non-rectangular menu button regions - is it possible?

[bartman]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if it is possible to create a menu button region that is non-rectangular?

To illustrate what I mean, imagine a DVD menu with some square(ish) buttons on it that fills the screen. I create a button region in Maestro by drawing a button selection and the results look like the image below.


This works ok because the buttons are rectangular.

If this menu were to be drawn in perspective like this (as if one were looking at a video wall from an angle):

could it be possible to define a non rectangular region around each button to match the new shape?

I know in the 4 button example it wouldn't be a problem but what if there were 8 buttons? Could one define the button region without invading the space of the button above or below it??? or would I need to come up with a more creative solution?

[Trust_No_1]

Unfortunately you are out of luck. I do not know of any DVD authoring tool that allows you to create non rectangular button regions. You can't even do this in Scenarist!

You will have to be creative.

Good Luck!

[thayne]

it's not posible. The DVD spec only supports rectangle button regions

[bartman]

I thought this might be the case. I'll have to get my creative juices flowing then.

Thanks for the replies....

[Cornucopia]

Just to make sure you're clear on this--

DVD spec allows the "Buttons" (i.e. graphic backgrounds and subpictures) to be any shape you want, but the "region of activity" around each button, that which determines which button you've selected and/or pushed, must be rectangular and not overlapping.

Scott

[bartman]

DVD spec allows the "Buttons" (i.e. graphic backgrounds and subpictures) to be any shape you want....

This is essentially the question I was asking....it is possible to have a button region that can follow the rough shape of the actual visible button.

I think the answer here is that the DVD spec stores a button region as two co-ordinates, the top left and bottom right, and anything inside that region is considered a button. This means that anything other than a rectangular shape is impossible. If 4 co-ordinates were used you could make other shapes.....I think that this would cause other issues though (crossing lines) and was probably why the DVD forum went with the simpler option.

[version20]

Still, there is no reason why you cant create the menu example you gave and have the fact that rectangles define those regions be completely transparent to the end user, so you are not horribly limited.
-v20

[bartman]

Still, there is no reason why you cant create the menu example you gave and have the fact that rectangles define those regions be completely transparent to the end user, so you are not horribly limited

I realise that....most of my menu's are designed that way so that the only parts of the button you see is one or two specific images in the subpicture. A better example to illustrate my question would be this (sorry for the crude diagram):

-------------------
| \ |
| \ |
| \ |
| \ |
-------------------

Imagine the two halves as two buttons....how could one define a button region for each half such that they behave as two seperate buttons (and the correct subpicture elements are highlighted). The answer I have been getting is that it can't be done since there is no way to fully enclose one half without including a portion of the other.

[BJ_M]

i build them with a bunch of tiny rectangular boxs to get a odd shape .. you can have more than one region do the same thing and they can be edged together ..