TDA menu layout help

[taarna23]

does anyone know how to make custom menu layouts in TDA? i found nothing significant with the search. if there's already a topic explaining this, direct me to it! if not, please read on.

i've opened the .tme files in the ...\TMPGEnc DVD Author\Template\Data\Layouts folder with notepad, they appear to be simple text files.

i've tried cutting and pasting sections to create my own unique files.

i've tried editing existing files.

in both instances, the files are not recognized by TDA.

i've developped a basic understanding for the structure of the layout files and i'm pretty sure i've put them together correctly, but i have a feeling the problem lies with the various id numbers scattered throughout the file, or the sections of the text which appear to be using encrypted values, or both.

if anyone has some kind of master key to these files, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Sefy]

Wow! why complicating things with text files and such ?
Go to the "Create Menu" section of TMPGEnc DVD Author, click on the pull-down menu for the menus on the left and at the bottom of it you have the "New theme" option, once you click it, you can design your own menus.

[taarna23]

yes, i know that.

but, when you go to create your own menues, you are give then choice of several layouts. i'm looking for a way to make a custom layout.

what i really want is a version of layout 10 (#2) that can handle 11-12 chapters on one page.

[mh2360]

Tmpgenc DVD Author is basically for users who dont want to spend hours on menus and chapters and subtitles, etc. Its designed to enable the in-experienced user to create a simple DVD. If you want to get adventurous, designing your own custom, "professional" looking menus, you need something like DVD-Lab (or something from Sonic, if you are extremely rich)

[Sefy]

I Don't see the problem, simply choose one of the layouts it has, then use the Edit Theme option to change it to anyway you like it to be, i've done it a lot of times.

[taarna23]

i'm hesitant to use another program because, except for the one track, everything else is all set up and ready to go the way i want it.

i have 44 chapters scattered across 16 tracks, and i just don't want to set that up all over again.

i don't want screaming, professional looking menues (yet), i just want it to let me put in one more track button =(

[mh2360]

Thats easy, just Select "Add new Track" (the blue text on the left, they really should make this into a button...). It might mean that the track menu is spread across 2 pages, but I dont see a problem with that, maybe 2 sets of 8 tracks?

[taarna23]

if i let it spread the tracks onto 2 pages, one whole track will be on the second page. as far as i can tell, there are no other layouts like layout 10 (#2) for me to use instead.

so, i've caved in and tried dvd-lab.

is there any way i can load my existing menu (the .vob file which i've created with tda) into dvd-lab, and just edit that one file, then save it again as a .vob file?

is there any other program that would allow me to edit just the existing menu (the .vob file)?