone said already, I just expected and wanted a simple lazymouse, and you've packed this with tons of awesome features. I am throwing my credit card at the monitor tonight. Instant buy! Thank you so much good sir. Keep up the fantastic work!
Replies
http://lazynezumi.com/downloads/LazyNezumiPro_14_7_13_2336_Setup.exe
You can enable it via "Settings->App Cursor->Mega Crosshair".
Very barebones for now. It uses the color of the current preset guides. No shortcut setup yet, and setting isn't saved.
I'm looking forward to your feedback!
"Taking a step back" has always been a bit of an issue on the Cintiq, since one has to stay very close to the screen in order to be precise ; but now for some reason, the big cursor allows me see the big picture more easily. And surprisingly, I do not find it annoying at all, visually speaking. Regarding color options : I happen to really like the current orange, and sometimes, less options is better after all !
Very interesting stuff - thank you so much for implementing it !
Should I keep it as a separate cursor option like it is in the menu now?
Right now it uses the preset's current guide line color, but I could add another menu to change it.
Also, I can make it more transparent in the middle. Do you actually need to see the center point at all, or is this just for the peripheral context that it brings?
Also it turns out that after using it for a few hours I do not feel the need for a fade-out in the middle after all - it feels very precise and sharp as is. Kindof makes me feel like a cyborg too
Very cool stuff
Anyways, I'm glad you are finding it useful already. I could also change the opacity while you are drawing. Anything is possible, so just think about it as you use it, and let me know. For now, I'll just add shortcut controls for it, and a separate color picker.
Here's an example using the 3 point perspective preset:
Here's the latest build, if you guys want to try it!
http://lazynezumi.com/downloads/LazyNezumiPro_14_7_16_139_Setup.exe
That perspective thing looks like a killer feature.
after seeing all you have done this leaves me with only one question now
Also, this may not be a bug but I kinda 'lost' the grip there
I love working on LNP, and the feedback I get from this community fuels me!
Shotgun, your pressure gain is probably set too high.
Alright, I think it's ready for prime time! Hopefully I found all the bugs, but let me know if you find any!
http://lazynezumi.com/news
Many use the Distortion Center position (cx/cy). By default this is set to the center of the screen, but you can change it by using a keyboard shortcut, that you can change in the settings.
Remember that this point is stored in SCREEN space, not canvas space.
LNP does not know your canvas position and zoom. So if you do pan or zoom, you will have to use the shortcut to set the center again to the right spot.
What I usually do is draw the center point on a layer by itself, then hover my mouse and use the shortcut to set the Distortion Center there. When I pan, I can just repeat the process so that things stay synced up.
The perspective presets will not behave correctly if you zoom though, even if the center stays at the same place. I might try to find a way around this in the future, but right now I'm not sure if it's possible.
I hope you still find these useful! As always, all feedback is welcome and appreciated. Have fun!
Edit: I forgot to mention. If you want the guides visible but not the actual constraints enabled, just uncheck the Distortion Scripting checkbox in that preset!
If I'm reading the vanishing point / distortion center analogy correctly, then being able to zoom and pan freely could be a huge advantage. Especially if one is using out-of-canvas vanishing point(s) as such:
I wonder if there's a way to read & save the distortion centers using your suggestion (having it marked in a layer) and reading Photoshop's coordinates for the data on that layer. A 'clean' layer with only a single pixel marking an x-y location (in relation to the canvas) that Nezumi continuously reads.
Also, I noticed that when opening the graph variables in some of the distortion presets, the window would expand to fit them but not contract when u hide them, leaving the graph stretch (fully functional just visually off):
As for the Pressuve Curve Graph I mentioned earlier - the pink point is gone now, hidden in the sky above and outside the graph. The cyan is stuck at 0. Changing either the Gain, the Softness or the Min Value doesn't affect them. Not sure how I managed to do this
Regarding perspective again: yes, currently you just set the center, and then change the Width or Height parameters in the Distortion group to set the distance of the vanishing points. I will do some research to see if I can sync up these positions with the Photoshop canvas, as that would make it a lot easier to use.
