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GRAFISCH
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GRIDCRFT
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GRID.TXT
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1994-10-13
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Gridcraft
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Organization of Materials 2
Installation Instructions 3
Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Change the default drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Fundamentals 9
Beginning the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Screen layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Mouse pointer movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Drawing Pointer 10
Menu Pointer 10
Pick Pointer 11
Mouse Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Left Mouse Button 11
The Right Mouse Button 11
Keyboard Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Menu Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Working Tutorials 13
Lesson 1 - Getting Started Quickly. . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Lesson 2 - Artistic Interlude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Lesson 3: From Beginner to Novice . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Lesson 4 - The Power of Computer Aided Design . . . . . . 75
Re-sizing a design 75
GCRESIZE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
GridCrafttm Menu Summary 83
MAIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
File 83
View 83
Edit 83
Switches 83
Print 83
Draw 83
set-Up 83
Quit 83
FILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
New 83
Load drawing 83
Merge drawing 83
Save drawing 83
save As 83
save Part 83
paleTte 83
Row/column load 84
row/Column merge 84
Go to main 84
VIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Zoom in 84
Base 84
Full 84
Pan 84
faCtor 84
Redraw 84
Go to main 84
EDIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
list Add 84
list Remove 84
list sHow 84
Move 84
Copy 85
Delete 85
roTate 85
Image 85
Scale 85
cOlor 85
Go to main 85
SWITCHES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
grid Lines 86
Color 86
Tracking 86
cOpies 86
Prompts 86
color Filter 86
Swap pattern 86
Edit pattern 86
Disk print 86
Go to main 87
PRINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Row/column 87
Header graphic 87
Block graphic 87
Pattern graphic 87
color Filter 87
Go to main 87
DRAW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Line 87
Rectangle 87
Circle 87
Polygon 87
Arc 87
Ellipse 88
Bezier 88
Fill 88
Text 88
Go to main 88
SET-UP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Resize drawing 88
Modify colors 88
swap Pattern 88
File name 88
Color name 88
Output set 89
Tablet 89
Small background 89
Big background 89
Aspect ratio 89
Keep setup 89
Go to main 89
Reference 91
Screen Layout and Program Conventions . . . . . . . . . . 91
Drawing 91
Drawing, freehand 91
Drawing, tools 91
Drawing Window 92
Edit list 92
Keyboard Control 92
Main Menu 93
Menu organization 93
Menu selection 93
Mouse control 94
Program Customizing 94
Starting the Program 94
Screen layout 94
Speed buttons 95
P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Mm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
oo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Status bar 96
Switches 96
Viewing window 97
Views 98
The Commands: An Alphabetical Cross Reference . . . . . . 99
Arc 99
Aspect r. 99
Base 100
Bezier 100
Big bckgnd 101
Big background 101
Block graph 101
Circle 101
cOlor 102
Color 102
color Filt 102
color Filter 103
Color name 103
cOpies 103
Copy 104
Delete 105
Disk print 105
Draw 106
Edit 106
Edit list 107
Edit patrn 107
Ellipse 108
faCtor 108
File 109
File name 110
Fill 110
Full 110
Go to main 110
grid Lines 111
Header graph 111
Image 111
Keep setup 112
Line 113
list Add 113
list cLear 113
list Remov 114
list sHow 114
Load Drawing 114
Merge Drawing 115
Mod colors 116
Move 117
New 117
Number dir 117
Offset 118
Output set 118
paleTte 119
Pan 119
Pattern graph 119
Polygon 120
Print 120
Prompts 121
Quit 121
r/C merge 121
R/c load 121
Rectangle 122
Redraw 122
Resize drawing 122
roTate 123
Row/column 124
save As 124
save Part 124
Save draw 125
Scale 125
set-Up 126
Sml bckgnd 126
swap Patrn 127
Swap patrn 127
Switches 128
Tablet 128
Text 128
Tracking 129
View 129
Zoom in 130
Appendix A: Using Directories for Unique Designs 131
Index 137
Introduction
GridCrafttm was developed to the specifications of a production weaver who creates
original designs for a drawloom. Since its original development, GridCrafttm was
expanded to accommodate various types of craft designs that use grid sheets as a
base upon which to work. Included in that broad definition are cross-stitch, needle
point, latch hook, knitting, weaving and beading designs.
Through a series of set-up functions and switches the program can be customized
to match the requirements of particular crafts as well as the personal preferences of
the designer. A large number of design operations can be easily selected by using
a variety of methods. The novice user can intuitively take advantage of the
program's powerful design features, while "short cuts" are available for the more
experienced GridCrafttm users to allow fast completion of patterns.
In addition to drawing freehand, GridCrafttm also provides a full complement of
drawing functions using common geometric shapes and curves. Editing functions let
you easily select sections of a pattern to be moved, copied, mirrored, scaled, or
rotated. Entire drawings can be saved or, if preferred, parts of it can be saved
independently. Any drawing or part of a drawing can be merged into another at any
location. Viewing functions enable you to move around the drawing sheet, (which
may extend beyond the size of the screen) and to work at any magnification. A
variety of output options let you print your designs as color coded patterns or as
numerical row and column data.
By using these various design functions to create, combine, and manipulate
drawings, you will be able to create your new patterns quickly, and easily test new
ideas and patterns.
Organization of Materials
GridCrafttm has been designed so that it is friendly, and easy to use. We have also
striven to make the printed materials as clear and concise as possible, without requiring
that you read for a week before using the program.
Installation
Instructions
Installing the program is easy and straight forward. Follow the
instructions, and you will be ready to get to work immediately.
Fundamentals:
What the keys
and buttons do
Whether you use the mouse, cursor keys, or a combination of both,
GridCrafttm provides a consistent set of operating conventions.
Working Tutorials
The tutorials are intended to walk someone through the most
important functions and options of the GridCrafttm program. While
not totally inclusive of all functions, and, perhaps, not terribly artistic,
it should provide a working knowledge of the tools a designer will
need to create imaginative works of art.
GridCrafttm Menu
Summary
The Menu Summary section of the manual will show, in highlighted
style, the organization and options available in the GridCrafttm
program. The Menu Summary will present menu options in the
order in which they appear in the program.
While the summary may not include all of the finer points and
options, it will provide a nice over view of the "big picture".
When more detailed help on a function is needed, you may refer to
the reference section.
Reference
Section
The reference section will show, the capabilities of each menu and
command option. It will be organized alphabetically, according to
menu options in the program. The Table of Contents and Index will
also help locate specific items quickly.
Appendix
The appendix will show how to set up a standard IBM compatible so
that you can keep different types of GridCrafttm drawings and
different preferences in separate directory areas.
Installation Instructions
Requirements
GridCrafttm requires that your IBM/MS DOS compatible computer
system have the following features:
* 80286, 80386, 80386SX, or 80486 microprocessor
the program will utilize math co-processors if available,
but it is not required. A co-processor will speed up the
operation of the program.
* Video Graphic Array (VGA) color adaptor
* Microsofttm compatible mouse pointing device
* Hard disk storage
The GridCrafttm program takes approximately 400K of
disk storage. Additionally, however, each image uses
additional storage space.
* Printer
GridCrafttm is able to use printers that conform to any
of the following standards:
Epson MX/FX/LQ
IBM Graphics
IBM Proprinter /II/XL
HP Laserjet II
Procedure
Make sure that you are at the "DOS Ready", C:\> prompt of your
computer. If you normally use a menu, or shell program, such as
"DOSSHELL", select "File" and "Exit" to terminate the menu
program.
Note: You may also have to type
CD\
and press <Enter>
to return to the root directory of the computer's hard disk.
GridCrafttm, once installed, may be accessed by any normal menu
program. There are no special "tricks" in the way that it uses
computer resources.
Take your distribution diskette, and place it into the appropriate disk
drive.
GridCrafttm program diskettes are packaged with both 5¼" (high
density) and 3 ½ (double sided, double density) disks.
If you are using 5¼ inch disks, be sure to avoid touching the
exposed area of the disk.
Change the
default drive
Type the letter of the drive into which you inserted the GridCrafttm
Installation disk. Floppy disk drives may be identified as either A: or
B:. Typing the proper disk drive name, and pressing the <Enter>
key will change the default drive. In our step by step instructions,
we will illustrate the procedure using drive A:. If you choose to
install from drive B:, simply substitute B: for A: in the steps.
Note: The actual keys that you press will appear in bold type.
Separate keys, such as the <Enter> key will be identified
within the caret (<>) markers. When you see <Enter>, press
the <Enter> key, do not type the letters "Enter".
Type
A: <Enter>
Begin the
Installation
procedure
You will see the prompt
A:\>
Type
INSTALL <Enter>
The screen of figure i-1 will appear.
The available hard disk drives on your computer will be identified.
Highlight the drive that you want to install the program on. Usually,
the proper choice is C:.
The cursor control arrow keys on the keyboard will move the
highlight bar to the available choices (including "eXit" if you would
like to terminate the installation procedure).
When the proper drive is highlighted,
press the <Enter> key on the keyboard.
Select the proper
directory
Programs on the hard disk normally occupy different Directories, or
areas, on the hard disk.
The GridCrafttm Installation Utility program uses the directory name,
"GCRAFT" as the default directory, the directory name to be used
unless you choose to provide another name.
You may press <Enter> to install the program into the \GCRAFT
area, or, you may type in a new directory area name if you choose.
Remember, directory names are limited to eight characters (with no
spaces), and may have an extension of up to three characters that
must follow a period.
Printer selection
After pressing the <Enter> key to specify the name of the directory
that will contain GridCrafttm, the program prompts the user for
printer type.
The fact that there are only three printers listed may be somewhat
worrisome and misleading to novice users. In fact, the vast majority
of the hundreds of printer brands use the standards established by
these few printers.
If your printer brand is not listed, check your printer manual to
determine its graphics compatibility. In general, most dot matrix
printers (including the IBM Graphics printer) comply with the Epson
FX standards. The few printers that do not comply with Epson
standards usually use settings compatible with the IBM Proprinter
series. Most laser printers comply with, or have settings to emulate
HP Laserjet II standards.
Use the cursor control (arrow) keys on the keyboard to indicate your
choice, and press the <Enter> key.
Printer port
selection
Next, the program needs to know the "printer port" to which your
printer connects with the computer.
In most cases, the "LPT1" parallel printer port is the proper choice.
(The "LPT1" and "PRN" ports are functionally equivalent, and may
be used interchangeably).
Some computers have more than one printer, and may use LPT2 or
LPT3 for their graphics printer. Some laser printers are set up in
the "serial" mode, and use one of the available "COM" ports.
Note: If your printer is set up as a serial printer (using one of the
COM ports), the proper baud rate and data bit transmission
protocols must be set. Usually, the "Autoexec.bat" file that
runs each time you turn on your computer will be used for
that purpose.
Selection
confirmation
After the printer port has been selected, you will be shown a screen
reflecting your choices with the question, "Are these selections
correct?"
If the selections are correct, press <Enter> with the "Yes" bar
highlighted.
If you would like an opportunity to modify any of the settings, move
the highlight bar with the cursor to "No", and press <Enter>.
If you select "No", the GridCrafttm Installation Utility will begin
again at the "Destination Drive" prompt.
If you are not confident with making a selection at this time, you
may highlight the "Cancel" option and press <Enter>.
Selecting "Cancel" will return to the A:\> prompt.
GridCrafttm may be "re-installed" at any time if any options prove to
be incorrect, or if your equipment configuration changes at a later
date. Designs created with one set of settings will still be able to be
retrieved, modified, and printed if your equipment settings must be
changed at some time.
Automatic
installation
As soon as "Yes" has been selected, a blinking message, "Please
wait while the files are installed" appears while the files are
"unpacked" and copied to the hard disk.
There will then be a message, "The Installation is Complete!", along
with instructions on how to begin the GridCrafttm program.
Following the flashing message "Press <Enter> to exit, and have
fun!", pressing the <Enter> key will clear the screen, and return to
the A:\> (or B:\>) prompt.
Starting the
program
As the instructions indicate, there are three steps to beginning the
GridCrafttm program. (The first step, changing the default drive
back to your hard disk, will not be required during daily use).
Since we changed the default drive during installation to A: (or B:),
we must change it back to the hard disk (usually C:).
To change the default drive back, type
C: <Enter>
To change directories into the area of the hard disk that hold
GridCrafttm, type (in upper or lower case letters)
CD \GCRAFT <Enter>
(or the name of the directory you specified during the
installation procedure, if different than the default values
provided).
Now, you may begin the program by typing
GCRAFT <Enter>
Note: The program will check to make sure that the required
equipment is present. If, for example, the computer's mouse,
or pointing device, is not properly set up, the program will
provide an appropriate message to that effect.
Fundamentals
Beginning the
program
There are many different ways to set up a computer. If you have
no special menu programs or "shells", and, if you used the standard
installation procedure, the start up procedure is quite easy. Simply
type the commands below:
CD\GCRAFT and press the <Enter> key.
Then, type,
GCRAFT and press the <Enter> key.
Notes: if you would like to separate different types of files into
different directories, you may want to insert a path statement
to the GridCrafttm program in your autoexec.bat file and then
use different directories available in DOS. Refer to Appendix
A, or ask knowledgeable computer user for more information.
Typing the command GCRAFT, and pressing <Enter>, you will see
the GridCrafttm title screen. The title screen includes instructions to
press any key to continue. Do so, and a screen similar to the one
in figure 1-1 will appear.
Screen layout
There are four main sections to the GridCrafttm program. The
largest area is the working area. It consists of the grid on which
designs are created.
To the left of the working area is the Menu. At first, we see that we
are presented with the Main Menu.
Below the Menu area is a small viewing window. This view
window lets you "see from a distance" what your design looks like
while your are working at a more detailed magnification in the main
drawing window.
The top line on the screen displays a Status Bar and various
Speed Buttons. The status bar tells us the file name, the size of
the grid, and the current position of the drawing pointer.
The Speed Button menu bar shows "quick" buttons that can be
used for convenience. Current pen colors and different views, for
example, can be changed by using the speed buttons.
Mouse pointer
movements
GridCrafttm requires a Microsofttm compatible mouse. If the
program cannot detect a mouse on start-up it will exit immediately
with an error message.
Drawing
Pointer
When the program begins, the pointer forms a white cross (+)
that appears in the middle of the drawing sheet. This is the
drawing pointer. The drawing pointer is used in freehand
drawing. The pointer can be moved around the screen by
moving the mouse.
Menu Pointer
When the pointer is moved off the drawing sheet (and drawing
freehand is no longer possible) it changes to an image of a
spider (we call her "Charlotte", which seemed appropriate for
weaving, and, we hoped, would catch any bugs in the program!).
Charlotte, the menu pointer selects menu options.
Pick Pointer
A third type of mouse pointer commonly used is the pick pointer.
This pointer will appear when the program is requesting that you
to pick a point on the drawing sheet. The pick pointer appears
as a double lined cross (╬).
Mouse Buttons
GridCrafttm uses two buttons of a Microsofttm compatible mouse, the
left and right buttons. If you are using a three-button mouse, the
center button will be ignored. Most operations require a single
press and release of the proper mouse button. A few operations,
such as continuous freehand drawing or erasing, require you to hold
the selected button down while performing the operation.
The Left Mouse
Button
The left mouse button produces constructive results. It is used to
draw freehand, to select menu items and speed buttons, and to
indicate locations on the drawing sheet as requested by the
program.
The Right Mouse
Button
The right mouse button is used for non-constructive results such as
erasing freehand or cancelling operations. Most operations can be
aborted by clicking the right mouse button.
Keyboard Control
While the GridCrafttm program can be operated entirely with the use
of a mouse, some will find various functions to be easier to perform
with the keyboard.
All menu options always have a unique capital letter shown in the
menu list. Pressing that letter (with or without the shift key being
depressed) selects the desired option.
Pressing the cursor control keys (the four directional arrow keys)
simulates movement of the mouse, although, generally it is a slower
method of movement. In some instances, however, it provides
more precise placement of the pointer position than could be
achieved with the mouse. When using the arrow keys, the pointer
will jump a minimum of one grid square. Pressing the keys 1 to 0
before pressing the arrow keys will set the increment it jumps from
one to the selected number of grid squares (1=1 and 0=10).
Pressing the <Esc> or <backspace> keys on the keyboard is
interpreted in exactly the same way as the right mouse button press
(for erasing and cancelling operations).
The <Enter> or <space bar> keys simulate the left mouse button.
Menu Selections
Menu selections may be made in either of two ways.
You may move the pointer to the desired option and press the left
mouse button, or, you may use the keyboard to press the capital
letter associated with the desired choice.
All menu choices in GridCrafttm fall under the MAIN MENU. You
may always return to the MAIN MENU by selecting Go to main
from any of the sub-menus.
