MAMEWorld Forums - MAME Artwork: Official

How to scan Video Pinball?
Do it again, and again, and again. Repeat.

VP is a print on cardboard with a foam core print glued to the top.
Not a big deal right?
Wrong.
The big ass scanners at BPS had a lot a problems with the uneven surfaces. Going from cardboard to foam core was just to much for the rollers and sensors to handle.
So I built a frame out of foam core to hold the playfield flat and with 3" of board on all sides and the back.
Now the thing was to thick, so, rip the back board off and try again.
Still was pain in the ass. The sensors still had issues with the cut out areas. Spent 3 hours sitting and waiting while they went at it over and over.
So, what we've got is pretty darn good, but not perfect.

Perfect would involve stripping the foam core away and scanning the board itself.
Actually, this might be possible without destroying the playfield.

The foamcore is glued down to the surface, and as it happens, one piece popped off cleanly.
It may very well be possible to pull the foamcore off the board without doing any damage.
I'll be looking into that, but since this is borrowed from a working machine, it's probably not gonna happen.

As for blacklight, I will be attempting some photos of the board both head on and back inside the cabinet, sitting on the mirror, and then back in its proper location.
I'll do long exposure photos, without the bezel causing reflection. This should provide us with some reference material and perhaps something usable.

I leave it to MrDo! to work his blacklight voodoo on this piece.

Eventually, Mame might give us the ability to present the game on a slope as originally intended. My hope is that having the art finally in game will inspire others to push the graphics further. The latest addition of filters certainly is moving in that direction.