Rebooting my computer fixes the issue, but it is not always a very practical option.
edit: by the way, if you guys need support, email or live chat on my website is always faster, and lets me track issues more easily.
I agree about angle restrictions, those would be nice. Being able to define angles would be a plus. At any rate this little app is badass. It's like I can draw. Like I know what I'm doing!
I wonder what else you could add to that little gem of yours. I can only dream of symmetry in PS...Now THAT would make you BOTH handsome AND awesome. For real!
Any plans to release on mac?
Since I now have a fancy overlay layer in LNP, I can render all sorts of things!
I'm experimenting with a draggable distortion center that shows up when you hover over it. (I could have a setting that allows these to be always visible but at reduced opacity).
If this kind of setup works for everyone, I'll use it for more cool stuff, like setting up ellipses so that you can draw perspective circles, more vanishing points, etc..
I'd love to know what you think, and if I'm going in the right direction with this, so please check it out when you get a chance:
http://lazynezumi.com/downloads/LazyNezumiPro_14_7_25_219_Setup.exe
(To see the new center, you have to use one of the Distortion Scripting modes that uses the center variables cx,cy, like many of the Constraint modes)
I'm working on a general perspective preset where you set the focal length, the horizontal tilt and vertical tilt. This way, you can keep the same center point and just adjust the horizontal tilt when you need to rotate objects.
What do you think?
edit: and regarding the 'snap-to' axis. I haven't changed anything so you're probably getting used to it. I know it can be tricky sometimes, especially when the axis are close to each other. I'm thinking of adding options to choose which axis it should snap to. But I'll probably need a completely separate Perspective section in LNP to do this...
A tool that let's you setup 1,2 or 3 perspective points anywhere in or outside the canvas, and provide dynamic axis-guides as Nezumi already does will be incredible. This can be applied to 3D work process as well. Maybe there's already something similar out there?
These are spaced at equal 3d distance to each other, along each perspective axis.
They allow you to compare distances from the same depth point.
With these, you can for example quickly draw a perfect cube in perspective.
What do you guys think?
And yeah, I have "better ellipse tool" in my TODO list. There are ellipse presets right now but you can't rotate them or interact them on the overlay. Now that I can have overlay interactions, I want to make something better.
You say that the ellipse tool in Sketchbook is clunky. How would you like to be able to interact with it?
Have you tried my Concentric and Connected Ellipse presets?
It's not a trivial problem for sure, and I'm sure they had to make compromises.
There are many things that you need to consider for ellipses:
the degree, the angle, the center, the size (measured along minor axis from center)
You need to be able to draw them quickly sure, but you should also be able to easily place them in a perspective square to draw perspective circles.
A lot of stuff to think about...
Quickly regarding your last item, you can do perspective transforms in Photoshop already.
Edit -> Transform -> Perspective.
If you have perspective grid lines drawn in already (with or without LNP), you can use the PS transform tool to map a flat area to them.
If you guys want to try the new measure points:
http://lazynezumi.com/downloads/LazyNezumiPro_14_7_30_1501_Setup.exe
Use the new "perspective" distortion mode to get them.
I will add overlay options soon (colors, sizes, distances, etc...)
When you're moving the cursor around before drawing, I assume every point is on a flat screen at Z = 0. Only when you start drawing does Z change, so that the points are correctly spaced in 3d.
Because of this, you should only compare measured distances from the same depth.
It's hard to describe. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
I find it useful, but you guys might have better ideas.
When I created this I didn't really have in mind working backwards like you are describing. To me, this has always been about laying out a basic perspective layout first, and then painting over it.
I do see that working backwards can be useful too, as many people use 3d mockups these days. But there are just so many parameters to reverse engineer (field of view for image size, horizon, tilt, vanishing points...).
This is an active field of research and is not a trivial problem.