Working Tutorials
Lesson 1 - Getting Started Quickly
Beginning the
program.
After typing the "magic word", GCRAFT, and pressing <Enter>, you
will see the GridCrafttm title screen. The title screen includes
instructions to press any key to continue. Do so, and a screen
similar to the one in figure 1-1 (shown earlier) will appear.
Screen layout
There are four main sections to the GridCrafttm program. The
largest area is the working area. It consists of the grid on which
you will construct your designs. On it, you will see a cross-hair
pointer that follows any movement you make with your mouse
inside the grid. To begin with, the program supplies a grid of 200
rows by 100 columns. Rows are considered to run horizontally,
while columns run vertical (up and down).
The working area of a grids may be changed to any size or shape,
within the limits imposed by your computer's memory. A standard
640K RAM configuration can work with grid sizes approximately 300
x 350. Your preferences may be set and saved, or may be
constantly modified according to your needs. But, for now, for the
purpose of the tutorial, we will press on using 200 x 100.
Freehand drawing
and mouse control
Move your mouse pointer. You see the pointer move. Move the
pointer toward the left center of the working area. You may want to
move it somewhere near the coordinates of row 60, column 40, as
reflected in the top right-hand corner status line. Remember,
mouse control is excellent for large, quick movements, but the
cursor control arrow keys are best for precise movements.
Column and row numbering begin in the lower left-hand corner. If your
craft works more conveniently by numbering columns from right to left, the
direction of numbering may be changed by selecting Switches from the
MAIN MENU, and then Number dir.
(For convenience in positioning, do not change the Numbering direction
while using this tutorial.)
Now, press and hold down the left mouse button, while moving the
pointer in a horizontal line toward the right (move slowly at first, until
you get used to the program). Try making a straight, horizontal line
that extends to approximately the 65th column.
Don't worry if it seems difficult to draw a straight line. You will
learn to use the straight line feature of Draw soon. And, we will
also learn how to "zoom in" on an area so that precision
movements are quite easy.
For now, we expect that you will create a line less than perfectly
straight.
A blue line appears as you move the mouse pointer. Let go of the
left mouse button when you have completed the line. The right
mouse button, when held down and dragged across the line will
erase blocks that it makes contact with. Try it! Make your line
slightly shorter, say to the 60th column, by pressing the right mouse
button, thereby wiping out some of the existing line.
In general, the left mouse button selects an option while the right button
cancels, or de-selects, an action.
Screen layout
The Viewing
Window
At the bottom left corner of the screen, you will notice a section
of the screen with a blue line on a white background. This
section, the Viewing Window, shows a snapshot of how the
image looks in relation to the entire grid (not just the portion you
may be able to see on the screen at any one time).
The Menu
Just above the Viewing window is the menu. At first, we see that
we are presented with the MAIN MENU. Menu items may be
selected in one of two ways.
You may use the mouse to select menu items. Move the mouse
across the surface of your working area until the pointer moves
into the menu area. You will notice that the shape of the pointer
changes from the hair-line cross into an itsy-bitsy spider (we call
her Charlotte). Since we want to use the line feature of Draw, we
move the pointer so that the Draw option is highlighted within a
box, and press the left mouse button (the select button).
Instantly the Menu changes from MAIN to DRAW. The last item
in the DRAW menu, "Go to main" will return us to the MAIN
MENU. Try it, now, please. Good! It works.
A second way to select menu items is to press the capital letter
associated with the menu choice. For example, if you press the
"D" key while the MAIN MENU is displayed, the DRAW MENU
will appear (do so, please). [Note: Menu options have been
arranged so that no two options ever use the same letter.]
Menu selections may be made by (1) moving the pointer to the desired option
and pressing the left mouse button, or (2) by using the keyboard to press the
capitalized letter associated with the desired choice. It does not matter to
GridCrafttm whether you press a capital or lower case letter on your keyboard.
This is not too complicated. Remember that all of the menu choices
in the program are connected to the MAIN MENU, and that you may
always return to the MAIN MENU by selecting "Go to main" from
any of the sub-menus. Figure 1-2 illustrates all of the menu options
within the GridCrafttm program.
Menu navigation
Draw
Now, where are we? We should be in the DRAW menu. If you
are, fine. If not, you now have the skills to get there.
We have decided that we want help in drawing a straight line,
(without having to have hands as steady as those of a surgeon).
We are going to want to create another horizontal line that is
parallel to the existing line. You guessed it! We will select "Line" to
accomplish this feat.
Speed Buttons
Suppose, though, that we want the next line to be a different color
than the original line.
The top line on the screen is a combination of Status Bar and
Speed Buttons. The status line tells us the file name (untitled.pat
for now) and the size of the grid (200 rows by 100 columns, for
now). The right side of the Status Line indicates the current
position of the pointer, with Row and Column coordinates.
Color change
The Speed Button menu bar consists of icons, or buttons, that
can be used to conveniently make changes without having to
navigate through menus. For example, to select a new color,
move the pointer (Charlotte) to the block with the single large
white {C} (for Color). Notice that the {C} has a rich blue
background, indicating the color currently in use. With the pointer
on the {C} button, press the select (left) button. A palette of
sixteen colors
appears. Move the pointer to highlight another color, for example,
the bright yellow color. Press the select (left) button. The {C} now
has a yellow background. Now, our drawings will be created in
yellow until we change it again.
The Speed Buttons functions correspond to menu choices. You
could have also changed the active palette color by selecting "Go
to main" to get to the MAIN MENU, and then selecting Switches,
and Color. However, you would have then had to "Go to main"
to get to the MAIN MENU, and then returned to Draw.
Draw
Line
Select Line from the Draw menu, (by either moving Charlotte to
the "Line" option and pressing the left button, or by pressing the
"L" key on the keyboard). As soon as "Line" has been selected,
the shape of the cross-hair pointer changes, and the status line
(middle top of screen) prompts us to "Pick the line start point".
We do that by moving the pointer to the desired spot (say row:
55, Col: 40) and then press the left, select button or the <Enter>
key on the keyboard. The prompt now changes to, "Pick the line
end point". As we move our pointer (with either the mouse or
with the cursor control arrow keys on the keyboard), a fine white
line moves to show the position of the line. When you are happy
with the position of the line, (perhaps row: 55, Col: 60) press the
left button (or <Enter> key) again, and a perfectly straight
(yellow) line will appear.
The program assumes that you want to make lines until you tell it to
stop. The prompt asks you to "Pick the line start point" (again).
Lets make another parallel line, starting at row: 50, col: 40 and
ending at row: 50, col: 60. Good!
Now, simply press the right mouse button, or the <Esc> key on the
keyboard to quit drawing lines.
If you are ever unhappy with the starting position of a line, you
may press the right, escape button or <Esc> key to escape from
the line creation procedure.
Ah, had we only known about line draw earlier! What shall we do
with the small imperfections in the freehand line? (Surely there
must be a way to control each block of the grid with exquisite
control!)
View
Zoom in
GridCrafttm lets you magnify your working space as large as you
need. The options we need to use are in the VIEW menu. To get
there, select "Go to main", which will get you to the MAIN MENU,
and then "View".
From the VIEW menu, select "Zoom in".
Note: From now on, the tutorial will simply request that you "select"
a given option. According to your personal preference, you
may use the mouse or keyboard method of selection.
Upon selecting "Zoom in", the pointer (when it is in the working
area) changes into a top-left frame marker and the prompt states,
"Pick upper left corner of zoom area". Use your mouse to move the
frame slightly above and to the left of the top (blue) line that you
created, and click the left, selection button on the mouse. The
pointer changes into a bottom right frame marker. Move it below,
and to the right of the bottom line (move it 10-15 blocks further to
the right than is needed, in order to leave additional room for further
work within the zoomed screen). When you have identified the
lower right corner of the zoom box, click the left mouse button
again. Wow, an enlarged grid!
You may use the "Zoom in" feature of the VIEW menu to zoom the
display into successively more detailed displays. "Base" returns the
view to the beginning (base) view while "Full" uses as much of the
screen as necessary to display the full design. "Pan" is used to pan the
image design across the existing screen view.
The "Zoom in" Speed Button (available in all operations) is the
fourth button from the right, and appears as double horizontal
arrows (). The "Pan" Speed Button is the third button from the
right, and appears as vertical arrows ().
A summary of Speed Button options that affect the view of the
design are:
Redraw the design
View/Redraw
Zoom in
View/Zoom in
Pan the view within the drawing window
View/Pan
% Change the view by any factor
View/faCtor
show a full view of the design
View/Full
The faCtor option (whether accessed from the VIEW menu with the
mouse, with <C> from the keyboard, or by the 2nd from the right
Speed Button "%") also changes the view of the working grid. A
factor of 2 will double the block size within the view, while .5 will
"zoom out" by making the visible block size half of the previous
setting.
Editing in Zoom
Since you currently have the yellow color selected (and hopefully,
are in the zoomed view), move the pointer, and press the left
mouse button to fill in the four blocks on the left between the two
yellow lines (column: 40, rows: 51 through 54) as seen in figure 1-3.
Remember, the left button puts dots down; the right button erases
them.
Now, move the pointer to the Speed color button on the top of the
screen (the yellow one with the capital {C} on it) and change the
selection to the original shade of royal blue. Now, you may adjust
the blocks of your free hand line to make it straight by removing
unwanted squares and inserted new ones (using the left mouse
button to color in new blocks and the right mouse buttons to remove
unwanted filled blocks).
Oh, all right, go on and play for a minute. See if you can make the
blue line twice as thick as it was by holding down the left mouse
button, and dragging it across the grid squares, thereby filling in the
blocks. Free hand drawing in the zoomed screen certainly gives
more control, but not as much control as options in the DRAW
menu.
Drawing in Zoom
Line
We may still use our drawing tools within the zoomed screen.
First, let's change our active color to yellow once again (using the
{C} speed button). Now, let's use the MENU to select "Go to
main", "Draw" and "Line". Move the double cross-hair pointer
one block to the right of the upper yellow line (row 55 column
61), and press the left mouse button. Now, move the pointer
straight down (to row 50, column 61). With the thin line indicating
the proper positioning for the new line, press the left button a
second time to create a straight line, thereby closing the
rectangle.
Remember, you must now press the right mouse button, or <Esc>
to terminate the Line draw operation.
Drawing in Zoom
Rectangle
Now, still within the DRAW menu, change the active color to red
(see how you can be weaned from so many step-by-step
instructions already?). The {C} on the speed button bar displays
the selected red color.
Select "Rectangle" from the DRAW Menu by pressing <R> on the
keyboard, or by highlighting it with the mouse and pressing the left
mouse button. The prompt tells us, "Pick the first corner". Move
the double pointer immediately (one block) to the right of the vertical
yellow line you just created (row 55, col 62), and press the left,
select button, or press <Enter> on the keyboard. In response to the
second prompt, "Pick the second corner", move the pointer down
and to the right to create a rectangle to the right of the yellow
rectangle (to row 50 col 66). Notice how a small line shows where
the rectangle will appear. Press the select button, or the <Enter>
key a second time to complete the (red) rectangle.
Remember, you have to press the right mouse button, or <Esc>
key to terminate the process of creating new rectangles once the
process has begun.
Drawing in Zoom
Fill
Enclosed areas may be filled with your choice of solid colors.
However, one should be careful when selecting the "Fill" option.
If you try to fill an area that is not completely enclosed, the
"paint" of the fill operation can spill out beyond the area you
wanted to fill, and paint the entire screen.
In general, it is a wise practice to save designs in progress before using options
like "Fill", "Delete", or "Resize".
For now, we will throw caution to the wind (for a couple of brief
moments), and fill our new rectangle. We would suggest that you
select of a different shade of red as the active color. Then, from the
DRAW menu, select, "Fill".
When the prompt states, "Pick the interior of the area to fill", move
the pointer within the new, small red rectangle, and press the left,
select mouse button. Voilà! A rectangle filled with the selected
color!
Press the right mouse button, or <Esc> to terminate the fill option.
Saving Designs
File
save As
We have made some progress in our design. We should save it in
progress. In general, every time you do some work that you are
proud of, take a few seconds to save it. It doesn't cost you
anything to save your work, but no amount of money can get back a
design that was not saved.
From the DRAW menu where we are in the tutorial, we must select
"Go to main" to return to the MAIN MENU, and then select "File".
When we see the FILE menu, we notice on the top line that the file
name of this design is called, "untitled.pat" (for untitled pattern).
The first time we save this design, we should also give it a
memorable name. To do so, select "save As", and we will be
prompted for a file name, "Enter drawing name:".
To select "save As" from the keyboard, press the <A> key. Each
menu selection has a unique letter associated with it. In the FILE
Menu, <S> is used to "Save drawing" (using the file name
already in use by the design).
The main part of a file name may have up to eight characters
(letters). Additionally, a file name may be followed by a period (.) -
and an "extension" of three characters. No spaces may be used in
a file name, or after the period in the extension. For example, when
we save this design, using the "save As" option, in response to the
"Enter drawing name:" prompt, we will type FIRST and press
<Enter>, as illustrated in figure 1-4.
As soon as the computer has saved the file, the file name, and grid
size appears in the top left-hand corner of the status line.
From this point onward, it will only be necessary to select "Save
draw" from the FILE menu. Progressive changes will be saved
using the same file name. You may, however, use "save As" if you
want to assign the design separate names, thereby saving different
versions of your work.
Views
Pan
Base
Now that we have saved our work, we feel more confident. If the
power were to go off, for example, we would be able to select
File from the MAIN MENU, and select "Load draw" to get it back
to the state it was in when last saved.
Let us go back to the MAIN MENU, and then select "View" once
again.
Sometimes, especially when using the "Zoom in" feature, we need
to be able to move the image around on the screen. That is the
purpose of "Pan".
Select "Pan" from the View Menu, (we could have also used the
Speed Button {}) and the prompt message will state, "Pick the
reference point". Move the pointer to a reference point, say inside
the filled red rectangle, and press the left, select button on the
mouse. The prompt now states, "Pick the new location for
reference". Move the pointer to the left, about twelve blocks, and
up about 4 blocks (to approximately row: 57 col: 52). When you
press the left mouse button again, the image will be panned within
the work sheet. The reference point will have moved to its new
location in the grid.
We no longer want to work in a zoomed view, so we may select
"Base". The image, based on the appearance of our beginning
(base) view appears.
grid Lines
on/off
Perhaps we would like to see what our design looks like without the
grid marks. Under the SWITCH menu, there is an option for "grid
Lines". However, it is more convenient to use the Speed Button,
{#}, to the left of the {C} color button (yes, the one that looks like a
grid) to perform the same function. Move Charlotte to the "Grid"
speed button, and click the left mouse button. The grid disappears.
Pressing it a second time makes the grid re-appear. Let's leave it
off, for now.
set-Up
Big bckgnd
Sml bckgnd
Art and design are very personal processes. Personal
preferences are critical to effective work. GridCrafttm allows you
a wide choice of personal preferences.
Suppose, for example, that you would rather work on a black
background than a white background. You will need to select a
"set-Up" function.
First, select "Go to main" to come back to the MAIN MENU, and
select "set-Up".
Notice that the keyboard letter to press to get to the set-Up
menu is <U>, rather than <S>. <S> on the MAIN MENU is
reserved for Switches.
At the SETUP menu, select Big bckgnd (for "Big background"). A
palette of sixteen colors appears. Move your pointer to the top left
black tile, and press the select mouse button. Too dark? Try subtle
grey, or any of the other available colors.
All SETUP changes are only temporary changes unless the "Keep setup"
option is used. Keep setup creates a configuration in the current directory.
The "Sml bckgnd" (for "Small background)" option changes the
background color of your Viewing Window display.
set-Up
Mod colors
GridCrafttm not only lets you select from among 16 colors, it lets
you modify each of those colors almost infinitely.
Still in the SETUP Menu, select Mod colors. The "Modify Colors"
menu of figure 1-5 appears. There are 16 colors on top, and three
control panels, one each for red, green, and blue below.
Move the pointer, and click on the top left black tile. You see that
each of the control panels is all the way to the left, that there is no
color in black. Move your pointer to the control bar inside the B
(Blue) area. Press the left button, hold it down, and drag it to the
right. You notice that progressively more, and brighter blue appears
as you move the bar to the right.
Playing with the red and green bars allows you almost infinite
control over the shade, intensity and hue of your colors. Selecting
the "Ok!" box with the mouse button will cause the program to use
the new palette for this design. Selecting "Cancel" would cancel the
changes, and return to the previous settings.
When you have (temporarily) adjusted your palette, indicate your
satisfaction by pressing the left mouse button while the pointer is in
the "OK!" box.
Edit
list cLear
list Add
The EDIT Menu provide a myriad of options for duplicating,
moving, rotating and deleting designs. The key to effective use
of "Edit" features is to learn to utilize the available list features.
