Update to virtualtex needed?

[Adirondack]

The general attitude expressed in this thread simply made me ask why I should go on spending my time for this. It appeared that many users find it way easier to reproach me being unpedagogical, instead of studying first carefully the manuals of THEIR OWN operating system (Windows)!

Fridger,

does this mean you will not provide neither an updated virtualtex nor the nmtools?

Suggestion:
Write a manual and answer questions with: RTFM! (as long as the manual answers the question in fact)

Adirondack

[Adirondack]

My two cents concerning NetPbm:
I did not install NetPbm and virtualtex works well without it on my XP machine (with an older Cygwin version).

Seems to be smarter not to install the current version...

Adirondack

[cartrite]

Adirondack wrote:

I did not install NetPbm and virtualtex works well without it on my XP machine (with an older Cygwin version).

Seems to be smarter not to install the current version...

Amen to that. Let this serve as a warning There is a "global settings keep button" at the "right top" of my setup installer. That's supposed to preserve your current installation. Not sure if it works though, and a little too late for me to find out.
cartrite

[cartrite]

Alright, here is what I did.
1. Cleared out Cygwin from the regristry
2. Installed Cygwin with zsh 4.2.6-1, bash 3.1-6, ash 2004127-1
3. Installed Image Magik via the IM setup for Windows.

The zsh is broken as far as virtualtex is concerned so I probally need a prior version that is unavailable thru the setup installer. When I run zsh and input command identify -format %x%h earth-0,png it returns different output then bash does. Bash returns the correct output. Then virtualtex runs correctly if you edit it to work with bash.

cartrite.

[t00fri]

I have just confirmed again that at least virtualtex 1.03 (try it!) runs well with the latest cygwin installation and using zsh on my core 2 duo notebook.

But I found that the present (quite old) ImageMagick 6.04 does not run on the core 2 duo. I installed the native win32 version (static, 6.30, 8bit/pix = Q8). It runs very well. Even the command-line paths are automatically set up.


Bye Fridger

[cartrite]

I have just confirmed again that at least virtualtex 1.03 (try it!) runs well with the latest cygwin installation and using zsh on my core 2 duo notebook.

But I found that the present (quite old) ImageMagick 6.04 does not run on the core 2 duo. I installed the native win32 version (static, 6.30, 8bit/pix = Q8). It runs very well. Even the command-line paths are automatically set up.


Bye Fridger

I used ImageMagick-6.3.0-0-Q16-windows-dll.exe to install Image Magik.
When I run zsh with the command identify -format %x%h it returns

Code: Select all

28.35 PixelsPerCentimeter2048

Bash returns 2048x2048

cartrite

[t00fri]

I have just confirmed again that at least virtualtex 1.03 (try it!) runs well with the latest cygwin installation and using zsh on my core 2 duo notebook.

But I found that the present (quite old) ImageMagick 6.04 does not run on the core 2 duo. I installed the native win32 version (static, 6.30, 8bit/pix = Q8). It runs very well. Even the command-line paths are automatically set up.


Bye Fridger

I used ImageMagick-6.3.0-0-Q16-windows-dll.exe to install Image Magik.
When I run zsh with the command identify -format %x%h it returns

Code: Select all

28.35 PixelsPerCentimeter2048

Bash returns 2048x2048

cartrite

I don't think it's zsh. It's rather the Q16 version that I had installed yesterday. Meanwhile I use Q8 of ImageMagick 6.30.

Here is the cross-check:

with zsh I get for identify -format %x%h titan.jpg

78PixelsPerCentimeter2048

If I run the DOS cmd shell that has never heard of zsh I get precisely the same output!

Bye Fridger

[cartrite]

I'm having other problems with Image Magik. I tried both 16 bit versions dll and static and the 8 bit static and they all have this defect.
When I run convert -crop 2048x2048 earth.png earth-%d.png it produces 2 tiles earth-0.png and earth-1.png Fine.
When I run virtualtex on earth-0 everything works fine but when I run virtualtex on earth-1.png, I get this error

convert.exe: geometry does not contain image 'earth-1.png'

When I look in the folder there are 4 files tx_0_0.png.......tx_1_1 that are 1024x1024 and 4 files out-0.....out_3 that are 1x1.
When I crop earth.png manually with the gimp and then run virtualtex, I don't have this problem.

I'm going to look for an older version of Image Magik and see if this is only affecting the new version.

[cartrite]

Just checked my old Image Magik I had installed on my H drive. Version ImageMagick-6.2.3-Q16.

