Hello from Tokyo

Mells

Hi Gideros team and developers,

I'm an art director who decided recently to take a new direction in my life, changing country/lifestyle/language/work and building a publishing company are a few of those multiple steps.
I've been published a dozen of times as a children book's author & illustrator but I'm almost new to app development compared to other users, that might explain why I discover development from a different point of view.
I could see some people here are veterans when it comes to mastering programming languages. It feels good to learn a lot every day and that's why I am here. There seems to be a lot of skilled people here.

I have made some steps with Corona Sdk (I really liked some things but it didn't meet some of my graphic expectations so I started to look around because without any public roadmap I felt that my requirements would be a low priority request).
I use Codea on a daily basis during my commute time. It's fun, creative, and great for learning purpose.

I'm now evaluating Gideros and I am positively surprised by both the framework and the community : users and team members behind Gideros. This framework is amazing.
The control over graphics (blending modes, masks, shapes) already allowed me to achieve encouraging results (for a beginner). As an artist, I like this feeling of creative freedom.

(I don't believe in war between frameworks, there are good things - and people - everywhere and being part of one community doesn't mean one can't be part of another one.)

I hope I can contribute something in the future.

Voilà

ps : For those who would like to know more, my website is in my signature.

gorkem

Welcome! :O) =D> :bz :-h |) <):) =:)

deniz

Hello Mells and welcome!

phongtt

Konichiwa, watashi wa Phong desu

Welcome! I like your artwork!

techdojo

Welcome, you mentioned Codea - I've just installed that on my ipad as way to play more with development. One thing I did notice is that the Codea class structure is very Gideros like (if that helps with your decision) although for rendering Codea uses direct rendering vs Gideros's retained mode model.

phongtt

Talking about Codea, last time I saw this: http://toucharcade.com/2012/04/23/codea-created-cargo-bot-hits-the-app-store/

Impressive, isn't it?

Caroline

Hi, Mells - I love your website art.

GregBUG

welcome Mells! >:D<

Scouser

Hello & welcome @Mells.

techdojo

Cargo bot actually looks (and plays) fantastic - the developer did a first class job with it and I'd recommend ALL ipad owners download and play it!

alexzheng

hi, Mells
welcome!

Mells

Thank you all for the warm welcome, and the words about my artwork.

Why I love lua frameworks
The time I spend and invest on Codea during my commute time helps me to build my skills in lua. Each time I jump from Codea to Gideros I feel that I have learnt something (and gained more freedom), and that is the same from Gideros to Codea.
So for me they work very well together.

Mobility and productivity
The tools that are available today are amazing.

When I have an idea that I want to include to my Gideros project while I'm on the road (most of the time) I can use Texstatic + dropbox, and for my graphic needs Sketchbook + Dropbox (until the amazing Procreate app adds the integration.)

All of that would be even more wonderful if there was in Gideros an option per folder to automatically add to the project all the files that are included in it (hint, hint ).

Add celtX/iMovie to prototype video trailers, oDesk to find contractors, basecamp to work with team members, highrise for crm, mailchimp for our newsletter... and you can work anywhere in the world (actually that's what I've done for years).

In my dreams, an iPad tool to preview Gideros projects would also be wonderful (update file in dropbox, play project) like Codea Play.

As you can see, I love those tools and my tablet, and Gideros fits my toolbox pretty well

techdojo

There has been a fair bit of talk regarding direct Gideros development on the iPad, I seem to remember the current solution involves adding DropBox support to the provided player and then using a dropbox compatible editor to edit the source. The only problem is that you need to make sure you have internet access all the time (either a tethered device, a reliable hotspot or a 3/4G ipad).

Or as you say - use Codea, for my money the two actually work quite well together.

Jon...

Ps. Just noticed the link in your sig and your artwork truly is beautiful, I love the flowing sense of movement you get in the concept sketches for you new project and the style seems to convey a nice sense of classic / traditional Japanese brush strokes.

I want to get more into digital art creation on my new iPad, what app's do you use and do you use a brush or stylus as well?

Mells

Hi Jon, thank you for the kinds words.

>>I want to get more into digital art creation on my new iPad, what app's do you use and do you use a brush or stylus as well?
My favorite app is Procreate. It provides a lot of control on the brushes, the app is very responsive, you can rotate/zoom very easily, the interface is intuitive and clean.
It's a real pleasure to work with it.
On the down side, the import/export functions are lacking in my opinion and I hope they update the app soon.

The second in my toolbox is Sketchbook pro : I don't enjoy painting with it as much as with Procreate (by far) but the import/export options are far better (Psd through Dropbox).

I haven't tried Artrage and Brushes yet but I am satisfied with the ones I own (except the lack of Dropbox support in Procreate).

You will have to use apps to see which one fits your needs. Ask around you.
But even if you buy 2 or 3 of them before finding the one you like (max total amount $20/25), I believe that it's totally worth it. At least in my case it has made me more productive and creative.

I use a Wacom Bamboo stylus, it's not bad. I plan to invest in the Nomad Brush pro in the coming months, but you can start without stylus and see how it feels.
Painting with fingers is not a problem when the app allows you to zoom/dezoom quickly.

Don't hesitate to PM me if you need more informations.

techdojo

Thanks for the update, I'd already got my eye on Procreate - I might just "bite the bullet" and download it, as you said for the price it's a no-brainer. Even photoshop on the ipad is less than £7 (GBP) which is a bit of a difference from the PC version.

I'd also seen the nomad brush - but I was looking for something more "pencil" like, so I'll check out the Wacom one.

avo

I am amazed at the art that people make on the ipad. I would have thought the lack of pressure sensitivity and latency would be a problem, but I'm no artist and clearly it isn't.

I wonder if it is preferable to using a normal wacom tablet? Have you used both Mells?

Mells

@avo
I would have thought the lack of pressure sensitivity and latency would be a problem
It is, for the artists that try to work the exact same way they do on their desktop.
For me this is a different tool, I work differently. I know some that really can't work with it.
About latency it's not much a problem with Procreate, but much more with others.
I guess you get used to it with time.

I wonder if it is preferable to using a normal wacom tablet? Have you used both Mells?
I have owned 2 wacom tablets in my life, been using it for 13 years (both still work).
That's the way I prefer to work, pressure sensitivity feels much more natural.
However, my tablet allows me to work whenever I want, wherever I am (outside).
Sometimes I even prefer to prototype with the ipad on my couch, then move to the laptop. I feel it makes me more creative, but I guess this can be said for any device that allows you to jot down your thoughts frictionless.

The pleasure to draw outside (paper or digital) is unmatchable.
iPad + wacom is the right combo.

avo

thanks for the response. I wonder if apple will ever make the ipad pressure sensitive. I know wacom makes a tablet/monitor but for some reason it's always out of stock or costs like $2,000. I also saw a demo by Microsoft recently where they had a demo tablet running with basically no lag at all. Probably some good stuff to come over the next few years

atilim

if there was in Gideros an option per folder to automatically add to the project all the files that are included in it

added to the roadmap


btw, thank you for such an enlightening discussion. I learnt a lot while reading it.