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 CAD / Development / Organizations / LDraw / 4622
4621  |  4623
Subject: 
Re: Color page updated
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw
Date: 
Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:55:17 GMT
Viewed: 
16375 times
  
Nobody ever listens to me on the issue of colors, but that doesn't
mean I'll go quietly...

In lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw, Sergio Reano wrote:
In lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw, Andrew Westrate wrote:
...
So, how about we just add the missing transparent and dithered
colors to the config file?

I don't see why they need to be added to the ldConfig file as long as
they're documented somewhere and accepted as the standard default
LDraw pallette.  The *only* reason I can think of for putting them all
there would be to prevent the Official Color Police from stepping in
and declaring all underutilized colors should be replaced by dull
grey.  But why would anyone in their right mind do that?

Sorry, but I really cannot understand the need to encode dithered
colors.  Personally I think that only colors used for parts should
be coded, while, when you create a patterned part you can choose to
use a "good enough" already coded color or create your dithered one.

The original LDraw defined a bunch of handy numbered colors up to 512,
some of them dithered due to technical limitations at the time.  For
quite a while this was accepted as the universal LDraw pallette.  Now,
over time many of these have been selected to represent real Lego
colors, and some have been tweaked a bit in the ldConfig file to
better match the real Lego colors.  I'm pretty happy with that
approach, as long as the tweaking doesn't change say a reddish color
to a bluish color for no good reason.  With this approach, older
software will always render something that looks close to the current
running LDraw official list of tweaked colors, and people still using
the old stuff will be happy.  Meanwhile any new software can make
things look exactly as intended by the Official Color Police.

Who cares if some of the colors were originally dithered for technical
reasons?  New software doesn't have to dither them.  I'm pretty sure
LDview just averages the two component colors.  I know ldglite does
that and it's just about as old as dirt.  It's easy, and the source
code for both of these is accessible on the sourceforge if you need
help.

But again, is this so necessary? Patterned parts often contains fine
detail where color differences between and existing or a new
dithered color are not so appreciable. Moreover, as a programmer, my
"amatory" software is not capable to evidence that kind of
differences.
...
Yes, you notice the difference between top bricks, but what about
the lower? You have to arrange reflection angle to notice something
so, in my opinion, who cares?

I agree with the spirit of this.  "Close enough" is fine for most of
us.

Finally, don't forget that
- choosing from a too rich palette of colors may waste time
- Many software needs accommodation to support dithered colors

Who thinks 512 colors is too rich a palatte?  I think it's just right.

If dithered colors is a real need then they should be a chosen of
parts creators. Final user applications just show parts created by
their creators showing coded or dithered colors, but users can only
choose the part color.  This way dithered color will be created "on
the fly" (from the software supporting them!) and need not to be
coded!

Stop thinking of them as "dithered" colors!  They don't have to be
rendered that way.  Just don't let anyone force us to turn them all
grey.

Have Fun,

Don



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Color page updated
 
(...) I for one would have been very happy with that approach. That's exactly what I have tried to tell over and over and over again. Could those of you who have their intellectual write protection on, pretty pretty please unlock it for just a few (...) (14 years ago, 4-Dec-09, to lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Color page updated
 
(...) Sorry, but I really cannot understand the need to encode dithered colors. Personally I think that only colors used for parts should be coded, while, when you create a patterned part you can choose to use a "good enough" already coded color or (...) (14 years ago, 4-Dec-09, to lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw)

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