In order to get to the EDIT Menu from the SETUP Menu, simply
select "Go to main" and then select "Edit".
In our first, simple application, we will use Edit to delete our initial
(blue) line in our design. The second tutorial section will show more
creative, and visually interesting applications.
As a precaution, experienced users of GridCrafttm, particularly
professional weavers, suggest that the new user routinely select "list
cLear" to make sure that there is nothing from a previous operation
still in the list's memory. Therefore, a quick "list cLear" is in order.
Now, let us select "list Add". This step will identify what section of
the design is to be manipulated.
Selecting "list Add" to bring the prompt, "Pick the first corner of the
area to include". Move your pointer above and to the left of your
original (now double thick) blue line, and press the left mouse
button. The next prompt informs you to, "Pick the opposite corner
of the area to include". As you drag the pointer along, a thin
rectangle surrounds the desired image. Be sure to capture the line
without including any of the yellow or red images below it. When
you have done so, press the left mouse button a second time.
The program will show the area you marked (using the color from
your palette on the bottom row, 2nd color from the left). If the
shaded area is correct, press the left button; if it is incorrect, press
the right, escape button to clear the list, and start over.
Now that the area is marked, and added to the edit list, several
options are available. Before we delete the line, let's see how the
program will copy it for us.
Edit
Copy
Select "Copy" from the EDIT Menu. We are immediately asked,
"How many copies?" That is because the Switch/cOpies switch
(represented by two small circles - the fifth speed button from the
left - {oo}) is set to multiple copies. If you always want to copy
one at a time, you would click the speed button so that only one
circle is visible.
* For the purpose of this tutorial, be sure to leave the "cOpies"
switch to multiple copies, as indicated by two small circles
displayed in the Speed Button display.
We will respond to the "Number of copies" prompt with "3" to obtain
three copies of the original thick line. We type "3" on the keyboard,
and press the <Enter> key.
The program prompt request that we, "Pick the COPY reference
point". We will pick a point in the working area, for example, the top
left edge of the line by moving the pointer there and pressing the
select button on the mouse.
We are then prompted, "Pick the new location for reference". We
move the pointer to a new location, perhaps creating a diagonal line
slightly above and to the right of the original corner, and then press
the left mouse button.
Immediately, three shaded thick lines appear, along with the cryptic
prompting message, "right button = ABORT left button = OK!". If
the lines are positioned properly, press the left, select button, or the
<Enter> key; if not, press the right mouse button or the <esc> key,
and select "Copy" again. (The Edit list will still contain an image of
the desired line).
When you press the left, select button to complete the copy
operation, the image, in its original color, will be duplicated three
times on screen.
Copied images may extend beyond the size available in the working area.
Using the View option, Full, (or the speed button {}) will adjust the view
to include the full image, while Base will return the view to the beginning,
or base, view.
Edit
List sHow
Now, our lesson in progress shows a total of four thick, blue lines
in addition to our image of a lighted cigarette (oh, that's what the
yellow and red rectangles are turning out to be!)
The active item in the edit list is still the original thick line, not all
four lines. Selecting "List sHow" confirms that only one line is in the
edit list. Clicking either mouse button, or the <Esc> key will end the
list display.
Edit
cOlor
Let us go up top, to the color {C} speed button, and select
another color, such as a lavender, or green. The background
around the {C} indicates the active color.
Now, in the EDIT menu, select "cOlor". The shading confirms the
area about to be affected. Pressing the left mouse button or the
<Enter> key changes the color of the original line to the newly
chosen color.
Edit
roTate
When you begin to perform sophisticated editing functions, you
may choose to turn your grid display back on, and perhaps, zoom
in on the view.
Suppose that we would like the original line to become a vertical
line, rather than horizonal. We would select "roTate", and be
prompted to, "Pick the pivot point".
Imagine the "pivot point" as the one spot that will stay "nailed" to the
grid. Pick the lower left block of the newly colored line edge by
moving the pointer there and then pressing the left mouse button.
Next, we are prompted to "Pick the first ROTATE reference point".
We will move the pointer to the block on the lower right edge of the
thick line, and press the select button again. Now, we are told to,
"Pick the second ROTATE reference point".
A line segment follows our pointer from the original "pivot point".
We move it vertically above the pivot point, forming a straight line,
and press the mouse select button, or the <Enter> key. A shaded
image is shown where the new image will appear.
Since we have the "Tracking" switch on (see below), the shaded
line will move if we move the mouse.
Press the left mouse button or <Enter> to "OK" the procedure when
the shaded image is in the correct location.
Since our "cOpies" switch is set to multiple copies (as indicated
by the two small circles in the sixth speed button), the "roTate"
operation leaves the original image as the new image is rotated.
A quick check of "list sHow" confirms that it is still only the first
horizontal line that was added to the edit list that remains in the list.
A mouse button or <esc> terminates the display of the edit list. For
practice and for clarification of what remains in the edit list, go to
the color speed button, {C}, select a new color, and then select
"cOlor" from the EDIT Menu. Confirm the color change with
<Enter> or the left mouse button, and the only item still in the edit
list changes to the newly selected color.
Let's see what the effect of roTate will be when the "cOpies" switch
is set to a single copy.
Move the pointer to the sixth speed button on the top of the screen,
{oo}, and click it so that there is only one tiny circle, {o} showing.
Switch/cOpies has now be set to "single".
Press the EDIT menu option "list sHow" to be sure about what is in
our edit list. It is still, of course, the newly colored horizontal line.
Select "roTate" again. When prompted to "Pick the pivot point",
select the lower right-hand corner of the line. In response to the
"Pick the first ROTATE reference point" prompt, click the mouse on
the lower left corner of the same horizontal line. Finally, when
asked to "Pick the second ROTATE reference point", move the
pointer so that the thin indicator is perfectly straight, and then press
the select (left) mouse button (or the <Enter> key. Press the left
mouse button, or <Enter> key again, and you will see that a vertical
colored line has appeared, while the original, horizontal line has
disappeared (see figure 1-6).
Notice that the new vertical line, and its color, have "overwritten" the
colors on the existing blue, horizontal lines.
When using roTate in the EDIT menu, having the cOpies switch set to single
copies makes the original copy disappear, while multiple copy settings result
in a rotated image AND the original image.
Sometimes, in editing, it is not easy to remember which is the
image in the current edit list. Use the menu selection "list sHow" to
see which it the active image in the list. (In this case, it is the
second vertical line, with the new color, that was just rotated.)
If we would like to get rid of the line that is in the edit list, simply
select "Delete" from the EDIT Menu. The area to be deleted (the
same area in the list) is shown in its highlight color. Pressing the
left mouse button or <Enter> confirms that you wand to delete it.
Our tutorial, as described, deleted the edit list line, and left gaps in
the three copied lines. Again, remember to save your designs
frequently to avoid unwanted changes. For practice, use the free
hand drawing method to replace the missing blocks (remember to
change the active pen color back to blue!).Edit
Changing the list
Deleting a wide
area
Now, through playing around, we have four lines to delete, rather
than just one.
In this tutorial, one objective is to make the user very familiar with
navigation through the menu structure. We will navigate back to the
VIEW Menu, and then return to the EDIT Menu in order to change
the view back to the "Base" view (the view in use when we started
the design).
Select "Go to main" to get to the MAIN MENU, then choose "View"
and "Base". The design is now oriented so that Row:1, Col: 1 is
again in the lower left corner of the screen.
Now, we will again utilize the menu system and return to the EDIT
menu. Simply select "Go to main" and "Edit".
Since we deleted the image that was in our edit list, any request to
"list sHow" would bring the message, There is no list of grid squares
to edit!" Clicking on the "Continue" box will continue the program.
As a safety precaution, as coached by professional designers, we
will select "list cLear" as a habit to make sure that our edit list is
completely clear. Then, we will select "list Add".
In response to the prompts to "Pick the first corner", and "Pick the
opposite corner of the area to include", we will surround the area of
the four lines (but not the yellow and red "cigarette") with the
pointing box, and press the left mouse button.
The display will show the area marked for the list, and we press the
left mouse button to confirm. Now, we simply select "Delete" from
the EDIT Menu and click the left mouse button or press <Enter> to
confirm the deletion all of the (unwanted) lines in the design.
It is a good practice to save your file before deleting or manipulating images.
GridCrafttm does not contain a facility for "un-deleting" images. However, if
you save your work and then get an unwanted result, you may quickly and
easily retrieve the work at the point at which it was last saved by using the
menu choices "File" and "Load draw".
Draw
Circle
All that is left on our screen now is a lonely image of a cigarette.
To complete a "No smoking" sign, we will need a couple of
circles, some lines, a little fill, and some text.
Go back to the MAIN MENU, and into the "Draw" Menu. First,
select the color that you want (using the {C} speed button).
Whatever is the active pen color is the color that will be used in
drawing new images.
To turn the grid lines on or off in the Working area, use the
speed button {#}. They should be on for the purposes of the
tutorial.
Now, select "Circle". You will be prompted to, "Pick the circle
center point".
Move the pointer to the center of the cigarette image (approximately
row: 53 Col: 53), and press the select button on the mouse (or the
<Enter> key on the keyboard). Now the prompt states, "Pick a
point on the circle" and, as you move the mouse or the arrow keys,
a thin outline of a circle moves with it. Move the pointer until the
circle extends completely beyond the image of the cigarette. Then
press the left mouse button or <Enter> key again.
Again, there is a prompt to, "Pick the circle center point". In DRAW,
the program assumes that the selected operation, such as drawing
circles, will continue until the <Esc> or right mouse button is
pressed.
Move back to the same starting point (row: 53, col: 53), and press
<Enter> or the left mouse button to begin a new circle. Move this
one a little farther out than the last circle. Perhaps row: 79, col:53
would be a position that would be appropriate. (At least one grid
square of space is required so that the Fill option will work). Press
the select button on the mouse, or <Enter>.
Remember, the program must fit a circle into square (or rectangular) grid
patterns. The denser the grid pattern, the more perfect the circles (and arcs,
ellipses, and Bezier curves) will appear.
Draw
Fill
Escape from the circle procedure by pressing the right mouse
button or the <Esc> key. Next, we will want to fill in the area
between the two circles. Remember to change your color, if you so
desire. Next, select "Fill" from the Menu. When the program
prompts, "Pick the interior of the area to fill", move the pointer to a
position between the two circles, and press the left mouse button, or
the <Enter> key. The desired area will be filled with the selected
color.
If you would prefer that a different fill color had been used, simply
repeat the "Fill" procedure after selected a different color.
Now, for practice, <Esc>, change the active pen color to white, and
Fill the main part of the cigarette with white. Press <Esc> or press
the right mouse button when it has been filled.
File
Save draw
Since we have made significant progress on our design, let us
take a moment to save it before returning to modify is still further.
Select "Go to main", "File", and "Save draw".
When you select "Save drawing", the GridCrafttm program assumes
that you want to use the same file name already given to the
design. In this case, it assumes that the file name will be "FIRST",
the name given to it earlier. The program will display a warning,
"File already exists!. Since the computer's hard disk storage device
can only have one file in a given directory with a particular file
name, it double checks to make sure that you want to replace the
old design with the "new and improved" design. Click on the "Ok"
message to confirm that it is "OK".
If you are embarking upon an experimental phase of design
development, and are not sure that you want to replace a file,
you could "Cancel" the "Save draw" procedure. Instead of "Save
draw", select "save As" which will prompt for a new drawing file
name, while leaving the current design on the disk in the manner
that it was last saved.
Practice, practice,
practice!
Using what you already know about Menu navigation, Lines and Fill,
create a "no smoking" symbol similar to the one in figure 1-7.
Hints: It will be easier to do detailed work if you use the "Full"
view option (available with the {} speed button on the extreme
right, the one that looks like a snowflake). Return to the DRAW
Menu, (check the active pen color), draw a couple of diagonal
Lines, and "Fill" them.
When you succeed, be sure to "Go to main" to return to the MAIN
MENU, select "File" and then "save As". When prompted to, "Enter
drawing name", respond by typing SMOKING, and press <Enter>.
* In this tutorial, we have purposely saved this file with a new file
name, "SMOKING" in addition to the original file called "FIRST".
You may later want to practice by duplicating these steps on your
own, using the file "FIRST", after learning to use the File, Load
draw commands.
Draw
Text
GridCrafttm comes complete with access to capital and lower
case letters. Now, it is easy to add monograms and other text
into your craft work.
Each letter of text is normally composed in an 8 x 8 grid of squares.
The proportional size of text within a design will therefore vary with
the size of the working grid. If you need to enlarge or reduce the
size of lettering in your design, GridCrafttm supplies a program,
GCRESIZE.EXE, to make such modifications possible. For
instructions on how to use GCRESIZE, see lesson 3 below.
Suppose that we want to add the message, in red, "No Smoking" to
our design. We decide that the word, "No" should appear above
the graphic, and the word, "Smoking" should appear below it.
The first step will be to get ourselves enough room to work. There
are a variety of ways that the view could be changed, including
going to the VIEW Menu and selecting "Base" to return to the
beginning view of the design.
A quick and convenient way of changing the view of the Working
area is to use the speed button {%}. Click on it (the second from
the right). You will be presented with the prompt, "Scale Factor".
Type ".5" and <Enter> to make the grid blocks half as large as
they were previously.
The next steps will be to set the proper pen color (using the {C}
speed button) and then select Text from the DRAW menu. When
we do so, the program prompts, "Pick the text start location...".
Align the cross-hair pointer to a position that looks approximately
centered above the graphic (the bottom left corner of the first letter
will appear just above and to the right of the center of the cross). In
our tutorial, the proper position will be approximately row 85,
column 49.
Do not be overly concerned about the position of text. It will, of
course, be easy enough to move the text using the program's
editing feature. Try to avoid placing the text so that it
"overwrites" other parts of the design.
As soon as the left, select button of the mouse has been pressed,
there will be a block prompting, "Enter the text:". We shall type in
the word, "No", and press <Enter>. As if by magic, the word "No"
appears in our design. Drat! It is not perfectly centered. Do not
worry. We can move our text graphic just as we would move any
graphic.
Edit
Move
In order to move text (or any graphic image), we must first get to
the EDIT menu. We will select "Go to main" and "Edit".
Since we only want to modify the centering position of the word
"No", we shall first select "list cLear" to make sure that no other
parts of the image are effected. Then, we shall select "list Add",
and mark opposite corners of the text word, "No" as described
above. After seeing the affected area in shaded display, we confirm
with <Enter> or the left mouse button, and then select "Move".
The first prompt after selecting "Move" is, "Pick the MOVE reference
point". That point can be any place within the image. For
convenience, I'll choose the bottom left corner, row 85, col 49, and
press the select button, or <Enter>. The prompt changes to "Pick
the new location for reference".
You will notice as you move the pointer that an indicator line
displays whether you are moving the image in a straight line or at
an angle. I'll try moving it just a few squares to the left, using the
arrow keys on the keyboard, to row 85, column 46.
A shaded image is shown at the location you chose. Since
tracking is on (see below), you may still position the image with
the mouse or arrow keys before pressing <Enter>. The prompt
indicates, "right button = ABORT left button = OK!"
The cursor control keys (the arrow keys on the keyboard) are excellent tools
for fine movement and positioning. They will provide more precise
movement than can be accomplished by using the mouse.
The word "No" is still in the Edit list. Further fine adjustments to it
could still be made by simply choosing "Move" and using the arrow
keys to adjust its position. Pressing <Enter> places the text in its
new position. Pressing the <Esc> key or right mouse button
cancels the Move operation.
Now, go back to the DRAW menu (by selecting "Go to main" and
Draw). Then select Text (red is still the selected active color). Row
15, column 29 seems about right for positioning.
In calculating text positions, remember that eight blocks will be
used to place the text, and that a ninth block is used in
placement. In general, it is safer to give yourself more than the
estimated room, and then Move the text if necessary.
Answering "Smoking" to the "Text prompt" results in Figure 1-8 and
shows how the image will appear.
File
Save draw
Since significant enhancements were made to the file in
progress, "SMOKING", should be saved again.
"Go to main", select "File", and "Save draw".
When you choose to save a design with the "Save draw"
command, the program assumes that you want to give it the
name shown in the upper left corner of the status line (i.e.
SMOKING).
If a design has already been saved using the given file name (as
it will have if you saved an earlier version of it), the program will
warn, "File already exists!". The options of "OK" or "Cancel" are
given. Selecting "Ok" replaces the old version of the design with
the new, improved version.
Print
Pattern gr
[Pattern graphic]
There are a number of different printing options. From any sub-
menu, such as the FILE menu, select "Go to main" and then
"Print" in order to print your design to a printer.
