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Tools & Resources Directory

A comprehensive directory of tools, software, hardware, and community resources used in VPW table development.

Scanning Equipment

Playfield Scanners

  • HP Scanjet 4600 / 4670 -- The only scanners that produce distortion-free playfield scans suitable for VPX. Both are see-through (no raised glass lip). Discontinued 20+ years ago; find them used. The proprietary USB/power cable can be spliced from standard USB with ~30 minutes of soldering. Scan at 300-600 DPI in a dark room for consistent color reproduction. Scanning time: 15-20 minutes per playfield once experienced. The 4670 can be decased for scanning larger items.

Plastics and Backglass Scanners

  • Epson 4490 (or similar with adjustable focus) -- Surface-focused scanners cannot focus on objects raised above the glass. The Epson handles plastics and backglasses that require depth-of-field.
  • Epson V39 -- Works for flat decals but has razor-thin focal range (surface only) and USB2 transmission issues.

3D Scanning

  • Polycam (iOS app) -- Phone-based 3D scanning for pinball toys. Place the piece on a lazy susan with good lighting and rotate slowly. Resulting mesh can be decimated in Blender (100K to 4.6K tris) while retaining quality. Bake normal maps for VPX import.
  • Qclone (iOS app) -- Photogrammetry with a printable reference grid. Free to use, $15 to unlock 3D file export. Best results: immobile object, camera moves around it, even lighting, 30-40 photos from all directions.
  • 3DF Zephyr -- PC-based photogrammetry alternative.

Stitching Software

  • Autopano Giga -- Now free (formerly commercial). Download from hdrmaps.com. High-quality alternative to PTGui. Windows 11 requires renaming C:\Program Files\Kolor\Autopano Giga 4.4\libeay32.dll to libeay32.old for launch.
  • PTGui -- Most accurate stitching software, expensive license. Professional-grade results.
  • Photoshop Photomerge -- Built-in, acceptable for most cases. Apply lens correction to source images first for best results.

Best practices: Manual stitching preferred for accuracy -- use a difference layer to line up scans (~30 minutes). Do NOT scale stitched scans; crop and reduce to game asset size (~150 DPI) while preserving original proportions.

Image Editing & Texture Tools

  • Adobe Illustrator -- Vector playfield redraws. Brad1X's workflow: trace from scans, export to Photoshop for compositing.
  • Adobe Photoshop -- Layer compositing, insert cutouts, color correction. Note: Photoshop exports alpha incorrectly for VPX (use value 132 workaround) -- GIMP handles alpha correctly.
  • GIMP -- Free alternative for insert cutouts, layer masking, and alpha channel work. GIMP exports alpha correctly without Photoshop's workaround.
  • chaiNNer -- AI upscaling pipeline with multiple model support. Browse models at openmodeldb.info. Recommended models: realesrgan-x4plus-anime_x4, UltraMix_Restore.
  • Topaz Gigapixel -- AI upscaling. "High Fidelity" mode better for faces/organic shapes; other modes for lines/lettering.
  • Optimage (Mac) / ImageOptim (Mac) -- Lossless PNG compression achieving 60%+ file size reduction. WebP conversion achieves 90%+ reduction.
  • whatfontis.com / fontspring.com/matcherator -- Font identification from images. Always re-type text rather than relying on AI upscaling.

3D Modeling & Rendering

Blender Plugins & Tools

  • VPX Lightmapper Toolkit -- The core Blender plugin for VPW table rendering. Handles batch rendering, lightmap generation, nestmap packing, and VPX export. Requires compatible Blender version (3.6 confirmed; 4.0 has compatibility issues).
  • Tony McMapFace -- Niwak's alternative tonemapper replacing Blender's Filmic (which over-saturates). Install by replacing files in Blender's datafiles/colormanagement directory.

Rendering Software

  • Octane Renderer (Blender/C4D plugin) -- High-quality physically accurate rendering for plastics, wire ramps, and metal parts.
  • Cycles (built into Blender) -- Standard path tracer used for toolkit baking.

Parts Libraries

  • Niwak's Pinball Parts Library -- GitHub: github.com/vbousquet/pinball-parts. Shared Blender asset library containing screws, posts, flipper bats (era-specific), and common hardware. Community-contributed measurements from McMaster-Carr and physical parts.
  • Flupper's Insert Collection -- Pre-rendered insert primitives (round, rectangle, star, lightning). Available via VPW-internal MEGA links.
  • VPX Core Parts Library -- Pre-optimized assets at <400 tris each, modeled in inches.

