kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Fabrizio Tappero <fabrizio.tappero@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,
desiring smaller buttons is understandable especially if you have a
small screen. But, 26 pixel buttons are (almost always) made for a
specific button size. If you attempt to reduce it to 20 pixel or 18
pixel or whatever, the icon will appear fuzzy. So, in general, smaller
buttons will require a new button set, which mean to design about 450
new images. On the other hand, using a "snap to grid" option Inkscape
and attempt the conversion from 26 to say 20, might give better result
but fuzziness will always be there.

The other thing is, computer monitors are getting denser and denser
(more pixels per inch), this means that icons are getting already
smaller and smaller. The good news is that a monitor like new Apple
iPad could almost (I guess) allow us to resize buttons without having
to draw a new set. This is because one pixel is really tiny.

Current kicad buttons are 26 pixel large, in 2012, this is a small
button and in few years it will be a tiny button. in fact, we should
actually be thinking about larger icons !!

Please think about it.
Cheers
Fabrizio



On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 1:16 PM, Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Some talk has been brewing about providing smaller icons for those running KiCad on a
> microscope.
> I offer some tips here on how to do that most easily.
>
>
> Suggestion as to easiest path:
>
>
> *) switch to DLL/DSO based bitmap lib.  All programs can dynamically link to the *same*
> DLL/DSO bitmap library.
>
>
> *) provide alternate bitmap DLL/DSOs, each containing a different sized set of bitmaps,
> give user the choice at *installation* time.
>
>
>
> There should be no C++ code changes required, most everything can be done from within the
> one file: bitmaps_png/CMakeLists.txt
>
>
> Only exception is the establishment of the PATH or LD_LIBRARY_PATH to the DLL/DSO.
>
>
> Although bitmaps are generated using vector graphics to any practical size, we may find
> that at smaller sizes they are too busy (even though they may be crisply generated using
> INKSCAPE).
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers
> Post to     : kicad-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers
> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp