How to create CP overlay after the fact?

[pmc]

My cabinet CP has been mechanically assembled for well over a year now. I play on the machine more than I work on it. I've had other priorities so I just work on a little bit on the cabinet at a time now. I'd like to finish some of the obviously incomplete components and the CP is the biggest one of them.

I can't figure out the best / easiest way to apply a graphics overlay to an already completed CP.

What I have is a 3/4" MDF surface with all the holes in place and the buttons and joysticks installed. There's no paint or anything fancy in place. The j-stick mounting screws are countersunk so I have a flush surface on the top. I intend to temporarily remove the controls and wiring so that I can route a matching lexan top. I can add the artwork into the middle of the sandwich when I cut the lexan. Then I'll just reassemble.

The problem? I free-formed the original CP layout so I don't have a scaled PDF or Visio of the layout. So when I create artwork, it cannot have elements that are location sensitive (like button labels or arrows around the joysticks) because I can't line them up in the right place when I create the art. I'd like to be able to do that if I can figure out a way.

I can use something generic like marble contact paper and be done with it. But I don't really like that look. And flat black is boring. I can create something with character art and get it generally in the right place. But would it be possible to add button labels like "Player 1 Start" in the right place? Is it possible to use another labeling system overlayed with the artwork? I think that clear P-Touch labels would look pretty hacked.

I'd love some suggestions from anyone else who did this ass backwards like me. I got too excited when I built the cabinet last summer and wanted to get it up and running really fast. So I blew the holes, wired the CP and never looked back! Until now. I'm getting sick of looking at that brown MDF panel with black smudge marks on it (from the use)! Time to purty it up!

TIA!

- pmc

[Grasshopper]

Carefully measure the position of the holes on your CP then make an exact scale model of your CP using a CAD or drawing program. Once you've done that you simply design your arkwork around the model.

You'll need a program that allows direct co-ordinate entry. Most decent drawing programs and all CAD programs have this facility.

There is a good freeware version of TurboCAD available. I used it to design my panel and I'd recommend it for this sort of task.

[Robopede]

You should be able to position labels etc. easily. Even if you're using a simple paint program, you can always position things by pixel location. For example, lets say your CP is 20 inches wide. You'll want an image file that's at least 150 dpi, so your picture will need to be at least 20 * 150 = 3000 pixels wide. Therefore, pixel number 1500 would be exactly in the middle. Pixel number 150 would be one inch from the left. To place an item in a certain location, just multiply inches * dpi to get the pixel location you need. As Grasshopper mentioned, most programs allow more sophisticated positioning methods, but the end result is still pixel position.

This method only applies to bitmap images.

[Stormy151]

You could do a background, and cut out the areas where the sticks and etc are located.

Then create all of your labels or other elements as decals or stickers and apply them where you want them.

Finish the thing off with a piece of clear lexan.

Not the most elegant solution, but once the lexan was on it'd be hard to tell...

[Xiaou2]

 You could scan the entire control panel.  HP makes a nice
scanner that dosnt need a bottom section - so you place it directly on the surface to be scanned.

  Once scanned, it would serve as a template to work with.

  The HP see-thru base-less scanners cost 100$ or less.

  Or actually...  you could do a rubbing.   Putting paper over the blank control panel... then rubbing charcole chalk (or pencil, maybe even crayon...) across the hole areas will leave nice lines where the edges are.   Scan the rubbing in... then you have your template.

 However... if you do a rubbing... make sure that the paper is thick enough to not distort or stretch. (too thick and youd have trouble with getting the lines to show)   Also make sure you clamp it down well on all sides so that it wont move durring the rubbings.

 Being that it will take many scans to put together... make a few distance marks on the edges of the rubbing paper before you scan it.  This will help to line up the parts when you pop the multiple scans back together.
That is... unless you just decide to cut it into smaller sections.


 

[Nannuu]

I also say measure the locations from one of the corners (X,Y).

Coreldraw is really great for locating parts and making dimensional layouts.  You can type exact dimensions as well and import any of the vector graphics from the arcade library as well as make your own vector stuff.  You can also add jpegs or any other raster image as well.  You can get an older version really cheap (like 19.95 or so).  

[Gunstar Hero]

No better time to drill a new one I always say! =)

That's what I'm gonna end up doing anyways. Make a change here, an adjustment there, if you're gonna be drilling new lexan, you can do it all at once, yes?

If not, just make a big template when you take the CP apart, and just "freehand" it.

[FractalWalk]

Create a uniform square grid in Visio (e.g. 1/2" by 1/2" boxes)
Print out the grid
Lay the grid on your CP and mark everything.
Transpose the markings onto your Viso file.
Import Viso template into Illustrator
Add artwork.

[pmc]

Wow. You guys are great. Lots of ideas here.

I've been brooding over the "dissable, measure, Visio-based-on-measurements" plan. My worries have been simple:

While I spend weeks doing the (correctly placed) artwork, the damn CP remains disassembled and I can't play the machine. I think that's why I've been dragging my feet anyway. The worry that someone will come visit and want to play just after I've taken it apart...

it's really cool, trust me. You can't play it, but if you could, you'd be impressed. Of course it works! No I'm not making this up! Yes, M-A-M-E. Oh forget it!

Or I'll start jonesing for Robotron right after dissassembly. So I was hoping for an idea that would allow me to do the artwork while the CP remained assembled. I think that's just my latent laziness coming to the surface.

So now I'm really digging Gunstar's "drill new holes!" idea. I had not thought of that for some reason. I have lots of extra MDF anyway, I can rework the layout a bit without touching my original CP (which I can still play!), I can switch to 1/2" so that I don't have to figure out the whole 3/4" plus lexan plus t-molding thing. This is a great idea. Except that I cannot easily start from my existing CP layout because I still don't have the measurements!   But I can measure off the assembled board accurately enough to get started. And I can fix some of the little things I don't like in my existing CP. And I can take my time now and not mess with the playable machine until I'm ready to move the controls over.

I also like the disassemble and measure plan. I have both Visio and Illustrator and lots of artwork ideas. Drawback is having no CP during the detailed design stage.

And I like FractalWalk's grid idea too.

I like 'em all. But I think I'm going with "drill new holes". How'd I get so attached to a 21" bit of holey wood in the first place?!  

Thanks guys!

- pmc

[Gunstar Hero]

Awww jeah!

Drill pmc! For everlasting peace!!