Now I remember correctly. I think I always got that error when I tried to run virtualtex on images that were croped by convert in png format, I know the gimp has a problem with them. When I open an image with the gimp that was croped with convert only the first image of the cropped group opens correctly. The others have offsets that are out in left field somewhere and the image looks fully transparent. This can be corrected by decompossing and compossing and using the result to replace the originals.

I always used bmp format .convert - crop 16384x16384 earth.png earth-%d.bmp. Then I did a batch convert on all of them back to png for the larger textures I vt'd. That checks out fine.

I don't know what's going on with zsh though. The newer bash does the same thing I think. I mean about Identifys output.

cartrite

[cartrite]

Alright,
I ran zsh and the dos Command Prompt with idetntify -fromat %x%h earth.png both returned 4096x2048 with PATH = H:\Programs\ImageMagick-6.2.3-Q16

[BrainDead]

To all interested in the benefits of VT's, a further note to explain the
confusion, aggravation, fuzziness in understandings here...

First of all, I wrote the "Dummies Guide to VT's" in an effort to help those
of use who do NOT have PHd's when exploring further capabilities of our
favorite program. The posted explanation on this forum is also quite
aged by now. It's possible that it could do with some further updating.

Please understand that I truly am "Brain-Dead" when it comes to understanding
some of the technical, programming, and physics associated with our "Fun"
exploration of the universe. Dr. Schrempp, while being "pedagogical" in some
regards, at least takes much time out of his highly demanding,
extremely technical, and thoroughly time-consuming
professional responsibilities to try and help those of us who in fact DO have
less education and experience in the vagaries associated with explaining the
known universe.

For this, Doctor Schrempp deserves our undying gratitude for his help.
For the life of me, I don't understand why people wish to criticize the
Good Doctor for expressing himself Honestly. Scientists deal
with what they know (or percieve) to be the TRUTH, and the Doctor may
not always realize when he's implying criticism.

This, however, should not draw criticism from us. This behaviour deserves
to be encouraged since the person asking a question can always
expect a truthful answer from the Good Doctor.

At any rate, I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
DOCTOR SCHREMPP.

I - as a Brain-Dead working man, have ALWAYS appreciated your help.
Please feel free to be as "pedagogical" with me as you like. I LOVE it.
Your "pedagogery" is a VAST improvement over "Politically
Correct" answers which please everyone, but do NOT convey the
information which needs to be imparted to the user requesting help.

Of couse, you should ALL remember that I don't know anything either.

[bh]

What he said.

[LoneHiker]

I have just confirmed again that at least virtualtex 1.03 (try it!) runs well with the latest cygwin installation and using zsh on my core 2 duo notebook.

And I have confirmed that virtualtex 1.03 works using bash. Here is the link:

http://www.celestiaproject.net/~t00fri/virtualtex_1.03

I don't know what is going on with 1.04 though. But at least this is progress.

Lone

[cartrite]

I just installed the updated the cygwin files and with PATH = H:\Programs\ImageMagick-6.2.3-Q16 I Got the same results.
zsh returned 4096x2048

So there must be something different about the newer Image Magik. My problem was that somehow after the first time cygwin updated by mistake and my PATH must have changed to the Image Magik 6.0 that was installed in the cygwin folders.

Unfortunately, The only windows binaries I could find at the Image Magik site were 6.3. So those of you who have older versions of Image Magik should guard them with your lives.

cartrite

[cartrite]

Alright, This my last post about this. I'm gonna count my blessings.
The zsh gave the correct output pointing to ImageMagick-6.2.3-Q16 but virtualtex ver 1.04 did not work with the newest files in cygwin. I had to go thru the whole thing again. Trying in reinstall it by downgrading ash, bash, and zsh didn't work either. So I
1. Cleared out Cygwin from the regristry
1a. Deleted the Cygwin folder.
2. Installed Cygwin with zsh 4.2.6-1, bash 3.1-6, ash 2004127-1
Now virtualtex ver 1.04 works again with bash.

[LotharS]

Hi Fridger,

I'm addressing this to you specifically just to let you know I understand why you may be loathe to take on problems people may have with virtualtex and Cygwin. There are just so many variables--from user error to line ending issues to changes in Cygwin--that it would be a never ending prospect!

Understand I'm not asking for support from you--I know you are very busy and you have much better things to do! I'm just including the information below to illustrate how I've come to understand your position and also to show the kind of confounding problems that can rear up.