As computer aided design becomes more common place in
graphic arts and crafts, more and more people will share their
designs electronically, via disk or by modem. The first speed
button, showing a capital "P", indicates that the print job will be
sent to a printer. The other option is to "print" a design to a disk.
Most people will want to print their design to a printer using legends
to indicate the color coding. The proper choice for that method is
"Pattern gr", meaning "Pattern graphic" (there being not enough
room in the menu area for the whole word).
Be sure that your printer is properly connected to the computer, and
turned on (if it isn't, the program will tell you, "Printer not ready",
and ask for you to "Continue").
Before printing, it is convenient to move the pointer around in the
Working Grid to see how far the borders of the design extend. In
this case, all of the design falls within the 10th and 100th rows.
Knowing this fact can save the printing of empty grid spaces.
After selecting "Pattern gr", you will be prompted to supply answers
to the prompts, "Starting at row..." and "Ending at row...". According
to your preferences, you could enter "10" and "100", or "1" and
"200". A reduced image of the resulting print out can be seen in
figure 1-9.
Fine tuning
An inspection of the design in progress shows that the image is not
exactly centered horizontally. This would be most evident if you
returned to the VIEW Menu and selected "Base". Moving the
pointer to the sides of the circle shows that there are only about 21
squares to the right of the circle, and 26 to the left. That can be
corrected by judicious use of editing facilities. Moving the entire
image about three blocks to the left will correct the situation.
Select "Go to main" and "Edit". Choose "list cLear" and then "list
Add". Indicate opposite corners to include the entire design.
Do not try to be too fine in pointing out a large area. Overshoot
the area, since only lighted squares will be affected.
The shaded area should show the entire design. Click the mouse
button, or press <Enter> to confirm the display.
Select Move from the EDIT menu. The prompt states, "Pick the
MOVE reference point". Place the pointer on any convenient
reference point, and press the left mouse button, or press <Enter>.
At the next prompt, "Pick the new location for reference", we know
that we need the image move 3 blocks to the left. Simple press the
<left arrow> key on the keyboard three times.
The normal, or default, value for moving blocks with the cursor
control (arrow) keys is one block per press of the key. If you
press the <5> key first, and then press the left arrow key, the
new location would jump five places to the left.
Press the <Enter> key (or left mouse button) to reposition the
image, and press it again to confirm the new location of the image.
Fine tuning
Adjusting text
Entering text, at times, can be a little inconvenient. There is the
built-in difficulty that some letters, like "S", "o", and "g" are wide
letters, and other letters, such as "i" and "l" are thin letters. Spacing
may need to be adjusted, especially for perfectionists.
The method of correcting the spacing is the same method used to
move the entire image, as described above. However, in this case,
we will "list cLear" and then "list Add" only the "ing" of the word,
"Smoking".
After selecting "Move", and picking a reference point, it would be
wise to press the <1> to set the default moving distance back to
one (if you experimented with other numbers earlier).
After moving the "ing" closer to the "k", check to see if the whole
word is perfectly centered. If it is not, move the whole word to the
left or to the right.
Print
Row/col
Header gr
Block grid
Figure 1-10 shows an identifying "Header graphic", followed by a
figure 1-11, a print out of row and column data, such as might be
used by a drawloom weaver.
A Block graphic, shown in figure 1-12
highlights all colored blocks, without detail
as to color differentiation.
Lesson 2 - Artistic Interlude
File
New
If there is anything on your grid, and you want to start with a
"clean slate", the procedure (from the MAIN MENU) is to select
"File" and then "New".
The program will prompt for you to, "Enter drawing name:". Type in
the name, and press <Enter>.
Remember, file names can have up to eight characters (no
spaces, please), plus, there may be an extension of up to three
characters. A period separates the extension from the main part
of the file name.
Examples: SCARF.NEW
SCARF
PRETTY.SRF
MODERN.ART
The working name of the design, along with the current grid size,
may be seen on the top left corner of the screen.
When GridCrafttm begins, the default file name is "UNTITLED.PAT".
set-Up
Resize drw
[Resize drawing]
Suppose we want to make a design to be used in a scarf. The
normal, or default grid size of 200 x 100 would not be appropriate
for the project.
To change the grid size, return to the MAIN MENU, by choosing
"Go to main", and then select "set-Up" and "Resize drw". You will
be prompted to enter the number of rows and columns for your
design. We shall choose 1000 rows by 100 columns.
A prompt appears asking, "Merge old sheet into new?". In this
case, since the sheet is already blank, it makes little difference
which selection is made (logically, we choose "Start fresh"). If,
however, a design were in progress, the program will merge the
design (or, at least as much of the design as will fit) into the size of
the new grid work sheet.
When grid work sheets are re-sized, the new size is displayed,
along with the current file name.
Switches
Number dir
[Number direction]
To change the direction of the number system, from the MAIN
MENU, select "Switches" and then "Number dir". By moving the
mouse pointing device, you will see that the deed has been done.
Now, we are ready to design!
Geodesic design
Draw
Polygon
In general, our objective will be to create one attractive image,
and then copy it several times, at an angle. Next, we will
consider the whole group of items, and make a mirror image of it,
while leaving the original image intact. Finally, we will work with
the entire image (the copied design plus its mirrored image), and
copy it to fill in the entire length of the scarf.
After returning to the MAIN MENU, we shall select Draw and
Polygon.
Remember, a "polygon" is any closed plane figure bounded by
three or more line segments. Use the Polygon option to draw
triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, etc.
The prompt asks, "No. of sides...", or "number" of sides. Let us use
a six-sided hexagon for our demonstration. We type <6> and
<Enter>. The prompt on the top of the screen states, "Pick the
polygon center point".
With the numbering system beginning at the bottom right, we move
our pointer to row 25 column 25.
The mouse pointer is most convenient for large scale movements.
The cursor control (arrow) keys on the keyboard are most convenient for precise,
detailed movement.
Using the arrow keys for precise movements, press the <Enter> key
when the cross-hair marker is at row 25 Column 25. The next
prompt states, "Pick a point on the polygon". Press the up-arrow
key until the pointer is positioned at row 39 column 25. Then press
<Enter>. A hexagon (in the current pen color) appears.
To terminate the construction of new polygons, press the <Esc>, or
right arrow button on the mouse.
Speed button
Zoom in
In order to spruce up our polygon, we want to have it enlarged.
Rather than bothering to leave the convenient DRAW menu, we
will use a speed button to effect the "Zoom in" operation.
Note: We could have also used the convenient speed button {}
(for a "Full" VIEW). However, you did that last lesson!
Move the pointer (Charlotte) to the fourth speed button from the
right (). As soon as your press the left, select button, the
message prompts, "Pick upper left corner of zoom area". Do so
(above and to the left of the hexagon), and also pick the lower right
corner when prompted. An enlarged view of the hexagon, as
shown in figure 2-1 is displayed.
set-Up
Big bckgnd
I want to make the polygon quite colorful before using it in a
pattern. After all, if I color it first, it only has to be colored once.
If I were to copy it first, each one would have to be colored
separately.
I have decided that I want to connect each of the opposite corners
of the hexagon, and then use the Fill option to color each of the
resulting six sections.
First, I check to see if the pattern is completely enclosed. Fill
operations can be unexpectedly dramatic if the area to be filled is
not completely enclosed.
Secondly, I decide that I would like to use bright white lines. Since
my background color is white, I must modify the big background
color so that I can see my work more clearly.
To change the background color of the working area, "Go to main",
select "set-Up" and "Big bckgnd". The sixteen colors in the palette
appear. I click on the dark grey color to make my working area
background grey.
Oops! Grey is the color of the grid lines, so now I cannot see the
lines of the grid. Better choose "Big bckgnd" again. The red-
brown, or light grey, looks good for this purpose.
Speed button
Redraw screen
Sometimes, in manipulating screen images, the most recent
update does not appear on the screen. If that ever occurs,
simply press the speed button to the right of the {C} speed
button, the {}. The screen will then be "re-written" and updated.
Speed button
grid Lines
One does not always have to view their design with the pattern of
grid lines behind them. Press the speed button, {#} to toggle the
grid design on and off.
Speed button
Color
To change the active color to white, select the speed button {C},
and click the mouse button on the bottom right square, bright
white.
Draw
Line
Fill
Now that the background color and active colors have contrast,
use the "Draw", "Line" option to connect each of the opposite
angles of the figure, as shown in figure 2-2.
Notice how convenient it is that the line option (as with all Draw
options) continues in the "Line" mode until it is terminated with the
<Esc> or right mouse button.
Now select six pretty colors with which to fill in the interior of the
design. Complimentary colors work well opposite each other while
alternating light and dark hues also create an interesting effect.
Figure 2-3, while in black and white in printed form gives the
general idea of the pattern, without the ability to show dazzling
colors.
Note: Now that we are done drawing with white, you may want to
change the "Big background" color back to white.
Speed button
Switch Color
Note that you may modify any color that you want using the third
speed button {c} or "set-Up" and "Mod colors". This option allows
you to match your fibre or bead colors with what is shown on the
screen.
View
Base
There is no longer any need to work in the "zoomed" view, so I
shall choose to return to the beginning, or base view. Select "Go
to main", "View", and "Base".
File
save As
Load draw
A cardinal rule of computing is, "If you like it, save it." Go to the
MAIN MENU, then select "File" and "Save draw". If the file has
not been saved yet, you should choose "save As", and give it a
name. Any name, such as "SCARF" will do. Now, if anything
goes wrong in complex copying and editing, we can at least get
the basic unit of the colored hexagon back anytime we select
"File" and "Load draw".Edit
list Add
Copy
This simple, but colorful, little design will become the image that
is to be repeated many times on the scarf. It would probably look
nice to angle it, and cris-cross it up and down the entire length of
the scarf.
Obviously, we must return to the MAIN MENU by selecting "Go to
main", and then select "Edit" to get into the EDIT Menu.
Add the hexagon to the edit list by selecting "list Add", and pick
opposite corners of the image.
Now, keep in mind that our "cOpies" switch is set to multiple copies.
You can tell in an instant since the sixth speed button, {oo} displays
two small circles.
When the "copies" switch is set to multiple copies, you will be asked how many
copies you want on each copy operation.
If the "copies" switch is set to single copies, the program will automatically
make only one copy during copy procedures.
Select "Copy". You will be asked, Number of copies?, to which you
should respond, "4" by typing the <4> key, and pressing <Enter>.
The copy procedure continues by asking, "Pick the COPY reference
point". Since I began the polygon at row 25, column 25, I shall
choose that for my reference point.
Next, the program asks, "Pick the new location for reference". One
could use the principles of trigonometry, figuring rise and run, and
their resulting angles. I wanted a rise of 40 blocks for each shift to
the left of 15 blocks, and found row 65 column 40 to create a nice
appearance. Press <Enter> at that location, and <Enter> again to
confirm that the positioning is "OK".
If you find that the grid seems not to let you get to a particular
grid location, you may use the "factor" speed button to change
the size of the grid blocks in the working view.
Do not worry if a design is copied outside of the current view. The rest of
the image, although beyond the current view, is faithfully copied.
View
Full
Although the small viewing window shows more of the total
design than does the larger working area, the total design
extends beyond the active working grid window.
Using the speed button {}, or selecting "Go to main", "View", and
"Full" accommodates itself to fit the full image into the working area.
Centering the
entire image
A little sleuthing shows that the line closest to the left border lies
only 3 blocks from the edge, while the line nearest the right margin
is 13 blocks away.
To center the image perfectly on the grid (and therefore on your
pattern), we must treat the entire five hexagons as a unit, and then
shift that unit five blocks to the right.
To treat the image as a whole, we will have to "capture" the entire
within the EDIT Menu edit list.
View
faCtor
or
Speed button
{%}
I can already tell that it will be extremely difficult to maneuver the
mouse pointer so that the very top and very bottom of the entire
image can be added to the list.
The "faCtor" facility within the VIEW Menu provides a convenient
means of modifying the active view. The speed button, {%} makes
it convenient to use the "factor" facility anytime, without the need to
enter the VIEW menu.
Select "faCtor", and you will be asked, "Scale Factor". Decimal
values, such as .8 or .5, will shrink the image while factors greater
than one will enlarge the image. Entering ".8" in this case would
work fine. There! Now it will be easier to work with.
Ask yourself, "Do I like the design's progress?"
If the answer is, "Yes", save the design.
If you are not sure, use the "save As" feature so that you will have the original
design, as well as the updated one (under separate names).
Edit
list sHow
list cLear
list Add
Move
Return to the EDIT Menu.
If you were to choose "list sHow", you would see that the edit list is
currently composed only of the single, first polygon.
Let us clear the list with "list cLear", and then include the entire five
hexagons with "list Add". The design will show in shaded format to
confirm the contents of the list. Pressing <Enter> or a mouse
button will end the shaded display.
Now, we center the image. Select "Move". Any reference point will
do, but, I shall return to row 25 column 25 for the "MOVE reference
point". When the program asks, "Pick the new location for
reference", I'll move the pointer with the arrow keys five blocks to
the right, to row 25, column 20, and then press <Enter>. The whole
image is shifted, and is now centered properly. Figure 2-4 shows
the scarf design in progress.
Again, I like what I see, so I'll use this opportunity to do a "File"
"Save draw" (OK) procedure.
Getting oriented
Before trying to use GridCrafttm's "Image" feature, I am going to
maneuver around, using VIEW features to determine the top,
bottom, and side limits of the current design. The lowest point on
the grid is now on the 12th row, while the highest is row 200. I also
notice that there are twelve blank rows between the highest point of
one hexagon and the lowest point of the next one.
View
Zoom in
Pan
It is sometimes, of course, necessary to do detailed work in a
"zoomed" view. Unfortunately, only a few squares are shown,
and one often needs to move outside the viewing area. The
"Pan" feature is an excellent way to "slide" the current around
within a zoomed window.
When you select "Pan" (also represented with the speed button {},
3rd from the right), you are asked to, "Pick the reference point".
Click the mouse on any reference point. Next, you will be asked to
pick a new location for the reference point. A small indicator line
will follow the pointer until the mouse button has been pressed.
The reference point will shift to the new location, adjusting the view
within the current viewing window.
Before continuing, I'll set the view to Full, then set the factor to .8.
Edit
Image
Next, I will want to take a "mirror image" of the design in
progress, and "flip" it over so that two columns of colored images
cris-cross.
After getting to the EDIT Menu by way of the MAIN MENU, we
should select "Image".
When prompted to, "Pick the first image line end point", the cursor
should be moved to bottom center, row 12, column 50. Press
<Enter> there.
At the "Pick the second image line end point" prompt, move the
pointer top center, row 200 column 50, and press <Enter>. A
shaded area shows the prospective positioning of the new image.
Note: The center hexagon should be completely replaced with the
shaded grey image. If adjustments are needed, use the arrow
keys to more the shaded areas one block at a time until it is in
perfect alignment.
Press <Enter> when the grey shaded image has been properly
aligned. A nicely cris-cross image, similar to the one shown if figure
2-5, will appear.
Change Edit List,
Copy
With the angles and number of copies that were used, the center
hexagon sat almost perfectly on top of the original. Making a mirror
image of our five colored images looks as if there are now nine
hexagons.
It is an attractive pattern. Now, we need to repeat it along the
entire length of the scarf. In other words, copy the nine hexagons
enough times to cover the length of the scarf.
The steps to copy it will be almost identical to those used above.
First, we will use "faCtor" (Speed Button {%}) of about .8 to be
adjust the image so that we can add the entire pattern to the edit
list.
Next, we will go into the EDIT Menu, cLear the list, and Add the full
image to the list, using "list Add".
Finally, we will select "Copy". Since the current image extends to
the 200th row, we should select "Number of copies?" as "5" to fill the
entire length (1000 rows) of the scarf.
When asked for the "COPY reference point", I would pick out the
center, bottom position, row 12 column 50.
When asked for the "new location for reference", I would pick row
212 col 50, since I know that the standard spacing between
hexagons is 12 blocks.
Two <Enter> keys will complete the copy procedure.
Selecting the speed button {}, or "Full" in the VIEW Menu will
show the entire view. Although rather small to show the full detail,
Figure 2-6 shows how a rather simple pattern can be made to be
fairly complex and interesting in record time.
Remember, "Save, save, save."
Quit
When you select "Quit" from the MAIN MENU, there is always a
warning, "Be sure to save your work before quitting..."
Hopefully, you have taken the time to save your work. If you had
forgotten, it would be a chance to click on the "Oops..." button, and
then go back to the FILE Menu, and save the work.
If you have already saved your work, then you are ready to confirm
your action by selecting, "Quit!".
Lesson 3: From Beginner to Novice
Overview
The capabilities of computer aided design, as implemented in
GridCrafttm, continue to amaze (and addict) as one exercises the
program and learns its capabilities.
