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Dragon T · 04:57 PM

Here is a new Theme... still in beta version.
Let me know what you think
=)

(old link... deleted)

New version!!!...
beta 3
http://dragon-tongue.com/2004/BrassPaper3b.guiKit.sit
(new link)
2Megs download

mac15 · May 29, 2004, 07:05 AM

Really interesting looking theme, the menus are hard to use. Really hard to use infact. One thing I do like is the scrollers. Top notch work on them

DigitalEl · May 29, 2004, 07:28 AM

Preview please.

wigglywoo · May 29, 2004, 09:05 AM

I think this could become a nice diversion from all the aqua variants we get. The menus are better than any I have seen for ages, works fine with the general look and feel.

DT has been around since the days of Kaleidoscope OS 8.x he has done some excellent work. I have always found his style to be a nice change from all the ultra realism stuff. Think of a Zelda game menu, have fun with it, isn't that what creating themes is all about.
Keep up the good work mate.

phillryu · May 29, 2004, 10:56 AM

Wow, cool! I'm not a huge fan of the menubars, they're highly unusable for me... but the texture work, I didn't even know was possible! Also, I love the progressbars... though they easily jerk around if CPU usage is high. Good work!

Luca Rescigno · May 29, 2004, 11:10 AM

Yes, I'm not at my Mac so I can't download and install the theme. What does it look like? Screenshot please?

sixz · May 29, 2004, 11:26 AM

More like SandPaper than BrassPaper.
Theme where you might get sand between your toes.

An unusual sandy GUI - I am a heavy CM user and the
'rope ladder'/bolsa wood effect is not for me, it's still
very unusual and 'thinking differently' is always good.
Like how the desktop text has been changed to
a golden shimmer of textual color.

Please post a theme snap.

Zimphire · May 29, 2004, 11:47 AM

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
Preview please.

BurningBright · May 29, 2004, 12:08 PM

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
Preview please.

BurningBright · May 29, 2004, 12:14 PM

SitHHtiS� · May 29, 2004, 12:21 PM

F U L L

cmove · May 29, 2004, 12:43 PM

Original

Phoenix1701 · May 29, 2004, 12:54 PM

To all those who denied that Mac OS X theming could ever be a viable vehicle for original, Kaleidoscope-esque themes, I say: told ya so.

I don't know why exactly, but something about the inner glow effect you're using for the controls just works on a very visceral level... I want more.

Be careful of spacing (in your Safari theme, especially; the nubs at the end of the toolbars put the whole thing off-balance a little), and I'd definitely rethink the menus -- readability is very important, especially when your theme is somewhat low-contrast to begin with -- but overall, this is a really, really classy theme.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to finish those scrollbar arrows! If I had those, I could start using this.

Jaos · May 29, 2004, 01:05 PM

Looks awesome

NetworkShadow · May 29, 2004, 01:06 PM

Originally posted by cmove:
Original

Not my color, but really nice in it's own way.

Sage · May 29, 2004, 01:09 PM

Well, looks like DT is the next big innovator in themeing.

(Which, in the past, was a title taken by Iawa and ButtO'sigh, but it looks like they're settling down a bit.)

I love the ingenuity behind this theme... the ladder menus, the scrollbars, the close/min/max widgets, and even the little "tick" slider (with the little pointer receding when clicked). All I can say is keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing more themes from you.

phillryu · May 29, 2004, 02:53 PM

Oh, and Dragon T, congratulations on officially taking over the forums

Just alluding to the fact that like half of the threads are authored by you

Jaey · May 29, 2004, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by cmove:
Original

Yes. I'm not sure how much I really would use it, but it's original and well made.

MacDog · May 29, 2004, 03:11 PM

I agree with several others... while nicely done, and creative � the menus are totally unusable for everyday work.

I do like the textures & colors!

decursive · May 29, 2004, 04:02 PM

the layer-effects world of kaleidoscope finally finds mac os x.

