TopWare 18: Liquid/Image.iso/liquid/top1026/flash.exe/BASICS.MSG

Text File | 1993-08-31 | 12.0 KB | 334 lines

THIS LESSON INTRODUCES A FEW BASIC CONCEPTS OF FLASH!
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THE FIRST THING TO LEARN IS THAT BY MOVING THE MOUSE, ARROW
KEYS, OR THE DIGITIZER PEN (SUMMAGRAPHICS 961 OR COMPATIBLE)
THE CURSOR MOVES AND THE COORDINATES NEXT TO THE CURSOR
REGISTER IT'S HORIZONTAL (TOP NUMBER) AND VERTICAL (BOTTOM
NUMBER) MOVEMENT.
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THE UPPER COORDINATE NUMBER REPRESENTS THE HORIZONTAL
DISTANCE (X). THE LOWER COORDINATE NUMBER REPRESENTS THE
VERTICAL (Y) MOVEMENT OF THE CURSOR.
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THE LEFT BUTTON ON THE MOUSE, OR THE STYLUS, IS PRESSED DOWN
TO START TO DRAW LINES.
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IMMEDIATELY RELEASING THE BUTTON BEGINS A NEW LINE.
PRESS "0" TO STOP DRAWING LINES.
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LET US CHANGE COLORS. MOVE THE CURSOR OVER ONE OF SIX
AVAILABLE COLORS AND CLICK.
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TO STOP DRAWING LINES YOU CAN ALSO CLICK THE RIGHT BUTTON
ON THE MOUSE, OR THE ALTERNATE BUTTON ON THE PEN.
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ALL THE KEYS ON THE NUMERIC SECTION OF THE KEYBOARD ARE
PROGRAMMED FOR SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS TO BE USED EASILY WITH
THE LEFT HAND (IF YOU ARE RIGHT HANDED).
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THE KEY "2" ZOOMS OUT THE IMAGE ON THE SCREEN.  OBSERVE
AS THE KEY "2" IS PRESSED A FEW TIMES.
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AS OBSERVED, THE SIZE OF THE IMAGE APPEARS SMALLER. HOWEVER,
FLASH! MAINTAINS THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE DRAWING IN MEMORY.
NOW LET US ZOOM IN USING KEY "3".
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THE KEYS "2" & "3" ZOOM OUT AND ZOOM IN RESPECTIVELY.
ZOOM OUT MEANS THE DRAWING IS DISPLAYED SMALLER AND ZOOM
IN MEANS THAT A SMALLER AREA OF THE DRAWING IS DISPLAYED
LARGER WITH MORE DETAIL.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES.
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                -- IMPORTANT --
BEFORE PRESSING THE KEY "3" TO ZOOM IN, THE CURSOR IS
MOVED OVER THE AREA TO BE ENLARGED.
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THE KEY "0", AS SEEN EARLIER, STOPS THE PROCESS OF DRAWING
LINES.  IT IS ALSO USED TO ZERO THE COORDINATES OF THE
CURSOR. THIS IS TO MEASURE DISTANCES, OR ANGLES, BETWEEN
ANY TWO POINTS ON THE SCREEN.
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TO MEASURE THE BASE OF THIS TRIANGLE THE CURSOR IS PLACED
ON THE LEFT CORNER AND "0" IS PRESSED.
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NEXT THE CURSOR IS MOVED TO THE RIGHT CORNER.  THE TOP
NUMBER INDICATES THE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT OF THE CURSOR AND
THEREFORE THE SIZE OF THE BASE (THE "X" COORDINATES).
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PANNING IS ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT TASK.  IT IS ACCOMPLISHED
BY SIMPLY MOVING THE CURSOR.  HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES.
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BY MOVING THE CURSOR YOU SIMPLY TELL FLASH! WHERE TO PAN TO.
MOVING THE CURSOR IN ANY DIRECTION PANS THE IMAGE DISPLAYING
MORE CONTENTS OF THE SCREEN.  TO STOP PANNING, MOVE THE
CURSOR TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE SCREEN.
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THE SAME APPLIES TO ALL OTHER DIRECTIONS.
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THE SPEED OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE IMAGE DEPENDS ON HOW
FAR THE CURSOR IS MOVED INTO THE SIDE OF THE SCREEN.
THE FURTHER THE CURSOR IS MOVED OUT OF THE SCREEN, THE
FASTER THE IMAGE IS PANNED, AND VICEVERSA.
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THAT WAS PANNING SLOWLY.
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THAT WAS PANNING QUICKLY.
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ZOOMING AND PANNING PROVIDE EASY CONTROL OVER POSITIONING
OF THE IMAGE.