VPX Utilities

  • vpxtool -- Extracts VPX binary table files into JSON, VBS, and image files for git version control. GitHub: github.com/francisdb/vpxtool. Reversible via vpxtool assemble foldername.
  • PinAffinity -- Dedicates CPU threads to pinball software. mjrnet.org/pinscape/PinAffinity.html. Reduces input lag and script timing jitter for consistent flipper physics.
  • VPW Bot -- Discord bot for table file check-in/check-out version management. Prevents collaborative merge conflicts.
  • VPReg.stg viewer -- Tool for viewing/editing VPX persistent storage (high scores, settings). File location: User directory.

Sound Tools

  • Fleep Sound Packages -- Pre-recorded mechanical sound effects organized by machine era/manufacturer. Dropbox: dropbox.com/sh/jdscd8i2cnpaeaf/
  • Fleep Sound Functions VBS -- Updated sound integration code. Dropbox: dropbox.com/s/2t2hq4tvazdsd74/
  • BBC Sound Effects Library -- Thousands of free effects at sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk
  • Hanna-Barbera Sound Effects -- 2,200+ royalty-free effects on archive.org
  1. Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser (e.g., Blue Yeti at gain 0)
  2. Small Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser
  3. Cardioid Dynamic (good for loud sources)
  4. X/Y Stereo Condenser (Zoom portable recorders)
  5. Electret/MEMS (phones/GoPros -- last resort)

Display & DMD Software

  • FlexDMD -- Scriptable dot-matrix display for original (non-ROM) tables. Fully script-controlled, no media file management needed. Built into standalone VPX.
  • Freezy DMD Extensions -- External DMD rendering for VPinMAME. Required for color DMD and 64-bit compatibility.
  • PUP (Pinball Universal Player) -- Video-based display system for animated backglass and DMD content. Separate PUP pack distributed alongside VPX file.
  • B2S (DirectB2S) -- Backglass server for animated backglass displays. As of v2.0, separate x64 install not required.

DOF & Cabinet

  • DOF (Direct Output Framework) -- Controls physical cabinet feedback devices (solenoids, contactors, LEDs). Config database shared online.
  • DOTK (DirectOutput Toolkit) v0.09 -- DOF effect visualization and testing. GitHub: github.com/Vroonsh/DirectOutput/releases/tag/DOTKv0.09. Note: v0.10 has bugs, use v0.09.
  • DOF Config Tool -- Online configuration for mapping table events to physical outputs.

VPX Documentation

  • VPForums VBS Doc: vpforums.org/Tutorials/vbsdoc.html -- cvpm object definitions and usage reference.
  • Orbital Pinball Framework: docs.orbitalpin.com/vpx-documentation -- VPX internals documentation.
  • Visual Studio 2010 Isolated Shell -- Enhanced VBScript debugging with full call stack traces. Available via Microsoft Visual Studio downloads.

Community Reference Sites

  • IPDB (Internet Pinball Database) -- Machine specifications, dimensions, production data.
  • Pinside -- Community forums with technical discussions, custom ROMs, restoration guides.
  • VPUniverse -- Primary distribution site for VPX tables.
  • VPForums -- Legacy VPX community and documentation.
  • ebislit.com -- Playfield photo-stitch repository for dozens of tables.
  • pinballrebel.com/pinball/cards/ -- Apron cards, labels, and stickers.
  • kms-handel-shop.de -- High-res Stern plastics/translite images in parts catalog.
  • londonpinball.co.uk -- Decal resources.
  • pinballmakers.com/wiki -- Parts reference (note: has known dimension errors).
  • ambientcg.com -- Free CC0 PBR textures for 3D work.

Playfield Dimensions Reference

Standard playfield dimensions by platform: - WPC standard: 20.25" x 46" (most common, rarely varies) - Bally widebody: 20.25" x 46" (same as WPC for some games like Black Rose) - Gottlieb System 1: 20.25" x 42" - DE widebody (WWF, GNR, Batman Forever): Check against service bulletin -- pinballmakers.com dimensions may be glass size, not playfield

VP unit conversion: 50 VP units = 1.0625" (one pinball diameter) = 27mm. Formula: VP units = inches * 800 / 17.

Detailed table listing with VP units and pixel resolutions: pastebin.com/C9mzWkKH