How-to: Cube Edits/mods/creation

[Musicman247]

Alright, this might just need a sticky, but I don't know.

Text File Version At the Bottom of this Post.

Musicman247's HTC Cube Skins Creation How To!

Index
CHAPTER 1: SIMPLE CUBE EDITING
00 CREDITS AND HISTORY
01 INTRO
02 WHAT IS A BRN?
03 BRN EDITING
04 FILE LOCATIONS
4.1 QUICKDIAL SCREEN
4.2 MEDIA HUB MINI
4.3 APP LAUNCHER
4.4 ANIMATIon
05 F.A.Qs

CHAPTER 2: ADVANCED CUBE EDITING AND MOD CREATING
06 INTRO
07 BASIC REGISTRY EDITS
7.1 CHANGING THE PROGRAM PATH FOR A BUTTON
7.2 CHANGING THE ICON (BRN) FOR A BUTTON
7.3 OPENING A WEB PAGE USING A BUTTON
7.4 OPENING A FOLDER USING A BUTTON
7.5 MISCELLANEOUS REGISTRY EDITS
08 ADVANCED REGISTRY EDITS
8.1 ADDING BUTTONS TO THE CUBE
8.2 ADDING SIDES TO THE CUBE
8.3 THE CUBE ANIMATION, INCLUDING THE BINARY DATA
09 F.A.Qs



Latest Version - Created March 14, 2008
This How-To Was Created by Musicman247 after creating many Cube Skins and answering many questions about Cube Skin creation.
I hope that you enjoy it, and I hope that it inspires others to unleash their creativity!
If you have any questions or comments, please visit the thread at forums.ppcgeeks.com or email me directly at
musicman247@musicman247.com




01 INTRO
The HTC Cube is made up of four main programs (Biotouch.exe, QuickDial.exe, MediaHubMini.exe, and APLauncher.exe) and 57
image files (BRNs). The Biotouch.exe program and the Touch.dll are the two things that determine the actions of the Cube and
are not easily editable. The good news is that much of the look and feel of the Cube is determined by the image files (BRNs)
and the registry values associated with the Cube.
From the following statements you will be able to determine what would be the best path for you to start out on: Creating HTC
Cube Mods or Creating HTC Cube Skins
Creating HTC Cube Mods is probably 60% graphics editing and 40% Registry Editing.
Creating HTC Cube Skins is 100% graphics editing.
We'll start with Skins.


02 WHAT IS A BRN?
A BRN is a proprietary image type that is closely related to the BMP format.



03 BRN EDITING
Early Cube Skinners had to edit a BMP image manually (using a Hex Editor) to create a BRN. Now we mainly use the BRN
Converter Tool created by jmathies from xda-developers.com It can be found at
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...93#post1687493
This tool makes Cube Editing a breeze. Simply create a BMP in the exact dimensions you would like, then drag and drop that
image from your file explorer onto the top part of the BRN Converter. It will automatically convert the BMP to a BRN, ready
to use.
The tool also converts BRN to BMP.



04 FILE LOCATIONS
The most important and difficult thing to figure out is what files you need to edit on the Cube to get the desired effect.
Here are all of the image files related to the Cube along with a brief description of each:


4.1 QUICKDIAL SCREEN
The QuickDial screen that is visible on the Cube is made up of just one image:

\Windows\QD_Bkgd.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 320 pixels

The QuickDial "Delete Contact" Screen is also just one image:
\Windows\QD_2_Bkgd.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 320 pixels

Only the Highlighted versions of the Four Buttons at the bottom of the QuickDial Screen have actual image associations:

Phone Button -
\Windows\QD_01_HL.png
Width: 58 pixels
Height: 57 pixels

Call History Button -
\Windows\QD_02_HL.png
Width: 58 pixels
Height: 57 pixels

Contacts Button -
\Windows\QD_03_HL.png
Width: 58 pixels
Height: 57 pixels

Delete Contact Button -
\Windows\QD_04_HL.png
Width: 58 pixels
Height: 57 pixels


The shadow person has three iterations. The Shadow person is the icon that shows up on the QuickDial Screen when a Contact
does not have a picture associated with them.