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BEYOND LINES, FLASH! CAN PERFORM A MULTITUDE OF OTHER
IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS. TO DEMONSTRATE THIS, CALL THE MENU
BY PRESSING KEY "1".
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THIS MENU IS CALLED:           THE CONSTRUCTION AREA MENU
THERE IS ANOTHER MENU CALLED:  THE GROUPS AREA MENU

THE OBJECTIVE IS TO USE THE FUNCTIONS OF CONSTRUCTION MENU
TO CREATE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS CALLED GROUPS.  THEN USE THE
FUNCTIONS OF GROUPS AREA TO MOVE, COPY, AND ROTATE GROUPS.
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LATER, THE CONSTRUCTION AREA MENU AND THE GROUPS AREA MENU
ARE EXPLAINED IN MORE DETAIL.
FOR NOW LET US SELECT A FUNCTION (OR COMMAND) SUCH AS
RECTANGLES BY PLACING THE CURSOR OVER THE RECTANGLE
BUTTON AND CLICK!
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NOW WE CAN DRAW RECTANGLES. AT THE TOP CORNER OF THE SCREEN
THE NAME OF THE COMMAND IS DISPLAYED. AT THE BOTTOM A SERIES
OF SUBMENUS ARE AVAILABLE. SOME ARE PRESELECTED.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE FUNCTION "RECTANGLES".
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WHILE DRAWING RECTANGLES THE "ZOOM" & "PAN" FUNCTIONS ARE
AVAILABLE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
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LET US SELECT A SUBMENU FUNCTION.
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ONLY THE VERTICAL COMPONENTS OF THE RECTANGLE ARE DRAWN.
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THE SUBMENU FUNCTIONS ARE EXPLAINED IN THE USERS MANUAL AND
IN THE ON-LINE HELP FILE ACCESSED BY PRESSING "H".  ONLY
DURING THIS LESSON DOES THE MANUAL AUTOMATICALLY DISAPPEAR
IN A FEW SECONDS.
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TO EXIT THIS OR ANY FUNCTION SIMPLY PRESS ".".
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THERE ARE MANY COMMANDS IN FLASH! TO CREATE GEOMETRIC SHAPES,
TO ERASE, MOVE, COPY, ROTATE, ETC. ....
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NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, LET US CANCEL WHAT HAS BEEN DRAWN THUS FAR.
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THE CONTENTS OF THE SCREEN HAVE BEEN ERASED USING VARIOUS
ERASE COMMANDS.  NOW LET US CREATE SHAPES USING VARIOUS
OTHER COMMANDS.
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ERASE EVERYTHING.
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HERE ARE SOME COPY COMMANDS.
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AT THIS TIME IT IS NOT IMPORTANT TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE
USE OF THESE COMMANDS.  FOR NOW IT IS IMPORTANT TO SEE
AND EXPERIENCE THE IMPRESSIVE CAPABILITIES OF FLASH! AND
TO KNOW THAT THESE FUNCTIONS EXIST.
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FUNCTIONS CAN BE SELECTED FROM EITHER THE MAIN MENU BY
PRESSING KEY "1", OR FROM ONE OF TWO "QUICK MENUs" LOCATED
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN.  FUNCTIONS OF "QUICK MENU" ARE
GENERALLY THOSE USED MOST FREQUENTLY, THEREFORE BY-PASSING
THE MAIN MENUS OF "CONSTRUCTION" AND "GROUPS" AREA.
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FOR EXAMPLE "RECTANGLES" WAS SELECTED FROM THE QUICK MENU.
NOW LET US CALL THE CIRCLES FUNCTION.
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ALL COMMANDS OF THE CONSTRUCTION MENU ARE USED TO CREATE
GEOMETRY OF THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE DRAWING, WHICH
ARE ALSO CALLED "GROUPS" (OR BLOCKS).
LET US DEMONSTRATE HOW A "GROUP" IS CREATED.
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BUT FIRST LET US ERASE EVERYTHING.
<end>
USING SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS DEMONSTRATED THUS FAR, HERE IS
HOW AN ELEVATOR MAY BE DRAWN.
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HERE IS THE ELEVATOR. NOW LET US TELL FLASH! TO CREATE A
GROUP FROM THIS ELEVATOR. LET US SELECT THE COMMAND
"WINDOW CC".
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AS YOU SEE, AS SOON AS A GROUP IS CREATED IT IS DISPLAYED
IN DOTS.  THIS VISUALLY ASSISTS IN DISTINGUISHING THE
GROUPS FROM ELEMENTS NOT YET GROUPED.
LET US DRAW AND GROUP MORE SHAPES.
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SELECT THE COMMAND "WINDOW CC".
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AS DONE WITH THE ELEVATOR, A WINDOW IS DRAWN AROUND WHAT
IS TO BE GROUPED TELLING FLASH! TO CREATE A UNIQUE "GROUP".
