Ruler transformation issues

[tomczak]

I was trying to create a 10-cm-long ruler at 45 deg to be copied a few times to fill the A4 paper sheet and then printed to scale.

The Ruler transformation doesn't seem to get the angles straight...

The labeling of the scale also seems to be not quite right - I think it may be missing zero, as the 10-division scale starting from -5 seems to end at -4.

I don't know how to control the size of the labels as for the scale I'm designing they are too small to read clearly. I would also find uses for the scale labeled along the ticks, in addition to the beginning and the end of the scale.

[tomczak]

I think I figured out some of the labeling - seems mostly that the Ruler Width controls if the labels appear and in what size. There is the Transparency slider but it controls the transparency of the whole ruler, scale included. I was trying to overlay two labeled 10 cm ruler scales at 45 deg to each other to print it as a shooting/zeroing target.

So I finally created two images with black scales on a white background and Composited them together with Darken operation, translating one image so that the zero points coincide. I'm pretty sure that those two scales set to 45 and - 45 degrees are not perpendicular to eacch other.

[jsachs]

If you want labels, you need to provide top or bottom margins and the margin width determines the label text size. If you want the first or last label, make sure to allow an adequate left or right margin.

Using Composite is a good solution.

It looks like the angle setting only works correctly if the input image is square -- fixed for next release.

[tomczak]

Just wanted to show what I was after - an easy-to-see and evaluate metric practice/zeroing target for a .22 rifle with an x-reticle - a work in progress...

I was trying to design the simplest Workspace (attached) to assemble all the elements and adjust them without having to redo the whole thing. The workspace doesn't need any external images - it's all generated by PWP.

[tomczak]

I think I got it near perfection now... :-)

[tomczak]

Here is a non-photographic question and not related to the Ruler - but interesting target-wise.

There are shooting targets called splash targets which make the hits easier to see as their rims appear in different, bright, colour. This is done by laminating the front sheet, made of a thin 'brittle' material with the more pliable bright back sheet - the front one shatters on the edges showing the colour in the back at the rim.

People are doing these DIY by covering the bright sheet with a transparent plastic sheet or tape and then painting the surface - the right paint on plastic shatters more than the cartboard stock behind showing the bright colour on edges.

I wonder if there is an A4 stock paper, white, that could be printed on in a regular printer, but be fairly 'brittle' so that it could be placed in front of a more pliable, thicker? clolour sheet of paper stock to the same effect (i.e. without paint)?

Below is a commercial ad of splatter target but the splatters are exaggerated - the colour rings are much smaller in reality but still useful for visibility.

[tomczak]

I think this time I'm really done designing the target :-) I'm so proud of it that I decided to share it again (last time). It shows the PWP capabilities of designing such things, that I was not fully aware of - and it's a good practice in optimizing the workflow (there are enough elements and operations to slow my computer significantly when recalculating changes, even if simplified as much as I could).

The idea was that the target should be clearly visible and easy to aim at different magnifications (you can simulate by zooming in and out how it will look at different angular sizes), but also easy to zero/compensate the cross-hair at different distances and evaluate the shot groups when seen up close. It's all metric and different elements of the target are based on half or multiple of 1 cm-sized elements for easy aim adjustments and group spread evaluations without instruments.

One idea was to make the center vertical and horizontal scales nearly invisible from a distance as they interfere with the lines of the scope reticle - hence the main, thick, slanted scales that can be seen at medium magnification and help in target aiming. The side vertical (and horizontal) scales are visible at medium magnification and can help to better adjust the elevation and windage with some precision.

The script produces the individual 8x8 cm target, and also a A4 sheet with 6 targets for printing and it's self-containing - no external images are needed to reproduce the output.

[MarkT]

I can honestly say I would never have a need for such a target, but I am totally impressed with your effort, and with how successful you have been to produce this with only PWP.

Thanks for sharing your development process.

[jsachs]

Very nice!

[tomczak]

Cheers! While the target was done, I kept thinking about optimizing the Workflow - The Zen of PWP...

I got it down to about 25 steps, with no images or masks, separated the Workflow into branches to prevent recalculations of branches with no changes before the 'assembly', and reduced the bit depth both in the New image and the Stack Images calculations to 24 bit as it seems sufficient and should speed up the execution.

I consolidated several Text instances into one Line Arrow and Text. Also made all the circles and the gray background of Bull's Eye with one Gradient transformation as Jonathan has said. Used Stack Images to assemble all I could in one go. About 20 kB script (attached).