I think the formula structures ar good . I will test it soon . Having the orbit data is very helpful . The only thing that is missing is a guess at the pixel sizes of the planets .
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I just did a quick test I think ((#DNOW#)/1000) is a good substitute for #DWE# .
As I said I think it needs speeding up to be entertaining rather than educational .
Always an interesting topic!
My process has evolved over the years. I’ve always done everything in photoshop and use the Facer creator only for assembly, coding and whatever needed text layers. Over the years I’ve built a pretty large library of “parts”, starter templates, photoshop actions, and layer styles that can make the design process much more efficient then in the early days. And now with AI it’s fun to create elements for things that my own drawing skills wouldn’t allow me to do. But the process underneath it all is still basically the same. I can always conceive a general idea, but rarely do I imagine the final look from the start. No matter what style I’m digging into, I rely on seeing something on the screen and then I can start to visualize what comes next. So with say an analog realistic style face, I can start with the base dial itself, give it some texture and lighting, then immediately it starts to suggest something to me. each element I add then brings a final concept more and more into focus. Same is true with something that uses AI art elements. Once I get something on the screen a pathway begins to emerge. I think it’s a little bit like packing the car for a long trip, you see the space you have to work with, and you know all the stuff you’ve got to put in there, but it’s not until you actually place one or two of those first big objects in the back of the car that you can start to visualize how it’s all going to fit 
speaking of AI… people, don’t be lazy with AI. It’s a fantastic tool that can open all kinds of new creative pathways, but you still have to put in the work to design and edit and create something from it.
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I love this analogy!!! I guess I’m the same way, as many others are likely as well.
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I also get inspired by other creators, as well as actual watches (not smart watches).
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Really good question,
I have been doing this since 2017 and in the beginning I looked at real watches and tried to copy elements, but was not really good at it. I started to look at other things, like beautiful lock screens of phones and thought I wonder how that might look on a watch and sort of developed it over the years.
I use Figma and will have a huge artboard open with 50 of my designs, some inspirational photos or elements that I like, it could be a poster, another watch, a product. Anything that I think, I like the font, or the colors, or something and then start to move things around, in this huge artboard and see how elements might work and fit together.
Sometimes it happens quickly and I might get a design out in a day, other times I struggle with something for 3 days and end up not using it.
But yeah for me that is basically my process.
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I love it!!! Thanks for sharing. As I read these comments, I realize how much common ground we all have, but also the differences in inspiration, and technique.
I get inspired by fonts and colors too. I’ve kind of become a font junky.
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LOL.
I’ve collected 950+ fonts which I can potentially use for something …
I’ve even made a few of my own with fontstruct
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Very interesting topic! I am like Rator and Tom. I need to like what I am creating before I can continue. I have a host of assets that I have created over the last couple of years like bezels, ticks etc. which I modify for each design. I also modify and customise analogue hands to suit the design. I often use AI to help me generate a background or an element etc. but this is a laborious process and can get frustrating. I also have many, many fonts, but I tend to stick to a few of my favourites. I also look at actual watches on the internet for inspiration and ideas. Many times, I create a new design from thin air, but this can take me a few days to complete. I normally have 2-3 designs per day ready for publishing because I have more time than most. I also get lots of inspiration from the great designers here in this forum!
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I’ve been known to go down the AI rabbit hole, and the next thing I know I just lost most of my day. Sometimes it’s fruitful, sometimes not so much.
I have about 5 faces that I’m considering deleting completely, and starting over. The thing is, sometimes all of the sudden, I figure out what I hate about them, and come up with a solution.
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I see that we all have similar ways, libraries of elements, fonts, and what have you, but all have their unique style.
I think I can recognize most all you guy’s work and those I follow, and often enough I think cool, nice, how was that done?, inspirering!
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@ed.ludwig Do not Delete Anything . Biggest regret of my Making career . ( since 2020 ) . I hover between stuff made on CAD and OLED looking Faces . I have made hundreds of parts but have trouble finding them . Descriptive names for Parts is a good Idea . I am into gadgetry so have many Files with copies of Formulas for Pasting . Try keep stuff like that that works well and try get an understanding of how it works . Learn what to change in the formula even if you don’t completely know how it operates. My Faces like a lot of makers here are open to inspection . In Creator there is a Section called Showcase they are all inspectable . This is by Far the best Forum for learning . There is a Ton of Beautiful Stuff in Resources . Enjoy .
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I actually never delete anything. In fact, I have a startup script that that archives all of my WFS files every time WFS is launched. It also Moves, and Resizes, and sets the Sort Order to Name in WFS. I can’t stand that WFS doesn’t remember it’s look and feel at launch.
I will move things out of “Starred” just so I don’t see them anymore tho. Then I go back and see if I can work it out at a later date.
My job in real life is Build Automation developer. I write scripts and executables to aid in Windows Build Automation, and User Data/State Migration.
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I thought you were Talking about Facer Creator .
I gave up on Facer Creator. It’s so dissimilar to WFS and makes no sense to me. Nothing works as advertised. Other than tons of variables that can not work with WFF, it really doesn’t bring anything extra to the table. I started with WFS because at the time, Facer didn’t work on my Ultra. I just use WFS and import AAB files.
But the design process really has little to do with the platform used for the design.
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Yeah . Just depends if Your Design includes Gadgetry .
the biggest downside of importing WFS faces is they will never be available for any pre-WFF watches. but if that doesn’t matter to you and you are more comfortable with WFS then that seems to be the way to go… for now. As it evolves I expect there will be advantages still to working natively with Facer’s creator for Facer faces.
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I’m not worried about legacy stuff. WearOS and WFF are the future.
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yeah, eventually. But I still get a lot of comments from even Tizen users, and GW 4/5/6 users. So there are a lot of those watches still out there for now.
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For me that is one of the most Amazing things about Facer . It is providing 3rd Party Support for all those Watches that Samsung have Abandoned .
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