Nomen
Copyright © Nobun 2010-2011
License: GPL v3
Using the Sff Editor
Here we assume you read "Loading, Creating and Edit an Sff". Read it if you didn't do before
1. Adding / Removing Images
The button "Add image" allow you to add one or more image at one time. Images (if more than one at a time) will be added in alphabetical order (in the same order they appear in loading window). During the addition, Nomen will try to see, for every image, if palette used by image is already in list or not. If it is not in list, Nomen will also add the palette in list and will decide an arbitrary value.
Unlike "Add Image", the "remove image" remove ONLY one image at time. Remove Image will remove the image you are actually seeing
2. Searching Image / Navigate Sff
The button "Search Image" allow you to search a single image. You can search an image also passing a groupno only. In that case, Nomen will return the first image in Sff with that groupno.
You can also navigate Sff throughout the scroll bar
3. Zooming and Background
You can Zoom in or Zoom out the images. Every click to "zoomin" will increase (* 2) the ratio of images viewing, while every click to "zoomout" will decrease (/2) the ration of images viewing. There is also a central Zoom button that is able to restore zoom ratio to 1:1 (original / true size).
There is also a scroll bar under zoom buttons. You can change background color (default: black)
All those changes are only for view. They didn't have any type of effect on Sff itself.
4. The Palette Section
The palette section is not a palette editor. Palette Section is a Window that shows you palette infos, divided in two sections:
Extra Palettes -> this is for sffv2 usage only. Extra palettes are, basically, the alternate colors for your character. Usually Extra Palettes will be added as group 1 and will be from 1,2 to 1,6 (becouse palette 1,1 is used by sprite). You can Add palettes, Remove palettes, or Reduce palettes to 32 colors (see note). When you add extra palette by groupno, Nomen will check for free (unused) itemno for that groupno. Usually it is only for group 1 (that has 1,1 used) so you should use for group 1 and obtain palettes from 1,2 to 1,6
Used Palettes -> this section, normally, doesn't require any type of change. If you followed the instructions described before in section "Creating a New Sff". An "Edit Palette" is available to allow you to change groupno of pal if you require to fix the palette 1,1 assignement (see "the importance of pal 1,1") or if you require to Reduce Palettes to 32 colors (see note)
NOTE: 32 colors image support (for sffv2 only) is a little advanced and works differently than in sprmake2. See "Sff and 32-colors"
5. Advanced
5.1. Palette automation system
When loading a new palette from an Sffv1, from a new image that has a new palette not already present, Nomen will assign an arbitrary value.
Nomen will check for first groupno free (starting from 1). So this is why it is very important to add to add as a first image one of that images of main character: the first palette auto-defined will be the palette 1,1.
5.2 the importance of palette 1,1
Palette 1,1 is very important for characters. Palette 1,1 behave in similar way in Sffv1 and Sffv2.
Sffv1 -> Images that refers to palette 1,1 will be the "shared images". All other images (images with palettes NOT 1,1) will be the individual ones. If you plan to save an Sffv1 remember that the function of palette 1,1 (in Nomen) is to distinguish from shared images (main characters images) and individual images (like big portrait, or other images that uses different color set)
Sffv2 -> Images that refers to palette 1,1 will be managed by Mugen 1.0 when loading characters. Infact Mugen 1.0 will apply (instead of palette 1,1) the palette 1,x (where "x" is the color selected). So, for example, Mugen 1.0 will replace palette 1,1 with palette 1,2 (from images that uses that pal) if you selected color 2 for that character
5.3. Sff and 32-colors
Nomen will support the 32-color reduction for sffv2 usage only (if you try to save 32-colors image in sffv1, Nomen will re-expand palettes, filling unused colors with color 0,255,0).
The Elecbyte Sffv2 format allows you to manage those particular type of images (5-bit) that normally doesn't exist. This allow, in particular, to save a lot of space more on HDD when saving Sff, this thank of the advantaged lz5 compression format (also rle5 format available, but less efficient).
Nomen is able to decode all type of sff and can also create a 5-bit images archive in sff with lz5 compression. This a low a better performance than using rle5 or using 8-bit images with rle8 compression.
Unlike sprmake2, you cannot decide what colors to remove. When you decide to reduce palettes to 32-colors (5-bit) all colors from color 32 to color 255 will be removed. So, if your images use less than 32 colors, be sure (before reducing palette) that those images don't use color index higher than 31 (as usual color 0 is for background in Mugen).
Another problem is that, if you reduce palette, you will not see any changes in images viewed in SffEditor. You must control before proceeding.
If you are not sure, don't use color reduction.
Performance comparison:
Nomen is not as efficient as sprmake2 when using lz5 compression. However is more efficient than using official sprmake2 rle5 compression. Here is the comparison results if you try to build kfm.sff
Sffv2 5bit-comparison:
Sprmake2 -> lz5 compression -> 201,6 kb (206.449 bytes)
Nomen ----> lz5 compression -> 214,6 kb (219.734 bytes)
Sprmake2 -> rle5 compession -> 298,1 kb (305.288 bytes)
(Sffv2 8bite comparison: exactly equal as sprmake2)
5.4. A note about how Nomen writes in Sffv1 Format
Sffv1 format is very lacked. Any person who used winmugen had the experience about the sffv1 colors bug. Nomen tryes to avoid this problem, forcing a particular (and tested) order of images during saving. THe sequence of the images, in the binary sff file, will be this one:
Characters:
First Image: 9000,0 (short portrait)
Following Images: Shared Images Group0
Following Images: All other shared Images
Following Images: Individual Images except 9000,1 (if any)
Last Image: 9000,1
Others:
Images Reordered by Pals (from 1,1 to followings) and sharing colors when possible
(more or less like the structure of fightfx.sff)