ParticlePictures | [1.8 - 1.14.4]

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LordOfTime

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Have you ever wanted to create a picture, image, or logo in Minecraft, but found that blocks didn't fit your needs? Don't like the color, size, and angle limitations of map-based image plugins? Want your picture to pop out to players? Then you should consider ParticlePictures!

Spigot Plugin Link for Download: Link

ParticlePictures is a plugin that allows for the creation of images in Minecraft. Unlike other plugins, which use maps and itemframes to display images in-game, ParticlePictures uses particles to make your image come to life.

As of version 1.6, ParticlePictures now supports 3D Schematic files! Examples below!
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While some existing plugins use single-color particles to allow display images, or make see-through pictures with spaced out particles, ParticlePictures puts complete control of the image into your hands! Every single aspect of the picture is modifiable via commands in-game, in real time. Here's a list of all of the available modifiable values for each image:


  • Image file: You can change which image file each in-game picture reads from on the fly, and this supports most standard image types (I.E. PNG's, JPG's, and even GIF's). All image files can just be placed in the plugin's folder (The folder with the config, for those unfamiliar).
  • Image location: This is fairly self explanatory, supporting up to 1/100 of a block adjustments in all directions to allow for complete placement control.
  • Image rotation (on / off): All images also come with a togglable rotation feature that spins the image around automatically in a seamless loop.
  • Image rotation rate: Allows speed control of the image rotation. As a note, higher refresh rates are usually needed if you want to spin the image faster (otherwise it looks jerky if you are trying to spin it too quickly without a proper refresh rate).
  • Image refresh rate: How many ticks before the image is refreshed. This allows you to control how substantial your image is, at the cost of creating higher server load for larger images.
  • Image angle: For stationary images, this allows 360 degree rotation control.
  • Image scale: Controls the spacing between each particle (a pixel of the image). Setting this lower will make a more dense image, setting it higher can create a larger image from the same-sized file, at the cost of making the image appear less solid.
As you can see, ParticlePicture's primary goal is to put the control into the hands of you, the user. You can modify your picture until it looks exactly right, move it, remove it, rotate it, all using simple commands.

With this much customization, you must be thinking, "The plugin must be difficult to use, right?" but not at all! The plugin walks you through modifying your image in-game, including a complete readout on the image's current stats, listings of the default values in case you can't figure out what to set your image to, and full command listings for how to edit your picture!

Note: Before purchasing, please read the entire post, including the section about potential lag issues caused by weak servers or too large / too many images. You have been warned! ;)

Example of current image information:
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Example of default value listings:
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With this level of in-game help, the plugin is a breeze to figure out, but full support and plugin assistance is available by contacting me via PM or asking for help in the discussion thread!

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ParticlePictures uses one permissions node, particlepictures.admin, as the controlling node to create, modify, and remove images.

There are not subdivided nodes for using this plugin, because being only able to create images, without being able to edit or remove them, or only being able to edit images without being able to delete them, could have negative side effects if one accidentally creates an image which, for example, creates too much strain on the server, but can't remove it. To prevent such issues from occurring, only those with the particlepictures.admin node may change images, but those with the node are able to change images in any way or remove them freely.

To set up the plugin, simply install it, and it's ready to use. Place any images or GIFs that you want to use in the plugin folder (the folder that contains the config), and that image can immediately be loaded in-game!

Looking to get started? Here's the commands that you'll want to use in order to figure out the plugin:


  • /pp - The core command of the plugin, an abbreviation of /ParticlePictures. This command lists basic command usage.
  • /pp create <fileName> - The command used to create a new particle image.
  • /pp edit - Lists the edit instructions and commands for the nearest image.
  • /pp defaults - Lists the default values, in case you want to know what a standard image's values are for each modifiable setting.
  • /pp delete - Deletes the nearest particle image
  • /pp reload - Reloads ParticlePictures. This command isn't needed when editing images, as the images will automatically update themselves in real time. Use this if you need ParticlePictures to re-read an image file (for example, if you've modified an image that you're currently displaying), or to update config values (if you decide to manually edit an image's values via the config instead of in-game).
  • /pp files - Lists all of the available non-yml (config) files in the plugin folder. This is particularly useful if you can't remember what the names of your images are, or if you just want to see what you have available to use.
  • /pp list - Lists all images in your current world, as well as their coordinates. This is another helpful tool if you can't remember where you put a particle image, or want to find out what images you are currently using.
There's all of the information that you need to get started! Now for the fun part, example images!

