How to use SkinBuilder

In Sunisoft Skin Solutions v2, the skin components (e.g. SUISkin for Delphi/C++Builder, IrisSkin for .NET/Winforms) conform to an uniform skin specification and use the uniform skin files (*.ssk). SkinBuilder is the tool to help to build the skin file from a single bitmap file. It also can decompile the skin file (*.ssk) and old version skin file (*.sui) to a single bitmap file.

With new SkinBuilder tool which supports to load VisualStyle(*.msstyles) files, you can own thousands of skins now!

To download the free SkinBuilder tool, click here...

The snapshot of SkinBuilder tool (click on it for a full-size view):

• What's a source bitmap
  
  Source bitmap is a bitmap file (.bmp) which can be compiled to a skin file. SkinBuilder for Sunisoft Skin Solutions v2 uses a kind of special specification bitmap file as the input and compile it to a skin file. The bitmap file includes all elements of a skin. It means that the UI/skin designer just need to design all elements for your skin and draw all elements into a single bitmap file, then SkinBuilder can convert it to a skin file which can be used by developers. To learn about the specification of source bitmap and how to create a source bitmap, click here...
   

• Create a source bitmap
  
  In general, you need to create a source bitmap and draw all elements with some painting tool. E.g. Painter program of Windows, Photoshop, etc. A recommendable way, we suggest you open an existing official skin file from Sunisoft with SkinBuilder tool and save it to a bitmap file. Then modify the bitmap file for your design and compile it to a skin file which you want.

• Open a source bitmap
  
  Just click on the menu item 'File'-'Open bitmap...' to open a designed source bitmap file.

• Open a skin file
  
  Just click on the menu item 'File'-'Load skin file(*.ssk)...' to open an existing skin file. SkinBuilder will decompile the skin file into a source bitmap. You can save the source bitmap as a BMP file.

• Open a v1 skin file
  
  SkinBuilder also supports to decompile a skin file of version 1 (.sui file). If you have some existing v1 skin files, you can open it and rebuild it into v2 skin files (.ssk file).

• Preview
  
  After opened a source bitmap or a skin file, then you can preview it by clicking on the menu item 'Skin'-'Preview'.

• Build/Build with password protected
  
  After opened a source bitmap or a skin file, then you can build it to a skin file or a skin file with password protected. Anyone else who want to use or decompile the password protected skin file, he must know the password.