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FFD and meshes are really cool, but I'd like to see more tool support in the editor. For example, many times we just want a logo to bulge out or pinch in. To do this, we have to click and create at least a 4x4 grid of control points (maybe more depending on the size). Since the control points are placed visually, the resulting grid is never perfect. Then, to make a bulge, you have to take your best guess at how far out to scoot each control point - and those results are never perfect.

Are there any plans to support some more automation in the Spine tools for meshes?

Maybe something along the lines of the Photoshop warp transformation tool, with the ability to define how many control points in the grid?

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Or the text warps, also using a configurable, automatic grid:

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I know a number of people have asked the same question here and there, though I like that you point out the feature clearly.

That said, this isn't something most 3D engines are built for (which are built around the language of triangles and polygons and common graphics library features) so it's far from something standard.

But as the next generation of games comes along, and hand-drawn-and-painted-2D games are becoming more common and devices become more powerful, I think support for it is an interesting question, even if the feature it's far, far, FAR into the future.

You should know that it's not something that most engines with limited APIs can support. I think that's something that factors a lot into what can and can't go into Spine.

All I can do is guess though. I'm not part of Esoteric. :p

Thanks for the thoughts. I posted this in the Editor forum because it's something that the current FFD Runtime can already support. It's purely a workflow, editor tool request. If the Editor let me just make a uniform grid of X by Y points, that would be a huge start. The next step would be to allow deformation of those points using bezier handles or warp algorithms - all just in the Editor, just to make mesh key frames.

You may have thought I was asking for these controls at run-time?

I was assuming you were after the image fidelity of the Adobe's warp tools.
That was what my reply was about. It applies to both the editor and runtime because the editor's kinda built on the libGDX runtime.
That's what is required for it to work exactly like it does in Photoshop or AfterEffects.

But I guess you were only after the handles and don't actually mind the triangle-y, polygon-y results? Skinning can kinda do that already, sans the ability to make a mesh with an even grid. Controlling the weights for that would a bit weird right now though, plus it would definitely be unusual if you're used to the warp bezier handles.

Otherwise, yeah, Shiu mentioned that they're planning a lot of extra tools for manipulating mesh vertices.

Great. All I'm advocating for is more tools around creating meshes and manipulating them. I like the canned warp effects in Photoshop for Arc and Bulge, etc. and think it would be a great addition as a way to manipulate meshes. Same goes for the bezier handles. The fidelity (and runtime performance) in Spine would of course depend on how many mesh control points you make in your grid.

6 months later

You can already create a uniform grid, click reset in edit mesh, the generate. If the mesh had vertices in the four corners it'll generate uniformly.

Better tools to manipulate the mesh have always been in the plans. You described how they could work very well, thanks. We started with the very basic foundation, then added auto weights, more stuff is to come!