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Here's some 3D Schematics:
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A few islands I found in the world

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A second island

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A ship model

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A hot air balloon



Here's a demonstration of a rotating 3D Schematic:
Link: Schematic Rotation Example


Here is a demonstration of the rotation function. I apologize for the jerky image, a gif doesn't properly demonstrate the smoothness of the rotation, especially since my computer had trouble recording it while rendering the image.
(Gifs do not properly embed for some reason)
Link: Rotation Example


Here is a gif displaying an in-game gif (again, apologies for the lag, my computer was hard-pressed to record these while running the game and server process.

Link: Gif Example


Another gif example, see if you can figure out what this one's from:

Link: Mystery Example


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Thanks to the folks at TestPlugins.com, we now have a location where you can see an example of the plugin in action!

Please note that large images are not recommended for use with this plugin! The plugin is designed to support a variety of image sizes and types, but images should be used in relatively small numbers per area, and using small pixel sizes. 32 x 32 images should run fine no matter how weak your server is. 64 x 64 should run fine on any dedicated server, or test server run on a decent computer. Anything larger than this may cause server lag depending on your server build. I am not liable for lag issues caused by larger images (images exceeding 32 x 32 pixels), having multiple images in the same area, or having rapid refresh rates! Odds are, most servers can handle larger images in moderation, but TPS drops should be expected if you try to run your 17 logos in a 50 block radius of each other on a refresh rate of 1 ;)

Just released a new update to improve efficiency with a lookup table system for some of the calculations! TPS drops have been minimized for static images, and if I get reports that this has a positive impact, I'll implement it for GIF's as well!!!

Thanks to HenkDeKipGaming for helping to design the improvements to the display system!!!

Have comments, questions, or bugs to report? Shoot me a message or use the discussion page! Note: The plugin review section is not for bug reporting, but for reviewing the plugin as a whole. Please post bug reports in the discussion thread, or send them to me directly. Thank you!

Liked the plugin, and want to help out beyond buying it? Please consider donating to help buy me a cup of coffee :)



Please leave a review if you enjoyed the plugin! Bug reports via discussion or PM's, the reviews section is for reviews of the plugin!

TOS:
1. No resale, code theft or decompilation without permission. Resale includes selling the code, the jar, any part of the plugin, etc, without my permission.
2. I am not responsible for what you do with the plugin, or issues it causes. I am specifically referring to lag caused by insufficient server strength or overusage of the plugin. If you are experiencing lag with the plugin, I will attempt to help you figure out why this is occurring, but by using the plugin you agree that I am not liable for potential lag, and you will report the issues privately rather than dragging the plugin's rating down with complaints regarding it (You agree to not post negative reviews concerning lag without contacting me to attempt to receive help.).
3. Refunds will be given at author's discretion, and chargebacks are NOT allowed. Chargebacks will be delt with severely.
4. You agree that you have read and understood this entire post, including all warnings given regarding lag and these TOS, before purchasing. :)
 
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matthewp

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Neat idea.

Does this cause lots of lag on servers due to so many particles being spawned, if so how much of a decrease in performance would people see?
 

LordOfTime

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Neat idea.

Does this cause lots of lag on servers due to so many particles being spawned, if so how much of a decrease in performance would people see?

This is dependent entirely upon how you use it and what you use it on ;) I have an okay computer myself, and I can run 64 x 64 images without any drop in FPS or TPS (running both the game and the server off the computer), but this may not be the case for all servers, especially if they're running older MC versions. As a general rule of thumb, 32 x 32 images should run on most servers as long as they don't have like 1GB of ram for the whole machine they're on :p Larger images can't usually be handled by most people's clients (MC clients have a bit of a hard-cap on particles, so anything in the range of 100+ by 100+ usually isn't visible without particle flickering regardless of if the server can handle it.), so your limit will likely be with what you believe your playerbase can handle rather than your server.

