The VRAM Editor

N-Paints VRAM editor allows you to quickly and easily transform image files into .TIM files for use on the Sony Play Station. The VRAM Editor also provides a way for you to manage VRAM memory in the PlayStation, making the most of this platforms resources.

• Sony PSX VRAM structure
• Image tile parameters
• Using the VRAM editor

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What is the VRAM Editor?

• Conversion of image files to Sony TIM format.
• Placement of TIM images in the Sony Playstation VRAM.

You load images into the VRAM Editor, then use its features to ensure that these images are placed as efficiently as possible in VRAM. When you have placed your images in VRAM, you can save them out to TIM format.

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Sony PlayStation (PSX) VRAM

Figure 8.1 The VRAM Editor Canvas

Display Area

Figure 8.2 Double Buffers in the Display Area

Changing the Size of the Display Area

Figure 8.3 The Resize Display Area pop-up menu

To choose a new value for width, (CLICK-L) on one of the button in the pop-up menu.

Image Tiles

• The physical size (number of pixels) of the image
• The color depth of the image, or number of bits required to describe each pixel

Color Depth, Image Size, and VRAM Requirements

In much the same way, reducing the absolute number of pixels in an image (its linear dimensions) also reduces the amount of VRAM required to store it.

Note: Although you can reduce image dimensions using the VRAM Editor, this may result in unpredictable distortion. We recommend that your final images be 256x256 pixels or smaller before you bring them into the VRAM Editor.

Texture Pages

Image Tile Placement Rules

• Image tiles cannot overlap
• Images cannot be larger than 256x256 pixels

N-Paint's VRAM Editor will offer you an opportunity to reduce in size images you try to import which are larger than the PSX maximum.

• An image cannot occupy more than 4 texture pages.

For example, a 256x256 16-bit image consumes four texture pages of VRAM. It must be located carefully, however, so that it does not occupy part of a fifth page.

The VRAM Editor will not allow you to place a tile in an illegal position. When you are moving tiles around on the VRAM Editor canvas, the border of the tile will change color to reflect the legality of the current position.

• A Blue border indicates that a tile is legally placed.
• A Red border indicates that a tile is illegally placed.

Figure 8.4 256 x 256 texture map. Left, legal placement; Right, illegal placement over portions of five pages

Color Lookup Tables (CLUTs)

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Workflow with the VRAM Editor

Figure 8.5 Workflow with the VRAM Editor

Source Images are loaded into the VRAM Editor. Source Images can be full-color (16-bit), in which case there is no palette associated with them. However, color mapped images can also be loaded into the VRAM Editor. Color mapped images have an associated palette (CLUT), which contains color definitions. Many images can reference a single CLUT. You can create color mapped images from full color images using N-Paint's Color Reduction tool.

Once images are loaded into the VRAM Editor, you must place them onto the VRAM Canvas. For color mapped images, you must also place their associated CLUTs in VRAM. Once you've arranged the image tiles on the canvas, you must save the images to disk in TIM format. You must also save the VRAM configuration to disk if you want to use or edit it in the future. The VRAM configuration is saved to disk as a layout file. TIM images and layout files are saved to the same directory. A given directory can only contain a single layout.

Note: Because a directory can only contain a single layout file, it's a good idea to name your directories in a way which reflects the nature of the layout they contain, e.g., GameLevel1, GameLevel2, etc.

TIM files store their own addresses in VRAM as part of the file. They also keep track of which CLUT they are associated with and where it is stored in VRAM.

Using the VRAM Editor

Figure 8.6 The VRAM Editor menu

Images which have been loaded into the VRAM Editor are listed in the VRAM Editor menus. The name of the source image is listed in the leftmost field; the fields to the right show VRAM parameters such as size, color depth, location in VRAM, associated CLUT, etc. These are described in detail below.

The buttons and other controls on the right side of the VRAM Editor menu let you manage and manipulate image tiles. You'll use these commands to open image files, load them on to the VRAM Editor canvas, and control the manner in which they are positioned in VRAM. These commands are discussed in the next section.

Image Tile Parameters

Image Name

• (CLICK-L) on this field to select an image.

In many circumstances, you must first select an image or images before you can perform certain operations on them.

To select more than one image at once, (SHIFT-L) on the name fields for the images you want to select.

Alternatively, you can (CLICK-L) on an image tile on the VRAM Editor Canvas to select it.

• (CLICK-R) on this field to perform various operations on the image. When you (CLICK-R) on the image, the following pop-up menu appears:

Figure 8.7 VRAM Editor Image Operations pop-up menu

• (CLICK-L) on Paint image to send the image to the N-Paint canvas and enter Tools mode.

  
  

• (CLICK-L) on Color Reduction to send the image to the Color Reduction canvas and enter Color Reduction mode.

  
  

• (CLICK-L) on Remove to remove an image from the VRAM Editor Canvas and menus.

  
  

• (CLICK-L) on Export to TIM to export the image in TIM format to the current directory.

  
  

• (CLICK-L) on Save Image to save the source image.

