Nimi Visuals

Nimi Visuals is an effects engine for Microsoft Windows, distributed as freeware for non-commercial use, developed in Visual Basic .NET. The project was initially named Tophaz, then Nimi, and finally Nimi Visuals. It tries to provide various effects related to those seen on other operating systems, such as "jelly windows," analogous to Compiz wobbly windows. Effects are either built-in or can be loaded as separate plug-ins. It also supports running, installing and managing third-part software components, and has built-in scripting facilities.
It also offers alike compatybility - allowing User to skin window borders, with transparency and blurred background support.
Main Features
*Generating wallpaper
*Effects triggered on move and resize of windows
*Effects triggered on window creation
*Window, start menu, and desktop activation effects
*Task switching plugins on Win+Tab effects
*Start-up effects
*Plug-in support
*Desktop scripts
*Repository support
*3rd party software run managing and install via repository system
*Window border theming with blur - also using native system theme
Plug-in support
Introduced in version 0.7, the plug-in support of Nimi Visuals uses VB.NET DLLs. These can be loaded at runtime.
Repositories support
Since 10.1 Nimi Visuals supports using software repositories for 3rd party software, native Nimi Visuals plug-ins, and desktop scripts. The program can check these repositories once per day automatically for updates. Since 10.3 Users can also install system themes and Tophaz window themes.
Desktop scripts
Nimi Visuals offers support for desktop scripts, using a front end based on HTML and JavaScript to replace the desktop with an environment similar to Microsoft's Active Desktop, though with extensions for getting information and interacting with the operating system, including its activation, the position of windows on the screen, listing the files in a folder, and various window management functions.
Built-in effects
10.4 versions of Nimi Visuals offers over 58 inbuilt effects like:
*Nimi Places - Desktop grouping & organizing, showing desktop folders on desktop in transparent boxes
*Desktop shadows - Turns window transparent click-through when desktop is selected
*Window fading on creation, destroy, minimize - Fade window transparency in or out
*Aurora lights - fade in or out window in aurora coloured flames
*Shine fade - Fades window in and out in shining glossy frame
*Kuroi fade - Fades window in and out in black screen fabric wrap
*Contrast screen - Display contrastful field below active window
*Taskbar reflection - Casts desktop, windows reflection on taskbar
*Taskbar and start menu transparency - Turns start menu and desktop transparent
*Taskbar and start menu blur - Turns start menu and desktop transparent, with blur beneath both
*Taskbar shadow - Make taskbar drop shadow
*Taskbar fade - Fade in taskbar when mouse is over it, fades in or out start menu
*Window opaque on hoover - Window is only opaque when mouse is over its area
*Transparency on window move and resize - Turns window transparent on its move or resize - Transparent non-active windows - *Non-active windows are turn transparent
*Invisible desktop - Hides desktop when non-active
*Window kinetics - Make window keep its momentum during move
*Jelly windows - Make window deform, behave like being made from jelly - wobble it
*Window bounce - Make window bounce on activation
*Creation sparkle - Shines sparkle on window titlebar on activation
*Contrastful windows - Desaturates non-active windows
*Window quiver - When active window is shaked, other are minimized or restored
*Window edge maximize - Window is maximized to it's half when moved outside screen edge
*Window edge snap - Snaps window to screen edge, other windows
*Window edge warp - Warps window to opposite screen direction if dragged outside its area
*Window shifting - When window is selected, are near dodge-toss below.
*Minimize non-active windows - Minimizes non-active windows.
*RightLeft slider - Maximizes window to half screen size on Win+F4 or Win+F5 keypress.
*Picture wallpaper-board - Generates photographs stylized collage from pictures
*Picture highlight - Highlights image with adapted background
*Fluid wallpaper - Makes wallpaper look like under water
*Smooth wallpaper - Smooths wallpaper
*Rainbow wallpaper - Randomly adjust wallpaper hue
*Sharpen wallpaper - Sharpen wallpaper
*Neon edge wallpaper - Make wallpaper look like being made from neon lights
*Screen frost - Makes wallpaper look like covered with frost
*No titlebar icons - Removes window icon from its titlebar
*Window thumbnail in icon - Replaces window icon with updated thumbnail image
*Toss - Make window switch like being pictures tossed on desktop
*Showcase - Make window switch in flowing showcase look
*Maximum spacer - Maximizes window to fullscreen on Win+F7 keypress.
*Gravity - Make non-active window fall to bottom of the screen
*Remove taskbar task list - Removes task list from taskbar.
*Desktop to 1\3 of screen size - Resizes desktop to fit 1\3 of screen width, attached to left edge, with scrollbar
*Change desktop view to thumbnail view - Changes desktop view mode to thumbnail view in capable systems.
*Change desktop view to tile view - Changes desktop view mode to tiles view.
Transparent window borders
Since version 9, the user can enable transparent window borders, creating an effect similar to that introduced in Windows Vista. Until 10.3 version effect only applied to system native theme, since then User can also use Tophaz themes to skin window.
Window background blur
In version X, a method of non-invasive window background blurring was introduced, designed especially for DWM incapable systems. Since 10.2 version User can select GPU accelerated version.
Hardware requirements
Most of graphic effects in Nimi Visuals are strictly software and thus require no direct hardware acceleration. However, since 10.2 version introduction of NimiGPU frontend many can take benefits of graphics processing unit if capable.
History
The project started on 11th September 2008 as a small utility to adjust window opacity. This then continued evolving, getting closer to the project's current state by version 0.3. This expanded feature set meant an ever-growing user base, and feature requests resulted in version 0.5 having about fifteen built-in effects. Version 0.4 saw the project's name change from Tophaz to Nimi, due largely to the program's popularity in Asian locales, and it was felt that this would be a more pronounceable and memorable name. Plug-in support was added in version 0.7, with a new detection engine, resulting in considerable performance improvements. After this version, the project changed both its version count system (multiplying by ten) and its name, becoming Nimi Visuals, to make way for related projects that might share the name "Nimi."
Response from Microsoft Windows customization community
Nimi Visuals has generally been received positively. It has been noticed on top customization sites like LifeHacker.com, Baixaki, AskVG.com, DownloadSquad.com, Ghacks.net and others.
It also got popularized by individual celebrities like Chris Pirillo.
It's listed on such pages as CNet.com, Softonic.com and many other.
Accessibility and usability
Basic principle of Nimi Visuals development is to provide unique and intuitive GUI - designed especially for ease of use and accessibility for all users, regardless of their computer skill or native language. By default it comes with inbuilt automatically set language localizations like: English, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish.
Settings
Early project versions allowed the user to adjust each effect settings individually. However, from version 0.7, adjustment is done automatically by an auto-adjust system which adheres to the project's "one-click" principle.
Development
New versions of the project are usually released according to the following schedule:
* Major releases approximately once a month
* Minor updates several times per month
* Special updates are released generally within a day of a critical bug being reported
Release candidates are often posted containing only a subset of the program's features, as all effects are released only if the are all stable enough for everyday use. In the project's history there were released beta/alpha versions that showcased upcoming features to collect feedback.
Bugs and compatibility
Most of issues Users found are caused by problems with proper program-system communication caused by UIPI, UAC in Microsoft NT systems. However, those can be solved by either disabling UAC or selecting proper component for the system. Since 10.4 those are made automatically on first start. User also gets notification if some requirements aren't met suggesting changing components.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu