Linear Fill

Quick Reference to Scripting Command
a=LINFILL(angle, cycle, SMOOTH)
Items in CAPS are 0/1 switches or switches with more options than 0/1.

Operation Example

The Linear Fill operation allows you to fill selected regions with a range of colors from the Palette in a linear fashion. This range or palette of colors can be as simple as two colors, or as complex as 400 colors. The controls allow you to set the angle of palette application and to cycle the palette colors. The range can be applied vertically, horizontally, or to any angle value you specify. This tool is useful for creating cycled colored ranges in text and other objects.

This operator can use Pixel Transfer Modes to generate output image and layer data. These modes add a great deal of flexibility to what you can do with this operator. Only operators that create new image or layer data use pixel transfer modes. Also, plugins may use them if the plugin designer takes care to use the plugin masked write services.

Tip: This operator is designed to work on warp layers. In the context of use in a warp layer, the luma (brightness) of the pattern generated by this operator acts to control the amount of warp (technically, it multiplies the warp effect.) If the luma of the pattern generated is 0, or black, then the warp effect existing in the warp layer at the locations where black is applied is reduced to zero. If the luma of the pattern generated is 255, or white, then the warp effect existing in the warp layer at the locations where black is applied is not affected. If the luma of the pattern generated is 128, or middle grey, then the warp effect existing in the warp layer at the locations where black is applied is reduced by one half. In this way, the brightness proportionally reduces the warping effect, allowing you to use this operator to produce patterned gradients in the warp effect, no matter what that pattern is.

Linear Fill Operation Dialog

Linear Fill Controls

Trends

You will notice that all of the controls have a Trend button next to them. The trend button allows you to set that variable over a set of frames. Each frame of the animation can be thought of as a slice of time. The trends allow you to alter some, all, or none of the variables for a particular time slice. You will notice that the trend graphs have equidistantly spaced vertical lines. Each of these lines represents a frame in the animation. The number of frames can be altered using the Sequence controls... in the Timeline pull down menu. Animation lengths of 100 - 999 frames will be represented with a vertical bar being 10 frames, and animation length greater than 1000 frames will have a vertical bar for every 100 frames. Click here to view more information on Trends.

Angle

The Angle control allows you to set the angle of the Linear Fill. This angle is measured clockwise from vertical. This means that a setting of 0 degrees would be a vertical fill with color zero at the bottom of the area select, and that a setting of 90 degrees would be a horizontal fill with color zero on the right of the area select. Color zero is the initial color in the palette. Color zero is used as the initial point for all fills in WinImages F/x. For example, the default WinImages F/x palette is a Black to White range of gray scales. Color zero in the default palette is black, so black is the initial position for all fills with this palette. The color zero of a palette can be altered by altering the palette itself, or by using the Cycle control. This allows you to shift the palette by a certain amount, thus changing color zero. This can be used in an animation to create a cycling effect (the example animation uses this technique). The diagram above demonstrates the way that angles are measured in WinImages F/x. The control ranges between 0 and 360 degrees, where 0 and 360 are the same value. This control can be set using the slide gadget, or by entering an appropriate value in the text entry field.

Cycle of 0

Cycle of 1/4 palette size

Cycle

The cycle control allows you to shift the palette to create a cycling effect for animations. This control ranges between 0 and 360 degrees, where 0 and 360 are the same value. Imagine that the palette is a wheel with all of the colors radiating from the center as spokes, like the image on the left. This image is a representation of the palette with the Cycle control set to 0 degrees, and using the default gray scale palette. Notice that Black (the initial color zero) is at the 12 o'clock position. The image at the right shows a shift in the palette to a Cycle of 90 degrees. Notice that the original color zero has shifted to the 3 o'clock position (90 degrees), and a new color zero is in the initial position. From these two examples it is clear that increasing the Cycle value will shift or rotate the palette. This will in turn set a new color zero for the fill. If you were to trend the cycle over an animation from 0 to 360 degrees, you would see the colors of the palette cycle as they did in the example animation.

Smooth

The Smooth control allows you to smooth colors in the palette. This control is most effective in low color palettes (palettes with less than 256 colors). This control, when activated, will examine the colors in the palette and then smooth them to create a nice color spread between palette colors. For example, a palette of two colors using the Smooth control will look much nicer than a two color palette without smoothing. This control defaults to on, but can be shut off at any time by simply clicking on the check box.

Set Palette

The Set Palette button allows you to access WinImages F/x custom palette controls. This allows you to make any necessary alteration to the current palette or to load a previously saved palette. Remember, any changes made to the palette will be reflected the next time a fill is applied. If you would like to learn more about the palette controls, Click Here.

When this operator is dragged into the timeline, palettes will automatically trend to the next palette, if another exists in the timeline.

WinImages F/x Manual Version 7, Revision 5, Level B