Hi all,

Ive just started messing around with core3 touchpanel designs. I know vtpro like the back of my hand so this is really frustrating but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to add my own gauges and sliders in to my project! I can add the default themes graphics in to my project but what I really want to do is modify the look of one of the default sliders.

Such a simple process previously. Have looked through as much core3 info i can find on crestrons website but still have no idea!!

Any help?

Cheers

I can't be of any help. I just recently explored Core3/Smart Graphics myself. It took me 20 minutes to figure out how to change the background graphic. What a pita. The good news is that i have to recreate a fully functional already completed touchpanel design...Wait...that isn't good news at all.

Want to add more fun to it, use studio and theme editor.

I downloaded that and had a play. It has now been banished from my computer. Nightmare. Damn it. I hate calling my crestron rep with lame ass questions! lol

I believe you need to have a your graphics converted to a specific format (I don't know it) in order to access them using Core3. I haven't tried customizing too much of the core3 stuff but from my understanding you can only change the button graphics, and even that isn't the easiest.

Your best luck would be to contact a GUI company (that has Core3 graphics) and ask them what is required to get your current interface converted to be used on Core3 projects.

Lites, why are you using Studio? Like bambam I installed it and played with it but was so confused as to how it worked closed it and opened Simpl and VTPro and had my system programmed in a couple hours.

I use Studio for in house stuff and smaller projects. I actually really like it for programming only. They can keep the smart graphics away from it. I've mainly been using it for 2 series stuff anyway. The hybrid aspect of it works great. I rewrote our entire office and apartment with it. I wish they would keep studio just for programming and have smart graphics as a separate software suite.

Only way to change the look of something in Smart Graphics is to use the Theme Editor in Studio.

The only way to modify or make a new Smart Graphic Object is with the SDK.

So you have two choices:

1) Do nothing and just tweak what can be tweaked in the theme.

2) Spend time developing your own theme which will require Studio and graphics programs a la Photoshop.

Thanks Cynic

Does that mean I can simply add an extra graphic to the existing Black Glass theme or do I need to create a whole new theme?

Pretty sure the image format for Studio is just PNG. There are some great videos and help files on the Crestron Labs site.

All good. I figured it out over the weekend. Not a simple (no pun intended) process though.

I think the core3 software makes doing the complicated things somewhat easier, yet it makes doing the simple things much much more complex.

Thanks for the help guys!

And for those wondering how to do it,

You need crestron Studio.
You need AdobeFlex SDK.
You need Java.

Unfortunately Theme Editor isnt intuitive in the slightest and imho its very buggy and feels cheap and nasty. But it gets the job done once you figure out the steps involved.

If anyone needs any help with it, feel free to pm me. Im no expert but ive learned enough get by for now.

Cheers

scott

Aaron at NTDesigns does a lot with Core 3. I think he has the SDK so he can create skins that work with the Crestron software.

I'm not a big fan of Core 3 because they have limited ability to create completely custom designs, but his stuff is great.

You can create totally customs designs with Core 3, you just need to use Studio to do it.

Is there any kind of help files or videos to help someone new to using these programs?

Thanks,
Bill

If you log on to the Crestron website, i think there is online tutorials for some basic stuff on there. Not so much for making your own graphics in studio, but more so how to use smart graphics in VTPro.