I2 SmartEdge is now in BETA

[fpuig]

Hi Guys,

I'm the creator of I2 Localization, and as you may know, I have been working on a new plugin for Unity named I2 SmartEdge.

It allows rendering PIXEL PERFECT texts at any Size while also ANIMATING each of the characters in a text to create beautiful transitions and add emphasis to buttons and other UI elements.
SmartEdge also allows DEFORMING a text to follow any curve and contour.


The strongest point of the plugin, is the usage of SDF and Multi-Channel Signal Distance Fields to not only render pixel perfect texts and effects but also preserve sharp corners and straight lines!
(No more blurriness when scaling the Texts!)



SmartEdge integrates with Unity UI and NGUI out of the box. So, it can be used to increase the visual quality of your project without having to do heavy modifications.
Just click to patch NGUI, create an SDF or MSDF font and add the SmartEdge component to your labels!

Here is a demo of the plugin in action:
    https://goo.gl/6dXLec
   
More details about its features:
    https://goo.gl/cI2EPD
   
Roadmap of future features:
    https://goo.gl/AUX2fp
   



SmartEdge is now in a close beta with plans of releasing the first version later next month).

As part of the close beta, I'm looking for developers interested in trying the plugin on their NGUI project. You will get a FREE PREVIEW version to try!

At the end of the beta period, I will grant access to the all future versions of SmartEdge for FREE to the developers that actively reported bugs or send me Rendering and Animation presets that I could share with the community.

So, if you want to be included and get the full plugin for FREE, just test SmartEdge and help me get it ready for release!

You can email me at inter.illusion@gmail.com to be included in the beta.

Thanks!
   Frank

[r.pedra]

It looks truly amazing 

[Dune]

Can the text be rotated, without you know rotating the control it sits on? Which breaks anchors / layouts.

[fpuig]

It looks truly amazing 

Thanks!! 

Can the text be rotated, without you know rotating the control it sits on? Which breaks anchors / layouts.

Yes, Animations and Deformation are applied after the layout region.
So, you are able to place the text whenever you want, and then apply an animation to make it come from outside the screen without affecting the rest of the UI.

[ArenMook]

I am very interested in this. NGUI support out of the box? Score! Sign me up for the beta please (support [at] tasharen.com).

Can I use this to do a Star Citizen style animation? I really dig how they got the text to show up when you hover over items: https://youtu.be/pdCFTF8j7yI?t=361

[Holy Manfred]

Very cool!  Maybe it is finally time to replace the TextMesh plugin we have been using for that kind of stuff

Btw, the SC guys are still using ActionScript for the 3D HUD stuff, which is a real pain to work with in CryENGINE.

[fpuig]

I am very interested in this. NGUI support out of the box? Score! Sign me up for the beta please (support [at] tasharen.com).

Yes, I use NGUI in several of my own projects, so, NGUI support is a high priority for me!!
For NGUI, you just need to:
- install SmartEdge
- open the NGUI patch window and click APPLY PATCH, to modify the NGUI code (it just allows modifying the vertices to suit SmartEdge format)
- Add an SmartEdge component to any UILabel
More details at:  http://inter-illusion.com/assets/I2SmartEdgeManual/NGUIIntegration.html

BTW, I just sent you an email with the latest beta!

Can I use this to do a Star Citizen style animation? I really dig how they got the text to show up when you hover over items: https://youtu.be/pdCFTF8j7yI?t=361

Yes, you can! Its specially designed for that type of animation.

At this moment it can change color/alpha/rotation/position/scale of any character inside the texts. I will be adding more options like animating Script variables (e.g. SmartEdge's glow intensity, shadow opacity, etc), effects and others: https://trello.com/b/ImbJ0lQH/i2-smartedge-roadmap

Btw, the SC guys are still using ActionScript for the 3D HUD stuff, which is a real pain to work with in CryENGINE.

SmartEdge still has a long way to go, but so far is working great. According to some testers: It is like having Photoshop to modify the texts/sprites, and PowerPoint to animate them... all inside unity!