RUSH #01 29 мая 1999

Графика     Железо

Development Spectrum - 128 colors on the Spectrum (graphic description of the expansion of the palette).

  File extension graphics palette

               Zx-Spectrum.

Idea: (c) Spark HG (Donetsk)
The scheme: (a) VG Studio (Cherkassy),
Article: (c) Slider / BIS / Rush (Cherkassy).


  On numerous graphic extensions of the platform has been said 
very a lot. But In very small fraction of these proposals has 
taken root. Even if it happened, for various reasons, the next 
bloat on Speccy can boast of a few. The biggest problem - a 
nonstandard finalization, which is associated with mass 
inconvenience. After all, if you write the program, supporting 
such an extension, then machines where the signified is not 
adapted soft will not work. Of course, You can use 
auto-completion, or a prompt. But the second The problem is 
that most of these bells and whistles are expensive, use a lot 
of chips and, for the most part, impractical.


  But here, there is finally something
new. The idea to expand the graphics
palette not zhruschaya additional CPU resources and does not 
require additional memory for the on-screen information (Such 
as the use of two / three screens) and, most importantly, it is 
inexpensive (cost - about 0.3 cents) and does not take a lot of 
man-hours spent with a soldering iron at the computer. 

  In general, it all started with an idea of ​​the creative 
team Spark HG. The guys offered take the signal flash, whose 
frequency 2Hz and replace this frequency to 7MHz. As a result, 
the inverting attribute when enabled bit flash will change its

ink / paper very quickly and thus gain the mysterious mixed 
color. But the impracticality of this was obvious - if enabled 
flash attribute is completely stained according to color and 
ink on paper almost no difference.


  The idea immediately received an immediate extension. About 
the ways in which Cherkasy hardware'naya studio "VG" came to 
final design to tell too long and it is not necessary, since

how important is the final result. AND
he following:

  1) When using bit flash attributes are not flashing, and 
start to mix Color ink and paper and this color is used only 
ink. Paper also takes radical black. Thus,

if the attribute is set, for example,
yellow ink (ink 6) and red paper
(Paper 2), when the bit flash
on the screen you will see in this attribute
black paper and red - yellow, ie,
orange ink.

  2) If the colors in the attribute set
on the contrary, ie ink 2 and the paper 6, with
included flash, the color of ink will also be
orange, but different from the previous
case. When mixing is dominated by paper,
and therefore in the first case, ink is
red-yellow, while the second - a yellow-red.

  3) And finally, if we use more and
bright, then we obtain more and brightness
colors, which are generally 128 units - of which
128-16 = 112 new.

  So, without any incompatibility
with the old software (except that now, instead of flashing
"LOADING" one can contemplate the same inscription, marked in 
gray) has been dramatically enhanced color gamut with a 
standard screen resolution and memory occupied by it. The only 
limitation as you realize this is something that can not 
complementary colors to use on colored paper, since it will 
still be black (it's like you already knew, it was

done to get more new colors).

    Revised scheme given by computer
"Pentagon" (see the OSD file on disk)
but, in principle, can extend ANY
computer because understand the scheme
more or less knowledgeable Th loveku not be
Labour and by analogy can be modified any
machine.

  And now a few comments on the revision:

  1) If you think that the colors will be
somehow flash (again, as
when working with 2 screens), so you are deeply mistaken - 7MHz 
is enough, that they were dead and stable, no flicker or shake;


  2) compatibility with the programs, there is complete. And 
even in those rare prog that use flash for anything to 
highlight, you still see the object selected;


  3) to use these advanced color
in practice, as you know, you can
from elementary, at least, the same Art
Studio, selecting the section "Attr" color
who need to mix and adding flash;

  4) since the previous description of the use of additional 
colours'ov quite uncomfortable, then hasten to bring you good 
news Moldovan band Bytex, which makes

Art Works - a new graphical editing
torus, promised to support him in this
develop and make the choice of extended
colors are much more convenient. Also, we
BIS, will try to establish contact with a group of Excess, 
creating a graph-editor "Excess de Luxe Paint" and also offer

them to support flash-colour. And as Viator /
Rush, in their new versions of the "Art Studio"
will do it;

  5) Unfortunately, the software is not possible to determine, 
done Does the computer conversion, so all

will be determined visually using a
test.

  And finally a few words. If there is something you 
misunderstood, could not do, and so etc., then you can always 
contact VG or studio with the creative group

BrokImSoft the following addresses:


  BrokImSoft:


  E-mail: brokimsoft@hotmail.com.

  Fido: 2:4635 / 77.77, BrokImSoft.

  Mail: 257005, Ukraine, Cherkassy,

        PO Box 881, BrokImSoft (Polihanenko

        Andrei Anatolyevich).

  Phone: (0472) 43-37-97 (Andrew).


  VG Studio:


  Mail: 257003, Ukraine, Cherkassy, ​​ul.
Engels, d.118 (House Rural Life, 3 rd floor), Studio VG.

  Phone: (0472) 64-05-36.


    Scheme to expand the palette
Pentagon computers can be found at
disc with the magazine as a standard
Spectrum'ovskogo screen - "FLSHpen $".