Using FilterForge and Xara

[wizard509]

Frances, for what it's worth my response #11 was more or less a direct response to Gare's #10. I have the utmost respect for you as an artist, designer, and teacher. Your posts have been a valuable resource to me and many here. Of course Rik is another story. All kidding aside I also have great respect for Rik too, but don't tell him because I wouldn't want him to get a fat head. Same enormous respect goes for Gare.
Nuff said. Have a good day.

[angelize]

Ok getting back on topic, here is another look at the simple filter example. This time I have added a blur component to the filter tree and added a few more controls. the blur component is a processing component and it gives the source output that's plugged into it a gaussian blur. I have also changed the profile setting on the perlin noise (I have added a control for this so this can be adjusted from the main filter window)to a linear setting and this gives the perlin noise a more cloud like look. You can see that I now have two different connections going into the result component, and only the height connection is passed through the blur component. The resulting texture is now looking more like strawberry preserves and less like raw meat

I have included a zipped FilterForge filter file of this simple filter that you can open in FF3 with a simple double click. Sorry the versions aren't backwards compatible so older versions won't be able to open it. Play around with the settings and experiment with it and see what kind of seamless textures you can come up with

[Filter Forge]

Hi everyone,

Yes, I have to confirm Filter Forge doesn't work well with Xara live effects. To compensate this inconvenience we've created a pack of textures so that you don't need to create them yourself: http://www.filterforge.com/images/ad...lkGraphics.zip. This is an exclusive pack for this forum: feel free to use these textures for any commercial or non-commercial purpose.

-- Mark

[Gare]

I'd like to emphasize that FF doesn't work well with Xara Designer Pro.

But it does work. You just should either lock the effect after applying it, or export the texture as a bitmap from within the UI in Xara, to work with no interruptions.

Thanks for the texture pack, folks!

-g

[angelize]

Thanks for this nice collection of textures Mark.

What I usually do is if I want a seamless tiling texture I use FF as a stand alone and save my tiling image from there. The tiles import into all versions of Xara.

Here are two workarounds I use when using FF as a plug in with Xara.

1. a selection in Xara isn't picked up by most FF filters, which causes textures to fill the bounding box area rather than the selected object.
My Fix: I use an external image component in the filter editor to bring the selected object into FF and depending on the selection I run it through some more components to create an alpha channel. I have used this method to apply filters to text, vector shapes, and extrusions. I'm working on a filter snippet/ group that will do this and also distort the edges of the selection based on the filter height output.

2. the errors that come up when Xara tries to re apply the filter:
My fix: before using FF I set Xara's default live effects resolutions for both locked and unlocked to at least 300dpi ( this can be done through Options> plugins and effects tab)and make sure my selection is the largest size I'll need it to be. In the FF main panel if I change the filter settings I add a new preset (this will allow me to go back at any time and re apply the exact settings if I need to) Once the filter has been applied, as Gary said I lock it. Locking the effect causes Xara to produce a bitmap at the resolution that you have set.

[jnerf]

Looks like something Hannibal Lecter might have cooked, hello Clarise!

[ss-kalm]

Hi everyone,
Yes, I have to confirm Filter Forge doesn't work well with Xara live effects. To compensate this inconvenience we've created a pack of textures so that you don't need to create them yourself: http://www.filterforge.com/images/ad...lkGraphics.zip. This is an exclusive pack for this forum: feel free to use these textures for any commercial or non-commercial purpose.

Is it still possible to get hold of these textures? The link is no longer available, but would it be permissible for someone to pass them on?

[angelize]

I'll get in touch with filter Forge and see what I can find out. I the mean time if you look through some of the textures I have donated in the clipart forum and on the Xara Xone many of them are created with Filter forge.

[angelize]

The folks at Filter forge have kindly given me new links to these textures and the wrapping paper textures that were posted elsewhere

https://www.filterforge.com/images/a...lkGraphics.zip

https://www.filterforge.com/images/a...lkGraphics.zip

Thanks to the folks at Filter Forge!

[Gare]

I have a question—actually directed at the Filter Forge people. As much as I've promoted the filter (and I realize you've certainly don a lot more), why is it that they appear scarce on the forum, and they let a link expire.

Are we not paying them enough attention? Filter Forger is a one-of-a-kind plug-in and standalone for generating seamless textures of 1.) much better quality/photorealism than Genopal, and rivals Map Zone, except you only get a handful of presets for free with MapZone while FF's treasure trove for free is immense.

Dear Filter Forge people: you have an anxious audience right here at tg, we have 20,000 registered numbers and even if you cut that down to 1/20th active members, you still have 1K members who can be shown exactly what a useful utility this Factory is for the Xara artist.

I'm cc'ing this to one of the engineers.

My Best,

Gary