----------

I tried running 1.04 again, starting from scratch. Running in bash I get a totally different error message now:

Code: Select all

$ virtualtex test.png 2048 png

 tilesize =  2048192
")syntax error: operand expected (error token is "

This is very curious because as far as I can tell from the script that line is simply an echo that should read:

Code: Select all

tilesize =  2048

Removing these lines:

Code: Select all

echo
echo "Texture size = " $texturewidth "x" $textureheight "tilesize = " $tilesize
echo "Number of tiles =" $(( ((texturewidth/tilesize)) * ((textureheight/tilesize)) ))
echo "Image format of tiles:" $tileformat
echo
echo "Tile: "
echo

Gets the script running, but the tiles are named out1.png out2.png etc. In other words, the rename function mv is being ignored for some reason. I get this error after the tiles are created:

Code: Select all

$ virtualtex test.png 2048 png
")syntax error: operand expected (error token is "

Obviously the totally different initial error message means a problem was introduced on my side. I read about the issue of Unix line endings in the original thread and I wouldn't be surprised if that has something to do with it. I understand copy-and-paste is a no-no and I saved the link as a file. But Firefox saves it as HTML and IE saves it as a text. I don't know if that could be a contributing factor. (I removed the extensions, of course. All editing was done in nano or a Unix-aware text editor.)

Lone

A very good feature of bash and zsh is inserting a "set -x" directive in the script (best directly after the 1st line#!/bin/zsh). This causes debug-output to be echoed to standard error (ie. the console). Especially, any variable assignment can be examined very easily.
The debug output can be stopped by inserting a "set +x".
Although this doesn't remedy the situation, it should help to determine whether the script is at fault or any tools.

[cartrite]

Hi Fridger,

I'm addressing this to you specifically just to let you know I understand why you may be loathe to take on problems people may have with virtualtex and Cygwin. There are just so many variables--from user error to line ending issues to changes in Cygwin--that it would be a never ending prospect!

Understand I'm not asking for support from you--I know you are very busy and you have much better things to do! I'm just including the information below to illustrate how I've come to understand your position and also to show the kind of confounding problems that can rear up.

----------

I tried running 1.04 again, starting from scratch. Running in bash I get a totally different error message now:

Code: Select all

$ virtualtex test.png 2048 png

 tilesize =  2048192
")syntax error: operand expected (error token is "

This is very curious because as far as I can tell from the script that line is simply an echo that should read:

Code: Select all

tilesize =  2048

Removing these lines:

Code: Select all

echo
echo "Texture size = " $texturewidth "x" $textureheight "tilesize = " $tilesize
echo "Number of tiles =" $(( ((texturewidth/tilesize)) * ((textureheight/tilesize)) ))
echo "Image format of tiles:" $tileformat
echo
echo "Tile: "
echo

Gets the script running, but the tiles are named out1.png out2.png etc. In other words, the rename function mv is being ignored for some reason. I get this error after the tiles are created:

Code: Select all

$ virtualtex test.png 2048 png
")syntax error: operand expected (error token is "

Obviously the totally different initial error message means a problem was introduced on my side. I read about the issue of Unix line endings in the original thread and I wouldn't be surprised if that has something to do with it. I understand copy-and-paste is a no-no and I saved the link as a file. But Firefox saves it as HTML and IE saves it as a text. I don't know if that could be a contributing factor. (I removed the extensions, of course. All editing was done in nano or a Unix-aware text editor.)

Lone

A very good feature of bash and zsh is inserting a "set -x" directive in the script (best directly after the 1st line#!/bin/zsh). This causes debug-output to be echoed to standard error (ie. the console). Especially, any variable assignment can be examined very easily.
The debug output can be stopped by inserting a "set +x".
Although this doesn't remedy the situation, it should help to determine whether the script is at fault or any tools.

This is actually being caused by different things at once,
1. The newest Image Magik has changed it's output for the identify -format program. Virtualtex expects the output to be formed as pixelsxpixels, ie 2048x2048 when using a command identify -format %wx%h file. The newer versions of Identify output "28.35 PixelsPerCentimeter2048" which causes the virtualtex sript to fail.
2. The newest bash and zsh may only be indirectly involved. When I tried to reinstall the older versions they still didn't run virtualtex. I have a feeling that some of the deps needed buy the newer zsh and bash are really causing the problem.

$ virtualtex test.png 2048 png

tilesize = 2048192
")syntax error: operand expected (error token is "

It would seem that this is being caused by how the newer shells are reading the input from the user . That line should only echo what was entered on the command line when virtualtex was run. This still has an unknown cause.

Anyhow this will probally cause problems down the road. I'm not messing with it anymore now. That is until I have to.

[LoneHiker]

Cartrite,

I concur. I did have some line ending issues earlier, but those were resolved and aren't related to these other problems. Good work.

Lone