Stamp in place not working all the time

[David_Fine]

I often want to pick up something with the custom brush tool and stamp it down in the exact same position on another instance. If I pick up the stamp and immediately go to the other instance and then hit Stamp in Place, it works fine. If, however, I do any other thing, like use my pen rocker to erase the area before I stamp it down, and then hit Stamp in Place, nothing happens. I then have to go back and pick up the area with the custom brush tool, which is a bit tedious as it was carefully selected. So is there a way to select an area, either with the custom brush or with a Copy command, then have it pasted down in place on other instances, forever until I replace what was copied? That is, much as any other application works with copy and paste. If I copy a word in a text document, it remains in the buffer and pastes over and over until I copy something else. Doesn't matter what else I do, apart from hitting copy again, it will always paste down. Can that be done in TVPaint?

[Paul Fierlinger]

Try this key command; Tools:Draw Dot
and add to that Layer: Next Image

It should paste and move to the next image, on and on....

[ZigOtto]

... Can that be done in TVPaint?

yes, but tvpa must know what do you want to paste,
... CB, spare page, clipboard, current image, current layer, current clip, ..?
in your case, after changing of tool (pen or freehand-fill for erasing something f.i.),
you have to go back to your custombrush tool, before to "stamp-in-Place" it,
your last-used custombrush is right there, ready to be used again,

cb-tool.png (17.01 KiB) Viewed 32544 times

you can easily get rid of this "back to CB-tool" clic by adding it as pre-command, just ahead your "stamp-in-place" command,
so your "magic" key could be, [O] key here in my example :

Code: Select all

O - Tools Brush: CustomBrush + Tools: Re-Apply Custom Brush

[David_Fine]

I'm afraid neither of these options work for me. The problem is that the "stamp in place" tool loses it's memory. Try it and see if it happens for you. I have no problem going back to the custom brush I made, as ZigO suggests, but if I use the erase function, the "stamp in place" no longer works.

Paul, as regard your key command, I am not looking to automate a process over a number of instances, but just stamp one thing in place. Sometimes I pick up a brush and then need to erase a bit of where that brush is going to be stamped. Once I erase, I lose the "Stamp in Place" function.

For my general copy and paste question, the simple solution is that to copy a selected area of art should be a specific key command, distinct to copying say, a layer. Following that, the paste of that selected art should be a specific key. In fact, it already is, but it doesn't work the way I would expect and so is useless to me. At the risk of repeating this point, this is how every other application I know works, but let's just compare to Photoshop. If I lasso a section and hit copy, then until I hit copy again, that remains in the buffer and will paste using the paste command. If I lasso an area in TVPaint and then copy it, when I paste it, it overwrites the entire instance with the pasted image instead of just pasting the selected area only, so I lose the artwork that was there and so that makes pasting a selection pointless. So this means I have to use the Custom Brush to pick up a selection and then paste it somewhere else, but that involves a few steps and, as previously mentioned, I can't "stamp in place" if I go do anything else. It seems what should be a very simple and basic function of copying and pasting artwork, is not so simple and I wonder why.

[ZigOtto]

... If I lasso an area in TVPaint and then copy it, when I paste it, it overwrites the entire instance with the pasted image instead of just pasting the selected area only, so I lose the artwork that was there and so that makes pasting a selection pointless. So this means I have to use the Custom Brush to pick up a selection and then paste it somewhere else, but that involves a few steps and, as previously mentioned, I can't "stamp in place" if I go do anything else. It seems what should be a very simple and basic function of copying and pasting artwork, is not so simple and I wonder why.

it's quite simple here with tvpa, maybe are you using a wrong shorkey/command to paste your artwork (?), ... description step by step :

... If I lasso an area in TVPaint and then copy it ...

lasso in tvpa is tool: freehand selection, so when your area is defined , clic the Tool: Select/ [Copy to Brush] button, so it's now copied as a (floatting) custombrush,

... when I paste it, it overwrites the entire instance with the pasted image instead of just pasting the selected area only, so I lose the artwork that was there and so that makes pasting a selection pointless.

here's the [Stamp-in-Place] purpose, even after having erased something, or editing the timeline by adding new instances, navigating fore, back along the timeline, or what ever action done, as soon as you will go back to the CustomBrush tool, the Stamp-in-Place command should do what's expected, copying your previously copied selection of artwork at its initial place, in the current frame.
I can't figure out why it's not working with you, maybe a couple of screengrabs, or a short video could help us to see what's wrong in your process or settings.

btw, what is your eraser tool exactly, a pen ? ... a custombrush ?
also can you check your CutBrush tool panel, ... have you the "Keep" option checked on or off ?
when your Stamp-in-Place attempt isn't working, can you check if you're in "Color" drawing mode ?