Normal Shadow Person -
\Windows\QD_DefCon.png
Width: 72 pixels
Height: 75 pixels

Highlighted Shadow Person -
\Windows\QD_DefCon.png
Width: 72 pixels
Height: 75 pixels

Delete This Shadow Person -
\Windows\QD_2_DefConX_HL.png
Width: 72 pixels
Height: 75 pixels


4.2 MEDIA HUB MINI
The Media Hub Mini is made up of 12 images. 6 Normal sized and 6 smaller sized. The smaller sized images appear when music is
playing on the Cube. A set of Music Controls (Play, FF, RW) appears along with the title of the track underneath the Music
button. All of the buttons shrink to accomodate the controls.

Music Button (Top):

Normal
\Windows\MH_01.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 105 pixels

Normal Highlighted
\Windows\MH_01_HL.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 105 pixels

Small
\Windows\MH_2_01.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 74 pixels

Small Highlighted
\Windows\MH_2_01_HL.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 74 pixels

Picture Button (Middle):

Normal
\Windows\MH_02.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 105 pixels

Normal Highlighted
\Windows\MH_02_HL.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 105 pixels

Small
\Windows\MH_2_02.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 74 pixels

Small Highlighted
\Windows\MH_2_02_HL.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 74 pixels


Video Button (Bottom):

Normal
\Windows\MH_03.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 105 pixels

Normal Highlighted
\Windows\MH_03_HL.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 105 pixels

Small
\Windows\MH_2_03.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 74 pixels

Small Highlighted
\Windows\MH_2_03_HL.brn
Width: 240 pixels
Height: 74 pixels


4.3 APP LAUNCHER

The App Launcher is made up of 12 images, two for each button

Top Left Button
\Windows\AL_01.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels

Top Left Button Highlighted
\Windows\AL_01_HL.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels


Middle Left Button
\Windows\AL_02.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels

Middle Left Button Highlighted
\Windows\AL_02_HL.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels


Bottom Left Button
\Windows\AL_03.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels

Bottom Left Button Highlighted
\Windows\AL_03_HL.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels


Top Right Button
\Windows\AL_04.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels

Top Right Button Highlighted
\Windows\AL_04_HL.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels


Middle Right Button
\Windows\AL_05.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels

Middle Right Button Highlighted
\Windows\AL_05_HL.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels


Bottom Right Button
\Windows\AL_06.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels

Bottom Right Button Highlighted
\Windows\AL_06_HL.brn
Width: 119 pixels
hieght: 105 pixels

[Musicman247]

4.4 ANIMATIon

Contrary to what many people think the animation is not rendered by the Cube. The animation is actually a set of static
images that are displayed in rapid succession much like an animated GIF. The Stock Cube is made up of 33 "Frames" of
animation. Every frame must be changed for the animation to look correct.

Frames for the "Up/Down" Animation are named with a zero in front of the number, like so: A01.brn.

Frames for the "Left/Right" Animation are named with just a letter and number, like so: A1.brn.

There are also static Frames which are images of what the screen will look like when it is fully in frame. These are named
with a letter and the number zero, like so: A0.brn



All Up/Down Frames with brief explanation: (All files found in \Windows)

QuickDial (Static Frame A0.brn)

A01.brn - The first frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has risen about 1/6 of the way to the
top from the bottom.

A02.brn - The second frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has risen about 2/6 of the way to the
top from the bottom.

A03.brn - The third frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has risen about 3/6 of the way to the
top from the bottom.

A04.brn - The fourth frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has risen about 4/6 of the way to the
top from the bottom.

A05.brn - The fifth frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has risen about 5/6 of the way to the
top from the bottom.


MediaHubMini (Static Frame B0.brn)

B01.brn - The first frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has risen about 1/6 of the way to
the top from the bottom.

B02.brn - The second frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has risen about 2/6 of the way to
the top from the bottom.

B03.brn - The third frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has risen about 3/6 of the way to
the top from the bottom.

B04.brn - The fourth frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has risen about 4/6 of the way to
the top from the bottom.

B05.brn - The fifth frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has risen about 5/6 of the way to
the top from the bottom.


Application Launcher (Static Frame C0.brn)

C01.brn - The first frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has risen about 1/6 of the
way to the top from the bottom.

C02.brn - The second frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has risen about 2/6 of the
way to the top from the bottom.

C03.brn - The third frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has risen about 3/6 of the
way to the top from the bottom.

C04.brn - The fourth frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has risen about 4/6 of the
way to the top from the bottom.

C05.brn - The fifth frame of the Up/Down animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has risen about 5/6 of the
way to the top from the bottom.


