DeskScapes 3 Beta Update (.073)

from JoeUser Forums

A new update for the DeskScapes 3 beta has been released today.  DeskScapes is an application that lets you have animated wallpapers on your Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 (DS3 beta only).  There are hundreds of animated wallpapers, also called .dreams, available for download on sites such as WinCustomize.com.

The current beta of DeskScapes 3 is available for download if you have an active Object Desktop subscription, and is available through Impulse.

The latest update includes:

  • Dream effects – Apply effects to .dreams allows you to change the way they look with cool looking filters
  • Hybrid Dream Support – A Hybrid Dream is a new type of .dream that mixes static and animated images, which use significantly less resources
  • DreamMaker with Hybrid Support
9-25-2009 5-12-17 PM 9-25-2009 5-13-59 PM
34,722 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Awesome...been waiting for this. Wanna guess what I'll be doing this weekend? :thumbsup:

Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Just a note that info about Hybrid .dreams can be found in the DeskScapes directory.

TouchTasks - Access tasks with ease on Windows touchscreens.
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The new interface and effects and textures are just superb. Mirrors WB7...so well!

Congrats to the devs and whole SD team...even the choice of charcoal gray was great! I'd love to see the same

gray style for Impulse. :thumbsup:

 

Quoting Island, reply 2
Just a note that info about Hybrid .dreams can be found in the DeskScapes directory.
End of Island's quote

Where's that, I.D.? The Dreams Gallery? Sorry, but I don't know where to go about hunting for that directory.

Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Just a note that info about Hybrid .dreams can be found in the DeskScapes directory.
End of quote

Found it...thanks

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting CarGuy1, reply 4
Just a note that info about Hybrid .dreams can be found in the DeskScapes directory.

Found it...thanks
End of CarGuy1's quote

Me too...in the interface...the Impulse hybrid right?

 

Awesome...been waiting for this. Wanna guess what I'll be doing this weekend?
End of quote

Why do I suddenly have a vision of a red car with it's wheels spinning? *_*

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Me too...in the interface...the Impulse hybrid right?
End of quote

ID's referring to the "HybridDreamFormat.pdf" file that's found in the Program files\stardock\object desktop\dreamscapes directory.

 

ID...When uploading hybrid dreams, should they include a disclaimer stating that it's only compatible with the latest beta version of DeskScapes, in the description?

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

ID...When uploading hybrid dreams, should they include a disclaimer stating that it's only compatible with the latest beta version of DeskScapes, in the description?
End of quote
Probably best

Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top

 

Hybrid dream question... are animation file formats other than .nwa supported?

 

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Hybrid dream question... are animation file formats other than .nwa supported?
End of quote
Doesn't it say in the documentation?

/me needs to update DeskScapes on this tablet now

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

It says .nwa, which is not a format I'm familiar with.

The hybrid dream notes say that they can be created with Skin Studio 6 but I can not find a reference to creating them in any tutorial or in the Wiki.

I'm also wondering if there's a way to convert an animation to that format.

Since I'm not too familiar with SKS6 it looks like I've got some learnin' to do. :)

Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

You can build a NWA file from a vertically stacked PNG animation using SkinStudio - see the tools menu.  In the next SKS update it will handle multiple png files with numbers in the filename (myimage0001.png etc)

If anyone is interested in making new effects, look in the effects folder in the deskscapes program files folder.  There is a document and sample c++ project provided.

Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top

I was tying it out this morning. It is awesome. I had made a fractal dream that I use on my desktop sometimes, but now I can add colors and other effects to it. This opens up a whole new world to people like me. Bravo Stardock/WinCustomize :)

Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top

Great! Btw, still would really really like to see a "change every 30 mins" feature added to deskscapes! Pretty please! :) The only other way to do this (vistadreams) stopped working for win7 and the developer stopped updating it. urgh! Love dreams...just get bored with one all the time...and going in every 30 mins to change it manually...just seems so 1990s ;)

Btw, Carguy great first hybrid dream! And yes, it took forever to load! Hopefully they optimize it better...

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The slow load time on that one hybrid dream was due to a rendering issue which has been resolved for the next update.

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The slow load time on that one hybrid dream was due to a rendering issue which has been resolved for the next update.
End of quote

Great news.

Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top

There is also a new NWA encoder which should reduce the size of that particular dream too.

Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The beta version can be downloaded by ObjectDesktop subscribers or Deskscapes 2 purchasers.  If you qualify you can use Impulse and enable show prereleases in the orb menu.