you can fly!? Using PD Particles with ArtWeaver:

using DogWeaver

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Project Dogwaffle
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In this tutorial we've started with ArtWeaver

Let's say for example that we've whipped together a sky as a background.

At the same time, we can have a session running of PD Particles.

And another of PD Pro (Project Dogwaffle) - the free or commercial versions.

The new Dogweaver plugin allows for images to be sent directly between Artweaver and either of PD Particles and Project Dogwaffle.
For example, here's a screenshot of the PD Particles session. It shows that we painted a variety of particle brushes in a style that includes alpha. The marching ants show the selection around the painted foliage.

In this case we've used Pine branches, Fandiago and modified grass settings, and in each case changed the Style to include Alpha.

When we use the Dogweaver plugin to import this from PD Particles straight into Artweaver, we can choose an option to use the Alpha channel's mask while loading the image into a new layer. This will keep the painted foliage opaque while leaving the background transparent, showing therefore the lower layer's colors.

We've also used PD Pro in this example. Here we used one of the filters to render a wall of tiles with a weathering effect. We then selected a lower portion of it, and applied a color change by mapping the current gradient to the selection's pixels. This will make our 'wall'.

We will want to make it appear in front of the background sky, but behind the foliage, so we'll load this one first, and then the foliage from PD Particles.

Read to roll. Use Alt-Tab to switch back to the currently running session of Artweaver.

In the File menu of Artweaver, select Import...

If you did install the Dogweaver plugin which supports both Dogwaffle and PD Pro as well as PD Particles, then you'll see the two entries:

      From Dogwaffle...                   and
      From PD Particles...

Select Dogwaffle (for both Dogwaffle 1.2, 2 or PD Pro 3)

The Dogweaver plugin next offers some options as to where to import the incoming image. It can go into a new layer of the current document, or other places.

Let's send it into a new layer.

We alsp want to use the Alpha channel from Dogwaffle as a mask. In this case it's the mask that selected the lower part of the 'wall'. The upper part from the image in Dogwaffle's image buffer should be ignored and left transparent in order to show the background sky from layer 0.

Therefore, check the 'Import Alpha' option too.

Then click OK
Done. we now have the image from Dogwaffle in Artweaver's second layer.  The upper part of the image is not showing, i.e. it is transparent, and thus shows the background sky which is underneath in layer 0.


Now we repeat the process, but we will fetch the image from PD Particles...

Same options again, new layer, and import Alpha. In this case the alpha carries the opacity mask rendered along the particles since the 'Style' was set to one with Alpha  (Lines+Alpha or Shrinking Lines+)
And there it is!

We now have 3 layers. The bottom layer 0 shows the original sky which was created in Artweaver directly.

Layer 1 was imported with alpha from Project Dogwaffle and it shows a simple 'wall' over the lower part.

Layer 2 came in from PD Particles, and it carries the foliage which appears in front of the wall and the sky.
Let's say now we wanted to send the whole composition back to Project Dogwaffle. Of course we might work in Artweaver altogether, or even send it to other tools.

In the Layer menu, use the option to flatten the image.

Then select File>Export>To Dogwaffle...


Using Alt-Tab we can now switch over to PD Pro or Dogwaffle again. The flattened image from Artweaver now appears in Dogwaffle.

We can then add other effects such as lens flares.


Or we could have sent the whole thing back to PD Particles to paint addition tufts of grass and other foliage in some areas, such as on the top of the wall. The possibilities are endless. And having the new Dogweaver plugin available makes it all the more powerful and faster to work with ArtWeaver and PD Partices