All Left/Right Frames with brief explanation: (All files found in \Windows)

QuickDial (Static Frame A0.brn)

A1.brn - The first frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has moved about 1/6 of the way from
the left to the right.

A2.brn - The second frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has moved about 2/6 of the way from
the left to the right.

A3.brn - The third frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has moved about 3/6 of the way from
the left to the right.

A4.brn - The fourth frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has moved about 4/6 of the way from
the left to the right.

A5.brn - The fifth frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the QuickDial screen has moved about 5/6 of the way from
the left to the right.


MediaHubMini (Static Frame B0.brn)

B1.brn - The first frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has moved about 1/6 of the way
from the left to the right.

B2.brn - The second frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has moved about 2/6 of the way
from the left to the right.

B3.brn - The third frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has moved about 3/6 of the way
from the left to the right.

B4.brn - The fourth frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has moved about 4/6 of the way
from the left to the right.

B5.brn - The fifth frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the MediaHubMini screen has moved about 5/6 of the way
from the left to the right.


Application Launcher (Static Frame C0.brn)

C1.brn - The first frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has moved about 1/6 of
the way from the left to the right.

C2.brn - The secondframe of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has moved about 2/6 of
the way from the left to the right.

C3.brn - The third frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has moved about 3/6 of
the way from the left to the right.

C4.brn - The fourth frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has moved about 4/6 of
the way from the left to the right.

C5.brn - The fifth frame of the Left/Right animation. In this frame the Application Launcher screen has moved about 5/6 of
the way from the left to the right.

05 F.A.Q's

Q: Why are my buttons in the wrong place?
A: Check to make sure you have named them correctly. the numbers follow the pattern of down one column, then down the next
column

Q: What program can I use to create the BMP files?
A: Just about any image editing software will allow you to create BMPs. If you're looking for free, Windows' built in Paint
will work. If you want a more feature-rich free image editor check out GiMP - www.gimp.org

Q: Alright, I have the BRN files, now how do I get them onto the phone?
A: File Explorer will probably not let you put your new BRNs into the Windows directory because the files you are trying to
replace are being used. I would use Total Commander (http://www.ghisler.com/pocketpc.htm). Rename your new BRNs to something
similar to the BRN you wish to replace, then copy it over to the Windows Directory. Once it is there rename it to the
original file's name. Then rename the original file to something else. That usually works for me.



CHAPTER 2: ADVANCED CUBE EDITING AND MOD CREATING

06 INTRO
So you've created your new icons and skinned your Cube. Congrats! Now it's time to step up with the big boys.
In this chapter I will describe how the Registry affects the Cube and how you can Mod your Cube to uber levels.


07 BASIC REGISTRY EDITS
The Registry of Windows Mobile is an underlying structure of options for many programs. It is a database of sorts. The HTC
Cube's Registry Entries can be found at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>Software>HTC>Biotouch
Basic Registry Edits are the things that can be done from thisguyinoc's Cube Config Tool.
They consist of: Changing the Program Path for a Button and Changing the BRN for a Button


7.1 CHANGING THE PROGRAM PATH FOR A BUTTON:
In the first Biotouch folder of the registry you will see several other folders or keys including:
APLauncher
Biotouch
Disable4SpecificApp
MediaHubMini

APLauncher contains all the registry entries for the Application Launcher side of the Cube;
Biotouch contains all of the general and technical entries for the Cube;
MediaHubMini contains all of the registry entries for the Media Hub Mini side of the Cube

Button registry entries can be found in both the APLauncher and MediaHubMini keys.

Application Launcher button keys are named App0-App5 (6 total). Each Key has several sets of data.
They are (in alphabetical order):
Height - tells the Cube how tall this button will be
IconPath - tells the Cube where to look for the button's icon (.brn)
IconPressPath - tells the Cube where to look for the button's "pressed" icon (.brn)
Name - This string value will be displayed at the bottom of the button
Param(Optional) - tells the Cube what parameters should be added to the Path of the button
Path - This tells the Cube what Application wil be launched by the button (.exe or .lnk)
Type - tells the Cube what type of button this will be (default set to 0)
Width - tells the Cube how wide the button will be
xPos - tells the Cube where the top right corner of the button will be positioned on the x-axis
yPos - tells the Cube where the top right corner of the button will be positioned on the y-axis