In this lesson, we will demonstrate some of the more advanced
functions (although, one familiar with the basic way to use the
program, advanced computer features are no more difficult to
master than the basics).
Circles, arcs, and
curves
Circles and curves are much more difficult for a computer to design
than are lines. Try to fit circles, arcs, and curves onto a grid
surface, and it becomes even more challenging.
In general, the greater the density of the pattern, the smoother
curves will appear.
set-Up
Resize drawing
Let us imagine that we are going to make a latch hook design
that will measure 200 rows by 200 columns. We would like to
create a "Yin-yang" design popular with many teenagers.
Each time GridCrafttm begins, the default grid size is used.
Later, when you want to change the standard, or default, grid
size, choose "Resize drawing" and then select "Keep setup".
In order to change to the desired latch hook requirement, from the
MAIN Menu, select "Resize drw". The program will prompt,
"Number of rows:" to which we will type "200" and press <Enter>.
In response to the "Number of columns:" prompt, we will also type
"200" and press <Enter>. Finally, there will be a prompt asking,
"Merge old sheet into new?" with two options, "Ok!" or "Start fresh".
Click on "Start fresh".
If a design were in progress, and you selected "Ok!", the program
would try to merge as much of the current design as would fit into
the new grid size.
We are sure of the new size by the status line that shows the file
name ("untitled.pat" when the program has just started, or the name
specified if the "New" option of the FILE Menu was used) along with
the grid size (200 * 200).
Draw
Circle
Upon finishing with SETUP, we will "Go to main" and select
"Draw".
The design we have in mind will be entirely in black and white, so
we must change the active pen color to black (using the {C} speed
button).
Next, select "Circle" from the DRAW Menu.
When the program asks you to "Pick the circle center point", move
the pointer dead center to row: 100, col: 100 and press the <Enter>
key or left mouse button.
In response to the prompt, "Pick a point on the circle", move to row:
100, col: 160.
A good way to move the pointer is to change the default jump
number to "10" by pressing typing "10" and then pressing the <up
arrow> on the computer keyboard. The pointer will move 10
blocks at a time until you set the jump number back to "1", or any
other number you select.
After pressing <Enter> or the left mouse button, a black circle
appears. Press <Esc>, or the right mouse button, to escape from
circle drawing.
Draw
Bezier
A Bezier curve is a type of curving line that can be modified by
"grabbing" onto "handles" to "bend" it into the desired shape.
After selecting "Bezier", the program prompts to, "Pick the spline
end point". The "spline" is simply the end of the curve. The current
pointer position, row: 160, column: 100 is perfect. Press <Enter> or
left mouse button.
In response to the second prompt, "Pick the spline second end
point", move the pointer to the other side of the circle, row: 40, col:
100, and press <Enter> or left mouse button.
When the program prompts, "Pick the first control point" select
position row: 100, col: 50, and when it prompts to, "Pick the second
control point", move to row: 100, col: 150, and press <Enter> or
press the left mouse button. Figure 3-1 shows the circle with
enclosed Bezier curve.
File
save As
So far so good. Return to the MAIN Menu by choosing "Go to
main". Next, select "save As", either by pressing the <A> key, or
by moving the spider pointer to highlight the choice, and pressing
the left mouse button.
Had you selected "Save draw", the file would have been saved
with a file name, "untitled.pat". Subsequent saves, after the
design has been assigned a file name may be conveniently done
by choosing "Save draw".
The program will prompt you to enter a drawing name. Let's
choose "YIN" (with all due reverence to "yang") by typing "YIN" and
pressing <Enter>.
If you should happen to choose a file name that has already
been used, the program will warn you with the message, "File
already exists!". At that point, one could choose "Cancel" to
cancel the save request, or "Ok" to give the program permission
to overwrite the old file.
We are sure that the file has been saved because the file name will
now appear on the status line.
More circles
The famous "yin-yang" symbol also includes small circles on each
side of the design.
Return to the DRAW Menu ("Go to main", "Draw"), and then select
"Circle".
The first circle's center could be positioned at row: 70 col: 85, and
be expanded to row: 76 col: 85.
Before drawing the second circle, press the <Esc> key and change
the active pen color to white (preferably by using the {C} speed
button).
The second (white) circle could be positioned at row: 130, col: 115
and expanded to row: 136, col: 115.
Draw
Fill
With the white pen selected, press the <Esc> or right mouse
button to escape from the circle creation process, and select
"Fill". Move the pointer inside the second small circle, and press
the left mouse button or the <Enter> key. It fills with white. Now,
move the pointer to the left half of the design (you are still being
prompted to, "Pick the interior of the area to fill") and press
<Enter> or the left mouse button again. The left side of the
symbol, except for the small lower circle, will be filled with white.
Next, change the active pen color to black, and Fill the lower small
circle, and the large right area of the symbol. Figure 3-2 shows the
yin-yang symbol.
File
Save draw
Return to the FILE menu and select "Save draw". The program
notifies you that, "File already exists!". Of course it does! We
just saved it a few minutes ago. Select "Ok" to give the program
permission to replace this new, improved version on the disk.
Note: Do not save the "yin" file in progress any more in this
tutorial unless instructed to do so. We intend to "play" and
manipulate it, but want to be able to come back to the FILE Menu
and "Load drawing" to get it back in its present state.
Edit
list Add
In the previous lessons, we saw how EDIT could be used to
copy, move, or delete an image, and how a mirror image could
be created. We will use this "yin" image to see some of the other
capabilities.
Suppose you were this far along, and decided that you wished that
you had made the image a different size? Within the editing
process, you can use the "Scale" option.
After getting into the EDIT Menu, the first step will be to use "list
cLear" and "list Add".
If you try to manipulate an image before adding it to the edit list,
the program will prompt you that, "There is no list of grid squares
to edit!"
When you select "list Add", make sure that the entire image is
included as you mark the corners of the area to include in the list.
The area included in the list will be shaded so that you can ensure
that the proper sections of the total design have been marked. A
mouse button, or <Enter> may be pressed to end the shaded
display.
Switches
cOpies
Tracking
In advanced editing functions, the state of program "Switches"
becomes important. There is a SWITCH Menu that contains ten
different setting. However, the most commonly used Switch
options are also available on the top row of speed buttons.
The "cOpies" switch, represented by the {oo} speed button, does
more than prompt for the number of copies desired.
In "roTate", "Image", and "Scale" operations, if the switch is on
(represented by two small circles), the original image in the edit
list will remain on the screen and on the grid while the image is
manipulated.
When the switch is off (represented with one small circle, rather
than two) the original image will disappear as the modified image
is created.
The "Tracking" switch, represented by {} (tracking on) or {
}
(tracking off) affects how squares in the edit list are placed in the
working area during editing.
If Tracking in on {}, the shaded areas of the edit list can be
repositioned before placement by moving the mouse or arrow
keys on the keyboard.
If Tracking is off {
}, the shaded areas of the edit list are placed
without the opportunity to reposition it (without using the Move
option). The chief advantage of turning tracking off is to speed
up the process of editing, as tiny movements of the mouse may
make it seem as if the shading action goes on for a long, long
time.
Edit
Scale
It's good knowing what we know now about switches! We know
that when we scale an image, if we want the original image to
disappear when the new, scaled image appears, we should turn
the "cOpies" switch, {oo} off (so that only one circle {o} appears).
Move the spider to the {oo} speed button, click on it, and change it to
{o}.
We will leave tracking {} on for now.
Since the design has already been added to the edit list, we may
select "Scale". The program will prompt for you to, "Pick the
stationary point". The point you choose for the stationary point
depends mostly on where you want the remaining, scaled image to
remain. In our example, if we want the image to remain in the
center of the working area, we will position the pointer in the center,
row: 100, col: 100. Other times, we might want the base of a circle
to remain stationary, and would choose a spot on the base of the
circle.
Next, you will be prompted to, "Pick the handle point". The program
uses the metaphor of "grabbing a handle" to pull the image to its
new, desired size. I'll go to the top of the symbol, row: 160, col:
100 and press <Enter>.
Finally, the prompt states, "Pick the new handle location point". I
want to shrink the image a bit, so I'll move the new handle point to
row: 145, col: 100, and then press <Enter>.
If the shaded area looks right, I'll press <Enter> again to complete
the re-size operation. The new, scaled version appears.
Edit
roTate
Suppose I wanted to rotate a design, but did not want to create a
full mirror image. You guess it! Rotate!
If you check "list sHow", you will see that the "yin-yang" symbol is
still in the edit list. Of course, our "cOpies" switch {o} is still set to
single, so a rotated image will replace the original, rather than being
added to it, as would be the case if the copies switch were set to
{oo}.
Select "roTate", and you will be prompted to "Pick the pivot point".
Note that "roTate" is selected with the <T> key (if you are using
the keyboard), rather than the <R> key which is used to remove
portions of the design from the edit list.
Again, the center of the circle will be a good choice for a pivot point.
The first ROTATE point could be any point on the outside circle, say
row: 145, col: 100. The second ROTATE point, if we want to turn
the image a quarter of a turn, could be row: 100, col: 145. Figure
3-3 shows the scaled, rotated yin-yang symbol.
Edit
Copy
Tracking on
The edit list is still comprised of the symbol. We can, therefore
copy it, or change it. Let us take this opportunity to show the
differences when Tracking is on {} or off {
}. If you have been
following along, the speed button indicator for Tracking is now on
{}.
Select Copy from the EDIT Menu. You are prompted to, "Pick the
COPY reference point". Good old row: 100, col: 100 will do,
although a good case could be made for picking a point on the
outer rim of the circle.
When the program asks, "Pick the new location for reference", try
row: 40, col: 40, and press <Enter>, or the left mouse button. The
shaded area appears, and it is apparent that it will not adequately fit
on the grid.
Because the copies switch {oo} was set to single, the program did
not ask how many copies we wanted. It made a single copy.
Use the mouse to try another location. The shaded image is
continually drawn and redrawn, Tracking the pointer to its new
locations. Although very useful, you can see that it can be quite
slow.
Pick a spot, and press <Enter> or the left mouse button. The image
will be created. The portion that occupies the same space as the
original figure will take over and color the squares it needs.
It is quite likely that the constant movement of shaded and color
areas has left some gaps in the display of the working area. The
speed button {} will re-draw the image, and clean up any gaps.
Edit
list sHow
Select "list sHow". You can see from the shaded area that the
original symbol, even though it has been partially covered, is still
the image in the edit list.
Edit
Copy
Tracking off
Now, lets change the tracking speed button to off by moving the
pointer to the {} indicator, clicking the mouse to change it to the
off position {
}.
Select Copy again. Again, it will assume a single copy since the
copies switch is set to single {o}.
The COPY reference point must be specified as before. This time,
though, when you move your pointer to the "new location for
reference" and press <Enter> or the left mouse button, and the
shaded area appears, it will not track, or follow, the pointer as it is
moved.
When tracking is off {
}, the shaded image will not follow the
pointer after it is placed. If the placement is correct, confirm it
with the left mouse button or <Enter> key. If the placement is
incorrect, press <Esc> or the right mouse button to abort the
copy procedure, and begin again.
File
Load drawing
All of this play has been informative, but the image is certainly
not a "keeper". I would like to go back to the "yin" figure the way
it was, before we scaled, rotated, and copied it.
The file "yin" is still on the disk in the state that it was last saved.
These changes made during our play time have only been changed
in the computer's random access memory, but have not been saved
on the disk. We can, therefore, easily get the original back
whenever we want it.
Go to the MAIN Menu, and select "File" and then "Load draw". You
will be notified that, "This will erase any current work". That's o.k.,
so we click on "Ok".
Had we wanted to save our work for later retrieval, we would
have chosen "save As" before selecting "Load draw". Saving
"as" another file name would have left "yin" in its original state,
and saved the other work with a different name.
There are two different ways to select which drawing to load.
Use the mouse pointer and click on the down arrow symbol to
display the list of files on the current default directory. When the
desired file appears in the list, move the cross-hair pointer to that
file name and press the left mouse button. Then, move the
pointer to the "OK" box and click again with the left mouse
button.
If a desired file is on a different disk, it will be necessary to first
highlight the name of the drive, such as "A:" and indicate "Ok" to
get a list of the files on that disk.
If you know the name of the file that you want, you may simply
type it in from the keyboard.
The first keystroke activates keyboard input. The second
keystroke on enters the file name in the appropriate space.
Pressing <Enter> loads the specified drawing.
The file shown earlier in figure 3-2 should be on the screen after
you have selected it to be loaded.
When drawings are loaded, sometimes only a part of the total
design first appears in the working area. Selecting View/Base
will display the design, starting from the base position. The
speed button {} (for View/Full) will show the portion of the grid
required to display the entire design.
Print
Pattern graphic
Now, we want to get a printout of our design, so that the design
has legends to tell us which squares should be black, and which
ones should be white.
After "Going to the main menu", we choose "Print" and then
"Pattern gr" for (Pattern graphic).
The program asks, "Starting at row...". We could enter "1" to begin
at the beginning, or we could begin at about the 35th row where the
actual design begins. Next, the program will ask, "End at row...".
Again, we could go to the end, the 200th row, or we could stop it at
about the 165th row where the design ends. Figure 3-4 illustrates
one page of what a sample printout looks like, when produced on a
Hewlett Packard laserjet printer.
Switches
Swap patrn
Sometimes, with various printers, especially if the aspect ratio of
grid squares have been changed, the patterns on a page may
seem to run together. GridCrafttm offers you the flexibility of
changing the patterns associated with any color.
Going to the MAIN Menu, selecting "Switches" and "Swap pattern"
presents you with a group of patterns similar to the one shown in
figure 3-5.
If, for example, I would like to swap the pattern associated with
black for one associated with another color, I would simply move my
pointer to the black block, press the left mouse button, hold it down,
and drag it to another color's square, and release the mouse button.
If I were to print another pattern graphic, the new patterns would be
used.
Switches
Edit patrn
Normally, the ability to swap patterns is more than adequate for
printing needs. You may, though, even modify an existing
pattern.
After selecting "Edit pattern" in the SWITCHES Menu, you may click
on the color to be modified, and use standard GridCrafttm
conventions of adding blocks with the left mouse button, and
removing them with the right mouse button. Clicking on the "OK!"
block modifies the pattern for this session, while "Cancel" cancels
the operation. After selecting "OK", the program will ask, "Save
patterns to file?". Answer "yes" if you want the changes to always
to apply, and "no" if you want the changes only for this session's
print jobs.
Print
color Filter
Sometimes, it is helpful to get a printout of only a selected color
or colors.
In our "yin" example, suppose we would like to have a printout of
only the black squares.
In the PRINT Menu, select "color Filt". A graphic similar to the one
shown in figure 3-6 shows that, unless specified otherwise, all
colors will be used. To filter out the white color, move the pointer to
the white square, and press the left mouse button. The symbol
beside it disappears.
In order to "re-select" a color, simply press the left mouse button
on the affected color a second time, or click on the "All" box to
use all colors.
Color filters may be set either in the PRINT Menu, or in the
SWITCH Menu.
When used in editing, the ability to filter colors can be extremely
helpful in manipulating the edit list. When, in working with
complex designs, simple pointer movements would never be able
to mark the exact squares to be added to, or removed from, the
edit list, you may first set the "color Filters" so that those selected
colors are ignored when adding or removing parts of a design
from the edit list.
When you are finished selecting which colors should be filtered out,
press the mouse button while the pointer is in the "OK!" box.
Now, when you choose to print a "Pattern graphic", the program will
first prompt, "Color filters are on", and then only the black squares
will print. Next, the black squares could be filtered, and a print out
of the white squares could be obtained.
Setup
Color name
There is a legend associated with each color printed in a pattern
graphic. The user may want to change the name of the legend,
especially if the colors were modified using the Setup/Modify
colors option.
To change the names of the colors in use, select "Color name" from
the SETUP menu. The first color, with its legend and name will
appear. If you want to change its name, use the <Backspace> key
on the keyboard to delete the exiting name, and type in the new
name, and then press <Enter>. If that name does not have to be
changed, simply press <Enter> to display the next color name. All
sixteen colors may be changed in a similar manner.
If you want to rename the colors permanently, rather than just
during the current session, select "Keep setup".
Many of the new features of the GridCrafttm program have now been demonstrated.
As you work through the tutorial section and experiment, you may want to refer to
the reference section of this manual, which is organized alphabetically to answer
additional questions.
We have reached another convenient stopping point.
Even if you plan to go directly to the forth, and last lesson, you should Go to the MAIN
Menu
and select
Quit
so that the next lesson will have a common starting point for everyone.
Lesson 4 - The Power of Computer Aided Design
Overview
The first time you use a computer and GridCrafttm to design artwork
for a craft, it will probably take longer than the arduous task of
designing by hand. It is only on subsequent designs that savings
will be realized. Before long, the quantity and quality of your design
work will have you wondering how you ever designed before the
computer. Certainly, you will not want to go back.
