I’m happy to announce that I have just released a huge update to Stipple Effect! This update massively extends and improves the scripting API, the preview window and the onion skinning system.

Preview window

This update finally makes preview windows useable! Preview windows are now embedded in the main program window by default. There are always embedded when the program is fullscreen, but can be configured to render in a separate window when the program is windowed. Both embedded and separated preview windows can be resized.

The preview window viewport is more similar to the workspace viewport now. It can be zoomed without affecting the preview window size, panned with the hand tool, and centered.

Keyboard actions affect the preview window when the mouse is hovered over it. For example, pressing Space to toggle play/pause will play or pause the contents of the preview window rather than the workspace if the mouse is hovering over the preview window when Space is pressed.

The update also adds the ability to run preview scripts on projects per-layer, meaning that preview scripts no longer necessarily flatten projects when previews are re-imported into Stipple Effect as new projects.

Scripting

v1.2.0 gives script writers a lot more power. You can now call other scripts from within a script, as well as perform “Save As” operations programmatically with the addition of the save_config type.

The API documentation has been rewritten to a higher standard and to reflect the updates in v1.2.0.

Onion skinning

Onion skins have been overhauled. You can now configure onion skins for non-linked layers with the following settings:

• types of onion skins
  • simple translucent
  • outline
  • color tint
• hue: outline and tint skins have a customizable hue
• look ahead/back up to 6 cels
• fade factor: opacity drop-off from one frame index to the next
• render onion skin under or over the cel contents

Each of these settings can be applied separately to onion skins ahead of and behind the active frame cel.

What’s Next?

I have big plans for v1.3, which will be centered around a command-line tool that will enable users to test and run scripts without the UI.

However, before I start working on that, to make the program and its technical features more accessible, I will be working on the DeltaScript language specification and the Stipple Effect documentation, and I need your help! If you are a Stipple Effect user and a fluent English speaker with good technical writing skills, I would love for you to help me with the documentation. You can do this by forking the documentation repository linked above, making changes like correcting typos or adding content, and submitting a pull request for my consideration. I will be sure to write a contribution guide ASAP to go into more detail.

Changelog

You can find the changelog on GitHub.

Happy stippling!