MediaHubMini Buttons keys are named App1_1 - App1_3 (3 total). Each key has several sets of data.
They are (in alphabetical order):
IconPath - tells the Cube where to look for the button's icon (.brn)
IconPlayingPath - tells the Cube where to look for the button's "Playing" icon (.brn)
IconPlayingPressPath - tells the Cube where to look for the button's "PLaying pressed" icon (.brn)
IconPressPath - tells the Cube where to look for the button's "pressed" icon (.brn)
Name - This string value will be displayed In the center of the button
Param(Optional) - tells the Cube what parameters should be added to the Path of the button
Path - This tells the Cube what Application wil be launched by the button (.exe or .lnk)

[Musicman247]

7.2 CHANGING THE ICON (BRN) FOR A BUTTON

Image files can be placed anywhere on the device and the Cube will still display them.
For example, with the iCube I placed all of the button icons in the folder "\My Documents\iCube\Icons". As long as your
registry values IconPath and IconPressPath point to the correct file, the Cube will display it.

Several interesting things can be done with basic registry edits.

7.3 OPENING A WEB PAGE USING A BUTTON
You can open a webpage from a button by putting "\Windows\iexplore.exe" as the value for Path, and then the website's address
as the value for Param (www.ppcgeeks.com)


7.4 OPENING A FOLDER USING A BUTTON
You can open a Folder (Games, My Documents, Storage Card,...) by putting "\Windows\fexplore.exe" as the value for Path, and
then the folder's location as the Param (\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Games).


7.5 MISCELLANEOUS REGISTRY EDITS

Here we will briefly discuss miscellaneous registry edits that affect the Cube. All edits are found in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>Software>HTC>Bitouch>Biotouch (in alphabetical order).

CurrentCube: This value determines which side of the Cube will come up first after a soft reset.

DownFPS: This value determines how fast the Cube goes down after a down finger swipe. FPS= Frames Per Second

LeftRightFPS: This value determines how fast the Cube goes left or right after a side finger swipe. FPS= Frames Per Second

LightFPS: This value determines how fast the backlight fades in when the Cube is brought up.

TotalBMP: This value tells the Cube how many total Frames the animation will have.

TotalCubes: This value determines how many sides the Cube will have.

UpFPS: This value determines how fast the Cube goes up after an up finger swipe. FPS= Frames Per Second


08 ADVANCED REGISTRY EDITS
Now comes the hard stuff. We'll be talking about adding buttons to the Cube, adding sides to the Cube, and the Cube
Animation, Including Binary data.

8.1 ADDING BUTTONS TO THE CUBE
Adding buttons is easier than you think. You need to resize all of the buttons to accomodate adding a button, so a little
math is involved.

For example: Say you are making the Application Launcher side of your Cube have 8 buttons instead of 6. And let's say you
want to have two vertical columns of 4. You would Add two buttons (App7 and App along with all of the parameters (Height,
Icon Path, ...) to the APLauncher Key.

Now you would need to resize all of your existing buttons and move them up. Each button would need to be 120 pixels wide and
80 pixels high.
Also you will need to figure out where the top-right corner of each button will be, giving you your xPos and yPos.

In this case the xPos and yPos of each button would be:
App0: xPos=0 yPos=0
App1: xPos=0 yPos=80
App2: xPos=0 yPos=160
App3: xPos=0 yPos=240
App4: xPos=80 yPos=0
App5: xPos=80 yPos=80
App6: xPos=80 yPos=160
App7: xPos=80 yPos=240

Giving us an arrangment of buttons like this:
App0 App4
App1 App5
App2 Ap6
App3 App7

[Musicman247]

8.2 ADDING SIDES TO THE CUBE

Adding sides to the cube is also not as difficult as you would think. Most of our editing will be in the Second Biotouch
folder of the registry. You will notice that there are App1-App3 Values and that each one starts with a name and a program
path. This is important. For the Cube to reconize an App it must have an identifier and a program path. The identifier tells
the Cube how to treat the application when it is opened. The program path points to the program you would like to open.
So far the only Applications that work seamlessly with the Cube are the Appliations that come with the Cube: APLauncher.exe,
MediaHubMini.exe, and QuickDial.exe. There have been attempts by myself to add Internet Explorer as one of the sides, and
while it will open Internet Explorer, it will cause the Cube to crash. Another program also comes pre-installed on Sprint
Touches, CustAPLauncher.exe.