A large part of the tremendous power of computer aided design
results from the ability to store, retrieve, and re-assemble parts of
designs that have been created. It is not "clip art"; it will be your
original designs!
Re-sizing a design
The Edit/Scale feature demonstrated in the last lesson works well
on a single image, such as the "yin-yang" emblem in the exercise,
but sometimes, you may want to enlarge or reduce an entire image.
Or, you may want to save a part of an image, and change its size
for use in another design.
GCRESIZE
The creators of GridCrafttm have provided a convenient way to
resize a design by creating a program called GCRESIZE
(GridCrafttm Re-Size).
To use GCRESIZE, you must be outside of the program, that is,
you must select Quit from the main menu.
If you are not in the GridCrafttm directory, you must change into it.
For example, if you used the default installation procedures,
you would type
CD\GCRAFT
and press <Enter>.
Note: If you are using the DOSSHELL Menu system on your
computer, you must either exit the shell, or use the "Go to DOS"
option.
I have decided that I want to put four small "yin-yan" symbols in the
four corners around the large symbol created in the last lesson. We
know from our experimentation that there is not enough room to
place multiple copies of the symbol as it is now. I shall make it
one-third the current size.
Now, type
GCRESIZE -S 3 YIN YIN3
and press <Enter>.
The general format of the command is to type the program name
followed by a space, a dash, a program options, a space, the
existing drawing name, a space, and the design's name.
GCRESIZE [options] oldname newname
Options include:
-s n : resize both x & y directions by factor n
-x n : resize the x direction (horizontally) by factor n.
-y n : resize the y direction (vertically) by factor n.
-u n : scale up instead of down (default) by factor n.
-d n : scale down (default)
-h : print the help message
Now, on our computer's hard disk, we have an image 1/3 the size
of the original. The new file name is "YIN3".
Begin GridCrafttm
again
Let us start the GridCrafttm program again by typing
GCRAFT
and pressing <Enter>.
Notice that when the program begins, all of the default values, such
as tracking on {} and multiple copies {oo} are re-established when
the program starts again.
Remember, to make any preferred settings the normal, or default
values, you may choose "set-Up" and "Keep setup" after making
changes.
It is possible to keep different default settings for different
applications by putting specialized groupings of drawings in
unique directories on the computer. See Appendix A for an
illustration.
File
Load
First, before using the new, reduced image, I would like to show
you how convenient it can be to cut and paste images together.
In GridCrafttm, the basic procedure will be to save parts of a design
that we will want to use later using the "save Part" command, and
then merge that part into another design in progress using the
"Merge draw" option.
While the demonstration is admittedly not a very artistic one, the
capabilities and potential are nearly unlimited.
Let's load the scarf design created earlier in lesson 2. Select "File"
and "Load drawing".
The standard message, "This will erase any current work..."
appears. Click on the "Ok" key (or press the letter "O"). Use the
pointer, or type in the file name to retrieve the file, "SCARF".
This design has lots and lots of cubes. Suppose that I want to use
a cube in another design. I will need to save a part of this design, a
single cube, onto the disk.
"Zoom in"
{}
First, for practice and convenience, it would be helpful for fine
detail work to "Zoom in" on a section. The easiest way is to use
the "Zoom" speed button, {} and bring an enlarged view of a
single cube into the working window.
File
save Part
Select "save Part" from the FILE Menu.
The program will prompt you to "Pick the first corner of area to
save" and then "Pick the opposite corner...". Move the indicator box
so that the cube is entirely captured, and press the left mouse
button, or the <Enter> key.
If you made an error in the zoom procedure, and do not have
enough room to surround the image, you may <Esc> from the
procedure, and select the factor speed button {%} and enter ".8"
or such to change the image size on the screen of the working
window.
As soon as you have identified (captured) the image, the program
will prompt you to provide a "drawing name". This name must be
different from the name of the whole image. For example, we could
name this part of the design "CUBE". That way, we will have
access to the individual "CUBE", and still be able to recall,
manipulate, and print the "SCARF" design any time we want.
Reminder: File names can have up to eight characters in the
main body of the name (with no spaces) followed by a period,
where an extension (again with no spaces) of up to three more
characters.
Note that the status bar of the current design still identifies itself as
"Scarf" and its size is still 1000 rows x 100 columns.
File
Load draw
Let us go now and load the "yin" drawing we were working on last
lesson.
Select "Load drawing". Indicate that it is "Ok" to erase the current
work (it will be removed from memory, not from the disk), and
retrieve the file, "YIN".
View
Base
Return to the MAIN Menu by selecting "Go to main", then select
"View" and "Base".
File
Merge draw
Return to the MAIN Menu again by choosing "Go to main", then
select "File" and "Merge draw" (for "Merge drawing").
The program will ask us to "Pick file to merge...". Let's see how
that single cube will look in this design. We will select the file
"CUBE".
Next, the program will prompt, "Pick the drawing origin".
GridCrafttm will place the image above and to the right of the cross-
hair pointer indicator when the left mouse button or <Enter> key is
pressed.
Position the pointer in the lower left corner, about position row: 10,
column: 10, and press <Enter> or the mouse button. Ta-da! Do it
again and again! Use the "Merge draw" option to put little cubes all
around the design. It wouldn't take long to create something that
looked like figure 4-1.
Too bad we were working with cubes instead of stars! In any case,
it is another design that is not a "keeper".
File
Load draw
We do not want to save this design. Instead, we want to get
back to where we were the last time the "YIN" file was saved.
We want to get down to some serious design work.
Select "Load drawing", and get the "YIN" file. Use "Base" from the
VIEW Menu to bring the image into the working area, and then
return to the FILE Menu.
File
Merge draw
Select "Merge drawing". Select the "YIN3" file, the one that we
shrunk using the GCRESIZE program.
When the program asks you to "Pick the drawing origin...", move
the pointer the lower left corner, row: 1, col: 1, and press <Enter>.
The small symbol is merged into the working area.
When working with resized images, it is a good practice to "zoom
in" and check it to see if any small modifications need to be
made. It will be particularly useful to make sure enclosed areas
are, indeed, enclosed, especially if you plan to use the "Fill"
feature of the DRAW Menu.
File
save As
The first look after the merge looks pretty good. I may still want
to go back to the "Yin" file if things don't work out, but I think that
I should save this new file in progress. I shall select "save As"
from the FILE Menu, and give it a new name. I think I'll choose,
"YIN.NEW". Figure 4-2 shows the result of the first merge.
Copy &
Image
{oo}
Multiple images could be merged, just as we did with the cubes
earlier. However, I feel that I have more control using the copy
feature. Anyway, I think that it would look more attractive if two of
the symbols were mirrored, in order to give more visual variety to
the design.
The first step will be to set the "cOpies" speed button, {oo} to single
copy {o}. I will only want one image to be copied at a time, and
when I make an image, I want to replace it, not add it to the
affected image.
You probably remember how to copy. You enter the EDIT Menu,
add the small symbol to the edit list by selecting "list Add", and then
select "Copy".
Figure 4-3 shows the completed design. The method used was to
copy the merged symbol across to the right, and above. Then, the
symbol was flipped using the "Image" option. The flipped image
was then copied to the top right.
Switches
Prompts
{}
A word should be said about the fifth speed button from the left,
the "Prompting happy face". When the face is smiling, he is very
helpful, and gives lots of dialogue and prompting. Click on it, and
it loses its smile, and becomes much less talkative.
When the Prompts switch is off, the shaded displays that appear in
edit list displays is also turned off.
Experiment, using a procedure that you know well. Perform the
actions with different prompting levels and see how it works!
This concludes the tutorial section of the manual.
We wish you happy {} designing!
Experiment, and have fun! (It won't break).
GridCrafttm Menu Summary
MAIN
File
Save or load a design.
View
Change the location or magnification of the drawing sheet.
Edit
Modify selected section of the design. (Includes move, copy,
delete, rotate, image, scale, and color, as well as ways to
manipulate the "edit list".)
Switches
Global settings that affect program operations. (Includes grid lines,
color, tracking, copies, prompts, color filters, swap pattern, edit
pattern, and disk print.)
Print
Sends design to a printer, using several available formats.
Draw
Uses geometric shape and text drawing functions. (Includes line,
rectangle, circle, polygon, arc, ellipse, Bezier, fill, and text.)
set-Up
Set program configurations and preferences.
Quit
Quit the program.
FILE
New
Start a new design.
Load draw
[Load drawing]
Load, or retrieve a design (along with its associated color palette)
that was previously saved onto disk.
Merge draw
[Merge drawing]
Merge a design into the current drawing sheet at a specified
location.
Save draw
[Save drawing]
Save the design to disk using the currently specified file name.
save As
Save the design to disk while giving it a new file name.
save Part
Save a section of the current design to disk.
paleTte
Load only the color palette from a design that has been previously
saved on disk.
R/c load
[Row/column load]
Load a design from a file containing row and column data.
r/C merge
[row/Column merge]
Merge a drawing into the current drawing from a file containing row
and column data.
Go to main
Go to the MAIN MENU.
VIEW
Zoom in
Magnify a specified area of the drawing sheet.
Base
Return the view to the original location and magnification settings.
Full
Bring the entire design into the drawing window.
Pan
Move the location of the drawing sheet without changing the
magnification setting. (Pan the image across the screen).
faCtor
Change the drawing magnification by a specified factor.
Redraw
Refresh the drawing area (to make sure that the screen has been
updated as recently as possible).
Go to main
Go to the MAIN MENU.
EDIT
list Add
Select the portion of the current design that needs to be modified.
Only grid squares that have been added to the list can be modified
by the functions below, such as Move, Copy, and roTate.
list Remov
[list Remove]
Remove specified grid squares from the edit list.
list sHow
Show, or display, the grid squares that are currently included in the
edit list.
Move
Move the grid squares currently in the edit list to a new location.
Copy
Make single or multiple copies of the edit list grid squares.
If the cOpies switch is on (as reflected by the sixth speed button
{oo} on the top of the screen with two small circles, rather than
one), then the program will ask for the number of copies desired.
If the switch is off, the program will assume one copy is desired.
Delete
Delete the squares currently in the edit list from the design in
progress.
Note: be sure to save your designs periodically. There are no
"undelete" options available.
roTate
Rotate the grid squares in the current edit list by a specified angle.
If the cOpies switch is on, the rotated image plus the original grid
squares will remain in the design. If the switch is off, the rotation
will be "in place of", rather than "in addition to".
Image
Make a mirror image of the grid squares currently in the edit list.
If the cOpies switch is on, the design will include the mirror image
plus the original grids. If the switch is off, only the mirror image
will appear.
Scale
Scale the blocks in the edit list by "stretching" or "compressing" the
image by a specified distance.
cOlor
Change the color of the edit list grid squares to the currently active
color setting.
Go to main
Go to the MAIN MENU.
SWITCHES
grid Lines
Turn the grid lines on or off of the working area display.
Color
Select a new pen color. The current pen color is displayed on the
{C} speed button on the top of the screen.
Tracking
Enable or disable dynamic positioning of the cursor during editing
operations. The current tracking setting is displayed on the speed
button row with "" (tracking on) or "
" (tracking off).
cOpies
Enable or disable multiple copies during editing functions (see EDIT
MENU choices above).
When enabled, the copy command prompts for number of copies
desired, rather than assuming a single copy. Also, when
enabled, the cOpies switch effects editing functions, such as
roTate and Image, and Scale by adding (not replacing) the edited
grid squares.
Prompts
Enable or disable help prompts displayed at the top of the screen.
When the happy face in the speed button row is smiling, there
will be a high degree of help messages. Disabling the prompts
switch allows experienced users to perform functions quickly
without using the higher prompting level.
color Filt
[color Filter]
Specify the colors to be ignored when saving or printing designs, or
when making an edit list.
Swap patrn
[Swap pattern]
Allows different graphic designs to be matched with any of the
sixteen available colors for printing purposes.
Edit patrn
[Edit pattern]
Allows the user to modify the design of any symbols used to
represent the different available colors.
Editing patterns would not normally be needed except in certain
circumstances, such as when the aspect ratio of the grids has
been made very small, and the printer cannot adequately fit a
symbol into the available space.
Disk print
This switch enables the GridCrafttm program to "print" to a printer,
or to a disk file. As more pattern designs are exchanged
electronically, printing to the disk can be a handy option. If the first
speed button indicates "P" output will go to the printer. If it
indicates "D", it will go to a disk.
Number dir
[number direction]
The "Number dir" switch allows for convenient switching of the
numbering system. When GridCrafttm begins, the lower left corner
of the working grid is numbered row 1, column 1. Selecting
"Number dir" reverses the numbering system so that row 1, column
1 is in the lower right corner. Various crafts work most conveniently
with different numbering systems.
Go to main
Go to the MAIN MENU.
PRINT
Row/column
Print row and column data, as is appropriate for certain crafts.
Header gr
[Header graphic]
Produce a small banner of the drawing (primarily to label the top of
row/column data for quick reference).
Block gr
[Block graphic]
Print the design with all colors show as solidly filled patterns.
Pattern gr
[Pattern graphic]
Print the design so that graphic legends represent their matching
colors in the pattern.
color Filt
[color Filter]
Specify the colors to be ignored when printing or saving the
drawing.
Go to main
Go to the MAIN MENU.
DRAW
Line
Draw lines by specifying end points.
Rectangle
Draw rectangles by specifying two corners.
Circle
Draw circles by specifying a center point and a point on the
perimeter.
Polygon
Draw a polygon with equal length sides. Specify the number of
sides, the center point, and one of the side vertices.
Remember, it will be easier to create a perfect square as a four-
sided polygon rather than trying to "eyeball" a rectangle to size.
Arc
Draw an arc by specifying the center point and its end points.
Note: An arc is drawn counter-clockwise in GridCrafttm.
Ellipse
Draw an ellipse by specifying a center point, an end point for the
minor axis, and an end point for the major axis.
Bezier
Draw a bezier curve by specifying the end points and the position of
two control points. The control points form imaginary lines with the
corresponding end points, to which the curve will be tangent.
With practice, you will find the Bezier curve to be a very useful
tool that, although sounding complicated, is very easy to use.
Fill
Allows an enclosed area to be filled with the current pen color.
Note: an area that is all one color may also be considered to be
"enclosed".
Text
The text option allows for easy construction of letters and
characters to be placed in a design.
Each letter is normally composed within an 8 x 8 grid pattern.
Therefore, the proportional size of the text within the grid will vary
with the size of the entire working grid. Letters and text may be
modified by using the companion program "GCRESIZE" (see
Lesson 4), saving, and merging drawings (see tutorial section).
Go to main
Go to the MAIN MENU.
SET-UP
Resize drw
[Resize drawing]
Resize the drawing sheet to a specified number of rows and
columns.
Mod colors
[Modify colors]
Modify any or all colors on the color palette. Colors may be
changed by modifying their red, green, and blue components.
swap Patrn
[swap Pattern]
Match the symbol to be printed with any associated color.
File name
Change the file name of the design (the name to be used when the
design is saved to the disk).
Color name
Enter descriptions for colors that will be printed in the legend of a
pattern grid.
Output set
Select the print quality (high or low) and the printer grid width.
If the design is wider than the printer grid width number, different
portions will be printed separately so that they may be spliced
together.
Tablet
Sophisticated pointing devices, called tablets, may be calibrated for
use with GridCrafttm.
Sml bckgnd
[Small background]
Change the background color of the small, viewing window in the
lower left-hand corner of the screen.
Big bckgnd
[Big background]
Change the background color of the large, working area of the
GridCrafttm screen.
Aspect r.
[Aspect ratio]
Change the ratio of the grid width to its height. Grid units can be
stretched or shrunk horizontally or vertically to suit the needs of
various crafts.
Keep setup
Save the settings (grid size, color palette, printer width, patterns,
color names, and background) as a set of preferences that is
automatically loaded when GridCrafttm is started.
Go to main
Go to the MAIN MENU.
Reference Section
Screen Layout and Program Conventions
Drawing
Drawing may be accomplished by using drawing tools, or by using
the mouse in freehand mode.
Drawing,
freehand
Gridcrafttm always permits freehand drawing mode, except when
the program is requesting information. Any grid square can be
colored with the currently selected pen color by simply pressing the
left mouse button while the drawing pointer is over it.
Continuous freehand drawing can be done by holding the left
mouse button down and moving the mouse.
Erasing grid squares freehand is accomplished by using the right
mouse button.
Drawing, tools
A wide variety of shapes can be selected from the DRAW Menu.
This lets you draw using straight lines, curves, triangles, circles,
ellipses, arcs and curves.
