Sinfg v0.01.x
* README Documentation
* $Id: README,v 1.5 2002/02/01 07:56:56 darco Exp $
* Copyright (c) 2001 Rob Quattlebaum
* http://www.sinfg.com
Distributed under the GNU GPL
* See 'COPYING' for more details
*
-- INTRODUCTION -------------------------------------
This package contains the alpha release of the Sinfg resolution-independent image manipulation and composition package. When the package is complete, it will allow the expression, manipulation, and synthesis of many resolution-independent image constructs. These include, but are not limited to, fractals and vector graphics.
The internal Sinfg "engine" is based on a very simple concept. "Compositions" are a collection of "Images". Images are a stack of "Layers". Unlike in programs like GIMP or PhotoShop, where layers are static bitmaps, Sinfg layers can actually affect and distort the layers below them. One way to think of it is like this: Where GIMP stacks static images on top of each other, Sinfg stacks filters on top of each other.
While this is the first public release of Sinfg, it is not the first incarnation of it. To date, this code base represents the start of a third complete re-write of the Sinfg concept.
The "Sinfg Project" consists of two packages:
- The Sinfg package (this package)
- The Sinfg Studio package
Sinfg Studio is the GUI interface to creating Sinfg compositions (hereafter called SIF files). Currently, Sinfg Studio is in the planning stages. However, a version of Sinfg Studio was written for the previous Sinfg codebase that I mentioned earlier. If you have seen screen shots of Sinfg Studio, that's probably what you are looking at.
The Sinfg package conceptually consists of two parts: libsinfg(Hereafter called the "library") and sinfgtool. The library contains everything necessary for a program to load, save, manipulate, and render SIF files. At the risk of stating the obvious, every program that needs to do any sort of Sinfg manipulation, even if no rendering is involved, needs to link against this library.
Sinfg Tool is a command line program for rendering SIF files to target picture formats, such as png or tiff. It was designed with the intention that it may be integrated into the build process of larger projects.
If you want to play around with Sinfg, as I'm sure you are since you took the time to download this package and read this file, I point you to the examples directory. In that directory, you will see a number of examples SIF files that you can render using sinfg tool. SIF files are in plaintext, so you can edit them using Vi or emacs easy enough. The SIF file format is simple enough that you should be able to understand it fairly quickly.
More detailed information regarding this release can be found in the file named "RELEASE_NOTES".
If you have any questions, comments, rants, or raves, don't hesitate to drop me a line. This is my first open source project, so be gentle. :)
-- SINFG TOOL ---------------------------------------
Sinfg tool is a fairly straight-forward utility. It is invoked as 'sinfg', and accepts parameters on the command line such as a list of files to render, how to render them, what resolution, etc. To get a good description and list of what the syntax is, try typing:
sinfg --help
This will list out all of the command line options and other syntax information that you need to know. HINT: Use the '-p' argument to display a progress meter!
Have fun!
- Rob Quattlebaum darco@users.sf.net