Best Ways to Create Graphical Floor Plan Display????

[smarty]

I am looking for guidance on the best way to set up a screen that shows my house floor plan and the status of automation, alarm, zones, lites etc.
I have the status information coming in via Elk or PowerHome (already working).

My question is: How should I set up the graphical display?
I have a scanned floorplan that I can "photoshop" up.

I have seen some examples where rooms change color when a motion sensor is activated, or lights come on when an insteon trigger fires.

How is most easily done? Do I need to make PNG files for each room shape and color?

How would the floor plan be implement into Xlobby? I don't think I want it as a total background, so would it have to be a "button" that I stretch to size?

Comments appreciated.

[P3rv3rt B3ar]

This is not probably answer u r seeking but... I was also thinking first to do floorplan... and i was telling this to my girlfriend at the time. And she wasnt particularly excited. She gave me suggestion to take a pic from each room and use those to zone control. I was still more into floorplan, i guess this is one of hardwired differences between sexes... but when i gave idea more thought, i actually change my mind, just because of her approach lends it self so much better to XLobby, just think about u can implement rooms as category, and pics as coverart. I still havent done zoning yet, and shes ex now, but that is still approach im going to pursue, simply cause i think it is better afterall.

Atleast if u have women in the house, give some thought for pictures instead of floorplan...

[Jay]

Ha!

I use HomeSeer and linked Floorplan (from mi4.net) into a XL Web browser screen thinking that this will really make it simple/compelling for her to control stuff.

No WAF Guess I'll try (mapped) pix too

[smarty]

Thanks for a new twist on this idea....but, since this is for a new house (house is only paper so far) I have to stick with the floor plan idea.

After fooling w/ Photoshop some, my idea is to create a new Photoshop layer for each room/sensor that I want to graphically display. This will easily be in excess of 50+ overlays.

I would then have to save each overlay as a seperate .PNG file. I would then create a Xlobby button (that does NOTHING) for for my "main background floor plan". Then I place the additional buttons (that have on/off states defined) ontop of this background button. That is where i would use all the .png overlays I created.

Is this the general way this should be done? Is there an easier way?

[Colby]

Im not sure I fully understand totally. But If it were me, I would...
1. Create the floor plan in PS at the size I would want. (800x600)
2. I would create a new layer showing the floor plan with all the lights on. (color or icons or whatever)
3. Then I would create a new layer showing all the rooms with music on. (color or icons or whatever)
4. Continue this until you have all the states of your house mapped.
5. Then you can turn all but 1 layer at a time.
6. Create slices and save as button states.

You would only have a few layers in PS. The slice tool automates the saving process of every rooom.

With each room having several states of buttons you can turn off and on each graphic with triggers. You could use set button states or show/hide to show all these graphics.

Lastly, if you want me too do it Send me the Floor Plan and let me know the "states" audio on/off, lights on/off, etc.
Good luck

[smarty]

Thanks Colby. I need to look into the "slice tool" in PS.

As mentioned here:
http://www.xlobby.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4701&start=15
I have set up layers for each room/button in PS. Hopefully your hints can provide some reduced complexity .