Ozzpot · May 29, 2004, 04:07 PM

Good to have some Dragon Tongue goodness back in our World. I loved the K2 schemes. They frequently have an ancient or worn look to them, like old, worn gold or weather-beaten rock. We have been lacking this kind of thing on OSX for so long. Surprising given the popularity of things like The Lord of the Rings and all that. This theme is very in keeping with those old K2 schemes. Quintessentially Dragon Tongue - very textured, consistent and well executed.

I agree that the menus are too complicated and hard to use though. They're okay if you have an uncluttered desktop and simple desktop pic, but when you have a browser open for example, the transparent divider parts and pretty transparent menu items make things quite hard to see. I'd like to see a simpler and more opaque variation, (like the Latium variations).

In general, good work!

kwyjiboy · May 29, 2004, 04:15 PM

The menus are quite interesting. Looks like a rickety wood bridge with all kinds of boards missing. Since every menu is different, it will never look static.

sushiism · May 29, 2004, 05:38 PM

why do people no longer give previews showing aqua windows. There are more aqua apps than metal apps

Dragon T · 02:09 AM

good morning guys
I posted my BrassPaper theme last night, and woke late this morning to find 22 replies already.
=)
I have tried to push as many boundaries as I can in the building of my themes, to see what can and can't be done (which is why some things may appear to work with varying success). There are still some more boundaries I can see to push.
Aqua is very limiting in some areas, though surprisingly allows some things I hadn't expected.
Tis funny how some things like these transparent menus can be liked by some people and disliked by others.
(There is an Aqua and Graphite version by the way)
SitHHtiS�'s preview is showing the graphite version which has the darker (almost woody) appearance. I didn't like this one as much... a bit distracting and inconsistant.
(The texture noticably stretches to varying degrees depending on the width of the menu)
The Aqua version is lighter and a little smoother.
I think I will keep a transparent/invisible menu version, but there does need to be an 'opaque menu' version as well. I had an earlier opaque beta version that worked quite well.

I am uncertain about the menu bar effect... I may bring out a flat continuous version.

phillryu:
yes the menus do seem to act a little sticky in some apps... I can't for the life of me see why they should do that though. The menu components are pretty standard size wise... they shouldn't really be effected by cpu usage, as far as I can tell.

The title bar shape in the non metal windows will change. It is a bit uneven and doesn't work as well as I thought. I think the centre section will eventually line up with the widget section. I will also bring out a flat topped version for those needing a more normal feel.

SitHHtiS�:
Thanks for the preview...
At first I thought there was some sort of bug where the double bar appears down the right hand edge of the menus... but I realise now that that particular menu is extra wide. That other bar would not normally ever show up.
By the way... I like your desktop setup.=)
Are all the transparent bits on your desktop created by Konfabulator?
And what are the dark buttons in the menubar created by?
I also notice that the title text in your preview sit a pixel lower than mine does... that's odd.
(maybe a different font from normal?)

Phoenix1701:
yes the nubs are interesting...
I put them in, just to see if I could control the shape/texture down the sides.
You can as long as it is done within the corner section.
(It would appear that the corners may be able to be quite large)
In the metal window, I have graduated the transparency of the inner parts of the corners and stretch sections allowing the background texture to show through.
Thanks for reminding me about the scrollbars... I have mine both together at the bottom, so I sometimes miss the single one at the top. If you set the arrows to the bottom the beta version will look better for now. (better beta) =)

The nubs line up well with the finder buttons... but are totally out of alignment with safari's buttons. tis a pity their sizes/positions don't match.
It is surprising how much non-standard variation there is with Aqua.

Sage:
Thanks for that... I see Izawa as one of the great innovators of beautiful themes, though there are probably about 3 or 4 others way up there as well.
For me, I tend to work in bursts of frantic creativity. I spray my energy in many directions.
Some days I focus on making music... (GarageBand is a cool recent toy)
some days I may spit out a pile of icons...
(by the way, is the a grypher type app for osx?) (there could be a hole in the market for someone if they wanna try making one of these)
some days I stretch and pull at ThemePark (hence all the questions...)
and some days I go to work.

