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control panel project question

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dubstylee:

I am starting to work on my first from-scratch control panel.  I have done some layout design using the online design tool located here: http://mirrors.arcadecontrols.com/Move360/Launch.htm

I have read elsewhere in the forums here that SketchUp is a good tool to use to design your layout.  I installed it last night but haven't gotten started using it yet.  I am basically looking for feedback regarding what software to use to design my layout so that I will be able to print the controls off for placement on the wood to get exact markings for cutting holes, etc.

Also, I am wondering what would be the right software to use to design artwork for the control panel once I have the design finalized.  I am basically going to be building a control panel similar in design to the x-arcade 2-player tankstick with trackball, with some minor modifications such as Asteroids buttons, etc.  I am going to build the control panel as a stand-alone unit, with a motherboard inside, so that it will be portable and able to connect to any monitor/TV/etc. that has the correct inputs.

Thanks for any feedback! 

dkersten:

I use illustrator and photoshop, but I am not sure there are any trial or free versions you can use. 

For the measurements and scale layouts, anything that lets you work in some kind of vector format is best. 

For artwork, unless you are well versed in drawing with vector tools, it is best to use a program like photoshop to do your art, even if you are piecing together different pieces of art you are downloading.  There are a lot of free programs out there to "paint" with, but every one of them will take some time to get familiar with and achieve the results you are after.  In any case you should be able to save your vector layout in PDF and bring it into the art program you use as a raster image, just keep the DPI the same so the scale stays the same.  For Control panels and marquees I work in 300 dpi so the print quality will be great, and the side art in 150 dpi which is still decent enough but not so massively huge that your computer will struggle with it.  For reference, your screen is usually 72 or 96 dpi, so if it looks good on your screen, it will look good in print at even 150 dpi.

dubstylee:

Alright, looks like I will probably be using Photoshop to do the artwork.  I am wondering if I should use Photoshop to design the layout as well?  I basically want to make sure that the layout of the controls matches the artwork exactly, as I am going to be labeling some of the buttons.  I saw that there are sample cabinets and other panels people have made in SketchUp, is there anything like that available in a .psd or something, so I would be able to copy/paste the buttons and things and move them around as needed in Photoshop?

EMDB:


--- Quote from: dubstylee on August 14, 2014, 01:23:48 pm ---Alright, looks like I will probably be using Photoshop to do the artwork.  I am wondering if I should use Photoshop to design the layout as well?  I basically want to make sure that the layout of the controls matches the artwork exactly, as I am going to be labeling some of the buttons.  I saw that there are sample cabinets and other panels people have made in SketchUp, is there anything like that available in a .psd or something, so I would be able to copy/paste the buttons and things and move them around as needed in Photoshop?

--- End quote ---
Almost everybody uses the button / joysticks from Slagcoin:  http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html

you can import the (300dpi) images in Photoshop / Illustrator / ... for the exact locations.

MaxAsh:


--- Quote from: dubstylee on August 14, 2014, 01:23:48 pm ---Alright, looks like I will probably be using Photoshop to do the artwork.  I am wondering if I should use Photoshop to design the layout as well?  I basically want to make sure that the layout of the controls matches the artwork exactly, as I am going to be labeling some of the buttons.  I saw that there are sample cabinets and other panels people have made in SketchUp, is there anything like that available in a .psd or something, so I would be able to copy/paste the buttons and things and move them around as needed in Photoshop?

--- End quote ---

First tip for Photoshop method: if you haven't done so already, make sure your ruler guides in Photoshop are turned on (they're not by default in most cases). This allows you to perfectly size your design work so everything comes out in the printing exactly as planned dimension-wise.

My method was pretty simple. I designed my CP artwork in Photoshop using a whole bunch of layers (background, individual images/characters/etc) and kept them all separate. This allowed me to move things around freely and adjust the CP design as I went. Very useful.

For the button planning I used a similar method. I made sure all my artwork layers were underneath and then created a white (easier to see in my case) button hole to the exact dimensions of what the hole would be on the CP. From there, I began creating multiple layers for the holes in the CP. I initially had them broken down on a per-hole basis, but as I became satisfied with the layout I began merging layers like "Player 1 buttons" and "Start Buttons" etc. Once it's all manageable, you can go ahead and shift things around as needed, controlling the various layers separately. Takes a little time, but in terms of planning it's absolutely great. I found myself, even towards the end, shifting some of the artwork images slightly, or tweaking some buttons here and there. Good luck!

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