[David_Fine]

Thanks for the detailed help, ZO. So when I copy, I use the menu item under the Image menu, so no risk of using the wrong keyboard combo, because I'm not using the keyboard. I select an area with the Freehand Selection tool (I called it Lasso). I then select Copy from the Image menu. I then deselect the selection, so the dashed line selection is gone. I go to another instance to paste the copied selection, but when I paste, using the same Image menu, it does paste, but it erases everything else that was in the instance, so I am left with the copied item pasted, but everything else that was drawn on the instance is gone. I could video this to show you, but honestly, you would see me paste and that's exactly what would happen.

So as regards the Freehand Selection, I can use the tool to copy to a brush, but this is a multi step process because after copying to the brush, you then have to select that brush (my brush does not change to the selected item by itself) and then you have to stamp in place. I just want to select, copy, paste and done, like any other graphic program does.

The Stamp in Place thing is a bit more mysterious because when I use it, it no longer works if I do something like erase. It just does not Stamp in Place anymore. I can't figure out why it works for you. My eraser tool is the penbrush.

Cut Brush tool menu did not have Keep selected. Should it be? I tried selecting it and my pen does not change into the selected brush, so that doesn't seem to help.

Wait, I just noticed something odd. When I select a custom brush and then erase using the rocker button (Pen Brush) and then hit Stamp in Place, it does actually paste, but over in the top left corner of the screen, nowhere near where it is supposed to. That's bizarre? If any of this needs verifying, I can make a video of the screen.

[2dbert]

Hey David,
I have this sensation of the "Stamp in place" turning into "stamp into the top left corner" only if one of the operations and tools I apply between cutting the CB and using the stamp in place" command is also a custom brush, that seems to erase the first CB's memory of location. Otherwise it works as Zigotto describes it, also with many steps of different kind between cutting and stamping the brush(drawing and erasing with varied tools, creating new layers of varied blending modes and switching between them a s o ). Have you checked whether the custom brush icon is ever highlighted when you erase?
Also, it never occurred that stamping the custom brush erases everything else in the image.

[ZigOtto]

...
Wait, I just noticed something odd. When I select a custom brush and then erase using the rocker button (Pen Brush) and then hit Stamp in Place, it does actually paste, but over in the top left corner of the screen, nowhere near where it is supposed to. That's bizarre? If any of this needs verifying, I can make a video of the screen.

intersting investigation David, I never use the rocker buttom to erase, (I always use one of my couple of shortkeys, one "thin-hard" eraser, the other "large-soft"),
maybe your issue lies in this rocker button usage, making tvpa loose some position datas of the last custombrush (?)
I've try to replicate exactly your process, but can't reproduce your bug (no issue here with lost custombrush or no-working stamp-in-place)
btw, what's your wacom model, and your wacom driver version ?

maybe your eraser set with the rocker button is also a custombrush ?
... but apparently not as you told me it's a pen brush, can you verify that ?

if you want to go further to track your bug, you can try this :
embed this little script in a custom button :

Code: Select all

param none
tv_getactivetool
print result

now cut a custombrush, and hit the buttom, you shoulld get the custombrush datas,
in the (long) line, look for the Handle x y values, and the Origine x y values, and note it somewhere,
then, erase something, switch back to the tip pen, and hit again the button,
now compare the Handle and Origine values, they should remain the same than before erasing.
(it's my case here, with my good old wacom XD model) .

[David_Fine]

Yes, the eraser is definitely not a custom brush, but a pen brush, as I say. I am using a Cintiq and I doubt it's a driver issue.

I'm confused about doing a script. Not sure how to put that into a custom brush and when I do, where do I see that info you are asking for?

