— Globe Creation Tutorial —

Welcome to the Silvas Digital digital snowglobe creation tutorial. This tutorial is intended to guide a digital artist through the tasks necessary to create a snowglobe based on our digital snowglobe technology and the artist’s own visual content.

Contents

1. Prerequisites

• Raster graphics editing software with layer and Adobe® Photoshop® PSD file support.
  (Adobe Photoshop, Corel® PHOTO-PAINT®, and Corel/Jasc Paint Shop Pro® should work fine.)
• Operational knowledge of your graphics editing software.
• Computer capable of running the digital snowglobe software.
• Review the applicable package/pricing and terms of sale details.

2. Globe Definition

The first step in snowglobe creation is to decide on the size, shape, and attributes of your new snowglobe. This can be done interactively with the help of a specially built version of our snowglobe software that has been enabled to accept external globe definitions—Our “Silvas Digital Snowglobe Demo” is such a version.

After you download the above snowglobe and verify that it works on your system, you will be able to proceed with globe creation. The snowglobe program will be looking for external globe definitions and generating graphics templates in the same folder/location in which it resides—That being the case, you may want to copy it to whichever folder you will be working out of for this creation project, and run it from there. (Note that by default, when the snowglobes are run directly from your desktop, they hide their executable files/icons while they are active—In case you were looking for the file and couldn’t find it!  ;)

During globe definition you will want to have the globe Size set to Auto. Under the software’s Advanced menu you will also want to have the Monitor Size/Feel setting fairly accurately set—reflecting your system’s display characteristics.

Now that you have the snowglobe software ready, you will want to download this globe definition text file and save it to the same folder/location that the snowglobe program will be running from during this creation process.

— The Globe Definition File —

The globe definition file will allow us to specify the size, shape, and attributes of a globe, and then have the snowglobe software load that globe for our review.

To be recognized by the snowglobe software, the globe definition file must be a Unicode text file (.txt) named “GlobeDef”, and it must reside in the same folder/location as the snowglobe software. (You can edit the file in any text editor or wordprocessor that supports Unicode text files—Windows’s Notepad is just fine.)

Before you edit the file, start the snowglobe program and verify that it is seeing the external globe definition—When you right-click on the running snowglobe, you should see a “[New Globe]” available on the snowglobe’s Scene menu. Feel free to select this globe to load it and see how this works.

When you have the snowglobe successfully loading the external globe definition, you are ready to begin modifying and reloading the globe definition file, in pursuit of your desired globe. There is no need to close the snowglobe program between globe definition file modifications—After modifying and re-saving the globe definition file, simply switch back to the snowglobe program and press <F5> to reload the modified globe definition.

— The Parameters —

There are twelve parameters in the globe definition file that allow you to define your globe . . .

<Globe Name>/<ASCII Rendering>
These parameters allow you to specify the name of your globe. The <Globe Name> parameter is a Unicode text parameter, allowing you to name your globe using characters from practically any language. The <ASCII Rendering> parameter allows you to specify the “fall-back” rendering of your globe’s name, which will be used on Windows 98/Me systems. The value of both parameters must be specified, and each must be enclosed in quotation marks. (The ASCII rendering doesn’t have to be an English translation or anything, but it can’t contain anything but the ASCII characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, !"#$&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[\]^_`{|}~)

<Type>
Our snowglobe software currently supports three basic shapes: Ellipsoids, Chopped Ellipsoids, and Half-Capsules—Specified in the definition file by 1, 2, or 3, respectively.

<Production DPI>
The <Production DPI> parameter allows you to specify what resolution the graphics of your globe will be produced in—Basically, what your globe’s “native” resolution will be. (More on this at a later date. Note, though, that our software uses a different resolution scale than the 72/96/120dpi you may be used to. Most of you will be just fine leaving this parameter at 125.)

<X/Y/Z Radius>/<Tube Length>
The X/Y/Z radii and <Tube Length> parameters allow you to specify the dimensions of your globe, as illustrated in the following graphic:

Note that the <Tube Length> parameter is not used with full (non-chopped) ellipsoids. Note also that the <Z Radius> is not shown—the <Z Radius> specifies the depth of your globe, so it can be thought of as being similar to the <X Radius> but sticking straight into the screen (or straight out of the screen, if you’d prefer).