To add a side the first thing we will need to do is to add the value "App4" to the second Biotouch folder. We are going to
add an Application Launcher, so we set the value to "APLauncher \Windows\CustAPLauncher.exe".

To activate this new side we need to go down the list in the second Biotouch folder and find the value "TotalCubes" and
change it to "4".

Next go to the first Biotouch folder and add the value "CustAPLauncher" copy the number you see next to the value
"APLauncher" and put it as the data for "CustAPLauncher".

If you were to reset your phone right now and bring up the Cube you would find that you would have to swipe your finger twice
to get to the QuickDial screen from the App Launcher screen. A black screen would appear after the AppLauncher. That is
because you have not yet added any buttons to your new Cube side.

Add the Key CustAPLauncher to the first Biotouch folder and create the value "Background" as a String and set its value to an existing BRN. Inside create the keys App0-App7 (we're going to make our second App Launcher have 8 buttons as well). Create the same values for each "App" that appear for those in APLauncher (Height, IconPath...) and give them the same data (except for the Icon paths and program path).

Now that you have created your 4th side, try it out! I'll wait here until you get back.

What? It looks like you're going to the QuickDial screen and then your CustAPLauncher shows up? Hmm, I guess you'll need to
check down below fo the answer.

8.3 THE CUBE ANIMATION, INCLUDING THE BINARY DATA

As explained previously the Cube animation is made up of static images. These can be placed anywhere on the device and still
be displayed correctly as long as the registry value points to the correct image.

Animation Image Files' Registry values are found in the Second Biotouch Folder in the registry and have the name "Path#"
replacing the # sign with an actual number. On the stock Cube there are 33 animation frames, and so there are registry values
Path1-Path33, each with a Path to one of the Animation frames (ie. Path1 value = "\Windows\A0.brn").

Now the next part is a little tricky and you need to have a HEX to DEC translator to completely see what I will be talking
about. There is an online translaor found here: http://www.paulschou.com/tools/xlate/

The Binary Values Cube1 - Cube3 are what the Cube looks at for a guide as to what images to display in what order.

So, let's say you have a binary sequence for Cube1 of 07 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 0A C8 C9 CA CB 19 1A 1B 1C 1D 01
When you put it into the HEX to DEC translator you get the number sequence:
7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 200 201 202 203 25 26 27 28 29 1
Most of these numbers point to a Path number.

The first binary set (07) tells the Cube "the next 7 binary sets are the left/right animation". So the images that Path1 -
Path7 point to will be used in the Left/Right Animation for the first side (QuickDial). The First Frame is actually the
"Static" Frame for the Side that is showing, and the last Frame is the "Static" Frame for the following side.

The set right after the left/right animation (0A in Hex, 10 in DEC) actually tells the program how many frames are in the
up/down animation + the four filler Binary sets.

The Four Binary sets (C8 C9 CA CB in HEX, 200 201 202 203 in DEC) are some sort of filler/identifier for the Cube and as of
yet their purpose has not been fully understood.

The last sets (19 1A 1B 1C 1D 01 in HEX, 25 26 27 28 29 1 in DEC) are the identifiers for the up/down animation + the Static
Frame for the Side coming up (Path25,26,27,28,29,1).



09 F.A.Qs
Q: How can you add more frames to an animation?
A: Decide how many frames you want, then plan out what Path names they will have (Path# - Path#). Then go to the HEX-DEC
translator and change the first DEC value to the number of frames you would like the left/right animation to have, then put
in the number values for the Paths you have planned for the left/right animation. Next add 4 to the number of up/down frames
you will have (make sure you include the final Static Image in your count) and put that number directly after your left/right
animation Path numbers. Then type in 200 201 202 203 followed by the number values for the Paths you have planned for the
up/down animation.

Q: This is way too technical for me. Is there an easier way?
A: No.

Q: You suck.
A: That's not a question.

Q: Thank you!
A: Again, not a question, but you are welcome

[Musicman247]

Alright, I think that's all. This post reserved for any edits, updates or questions.

Check the first post for the entire HOW-TO in txt format.

[Musicman247]

Now you know everything I do.....well, almost everything.

[PrO...]

Give this man a round of applause.

[DHarvey]

[w0rdie]

Damn thats a lot to take in. :\

[Musicman247]

Take it slow. Also, use the Contents. You may not need to know everything.