[ZigOtto]

...
I'm confused about doing a script. Not sure how to put that into a custom brush and when I do, where do I see that info you are asking for?

the script (above) is already done, you just have to copy it,
then, in your custom panel, RMB-clic / Add Action / ... in the Edit panel, clic on line 0, and choose "Embedded George Script" in the popup menu,
you will get a "Type script's command" window, one clic in the text field, and Paste the (copied) script, "Enter",
then "OK", name this new button "CB-info", OK again, ... done.
now, each time you have a custombrush tool selected, you can hit the button and get a single queue of many infos (settings) from your active custombrush,
among them, the Handle (X Y) and the Origine (X Y) coordinates.

[David_Fine]

Thank you. That worked. Here is a screen grab of the info it gave me.

screenshot_602.jpg (8.59 KiB) Viewed 32441 times

Not sure if that tells us anything or not, but I also made a movie to show exactly what happens. In this, I draw something on an instance, pick it up with the custom brush, go to a blank instance, hit "stamp in place" and it works. I then use the rocker button on my pen to choose the pen brush eraser, hit stamp in place again and you can see it puts it in the top left corner of the screen instead of the original place. So there you go. Any ideas why it would not stamp where it should from seeing this?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpt9nt6bc4so8 ... g.mp4?dl=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ZigOtto]

Thank you. That worked. Here is a screen grab of the info it gave me.

The attachment screenshot_602.jpg is no longer available

weird, the full line seems to be "truncated" for you (I mean not complete),
you got the Handle X value, but not the Y, and the Origine datas (+ the next following infos settings) are missing

maybe it's something to do with the Mac version, (a George number of characters limitation by line ? ... though it would be surprising ...)
can any one from the TVP team test that on a Mac, to check if the CB infos line is completly returned, and not dropping the half end ?

here's one example of a whole CB infos line :

cb-infostool.png (5.46 KiB) Viewed 30914 times

as you can see, mine is much longer than yours,
in any case, "Handle" and "Origine" should always return you 2 pairs of coordinates.

... Not sure if that tells us anything or not, but I also made a movie to show exactly what happens. In this, I draw something on an instance, pick it up with the custom brush, go to a blank instance, hit "stamp in place" and it works. I then use the rocker button on my pen to choose the pen brush eraser, hit stamp in place again and you can see it puts it in the top left corner of the screen instead of the original place. So there you go. Any ideas why it would not stamp where it should from seeing this?

why didn't you do what I suggested to you :

- when Stamp-in-place is working (A)

I draw something on an instance, pick it up with the custom brush, go to a blank instance, hit "stamp in place" and it works.

here, hit the CB info button, and note the infos line you get,

- and when it doesn't work, stamping the CB in the top-left corner (B)

I then use the rocker button on my pen to choose the pen brush eraser, hit stamp in place again and you can see it puts it in the top left corner of the screen instead of the original place.

there, hit the info button again,
and compare the infos line you will get now, (A) vs (B) .

[David_Fine]

Right, sorry, I thought I was providing the info you suggested. I have done that now and the behaviour was the same. I compared the two CB info's and the data is identical, even though the brush is stamped in the top corner. Did you watch the video and see this happen for real?

[ZigOtto]

... Did you watch the video and see this happen for real?

yep, I did, but I can't guess what is your "stamp-in-place" custom button made with ?
... can you edit it and grab the edit window ?
but firstly, have you tested the same actions, but using the inbuilt Tool: CustomBrush "Stamp-in-Place" command ?

stampinplace.png (18.38 KiB) Viewed 32401 times

... I compared the two CB info's and the data is identical ...

do you mean identical to this one :

btw, did you watch to my CB info image grab ? if yes, you should have notice a big difference with yours,
my line is showing all the CB parameters, where yours is amputated in the middle of the "Handle" values,
your issue may lie here, so you have now to ask to a TVPA developper why your CB infos are oddly incomplete ?

[David_Fine]

The Stamp in Place button's edit window shows "Key: Tools: Custom Brush Stamp in Place" and then End. That's it, so it should be replicating the inbuilt tool, as you suggest. In fact, I tried using the in built tool and I get the same behaviour. I also tried erasing using a different eraser tool and not the rocker button and when I go back to the custom brush, same thing happens.

Not sure about the issue with the CB info, but in any case, that would seem to just tell us what is happening, but the info won't fix the issue. I am hoping TVPaint developers can jump in here and help as we seem to be at a loss.