I like to work fast... and have the need to learn fast.
I have been absent from gui creation for almost 2 years now and I have a lot of catching up to do.
(phillryu: hence the forum usage, I'm trying to absorb as much knowledge in this area as fast as I can)

and thanks for all the comments guys. I do appreciate the feedback. =)

Dragon T · May 29, 2004, 08:21 PM

graphite version, preview thanks to Jeff at interfacelift.

Frisbee · May 29, 2004, 08:44 PM

Originally posted by Phoenix1701:
To all those who denied that Mac OS X theming could ever be a viable vehicle for original, Kaleidoscope-esque themes, I say: told ya so.

So show me a theme with window borders, and the titlebar on the bottom of the windows. OH, WAIT. Shapeshifter can't do that.

Mighty_Mike_T · May 29, 2004, 09:16 PM

Whoa. This looks incredible. I'm off to give it a try...

TheSpaz · May 29, 2004, 09:19 PM

Frisbee... you're an idiot.

Dragon T · 04:15 AM

"faulty post"... deleted. =)

Dragon T · 04:16 AM

"another faulty post"... deleted. =)
sorry about that.

Dragon T · May 30, 2004, 06:12 AM

new version !!! =)
beta 3
2Meg download
http://dragon-tongue.com/2004/BrassPaper3b.guiKit.sit
enjoy
=)

himself · May 30, 2004, 07:25 AM

I haven't kept up with the themeing for a while, but this is the most original OS X theme that I've seen, and at the same time is very well done... I know some folks that should really like this.

also, SitHHtiS: what is that calendar/weather thingy on your desktop?

Frisbee · May 30, 2004, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by TheSpaz:
Frisbee... you're an idiot.

Why, because I pointed out that Shapeshifter still has a long way to go before it reaches the Kaleidoscope level of theming/scheming?

NetworkShadow · May 30, 2004, 11:13 AM

Originally posted by Frisbee:
Why, because I pointed out that Shapeshifter still has a long way to go before it reaches the Kaleidoscope level of theming/scheming?

The problem is that we know that already, and we've heard it form you before.

Phoenix1701 · May 30, 2004, 12:57 PM

Originally posted by Frisbee:
So show me a theme with window borders, and the titlebar on the bottom of the windows. OH, WAIT. Shapeshifter can't do that.

Well, here's your theme with window borders:

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...window+borders

As for the titlebar on the bottom of windows, I don't recall ever saying that ShapeShifter was feature-for-feature identical to Kaleidoscope... I could just as easily ask you to show me a Kaleidoscope scheme with true 8-bit alpha transparency in its controls. I think the case that Mac OS X is mature enough to permit real creativity has been made quite soundly, so I will not waste your time making that point again.

I also find it odd that you should bring ShapeShifter into the discussion, as I was referring to the Mac OS X theme engine itself... you may wish to be more careful with your comments, lest you come across as having an agenda of some sort.

Dragon T · 05:20 PM

Originally posted by Phoenix1701:
here's your theme with window borders:

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...window+borders

Yes, metal windows can have borders... of any size.
but they are not dragable.
And the middle 'fill' sections of the borders are stretched, so some textured surfaces become difficult to achieve.

...putting B3 into a new thread...

eyevaan · Jun 1, 2004, 12:54 PM

I have been using this for a few hours...

that gear on the vertical scrollbar is too much. I think I spent 20 minutes today just staring at it. I am easily amused.
The textures are insane! paper, rock, brass bars (on rollover)
:jawdrop:

your work has paid off. We get to see something new.
thx a bunch

Only two issues for me.
If you have the arrows apart in the appearance prefs the top arrow is not themed.
The column sliders are not themed.
but this a beta so I will wait.