If anybody is curious about whether or not their usage and or server can handle something with the plugin, let me know and I'll be happy to help evaluate your situation, and for those who are already using the plugin, I'm willing to help you manage your images and usage to reduce or remove any lag you may be experiencing :)

Tl;Dr: It depends, but if you're reasonable with your usage it should be lag-free or very low-lag on any decent server machine.
 
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Conflicted

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Vouch, this is a really good idea and actually looks really clean. But just thought i'd point out it says X: Y: X: not sure if it's on purpose, if not you might wanna fix it :)
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LordOfTime

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Most players have particles as "minimal" in their settings Kappa

just saying :)

Doesn't matter, the plugin functions just fine either way due to the type of particle it uses (as far as I know, I haven't tested all particle settings on all versions) ;)

Conflicted Thank you, that was unintentional. First time anybody's ever noticed that, it's been fixed and I'm pushing an update. Thanks!
 
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LordOfTime

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The entire goal of this plugin is for cosmetic purposes only, and to look cool.
There's a plugin that does the exact same thing as this, which I will not advertise here, for free.

Most MC players have their particles on minimal for lag issues, as particles are simply un-needed in the game. That means, this plugin will only function for rougly ~10% of MC players

Nonetheless, this is a great plugin. GLWS

I can guarantee you no plugin does what this plugin does. There have previously been two plugins, both paid, which had similar concepts, but neither of which was usable in practice due to either size restraints or lack of features, and one of which was pulled off the market for undisclosed reasons. No plugin I am aware of matches the level of customization present, nor the convenience and polish, of ParticlePictures. I'd be happy to take a look at the plugin in question if you want to PM me a link, however.

(As a note, if you doubt the level of feature completion of the plugin or it's uniqueness, please take a look at the plugin page, it contains plenty of information regarding the plugin's features. If you have any questions or suggestions, please message me)

With regards to minimal particles, as I mentioned, the plugin still functions like normal. Minimal particles still displays the particle type that ParticlePictures uses. There is no difference. I have just tested it again to confirm that this is the case.
 
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LordOfTime

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Nice work. Would this cause lag on low-end PCs?

That would depend on the picture size used.

In general, this plugin works better on newer MC versions (particles were optimized more in the later versions, this is all client-side, not related to anything I've done), and it also works better with less particles (smaller images).

Overall (between all versions), most PC's that are able to run Minecraft without noticeable FPS lag at medium-low settings can handle a 32 x 32 pixel / particle image in-game (which is the highly recommended max size for public images, due to keeping lag down) without a noticeable FPS drop.

Some really old computers may have noticable FPS drops with 32 x 32 images, but if I'm honest, those people shouldn't be running Minecraft with that hardware anyways. I have a $150 laptop from 5 years ago that runs Minecraft at minimum settings with no FPS lag, and if that cheap of a piece of tech can do that, then most computers people have nowadays should be fine.

TL;DR / Summary: Most computers on the lower end will be alright with the plugin, if the plugin's images are used in moderation. Some really poor computers will have problems, but they also likely have lag playing Minecraft overall, so that's less of a "that's a laggy plugin" and more of a "get a new computer" kind of issue ;)

Hope that answers your question, if not, let me know and I'll give you any additional info you want :)
 

LordOfTime

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What sort of frames per second drops does this cause? Is it intensive?

That depends entirely on usage. If you're using it correctly (icon-sized images for decor or to mark important spots, show off your logo in spawn, etc), little to no FPS drop, depending on if you have an ancient brick for a computer or not.

If you try to load in a room full of 256 x 256 pictures, you're going to have some problems :p

The plugins is designed for accents and small, tasteful usages. It's not a replacement for hologram text plugins or anything like that.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer them!
 
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AevenTeam

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That depends entirely on usage. If you're using it correctly (icon-sized images for decor or to mark important spots, show off your logo in spawn, etc), little to no FPS drop, depending on if you have an ancient brick for a computer or not.

If you try to load in a room full of 256 x 256 pictures, you're going to have some problems :p

The plugins is designed for accents and small, tasteful usages. It's not a replacement for hologram text plugins or anything like that.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer them!

Thank you for the information! I'll let you know if I have any more questions.
 

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You are the first one to truly blow my mind. Congratulations.
 

LordOfTime

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LordOfTime

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Finally something neat in the plugins category
Thanks! Please let me know if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them :)
 
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