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goMac · Mar 27, 2006, 10:20 PM

Catalyst 0.7 is the first public test release of a new theme editing application. ShapeShifter is supported via the built in DLTA exporter. Catalyst is the first theme editor to run natively on the Intel architecture. In addition, Catalyst's .skin format is the first safe theme format for both the Intel and PowerPC architectures. Users of Mac OS X on both architectures may freely exchange themes without risking conflicts or data corruption due to differences in the architectures. Catalyst's .skin format is also built on Apple's CoreData technology, meaning Catalyst can handle thousands of images in a skin with ease.

Catalyst is different from other theme creation applications in the way that it deals with application skins. On first launch, Catalyst's adaptive algorithm will scan your hard drive, and automatically learn how to skin your applications, including iTunes. No templates required. Catalyst can also adapt to different versions of the same application, allowing you to theme different versions of the same app in the same skin. Catalyst's workflow is also rearranged around application skins. Theme creators first create the application skins for their themes. Then they organize those application skins into variations, reusing application skins when needed. This saves time by not forcing theme creators to copy and paste identical resources between variations.

Finally, Catalyst features a highly optimized workflow. CoreImage is used to provide tweaks for images within Catalyst. In addition, Catalyst's CoreImage implementation is non-destructive, meaning CoreImage tweaks can be undone at any time, whether after you saved or even on another machine. Catalyst displays resources using OpenGL, meaning editing your images inside Catalyst is fully hardware accelerated.

Catalyst is pre-release software. It may contain bugs or unfinished features.

Minimum System Requirements:
Any G3 Mac with an ATI Rage128 or NVidia GeForce running Mac OS 10.4 or better.

Recommended System Requirements:
Either: a) A G4 800 mhz or higher b) Any dual processor Macintosh c) Any Intel based Macintosh
with:
An ATI Radeon 9550, GeForce FX 5200 (Go included), an Intel Media Accelerator, or better

Download here:
http://whitemagiclabs.com/Downloads/...a/Catalyst.zip

G0Ducks · Mar 28, 2006, 01:31 AM

Dear GOD!!!! It finally happened! You released something... haha, just kidding man. Way to go on the release!

R

Binarymix · Mar 28, 2006, 07:20 PM

Ummmmmm ok. So how does one import an exisiting SS or rsrc theme and export in intel compatable format? I want UNO on my intelimac! If it cannot do this, whats the sense for intel macs?

G0Ducks · Mar 28, 2006, 07:23 PM

Yeah! That is a great question. As my mom is going to get me a top notch MacBook Pro 2.0, this will be relevant to me as well.

R

P.S. Sooooo stoked!

Binarymix · Mar 28, 2006, 07:24 PM

How exactly do you apply these skin files for apps anyways? Am I missing something, or is there going to be another app which applies these?

goMac · Mar 28, 2006, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by Binarymix

Ummmmmm ok. So how does one import an exisiting SS or rsrc theme and export in intel compatable format? I want UNO on my intelimac! If it cannot do this, whats the sense for intel macs?

This is a theme editor for theme creation. It doesn't apply themes. You can make themes for ShapeShifter in this program, but even if you bring your themes into Catalyst and export Intel compatible versions, you still need an Intel compatible ShapeShifter to apply them. If you'd like to create themes for use with ShapeShifter on an Intel Mac, this is the program for you.

Binarymix · Mar 28, 2006, 07:32 PM

Ok so there is no point to this program for intel macs as there is no intel compatable shapeshifter. Geez. The way i read your announcement was that you could export an intel rsrc. Why not instead write a useful big endian to lil endian convertor so those of us with intel macs can actually use current themes?

Tick · Mar 28, 2006, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by Binarymix

Ok so there is no point to this program for intel macs as there is no intel compatable shapeshifter. Geez. The way i read your announcement was that you could export an intel rsrc. Why not instead write a useful big endian to lil endian convertor so those of us with intel macs can actually use current themes?

Because that's a silly hack. Come on, think about it. Why do that instead of just updating ss or this themechanger thing gomac is working on to work with Intels?

This is what you get for being an early adopter if you have an intel.

Binarymix · Mar 28, 2006, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by Tick

Because that's a silly hack. Come on, think about it. Why do that instead of just updating ss or this themechanger thing gomac is working on to work with Intels?

This is what you get for being an early adopter if you have an intel.

