Hacking Converting Akekard/AKAIO skins into M3 skins

[Fel]

I decided to look for the first time today at the Acekard section and immediately noticed how awesome skins they have - they're with calendars, time and cool interface features like the brightness bulb (and whatnot

). Just like if it was the normal start-up DS lite screen, however the M3 doesn't have any skins like that. Or I haven't noticed any yet. Would it be possible to convert these skins for the M3, or create a convertor? Or perhaps, would anyone be so kind as to make a similar skin with a calendar, date and time and a light bulb + nick of the DS' owner?

I would try it myself but I haven't really ever tried programming, so if anyone would be up to this you have my greatest thanks and support!

 

[kingcold9]

that sounds more like adding new features rather then skinning, all skins are is a collection or bmp's and png's composed into a .skn file using skinmaker, so while you can change the look of sakura etc you cant add new features that way.

 

[Fel]

Right, so it's as I thought - somehow Acekard can natively have in their system the start-up DS features, the clock with date, a calendar, light bulb for choosing brightness and a nick set by the DS user.

Is there any chance how we could make that to be on the M3 too? Other than by asking the M3 team to do it?

 

[Normmatt]

Right, so it's as I thought - somehow Acekard can natively have in their system the start-up DS features, the clock with date, a calendar, light bulb for choosing brightness and a nick set by the DS user.

Is there any chance how we could make that to be on the M3 too? Other than by asking the M3 team to do it?

You can enable these 'built in' ds firmware features by hex editing the m3 firmware.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Fel - quick question - what M3 are we talking about.

IIRC there's an M3 that can have several 'themes' (12 in fact) that automatically change depending on the month (I think it was a M3 Simply)

You could have 12 identical graphics - but with a different month on it, that'll show up each month

It won't be the same as having a clock etc - but it's a small workaround

 

[Fel]

Oh, I meant the M3i/M3 DS Real, Sakura.

Wow, that theme sounds really nice, do you remember where can I perhaps find it, and if it's applicable with Sakura?

 

[CannonFoddr]

Wow, that theme sounds really nice, do you remember where can I perhaps find it, and if it's applicable with Sakura?

What 'theme' ??? - I mentioned that the M3DS Simply had 12 'themes' that automatically get shown depending on the month.
Maybe I should've made myself a little more clearer - in fact if you download the 'calender files' for the M3, you'll see what I mean. (The M3DS Simply uses only 4 graphics for each 'theme')

Since the M3i uses 'Sakura' (a modified version of Moonshell) you need specially made 'skn' file for changing the 'theme' of Sakura (Sakura 'skn' files use ~148 Graphics for each theme/skin).

M3 Simply files are not compatible with Sakura
(You can find some skins here though.
Download & save the 'skn' file to your M3i then select it through 'Sakura' file selector & your skin will change)

Further bad news - since 'Sakura' is a modified version of Moonshell - you can't use Moonshell 'skn' files either.

Another thing you COULD do is make your own. But IMHO that's a lot of hard work just to have the month displayed on the top screen - you'll need to change a graphic & use 'makeskin' 12 times (1 for each month)

EDITED: Ermm.. I may be mistaken - but doesn't Sakura already have a clock/day/month showing on the top screen anyway?? I know Moonshell does

 

[Densetsu]

EDITED: Ermm.. I may be mistaken - but doesn't Sakura already have a clock/day/month showing on the top screen anyway?? I know Moonshell does

Yes, this is correct. Only, it's too bad the calendar part isn't "skinnable."

 

[Fel]

What 'theme' ??? - I mentioned that the M3DS Simply had 12 'themes' that automatically get shown depending on the month.
Another thing you COULD do is make your own. But IMHO that's a lot of hard work just to have the month displayed on the top screen - you'll need to change a graphic & use 'makeskin' 12 times (1 for each month)Oh yeah, I kind of meant that it was that, so that's why I used the name 'theme', thinking it means the same.
Okay, oh well.

NormmattYou can enable these 'built in' ds firmware features by hex editing the m3 firmware.

Could you tell me how please?

About the Sakura already having clock/day/moth - weird, although my M3 Real from 0shippingzone is already on the way, so I personaly haven't used it yet, I have never noticed it from the videos and pictures of skins before. But it probably doesn't have the nick and screen brightness icon, or does it?