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THE DOOR IS A GROUP.
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THE SQUARE COLUMN IS ANOTHER GROUP.
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THE COLUMN IS ANOTHER GROUP (APPEARS DOTTED).
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SO FAR WE HAVE CREATED 4 GROUPS THAT ARE DISPLAYED IN A
DOTTED PATTERN.  NONE OF THE COMMANDS OF THE CONSTRUCTION
AREA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THESE GROUPS.
LET US DEMONSTRATE THIS FACT.
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HERE ARE A FEW RECTANGLES DRAWN OVER THE EXISTING GROUPS.
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AN ERASE FUNCTION HAS BEEN SELECTED.
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THE GROUPS ARE NOT ERASED.
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A COPY FUNCTION HAS BEEN SELECTED.
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THE GROUPS ARE NOT COPIED.
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TO COPY, ERASE, AND MODIFY THE GROUPS THERE IS A SEPARATE
MENU CALLED: THE GROUPS AREA MENU.

HERE IS A DEMONSTRATION OF HOW THE "GROUPS AREA MENU" IS
CALLED, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, & SOME OF THE SYSTEM PARAMETERS
THAT CHANGE TO VISUALLY INDICATE THE "GROUPS AREA MENU".
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LET US PRESS KEY "5" AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
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1) THE CURSOR HAS CHANGED IT'S SHAPE.
2) THE TITLE IN THE FUNCTION BAR (UPPER LEFT) IS CHANGED.
3) THE GROUPS THAT WERE DISPLAYED DOTTED ARE SOLID.
4) THE RECTANGLES THAT WERE DISPLAYED SOLID ARE NOW DOTTED.
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PRESS KEY "5" AGAIN AND SEE THE RESULTS.
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EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS. THE CURSOR,
THE TITLE IN THE FUNCTION BAR, AND THE DISPLAY OF THE GROUPS
AND RECTANGLES.  NOW LOOK CLOSELY.
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NOW THE MENU FUNCTION INDICATES "THE GROUPS AREA".  PRESS
KEY "1" TO CALL THE MENU. THE "GROUPS AREA MENU".
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AT FIRST GLANCE THE "GROUPS AREA MENU" LOOKS SIMILAR
TO THE "CONSTRUCTION AREA MENU".  HOWEVER, THERE ARE
NO FUNCTIONS TO CREATE GEOMETRIC SHAPES (SUCH AS RECTANGLES,
CIRCLES, ETC.).  THE "GROUPS AREA MENU" FUNCTIONS LET US
CREATE A DRAWING BY ASSEMBLING EXISTING GROUPS WITH THE AID
OF FUNCTIONS SUCH AS "MOVE", "COPY", "ROTATE","TEXT", ETC.
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LET US COPY EVERYTHING.
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NOTICE THAT ONLY THE GROUPS ARE BEING COPIED AND NOT THE
RECTANGLES THAT ARE STILL IN THE CONSTRUCTION AREA.
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LET US ERASE.
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AS EXPECTED, NO MATTER HOW LARGE THE ERASE WINDOW IS,
ONLY THE GROUPS ARE ERASED.  WHAT IS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AREA IS LEFT INTACT.
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PRESS KEY "1" TO CALL THE MENU.
<end>
PRESS KEY "5" A FEW TIMES AND SEE HOW EACH TIME EITHER THE
"CONSTRUCTION AREA MENU" OR THE "GROUPS AREA MENU" APPEARS
ON THE SCREEN.
<end>
BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED SO FAR, THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENTS CAN BE MADE:
1) THE TASK OF DRAWING IS ACCOMPLISHED BY USING FUNCTIONS
   OF "THE CONSTRUCTION" AND "THE GROUPS" AREA MENUS.
2) USING THE CONSTRUCTION MENU, BASIC GEOMETRIC SHAPES
   SUCH AS LINES, RECTANGLES, CIRCLES, ETC. ARE CREATED.
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3) IN "THE CONSTRUCTION AREA" GROUPS ARE CREATED, AND
   IN "THE GROUPS AREA" THOSE GROUPS ARE MANIPULATED.

LET US TRY AND COPY ONE OF THE GROUPS ON THE SCREEN.
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TO SELECT A GROUP SIMPLY ACTIVATE CURSOR ON ANY POINT OF
THAT GROUP. FLASH! REMEMBERS ALL THE LINES THAT MAKE UP
THAT GROUP AND SELECTS THEM ALL TOGETHER.
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YOU SEE HOW SIMPLE IT IS TO COPY GROUPS.
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WE CAN ALSO FIND OUT "INFORMATION" ABOUT GROUPS SUCH AS
HOW MANY OF THE SAME GROUP ARE ON THIS DRAWING.