Note: You can (CLICK-R) on any image tile in the VRAM Editor canvas and get the same pop-up menu.

Size

Palette Name

Selecting Another Palette

• (CLICK-L) on the Palette Name field, and select a palette from the pop-up menu which appears. You may also select None.

Figure 8.8 Palette operations pop-up menu

Size

• 15-bit images have direct color and no CLUT.
• 4 and 8-bit images have CLUTs.

Changing Bit Depth

1. (CLICK-R) on the Image Name field.

2. (CLICK-L) on Color Reduction.

W/H

Figure 8.9 Confirm auto-resize of source image

You can change the Width or Height of your images. To do so, (CLICK-L) on the Width or Height field and enter a new value.

Note: Use caution when changing image dimensions in this manner, as changes to the dimensions of your images might have unpredictable effects on the appearance of the image. You may wish to consider sending the image to the Paint canvas and using the Scale or Crop commands to change the dimensions of your images.

Location

• (CLICK-L) on the W or H field to manually edit these values.
• You can also change the memory location of an image tile by dragging it to it's new position. While you're moving an image tile around the VRAM Canvas, the color of the tile's border will change depending on the legality of its position.


• A red border indicates that the tile is not in a legal position.

  
  

• A blue border indicates that the tile is in a legal position.

Pal. Loc.

Trans

Lock

Placed

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Vram Editor File Operations

Specifying the TIM Directory

To specify the current directory:

• (CLICK-L) on the Directory field at the top of the VRAM Editor file operations menu, and enter a new directory name.
• (CLICK-R) on the Directory field to use a standard N-Paint Choose Directory pop-up to choose or specify a directory.

Managing Images, TIM Files, and layouts

You manage images with the Image Operations menu. To see the Image Operations menu, (CLICK-L) on the file field.

Figure 8.10 VRAM Editor Library controls

• Select lets you to select an image from among those loaded into memory.
• Open lets you open and load an image from a file on disk.
• Browse lets you use a browser to select images. You can use browsers to display image icons, allowing you to select images by appearance rather than by name.

To display icons in a browser, (CLICK-L) on Options>Icons.

• Revert reloads the selected image from disk, undoing any changes that have been made to the image since it was last saved.
• Save lets you save the selected source image to disk.
• Save As lets you save the selected source image to another filename.
• Save Many lets you save any or all of the source images currently loaded into the VRAM Editor. Selecting this option brings up a dialog box like the one in Figure 8.11.

Figure 8.11 The Save Many dialog box

You can change the name, directory, or file format of any of the images listed in the dialog.

• Rename lets you rename the selected source image.
• Copy lets you copy the selected source image to a new file.
• Delete removes the selected source image from the VRAM Editor menus, and removes it from memory.
• New Layout allows you to create a new layout. (CLICK-L) on New Layout, then use the Choose Directory dialog which appears to select a new current TIM directory.
• Save Layout saves the current layout to the current layout directory.
• Load Layout lets you load a layout from disk.
• Export Selected saves selected images to TIM format.
• Export All saves all images in the VRAM Editor to TIM format.

Sort Images By

Figure 8.12 Sort Method pop-up menu

• Image Name sorts images alphabetically by name.
• Palette Name sorts images by their palette name.
• Palette Size sorts images by the size of their palette.
• Width sorts images in least to greatest order by width.
• Height sorts images in least to greatest order by height.
• Tile X sorts images in least to greatest order by their VRAM X coordinate.
• Tile Y sorts images in least to greatest order by their VRAM Y coordinate.
• CLUT X sorts images in least to greatest order by their CLUTs VRAM X coordinate.
• CLUT Y sorts images in least to greatest order by their CLUTs VRAM Y coordinate.
• Transparency sorts images by the state of their transparency toggle. Transparent images are listed first.
• Locked sorts images with Locked images first.
• Placed sorts images, with Placed images first.
• Selected sorts images, with selected images first.

(CLICK-L) on Abort to exit this menu without sorting the images.

Layout

• (CLICK-L) on Save to save the current VRAM layout to memory.
• (CLICK-L) on Restore to restore the VRAM layout to the last saved configuration.

TIles

Placing Tiles in VRAM

• (CLICK-L) on Place to place all unplaced tiles in VRAM.
• (CLICK-M) on Place to place all selected tiles in VRAM.

You can also place and unplace tiles with a (CLICK-L) on the Placed? toggle at the right end of the VRAM Editor menu.

Note: Placing a tile in VRAM toggles that tiles Placed field.

Removing Tiles from VRAM

• (CLICK-L) on Unplace to remove all unlocked tiles from the VRAM Editor Canvas.
• (CLICK-M) on Unplace to remove selected tiles which are not locked from the VRAM Editor Canvas.

Init.

Note: Init not only removes tiles from the VRAM canvas, but also removes them from the VRAM Editor menu!

VRAM Editor Setup Parmeters

Stop at failure?

Use Dos filename?

Copyright © 1996, Nichimen Graphics Corporation. All rights reserved.