DIY Layout Creator - Help needed with component icons.

[bancika]

Hi guys,

anyone willing to help out with Java version of DIYLC? I've started to build component library and I need set of icons, one for every component, to be displayed in the library. It will be much easier and nicer for users if they see icons next to component name.

Format requirements: 16x16px GIF file

Btw, keep in mind that software will be used for both schematics and layouts, so it's not so good to use schematic symbol icons for layout symbols in the library. This version will have a bunch of components so feel free to make icon(s) for whatever component you can think of.

Thanks in advance,
Bane

[bancika]

nobody 

[mdh]

I'd love to help, mainly because I use Mac and Linux, so I'd like a Java version of your program.  Trouble is, I can't commit a lot of time right now, and I don't have any experience with Java development.  I'd like to learn, though, and I'm an OK C++ programmer.  I recall at least one post in your sticky thread offering help on a Java version.  Maybe we could get another sticky, or even a subforum for software development?

[bancika]

I don't need help with programming part, just icons for components in gif format...
thanks

[mdh]

That's too bad, I'm always looking for an excuse to pick up another language   For the icons, do you have any design guidelines other than 16x16 px GIF?  E.g., preferred color scheme, background color (or transparent background?), etc.  256 px isn't a lot to work with, so it would be helpful to at least know what to assume about the background.

[mdh]

Take a look at these, see what you think: http://two.ucdavis.edu/~holland/electronics/icons/.  Just dashed off a few of the obvious ones, but there's a lot of room for improvement.

[bancika]

transparent BG would be fine, and components should look something like the one that application draws. Check out the main thread, I put the alpha version to download so you can see how they look there.
Thanks

[dschwartz]

hi bancika!
i will love to help!!!
please send me a list of components you need and i will draw them..
although 16x16 pix is a bit small.. but i can make an effort!
i´ll love to help

[bancika]

Cool, here's a screenshot with everything I have now. Feel free to add any standard component you can think of, sooner or later it will be added too.



Thanks!

[dschwartz]

oh! now i get it,,,
you need the icons for the menu..
ok working on that...

[bancika]

yeah, running man starts to be annoying

[jasonsmusicgear]

I'm sorry I don't have enough experience to help with graphics but I do have a suggestion for this version.  It would be very helpful if the traces would turn red when selected just like the solder pads do.

Thanks for this wonderful tool

Jason

[bancika]

they will turn red, thanks!

[Pushtone]

You may already know this but, I would recommend creating the icons at a resolution that is x10 the final size.

Drawing at 16x16 will be a big pain and you will be fighting with each pixel.

It would be a lot easier to draw them at 160x160 and then resize them for final output.

[bancika]

It's not that simple, if you do not use anti-aliasing when resizing it will look like a crap. If you do, there's good chance it will look blurry. Anyways, shoot the ideas and we can all decide which are the best.

Btw, I got an idea to have component file describe icon the same way it describes component itself. That way, I wouldn't need to carry icon file along with XML file for every component...

[bancika]

yeah, this doesn't look bad

and it's integrated inside component file, one line, two end points and a rectangle.

[dschwartz]

bancika, i have rady a first set of icons..
i need your mail

[scaesic]

Take a look at these, see what you think: http://two.ucdavis.edu/~holland/electronics/icons/.  Just dashed off a few of the obvious ones, but there's a lot of room for improvement.

These look really good to me, could be perfect with a bit of tweeking (i.e the chip legs arnt too noticible, and the diode would be better in black with a white stripe, and slightly different size to the resistor, electrolytic cap would be better blue, and the top of it isnt perfectly round), no one else noticed them?

[ezanker]

I am in no way a graphic artist, so hopefully you'll get some much better submissions, but do you like something like this for the schematic images?


Erik

[bancika]

Hey guys,

I really like the idea of drawing icon the same way as component (from component file) rather than using image files for two reasons:
1) we don't need two files per component, makes things much simpler
2) it allows me to make icons look as close to the component that's drawn on the layout.
With that in mind I drew my own icon set, please feel free to comment


Thanks all for joining.