The quotation marks ( " ) after these parameters in the definition file signify that they are measurements in inches—Feel free to replace the quotation marks with either cm or mm to specify metric measurements.

<Shell Thickness>
The <Shell Thickness> parameter simply allows you to specify the thickness of your globe’s shell (i.e. the thickness of the virtual plastic or glass the globe is made out of).

<Shell/Fluid Refraction Index>
The shell and fluid refraction index parameters allow you to specify the refraction (i.e. light-bending) characteristics of your globe. The shell refers to what your globe is made out of, while the fluid refers to the fluid (usually water) inside your globe. The globe definition file you downloaded notes some common refraction index values. (For visual quality reasons, we’ll likely reject orders for globes with effective refraction characteristics straying too far from “water in plastic/glass”, but you might find it kind of cool to play around.  ;)

<Desktop Mode Scale>
The <Desktop Mode Scale> parameter allows you specify a rough starting value for the scale at which your globe will be displayed when in Desktop Mode. This value in the globe definition file is just a starting point—You will specify the final value for this later in the creation process, in another manner.

3. Template Importing

Once you have your globe defined as you would like, it is time ask the snowglobe software to generate template graphics that will help guide content creation in your graphics editing software. You ask the snowglobe software to generate these template graphics by pressing either <Enter> or <Spacebar>. Generating these template graphics can take the snowglobe software quite a while—thirty seconds or longer is not uncommon. While the snowglobe software is generating these templates, it will “go gray” and stop responding to mouse clicks/etc. (Windows may even declare that the program is “Not Responding”.) After the software has completed the template generation, it will return to normal operation and it should have created six BMP graphics files in its current folder/location—each with the prefix “Template--”.

You will want to create a new file in your graphics editing software in which you will be creating the visual content for your globe. Into this file you will want to import the six generated template graphics, each as a separate layer/object. (Similar to when creating graphics for the World Wide Web, if your graphics editing software supports color correction, you will most likely either want to disable that feature, use your graphics editor’s “Web Graphics” setting, or similarly specify that you will be working in or targeting the sRGB colorspace.)

Template--Backdrop
There is nothing terribly special about the Backdrop template—It simply exists to provide a raw backdrop for your globe creation, should you have the need for such. Though it is just a snapshot of your desktop at the time the template graphics were generated, you may notice that it has, along with the other template graphics, been rescaled to the <Production DPI> resolution specified in the globe definition file. (As was mentioned when discussing the Production DPI parameter, we’ll perhaps provide more details on this at a later date. Again, most of you will be just fine using a Production DPI of 125 and creating your globe content at the higher level of detail.)

Template--Layer 0 (Optics)
The Layer 0 template is the main template you will be creating your globe’s visual content around. It is a rendering of the backdrop with your snowglobe’s optics effects applied to it—This is basically your empty globe, without any illumination highlights. This layer should be placed on top of the backdrop layer, exactly aligned with it. (Note that neither the backdrop nor this Layer 0 will actually become part of your final globe product—They are merely references to assist you in creating your globe content.)

Template--Layer 0m (Optics Mask)
The Layer 0m template is the opacity mask for your globe’s optics layer—It is basically the mask of your globe shell, should you find having such helpful in your globe creation. The solid gray area surrounding the mask is simply filler so that the mask layer template is the same size as the Layer 0 template—to assist in alignment. Even if you don't make use of it, please do keep this layer in your globe’s graphic file, correctly aligned, as it will later save us time when processing your globe order.

Template--Floor
The Floor template is intended to be a rough indicator of how the “floor” of your globe appears, as its image is affected by the refraction of your globe. Its edges are a bit rough—not as accurate as the Layer 0m mask, but it can provide you with a good reference for the shape of your snowglobe’s floor. This template should be aligned to the upper-left, black corner of Layer 0m. It is probably not worth making a mask out of—It is probably helpful enough to just set this layer’s blending mode to Screen (as opposed to Normal, Dodge, Burn, etc.) and just use it as a reference.