Once a shape has been selected the program will prompt (at the
top of the screen) for relevant information such as center points and
end points.
Before the last point that defines the object you are drawing has
been entered (using the left mouse button), a shaded outline of the
shape will appear.
As the mouse is moved, the shape will change according to the
position of the mouse pointer. You can therefore preview the shape
before pressing the left, select, mouse button.
Shapes selected will be drawn with grid squares using the current
pen color.
Once you have used a drawing tool to complete the drawing of a
particular object, the program assumes you would like to draw
another. Press the right mouse button, or the <Esc> key, to exit
back to the DRAW MENU.
In all drawing operations, if you draw over a previously colored grid
square, it will be replaced with the currently selected color.
Drawing Window
The screen is divided into distinct functional areas. The largest
area is the drawing window which contains the work sheet (the
grid sheet you draw on). This is the area where all design
operations take place.
The entire work sheet may be moved within the drawing window (as
though it were being slid to a new location beneath it). You may
also modify the view of the drawing window by using "Zoom in" to
increase the magnification, "Full" to look at the full design, or "Base"
to return to the beginning (base) portion of the design.
Edit list
The edit list allows the user to mark which portions of the current
design should be changed in some way (such as copied, rotated, or
changed in color).
The first four options in the EDIT Menu allow sections to be added
to or removed from the active edit list.
If a user tries to perform an operation such as copy that requires
that the item first be included in the edit list, the prompt will state,
"There is no list of grid squares to edit!"
After selecting "list Add" in the EDIT Menu, you will be prompted to
pick opposite corners of a box that will enclose the grid squares to
be put into the list. This operation may have to be performed more
than once to add irregular shapes to the edit list.
Grid squares in the edit list can be from anywhere on the drawing
sheet and do not have to be adjacent to one another.
Keyboard Control
A mouse is required for Gridcrafttm. However, keyboard control is
quite convenient for menu selections and precise pointer control.
Menu selections may be made by pressing the keyboard letter
associated with the capitalized letter of menu choices.
The <Enter> or <space bar> keys have the same effect as the left
mouse button.
The <Esc> or <backspace> keys on the keyboard are interpreted
the same as the right mouse button.
The cursor control keys (the four directional arrow keys) simulates
movement of the mouse. When using the arrow keys, the pointer
will jump a minimum of one grid square. Pressing the keys <1> to
<0> will set the increment it jumps from one to ten grid squares.
Main Menu
The MAIN MENU is the hub around which all menu choices
connect. There are only two levels of menus in GridCrafttm, the
MAIN MENU and sub-menus for each major category (such as
Draw, Edit, or Print) that may be selected from the MAIN MENU.
Once into a sub-menu, the choice Go to main always returns the
user to the MAIN MENU.
Menu
organization
Menu options in Gridcrafttm are organized on two levels. From the
MAIN MENU, you can select the category of operation you would
like, such as "View", "Edit", or "Draw". A "sub-menu" of choices will
then be displayed, from which one can then select a specific
operation. For example, to draw a line, one would first select
"Draw" from the MAIN MENU, and then select "Line" from the
DRAW MENU.
Each sub-menu has an option, "Go to main", that returns the user
to the MAIN MENU.
Menu selection
Menu selection can be made using either the keyboard or the
mouse.
To select a menu item with the mouse, simply move the pointer to
the option you want. This action will highlight your selection with a
rectangle. Press the left mouse button to select the highlighted
option.
To select a menu item with the keyboard, simply press the letter on
the keyboard that corresponds to the capitalized letter in the menu
choice to select that option. (It does not matter whether you press
the <Shift> key on the keyboard)
Every GridCrafttm option is accessible with a maximum of three key
strokes.
After selecting from the main menu, and then from the sub-menu,
the program will prompt you for additional information or
procedures, if required.
Mouse control
GridCrafttm uses two buttons of a Microsofttm compatible mouse, the
left and right buttons. Most operations require a single press and
release of the proper mouse button. A few operations, such as a
continuous freehand drawing, require you to hold the selected
button down while performing an operation.
The left mouse button produces constructive results, and is referred
to as the "Select button". It is equivalent to the <Enter> key on the
keyboard.
The right mouse button is used for non-constructive results, such as
erasing freehand drawings or cancelling operations. It is equivalent
to the <Esc> key on the keyboard.
(see "Mouse pointer movements" in Fundamentals)
Program
Customizing
GridCrafttm can be customized to suite your particular work in a
number of ways. It is this flexibility that makes it suitable for a
number of different crafts that use grid formats for design purposes.
When you have set the options according to your preferences and
needs, you may select set-Up from the MAIN MENU, and "Keep
setup" to save your preferences as "default" settings.
Different default settings may be saved in different directories of the
computer's hard disk.
Starting the
Program
If the standard installation procedure, the start up procedure is:
CD\GCRAFT and press the <Enter> key. Then, type:
GCRAFT and press the <Enter> key.
(See Fundamentals, Starting the program.)
Screen layout
The GridCrafttm screen is divided into the drawing window, the
viewing window, the menu, the status bar, and the speed button
section.
Speed buttons
Speed buttons are displayed at top center of the screen. Speed
buttons are short cuts to frequently selected program options.
Regardless of which menu may be displayed, the speed buttons
provide immediate access to common design options and settings.
Although speed button icons may seem cryptic at first, they provide
convenient options that would otherwise have to be accessed
through menu options.
The speed buttons (from left to right) along with their menu
equivalents are:
P Print to (Printer or Disk)
Switch/Disk print
Mm Merge file
File/Merge draw
c Color Palette modification
set-Up/Mod colors
color filters
Switches/color Filter
Prompting level
Switches/Prompt
oo Single or multiple copies
Switches/cOpies
Pointer tracking on or off
Switches/Tracking
# Grid line on or off
Switches/grid Lines
C Color select
Switches/Color
Redraw the design
View/Redraw
Zoom in
View/Zoom in
Pan the view within the drawing window
View/Pan
% Change the view by any factor
View/faCtor
show a full view of the design
View/Full
Status bar
The status bar provides status information such as file name and
grid size, pointer location, and prompting messages from the
GridCrafttm program.
The current drawing name, and the grid size (rows and columns)
will be displayed on the top left line of the status bar. The program
begins new drawings with the file name "UNTITLED.PAT". Unique
file names can be chosen using the "save As" command in the FILE
Menu, or in the SET-UP Menu, using the "File name" command.
The right side of the status bar displays the current row and column
position of the drawing pointer.
The center section of the status bar is used any time the program
needs to prompt the user to perform an operation.
Switches
The SWITCH MENU, many options of which are also associated
speed buttons, contain program settings that are commonly
changed or switched to effect design operations.
The display of "grid Lines", as shown in the drawing window, can be
toggled on or off.
The active pen "Color" that will be used for drawing can be changed
to any of sixteen adjustable colors.
The "color Filter" switch lets you select colors that should be
ignored during drawing saves, printing, and editing operations.
The "Prompts" switch determines the amount of prompting that the
Gridcrafttm program will provide. When a happy face symbol in
shown on the speed button, there is a high level of prompting.
Some switches directly impact upon how other functions will
operate.
The "cOpies" switch determines whether single or multiple copies
are made during "Edit" operations. It also determines, in "image",
"rotate", and "scale" procedures, whether the blocks in the edit list
are modified and replaced, or modified and copied.
The "Tracking" switch determines how sections of a design are
placed into the drawing window during editing. If tracking is off,
shaded images (the display used before actually placing the image)
are frozen to the location initially indicated. If tracking is on, the
section will track, or follow, the mouse pointer. (Positioning it in the
drawing sheet can then be done with the mouse or directional
keys).
Speed keys related to Switches are:
Prompting level
Switches/Prompt
oo Single or multiple copies
Switches/cOpies
Pointer tracking on or off {
}
Switches/Tracking
# Grid line on or off
Switches/grid Lines
C Color select
Switches/Color
Viewing window
The lower left portion of the screen presents a second, small,
window that "looks" onto the drawing sheet at a constant
magnification (one screen pixel equals one grid square).
The viewing window lets you see from a distance what your
complete design looks like while your are working at a more
detailed magnification in the main drawing window.
The only operation that can be done directly in the viewing window
is to "Pan" a view of the drawing to a new location.
Views
When working on a drawing, it is not necessary for the design to be
completely within the drawing window on the computer screen.
Gridcrafttm provides functions under the VIEW MENU that lets you
work on any section of the drawing sheet at any magnification that
is comfortable.
Even if the computer screen's drawing window is set to only view a
portion of the drawing sheet, some operations will produce results
that effect areas outside the view. For example, a copy operation
may make copies beyond the current view. Using the "Full" option
of the VIEW Menu will bring the full design within the view of the
drawing window.
Several "speed buttons" (see above) allow convenient control of the
active view, without having to navigate to the VIEW Menu. These
viewing speed buttons are:
Redraw the design
View/Redraw
Zoom in
View/Zoom in
Pan the view within the drawing window
View/Pan
% Change the view by any factor
View/faCtor
show a full view of the design
View/Full
The Commands: An Alphabetical Cross Reference
Command
Menu
Procedure
Arc
DRAW
Draw an arc by specifying the center point and its
end points.
The first prompt will ask, "Pick the arc center
point". Move the pointer to the desired location,
and press the select button, or <Enter>.
An arc is drawn counter-clockwise in GridCrafttm.
When the prompt asks, "Pick an end point", move
the pointer to the position at the end of the arc
that you will be able to move counterclockwise.
Press the <Enter> or left mouse button.
When the prompt states, "Pick the second end
point", move the pointer until the indicator line
looks properly positioned, and press the <Enter>
key or left mouse button.
An arc will be drawn as accurately as possible,
given that curves must sometimes be adjusted to
fit within a rectangular grid pattern. Press the
right mouse button or <Esc> key to terminate arc
drawing.
Aspect r.
[Aspect ratio]
SETUP
Not all craft designs are best represented using
true squares. By selecting "Aspect r." from the
SETUP MENU, the ratio of the grid width to its
height can be set. Thus each grid unit can be
stretched or shrunk either horizontally (the x axis)
or vertically (the y axis).
Grid units can be stretched or shrunk horizontally
or vertically to suit the needs of various crafts.
When GridCrafttm begins, the ratio of the x axis to
the y axis is 1 to 1. (In order to accommodate for
proper printing, the true ratio is .8 to .8, or 1 to 1).
If the craft that you use does not use perfectly
square grid markers, it would be wise to change
the "Aspect ratio", and then save your
preferences with the "Keep setup" option.
If, for example, you want to make the grid units
twice as high as they are wide, you would select
"Aspect ratio", and then enter a value twice as
great for the vertical scale as for the horizontal
scale. For example, one could enter .8 at the
Horizontal scale prompt, and 1.6 at the Vertical
scale prompt.
Changing the shape of the grid units doesn't
change the size of the drawing sheet in its number
of rows and columns, nor is the basic drawing
information changed. You may, therefore, change
the aspect ratio of a design at any time. Pattern
printouts will reflect the current aspect ratio
settings.
Base
VIEW
The "Base" view returns the view to the beginning
view (where row 1, column 1 is visible).
Bezier
DRAW
Draw a bezier curve by specifying the end points
and the position of two control points. The control
points form imaginary lines with the corresponding
end points, to which the curve will be tangent.
Many people find Bezier curves to be more
convenient and practical for many design
applications than arcs.
When creating a Bezier curve, you are first
prompted to, "Pick the spline end point". Simply
put, that will be one end of the curve. Move the
cursor to the desired end point of the curve, and
press the left mouse button or the <Enter> key
(remember fine adjustments may be done with the
arrow keys on the keyboard).
The second prompt asks the user to, "Pick the
spline second end point", or curve end. Again,
move the pointer and press the select button.
Next, the program will prompt, "Pick the first
control point". The "control point" allows the user
to pull the line between the two point, almost like a
rubber band, forming a curve with the indicator
line as it moves. Press the select button.
Finally, the prompt "Pick the second control point"
appears, and allows the user to choose another
point on the line and "pull" the curve again,
possibly rounding the curve, or even pulling it in
an opposite direction, making a sine curve.
When done with the positioning, press the <Enter>
key or left mouse button. Press the right button,
or <Esc> key to terminate the construction of
Bezier curves.
Big bckgnd
[Big background]
SET-UP
Change the background color of the large, working
area of the GridCrafttm screen.
After selecting "Big bckgnd", a palette of sixteen
colors will appear. Move your pointer to the
desired working window color background, and
press the select mouse button.
If you want your preferences saved for normal
use, use the Keep setup option.
Block graph
PRINT
Print the design with all colors shown as solidly
filled patterns.
Circle
DRAW
Draw circles by specifying a center point and a
point on the perimeter.
When you select "Circle", you will be prompted to,
"Pick the circle center point". Move the pointer to
the position on the grid where you want the center
of the circle, and press the select button on the
mouse, or the <Enter> key.
There will be another prompt to, "Pick a point on
the circle". As you move the mouse pointer, a fine
marking line displays the positioning where a
circle will appear. Press the left mouse button
again, and the circle will appear (in the currently
selected pen color).
The GridCrafttm program will continue to draw
circles until the <esc> or right mouse button has
been pressed. cOlor
EDIT
This option changes the color of an existing
portion of the design.
Make sure that the design section to be modified
is in the edit list (see list Add and list sHow).
Use the color {C} speed button, and select a
desired color.
Select "cOlor". Shading confirms the area about
to be affected. Press the left mouse button to
change the color of the original line to the newly
chosen color.
Color
SWITCHES
Select a new pen color. The current pen color is
displayed on the {C} speed button on the top of
the screen.
The speed button with the {C} also performs the
"Color" switch function. The active color is
displayed on the speed button. To change the
active color, move the pointer to the desired color,
and press the left mouse button, or <Enter> key.
A palette of sixteen colors is available. Each of
the sixteen colors can be modified in a nearly
infinite fashion (see "Modify colors" in the set-Up
menu).
color Filt
[color Filter]
SWITCHES
Specify the colors to be ignored when saving or
printing designs, or when making an edit list.
The "color Filt" option can be useful to select
colors that should be ignored during "list Add" and
"list Remove" operations.
Color filters do not, however, unselect what has
already been added to the list.
color Filter
PRINT
Specify the colors to be ignored when printing the
drawing.
Color name
SET-UP
Enter descriptions for colors that will be printed in
the legend of a pattern grid.
A pattern legend is printed at the bottom of each
pattern printout with a color description for each
pattern used. This description can be entered for
each pattern by selecting the Color name option
of the SETUP MENU.
When choosing the option, the first color and
symbol will be displayed. If the name should be
changed, you may backspace and correct the
listing, such as Royal Blue for Blue. Pressing the
<Enter> key accepts the displayed value, and
proceeds to the next color and pattern in the list.
cOpies
SWITCHES
Enable or disable multiple copies during editing
functions (see EDIT).
When the "cOpies" switch is enabled {oo}, the
copy command (in the EDIT menu) prompts for
number of copies desired. Also, editing functions,
such as "roTate", "Image" and "Scale", add to the
edited grid squares.
When the "cOpies" switch is off {o}, the program
makes a single copy, and replaces, rather than
adds to edited grids during "roTate", "Image" and
"Scale" operations.
In summary, the cOpies switch affects the editing
functions in the following ways:
1. Copy (in the EDIT MENU) will prompt the user
for the number of copies to be made. If a
single circle is showing, indicating that the
Copy switch is off, the program will assume
that only a single copy is desired.
2. Other options in the EDIT MENU, including
roTate, Image, and Scale will behave
differently if the cOpies button shows two
circles. When the switch is on, the original
image in the edit list will remain on the screen
(and on the grid) while the image is
manipulated. When the cOpy switch speed
button is off the original image will disappear
when the manipulated image is created. Of
course, it is possible for the transformed image
to overwrite an original square. One should
always take care to save their work before
performing potentially disruptive functions.
When the cOpies switch is off, the Copy function
in the EDIT MENU produces only a single copy
and the roTate, Image, and Scale operations
transform the original squares in the list.
The "cOpies" switch is represented on the speed
button row by the fifth speed button from the left.
When the display shows two small circles, the
switch is set to multiple copies. When only one
small circle is visible, the switch is set to single
copies.
Copy
EDIT
Make single or multiple copies of the edit list (see
"list Add") grid squares.
If the cOpies switch is on (indicated with the
speed button icon {oo}), the program will ask for
the number of copies desired. If the switch is off
(indicated with {o}, the program will assume one
copy is desired.
Respond to the "Number of copies" prompt with
the desired number of copies and press the
<Enter> key.
The program prompt requests, "Pick the COPY
reference point". Pick a point in the edit list by
moving the pointer and pressing the select button
on the mouse.
The next prompt asks, "Pick the new location for
reference". Move the pointer to a new location,
and press the left mouse button.