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LOOK DIRECTLY BELOW THE STATUS LINE AND ABOVE THIS TEXT.
THERE ARE 7 COPIES OF THIS GROUP.
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                 --- IMPORTANT ---
IT IS MANDATORY TO GROUP ANY OBJECT CREATED IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AREA. ANY SHAPE NOT MADE INTO A GROUP WILL NOT
BE SAVED ON THE DISK.
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THE CRITERIA FOR CREATING GROUPS IS SIMPLE.  ANY COMPLETE
SHAPE (A SYMBOL) SUCH AS A DOOR, SINK, WINDOW, ETC. THAT
CAN BE REPEATED ELSEWHERE ON THE DRAWING SHOULD BE GROUPED
BY ITSELF.
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ALSO ANY SHAPE THAT MAY NOT BE REPEATED YET IS A PART OF THE
DRAWING SUCH AS AN OUTLINE OF AN ELEVATION, THE WALLS OF A
PLAN, BORDER LINES, ETC.
<end>
A GROUP MAY BE COPIED, ERASED, STRETCHED, OR ROTATED, BUT
NOT MODIFIED IN SIZE, COLOR, OR SHAPE WHILE IT IS A GROUP.
TO MODIFY A GROUP IT MUST BE "EXPLODED" (UNGROUPED).  THIS
AUTOMATICALLY PLACES THE EXPLODED GROUP IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AREA WHERE ANY MODIFICATION CAN BE DONE.  AFTER WHICH, THE
MODIFIED ELEMENTS CAN BE MADE INTO A NEW GROUP.
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NOW LET US MAKE A NEW GROUP.
<end>
NOW LET US MODIFY THIS GROUP.
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TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS OF MAKING A GEOMETRIC SHAPE INTO A
GROUP PRESS KEY "-".  ALL THAT IS IN CONSTRUCTION AREA IS
GROUPED TOGETHER INSTANTLY. HERE IS A ****WARNING******:
KEY "-" (SAME AS THE FUNCTION:"ALLVECTORS" OF THE CONST-
RUCTION MENU) CAN GROUP WHAT IS INTENDED TO BE GROUPED WITH
ANY OTHER SHAPE NOT YET GROUPED. THIS IS UNDESIRABLE.
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DONE.
REMEMBER TO CREATE ONE GROUP AT A TIME IN A CONTROLLED
FASHION.  YOU DO NOT WANT TO ACCIDENTALLY OVER GROUP: MAKING
A GROUP OUT OF A CHAIR AND PART OF A TABLE, OR UNDER GROUP:
GROUPING A PART OF A CHAIR AND THEN GROUPING THE REMAINDER
OF IT.  THE CHAIR IS WRONGLY MADE FROM TWO GROUPS.
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HERE ARE SOME VERY USEFUL EVERYDAY TASKS THAT CAN BE DONE
WITH GROUPS.
<end>
CREATE A NEW GROUP.
<end>
NOW SUBSTITUTE ALL THE OLD COLUMNS WITH THE NEW COLUMNS.
<end>
CREATE USEFUL PATTERNS WITH ONE GROUP INSIDE ANOTHER.
<end>
THERE ARE 179 COPIES OF THIS BRICK.
<end>
TO SAVE THE GROUPS (IN OTHER WORDS, THE DRAWING) THE
FUNCTION "SAVE FILE" IS UTILIZED.
<end>
SELECT THE FUNCTION "SAVE FILE" AND ASSIGN A FILE NAME WITH A
MAXIMUM OF 8 CHARACTERS AND PRESS "ENTER".
                  *****WARNING*****
THE CONTENTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION AREA ARE NOT SAVED.  ONLY
GROUPS (COMPLETED SHAPES) ARE SAVED ON THE DISK.
<end>
TO LOAD A DRAWING FROM THE DISK,USE THE FUNCTION "LOAD FILE"
THEN SELECT "NEW". TYPE THE NAME OF THE DRAWING TO BE
LOADED AND PRESS "ENTER".
IF THE DRAWING EXISTS IN THE PATH INDICATED, IT IS LOADED
ONTO THE SCREEN REPLACING THE CURRENT CONTENTS OF THE
SCREEN. USE "MERGE" IF YOU WISH TO MERGE THE NEW DRAWING.
<end>
THE DRAWING IS LOADED.  PRESS "F1" TO SEE EVERYTHING.
<end>
CONSULT THE MANUAL AND OTHER LESSONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
FLASH!.  IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO PRACTICE AND DEVELOP A
FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF VARIOUS FUNCTIONS INCLUDING
CREATING AND USE OF 3 DIMENSIONAL GROUPS.

                       END OF LESSON
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