Template--Layer 2a (Desktop Mode Display)
Earlier, when discussing the globe definition file’s <Desktop Mode Scale> parameter, I mentioned that you will actually specify your globe’s Desktop Mode scale later in the creation process, in another manner . . . Using the Layer 2a template is what I was referring to.

Rather than deal with the pains of repeatedly resizing all your globe graphics, trying to determine just how small your globe should appear to match our Desktop Mode clock/etc.—All you have to do is resize and position this Desktop Mode display sample so it fits in your full-sized globe to your heart’s content, and our globe creation process will figure out the rest of the scale and placement details.  ;)

The Layer 2a template should be placed above the templates mentioned so far, and, though it will not be an exact representation of how the Desktop Mode display will actually appear, its layer blending mode can be set to Hard Light.

Template--Layer 4 (Illumination)
The Layer 4 template is an automatically generated illumination layer for your globe. It is included both as a sample and as a usable illumination layer for those who would rather not spend the time creating their own from scratch—You are free to use it as is, modify it, or discard it completely and create your own.

The Layer 4 template, if you are using it, should be placed above the other template layers, aligned to the upper-left, black corner of Layer 0m, with its layer blending mode set to Screen.

4. Globe Layers

Once you have your template layers in place it is time to create the visual content for your globe. The visuals of a globe are actually seven graphic layers—anywhere between two to five of which are created by you in your graphics editor.

The layers are “painted” by the snowglobe software in order, with Layer 0 on the bottom (i.e. the first to be painted) and Layer 5 on top. The Normal blending mode is used for all layers but Layer 4, where the Screen blending mode is used instead.

Though the Screen blending mode is used to render the illumination layer (Layer 4), our snowglobe software currently only supports grayscale screening, so if you desire colored illumination effects, you will have to get those in another manner. (Please contact us if you need help with that, etc.)

The purpose and use of Layer 2a is covered in the Template Importing section. Like Layer 2a, Layer 5 is specific to your globe’s Desktop Mode appearence—It is a normally blended layer that can be used to add visual elements to your globe which are only displayed when the globe is in Desktop Mode.

To help decide whether a particular element of your globe belongs in Layer 1, 2, or 3, you can simply go through the following question sequence:

As an example, the layers which make up our “Skating Couple” globe are shown to the right, along with a rendering of all the layers together. Its Layer 2a positioning is not shown, nor is its unused Layer 5. (We’ll soon be making a raw copy of its base available for any who would like to use it in their own globes—Check back soon or contact us if we take too long.  ;)

Note that though in its final form your globe will exist in the specific layers described in this section, if you have worked much with digital graphics you already know that it is best to keep a master copy of your work around, containing all of your “working layers”, to allow for future editing, etc.  ;)

5. Ordering Your Globe

When you have your globe content completed, it is finally time to order your snowglobe!

Step 1:  Prepare Content for Submittal
Prepare a copy of your multi-layered, globe content graphics file to be submitted with your order . . .

The file should have layers 1, 2, 2a, 3, 4, and 5 (if you have a Layer 5), as discussed in the previous section, along with Layer 0m, as discussed in the section before that. The file should NOT have any other layers—especially not the Backdrop and Layer 0 template layers.

The file should be saved as a Photoshop PSD file. (If for some reason that’s not working for you, please feel free to contact us and we’ll see what can be done.  ;)

Step 2:  Fill-Out Supplemental Order Form
Download, fill-out, and save a copy of our supplemental order form to submit with your order.

Step 3:  Pay Order Costs
Pay the order costs associated with the snowglobe package you are ordering . . .

Step 4:  E-Mail Order
Finally, send us an e-mail—from the same e-mail address used to pay for the order—with the following files attached:

• Globe Definition File (GlobeDef) (From Section 2 of this tutorial.)
• Globe Content PSD File (Prepared in Step 1 of this section.)
• Supplemental Order Form (Prepared in Step 2 of this section.)

And that’s it!  =D

Assuming there were no complications with your order, we should deliver your new globe via e-mail (and download link), usually within 2 business days.

6. Q&A

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have. Thanks much!  ;)