 

[Dark^'^Knigh]

Has never seen Sakura in action, does not (yet) have an M3DSReal, but doesn't like the themes and wants to change it.
So virginal...for eg. sort of likes the sound of replacing Sakura themes with M3Simply (ie. R4) themes. Which by the way, the calender does not highlight the actual day of the month, as does AK, because they are basically wallpapers that cycle monthly.

 

[CannonFoddr]

EDITED: Ermm.. I may be mistaken - but doesn't Sakura already have a clock/day/month showing on the top screen anyway?? I know Moonshell does Yes, this is correct. Only, it's too bad the calendar part isn't "skinnable."
I think they can be - The background I think it's called 'FLCLK_BG.png' and the text used is called 'FLCLK_digits.png' so technically you can change the look of it - just not the size & position of it

...Unless you make the graphics bigger - what would happen then ??

Would Sakura still display in the same place, or would it not accept the graphic in the first place.... Time for an experiment I think

EDITED: OK just tried the double-size' the graphics & compile a skin.... it won't work
QUOTE

Illigal image size error. request=(80,32)pixels. [FLCLK_BG.png]
Illigal image size error. request=(8,150)pixels. [FLCLK_digits.png]

So that means you are stuck with the sizes you're given with

 

[jurassicplayer]

EDITED: Ermm.. I may be mistaken - but doesn't Sakura already have a clock/day/month showing on the top screen anyway?? I know Moonshell does

Yes, this is correct. Only, it's too bad the calendar part isn't "skinnable."

I think they can be - The background I think it's called 'FLCLK_BG.png' and the text used is called 'FLCLK_digits.png' so technically you can change the look of it - just not the size & position of it

...Unless you make the graphics bigger - what would happen then ??

Would Sakura still display in the same place, or would it not accept the graphic in the first place.... Time for an experiment I think

Since Sakura uses almost the exact same (but still different enough that they aren't interchangeable -_-") type of way to make skn files, most likely the makeskin won't accept any differences in the size of the images by even a pixel and will give you back an error with the image in question. But the clock is still skinnable xD.

 

[kingcold9]

if you open up makeskin.lst in notepad it will let you change the pixel limitations not sure if they will still work in sakura after the size has been altered though

 

[CannonFoddr]

if you open up makeskin.lst in notepad it will let you change the pixel limitations not sure if they will still work in sakura after the size has been altered though

Thanks for that tip - Yes I can comfirm you can alter this file & let Sakura Skincreator make a new skin

The Bad news however is that the position doesn't move - so wider graphics 'wrap-around' to the other side of the screen

This is what it looks like if you Double the sizes

I guess you could have a 'Taller' Clock/Date box

 

[House Spider]

Right, so it's as I thought - somehow Acekard can natively have in their system the start-up DS features, the clock with date, a calendar, light bulb for choosing brightness and a nick set by the DS user.

Is there any chance how we could make that to be on the M3 too? Other than by asking the M3 team to do it?

You can enable these 'built in' ds firmware features by hex editing the m3 firmware.

Which file?

 

[Fel]

Has never seen Sakura in action, does not (yet) have an M3DSReal, but doesn't like the themes and wants to change it.
So virginal...for eg. sort of likes the sound of replacing Sakura themes with M3Simply (ie. R4) themes. Which by the way, the calender does not highlight the actual day of the month, as does AK, because they are basically wallpapers that cycle monthly.

I don't really see a real reason why to reply to this, because of how you constantly flame Gay Cat Boy just because of his Tri-Boot, you seem like you do this just to insult me. But to satisfy myself by defending my action I'll do it. I really like to research something technical before I buy it, so at the time when I bought the M3Real (last Monday, by the way, before the results of the Xmas contest were posted) I already knew how Sakura looks like from videos and what can it do and whatnot. But two days later ... I saw for the first time the awesome Akaio skins, and because I didn't recall any similar one on Sakura, so I asked. And what, that I have never seen Sakura before except on videos, I still have seen it including various skins. So what that I simply asked if similar ones exist on Sakura and if not could they be converted? I'm gonna get it in few days, so there's not much of a difference if I ask now or after a week, so stop being such a lame/rude/flamer guy, cause it's not virginal. It's purely practical. Okay?