Come on. It's going into the 4th month of transition. 3 Intel Macs are available, most applications should already be universal. Plus, I don't have an intel mac, I have a PC running OS X. So It's not like I wasted any money on a new machine that wont run certain PPC only apps

And if I had the knowledge to write such a 'hack' I'm sure MANY people would be grateful, as it's taking unsanity forever it seems to changeover to UniBin format.

Tick · Mar 28, 2006, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by Binarymix

Come on. It's going into the 4th month of transition. 3 Intel Macs are available, most applications should already be universal. Plus, I don't have an intel mac, I have a PC running OS X. So It's not like I wasted any money on a new machine that wont run certain PPC only apps

And if I had the knowledge to write such a 'hack' I'm sure MANY people would be grateful, as it's taking unsanity forever it seems to changeover to UniBin format.

It's the 4th month. Big deal. Get over yourself, it's not easy.

Binarymix · Mar 28, 2006, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by Tick

It's the 4th month. Big deal. Get over yourself, it's not easy.

Get over myself? I didn't say they should do it for me, I simply said it should be done. It may not be easy, but I'm sure it's not all that difficult either, hell, 1000's of other programmers have done it already.

I'm just annoyed that certain necessary apps are taking so long to transition. Apps like flip4mac for instance is now necessary as MS isn't updating WMP anymore, and they've been promising a unibin for months now 'it's being worked on'.

Catfish_Man · Mar 28, 2006, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by Binarymix

It may not be easy, but I'm sure it's not all that difficult either, hell, 1000's of other programmers have done it already.

Actually no one has figured out how to do anything like what Unsanity's APE does in a way that works on Intel Macs. Apple has changed some of the kernel stuff it relies on.

goMac · Mar 28, 2006, 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by Catfish_Man

Actually no one has figured out how to do anything like what Unsanity's APE does in a way that works on Intel Macs. Apple has changed some of the kernel stuff it relies on.

Yes, someone has.

Tick · Mar 28, 2006, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by goMac

Yes, someone has.

Cool find.

goMac · Mar 28, 2006, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by Binarymix

Ok so there is no point to this program for intel macs as there is no intel compatable shapeshifter. Geez. The way i read your announcement was that you could export an intel rsrc. Why not instead write a useful big endian to lil endian convertor so those of us with intel macs can actually use current themes?

It's so if you have an Intel machine, you can create themes at native speeds. If you don't, you get nifty new features ThemePark doesn't have.

0.8 will have an Intel Extras.rsrc exporter. It also will have a built in theme engine on Intel to drive the theme preview program (it will not theme other programs). The theme preview program was pulled at the last minute because there was no Intel Extras.rsrc exporter.

As a warning, Catalyst isn't going to like it if you theme by copying files in manually. It need's to access the original Aqua files when it builds it's database. Otherwise it's going to think you're running a "newer version of Aqua." If you're running ShapeShifter I can still grab that original Aqua data, but without ShapeShifter, it's impossible. I'm looking at ways to get around this problem, but until I come up with an alternate way to bind themed resources to their original counterparts it's a problem.

headbirth · Mar 30, 2006, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by goMac

Yes, someone has.

Actually, I think SIMBL was just released as a Universal Binary as well:

http://culater.net/software/SIMBL/SIMBL.php

Catfish_Man · Mar 30, 2006, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by goMac

Yes, someone has.

Neat. This is one case where I'm glad to have my information become out of date so fast

Syzygy · Mar 31, 2006, 05:44 PM

I'm excited, I hope this prompts some competition with themeing, hopefully making progress quicker.

Northwind · Apr 12, 2006, 04:45 PM

Very cool. goMac.

Some thoughts/suggestions, gripes:

This theme editor still has the same issue as Themepark in one respect, an issue that drives me batshit.

I find your interface much more intuitive and friendly than Themepark, but each theme element is still shown alone, naked, as it were, with full theme preview being a completely separate operation. Why not unite the two, so that editing takes place live within a theme preview? There used to be (still is, actually) Windows theming app called Windowblinds. WB had THE best theme editor set-up I have ever seen, in which you looked at a preview of the theme with all elements in their native environment (so to speak) and you could click them to select them then change them, paste in new ones (even move them, which is of course not yet possible on OSX) etc. If you have a chance, please take a look at WB to see what I am talking about. Might be something to shoot for in version 2.