Immediately, a shaded display of the copied area
will appear, along with the prompting message,
"right button = ABORT left button = OK!". If the
lines are positioned properly, press the left, select
button or <Enter> key. If the images are not in
the right place, press the right mouse button or
<Esc> key.
Copied images may extend beyond the screen
display of the working area.
Delete
EDIT
Delete the squares in the edit list from the design
in progress.
The area to be deleted (the area in the edit list)
will be shown in shaded color. Pressing the left
button confirms that you want to delete those
squares from the current design.
Disk print
SWITCHES
This switch enables the GridCrafttm program to
"print" to a printer, or to a disk file. Increasingly,
as more pattern designs are exchanged
electronically, printing to the disk will be a handy
option. If the first speed button indicates "P"
output will go to the printer. If it indicates "D", it
will go to a disk.
Note: The only change one will notice
immediately after selecting "Disk print" is that the
first speed button will reflect either a "P" or a "D".
Disk print files are printed in a binary format.
Draw
MAIN
Access tools to create geometric shape and text
drawing functions. (Includes Line, Rectangle,
Circle, Polygon, Arc, Ellipse, Bezier, Fill, and
Text.)
The freedom and creativity of GridCrafttm drawing
tools, combined with superior editing capabilities,
far outstrip those offered in simple paint programs.
Before selecting an item from the DRAW MENU,
check to see if the color you want is the active
color. If not, change it using the {C} (color) speed
button to change.
Edit
MAIN
A number of powerful editing features are
available from the options listed in Edit. Selected
parts of a design can be modified or used to
create new parts in a variety of ways.
Included in editing options are Move, Copy,
Delete, roTate, Image, Scale, and cOlor. Sections
of a design may be moved, copied, or deleted, or
they may be scaled, rotated, or mirrored. Colors
may be changed retroactively. Switches (see
"Switches") determine whether the original image
stays or disappears during editing procedures.
The first step in any edit operation is to determine
which grid squares will be modified or
manipulated. This is done by including grid
squares in an edit list (using "list Add").
The various editing operations, when selected, will
be performed on the grid squares that are
currently in the edit list.
When a section of the design is added to the edit
list, it may then be manipulated or copied in any of
the ways mentioned above. Items may be added
to the list, or removed from the list. The entire list
may be cleared, using "list cLear", so that the user
may then edit different sections of the design.
Edit list
Sections of the design that have been marked for
editing functions. See "list Add" "list sHow" "list
Remove" and "list cLear"
Edit patrn
[Edit pattern]
SWITCHES
Allows the user to modify the design of any
symbols used to represent the different available
colors.
If the printer cannot adequately fit a symbol into
the available space, particularly if the aspect ration
of grid squares has been modified, the user may
construct new symbols to represent the colors of
their pattern design.
Selecting "Edit pattern" will show the sixteen
colors, with an enlarged view of the currently
selected color.
First, make sure the color for the symbol pattern
that you want to modify is selected (press the left
mouse button on the desired color).
Next, edit the large, block image for the symbol
selected. Clicking the left mouse button toggles
the color of each block on and off (if you make a
mistake, press the left button a second time to
change the block again).
When all the desired modifications have been
made, press the left mouse button while the
pointer is in the "Ok!" box.
If you want the changes to always apply, you may
save them as defaults by responding to the "Save
patterns to file?" prompt by clicking in the "Yes"
box. Selecting "No" will use the new pattern only
for printing the current design.
Ellipse
DRAW
Draw an ellipse by specifying a center point, an
end point for the minor axis, and an end point for
the major axis.
When the prompt asks, "Pick the ellipse center
point", move the pointer to the desired position
and press the left mouse button.
The next prompts will be, "Pick the minor axis end
point" and "Pick the major axis end point". The
major axis is the longer axis. A preliminary
indicator will show there the ellipse is to be
placed. Moving the pointer will continually
reposition the ellipse.
When satisfied with the size, shape, and position,
press the left mouse button or the <Enter> key.
An ellipse, in the current color, will be drawn.
faCtor
VIEW
The "faCtor" facility of VIEW provides a
convenient means of modifying the active view.
Selecting "faCtor" will result in the prompt, "Scale
Factor".
Entering decimal values, such as .8 or .5, will
shrink the image within the working area while
entering factors greater than one will enlarge the
image.
The speed button, {%} also accesses the "faCtor"
facility anytime, without the need to enter the
VIEW menu.
File
MAIN
The GridCrafttm FILE MENU (accessed by
selecting "File" from the MAIN MENU) provides a
variety of choices of how to save files, and parts
of files. Complete designs (the complete drawing
sheet) may be saved using the "Save draw" or
"save As" options. "Save draw" saves a design
using the working file name, while "save As"
prompts the user for a new file name. Rectangular
portions of a design may be saved using the "save
Part" option.
The formats of the saved files are identical so that
parts of a design can later be loaded as
independent drawings.
Designs saved on disk can also be merged into a
current drawing sheet using the "Merge draw"
option. When a drawing is merged into a new grid
sheet, the user is prompted to "Pick the drawing
origin", to mark the position (the lower left corner)
where the saved portion is to be merged into the
existing work sheet.
One should, for safety's sake, be sure to save a
drawing in progress before merging files. It is
possible that the merged data may overwrite grid
boxes that are already in use.
The color palette for a drawing normally uses the
current color palette settings for the design in
progress. It is possible to retrieve only the color
paleTte from any drawing, or symbol, using the
FILE MENU option "paleTte".
The flexible filing system of GridCrafttm allows for
the creation of symbols, or small drawings, that
can be used repeatedly in different drawings by
using the merge option.
Design information can also be saved in row and
column formats, using "R/c load" and "r/C merge".
The row/column method may be useful for saving
summaries of grids, such as is used in loom
treadle settings.
File name
SET-UP
Change the file name of the design (the name to
be used when the design is saved to the disk).
Allowable file names have a maximum of up to
eight characters, followed by a period, and an
extension of up to three additional characters.
Fill
DRAW
Allows an enclosed area to be filled with the
current pen color.
Note: One should be careful when using "Fill". If
you try to fill an area that is not completely
enclosed, the "paint" of the fill operation can spill
out beyond the area you wanted to fill.
When beginning the "Fill" procedure, make sure
that the desired active color has been set (see
"Color")
When the prompt states, "Pick the interior of the
area to fill", move the pointer within the enclosed
area and press the left, select mouse button, or
<Enter>.
Press the right mouse button, or <Esc> key to
terminate the fill option.
Note: an area that is all one color is also
considered to be "enclosed", and may be
changed.
Full
VIEW
The "Full" view automatically adjusts the viewing
factor so that the entire image is displayed in the
working area.
Go to main
Sub-Menus
All sub-menus provide an option, "Go to main",
which returns the user to the MAIN MENU.
grid Lines
SWITCHES
Turn the grid lines on or off of the working area
display.
The speed button to the left of the {C} color button
(the one that looks like a grid) also performs the
"grid Line" function.
Header graph
PRINT
Produce a small banner of the drawing (primarily
to label the top of row/column data for quick
reference).
Image
EDIT
"Image" makes a mirror image of the grid squares
currently in the edit list.
If the cOpies switch is on {oo}, the design will
include the mirror image plus the original grids. If
the switch is off {o}, only the mirror image will
appear.
When prompted to, "Pick the first image line end
point", the cursor should be moved to that point,
and the left mouse button or <Enter> key pressed.
At the "Pick the second image line end point"
prompt, move the pointer to the location that the
reference point should be "flipped" to. A shaded
area shows the prospective positioning of the
image. Press <Enter>, or the left mouse button a
second time to confirm the procedure.
Keep setup
SET-UP
Save the default settings that will be automatically
loaded when GridCrafttm is started.
Once you have configured GridCrafttm for your
particular needs, you can save the settings to
avoid repeating the same procedures each time
you start the program.
Technically, by selecting the Keep setup option
from the SETUP MENU, you create a file,
GRID.CFG, in the current working directory of
your disk. This file contains the following setup
information:
* Standard drawing sheet size
* The aspect ratio (grid block height to width)
* Standard color palette
* Pattern to color mapping
* The legend of color pattern indicators
* Standard printer width
* Normal background colors for working and
viewing windows.
When the program starts, it first looks for a
configuration file (GRID.CFG) in the currently
active hard disk directory. If "GRID.CFG" is not
found in the current (default) directory, the
GridCrafttm program will search the computer's
search path (that is set in the "AUTOEXEC.BAT"
file) to try to find another location of "GRID.CFG".
If a configuration file is found, then all of the
settings are restored. If the file is not found in the
current directory, or in specified path searches,
then the program uses standard GridCrafttm
settings, as they were when the program was
shipped.
Since the program first looks in the current
directory for a configuration file, it is possible to
have different setup configurations, as long as
they are kept in different directories.
Line
DRAW
Draw lines by specifying end points.
As soon as "Line" has been selected, the shape of
the cross-hair pointer changes, and the status line
(middle top) prompts us to "Pick the line start
point". Move the pointer to the desired location,
and then press the left, select button, or <Enter>
key on the keyboard.
The prompt changes to, "Pick the line end point".
As the pointer moves, a fine white line moves to
show the position of the line. Press the left mouse
button again, or <Enter>, and a straight line will
appear.
list Add
EDIT
Select the portion of the current design that needs
to be modified. Only grid squares that have been
added to the edit list in this manner can be
modified by available EDIT functions.
Selecting "list Add" brings the prompt, "Pick the
first corner of the area to include". Move your
pointer above and to the outside of the area you
want to mark, and press the left mouse button.
The next prompt informs you to, "Pick the opposite
corner of the area to include". As you drag the
pointer along, a thin rectangle will surround the
desired image. When you are done, press the left
mouse button a second time. The area in the edit
list will be displayed in a shaded color. Press the
left mouse button again to end the list display.
list cLear
EDIT
Clears the current edit list (so that a new one may
be defined).
List cLear totally clears the edit list. Compare to
"list Remove", which prompts for sections to be
removed from the edit list.
"list cLear" is a good safety precaution to use
before marking totally new sections with "list Add".
list Remov
[list Remove]
EDIT
The editing option "list Remove" allows sections
that were previously added to the edit list to be
removed from the list.
The user will be prompted, "Pick the first corner of
the area to exclude", and then, "Pick the opposite
corner of the area to exclude".
When the mouse button has been pressed, the
grid squares remaining in the edit list will be
displayed until a mouse button is pressed to end
the display.
list sHow
EDIT
Shows, or displays, the grid squares that are
currently included in the edit list.
Selecting "List sHow" displays the edit list in a
shaded color. Clicking either mouse button, or the
<Esc> key will terminate the display of the edit list.
The items shown in the list will be used by editing
options such as "Move", "Copy", "Delete",
"roTate", "Image", "Scale", and "cOlor".
Load Drawing
FILE
Load, (retrieve) a design (along with its associated
color palette) that was previously saved onto disk.
When you select Load Draw, you will first be
prompted, "This will erase any current work...". If
you want to be sure to save the current work in
progress, you may select "Cancel", and then save
your work.
Selecting "Ok" results in a list of the files in the
current directory. Clicking the left mouse button
on the down arrow icon () brings more files in
the directory into view, if there are, indeed, more
files there.
To select a file, move the mouse pointer to the
desired file, and click the left, select button. The
file will be highlighted with a different color. Then
select "Ok" to load the file.
Merge Drawing
FILE
Merge a design into the current drawing sheet at a
specified location.
Selecting "Merge draw" will result in the prompt,
"Pick file to merge..." along with a list of designs
in the current directory.
Again, clicking the left mouse button on the down
arrow icon () will bring more files into view.
Select the desired file by moving the pointer to the
file, and pressing the left mouse button and then,
"Ok".
Next, you will have to "Pick the drawing origin".
Move the pointer to the position in the drawing
area where you want the lower left corner of the
merged file to appear, and then press the left
mouse button or the <Enter> key.
Consideration should be given to color palettes
during merging. When a symbol or drawing is
merged into a drawing sheet, it adapts itself to the
color palette that is currently in use. Without a bit
of planning, a merged symbol may not display the
colors it was saved with.
Mod colors
[Modify colors]
SET-UP
Modify any or all colors of the sixteen color in the
color palette. Colors may be changed by
modifying their red, green, and blue components.
A total of more than 262,000 color combinations
are possible.
When "Modify Colors" has been selected, a
display of sixteen colors, and three control panels
is shown.
Move the pointer to the color that you want to
modify, and click the mouse button while on that
color tile.
Next, move the pointer to one of the three color
control panels (red, green, or blue).
Press the left mouse button, hold it down, and
drag it to a new position, thereby re-blending the
color mix. Release the mouse button when the
desired color and shade has been mixed.
Select the "Ok!" box with the mouse button to use
the new palette for this design.
Select "Cancel" to cancel the changes, and return
to the previous settings.
Modified color palettes are saved as a part of
each drawing, so that they will be restored when
the drawing is loaded from a disk. If you want to
work with a preferred palette most of the time,
modify the colors, and then save them using the
Keep setup option.
The speed button {Cc} is a quick way to access
the "Modify colors" option.
Move
EDIT
Moves the grid squares currently in the edit list
(see "list Add" and "list cLear") to a new location.
The first prompt after selecting "Move" is, "Pick
the MOVE reference point". That point can be
any place within the image. Press the select, left
button, or <Enter> on the keyboard.
The prompt changes to "Pick the new location for
reference". An indicator line is displayed as you
move the image.
When you pick the new location, a shaded image
appears, along with the message, "right button =
ABORT left button = OK!" Pressing the right
mouse button or <Enter> moves the object.
Note that if "tracking" is on (indicated with the
speed button symbol {}) that the image in the
edit list will follow, or track, the mouse during
"Move" operations.
New
FILE
Start a new design.
Selecting "New" results in a prompt, "Enter
drawing name:". Enter a file name (and directory
path if you so choose) that contains up to eight
characters (no spaces) in the main body of the
name, and up to three characters in the extension.
Example: "SUPER.PAT"
Number dir
[Number direction]
SWITCHES
The "Number dir" switch allows for convenient
switching of the numbering system. When
GridCrafttm begins, the lower left corner of the
working grid is numbered row 1, column 1.
Selecting "Number dir" reverses the numbering
system so that row 1, column 1 is in the lower
right corner. Various crafts work most
conveniently with different numbering systems.
Offset
FILE
The "Offset" option sets the vertical and horizontal
offset for the next "File/Load drawing". The offset
is only in effect for the next File/Load.
After selecting Offset, one is prompted to input
data (in terms of blocks) for, "Horizontal offset"
and "Vertical offset".
Output set
SET-UP
Select the print quality (high or low) and the
printer grid width.
The "Output set" option begins with the user being
prompted to select print quality. Low (fast) options
are good for draft work while High (slow) print is
best for masterpieces.
The second prompt allows for the setting of printer
grid widths. The default value is 60, which is
appropriate for normal sized square grids on
printers that print on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper.
The number of columns that can fit on a page can
vary depending on the width of the printer and
how it is set up, and with the SET-UP "Aspect
ratio". Experimentation may be required if you
have a wide printer, or if your primary craft uses
smaller or larger than normal grid sizes.
If the design you create is wider than the printer is
able to print, then the number of rows shown in
this prompt will be printed in sections. Very large
designs can then be spliced together to create
whole walls of designs, if desired.
Again, if a setting matches your every-day needs,
save the setup using the Keep setup option.
paleTte
FILE
In the FILE Menu, "paleTte" loads only the color
palette from a design that has been previously
saved on disk.
You will be prompted to, "Pick the file with the
desired palette". Use the mouse pointer and left
mouse button to select the file with the preferred
palette (you may need to click on the down arrow
[] icon to bring more files into view).
Use of the "paleTte" option can allow a set of
drawings to be totally uniform in their colors.
It is possible to modify the color palette and save
an empty drawing sheet with the intention of only
saving the color scheme. Using the "save As"
option, one could save different color palettes,
such as sixteen shades of blue, that would be
ready for future use.
Pan
VIEW
"Pan" allows the user to "pan", or move the design
around within the current working area.
When "Pan" is selected, the program prompts,
"Pick the reference point". Click the mouse on
any reference point. Then, pick a new reference
point. A small indicator line will follow the pointer
until the mouse button has been pressed. The
reference point will shift to the new location,
adjusting the view within the current viewing
window.
"Pan" is also represented by the speed button {},
3rd from the right.
Pattern graph
PRINT
Print the design so that graphic legends represent
their matching colors in the pattern.
Polygon
DRAW
Draw a polygon (a filled figure of three or more
sides). GridCrafttm will draw the figure with sides
of equal length.
First, the user will be asked to specify the number
of sides. Type the number, and press <Enter>.
Next, the center point must be marked as the
prompt requests, "Pick the polygon center point".
Move the pointer (or the cursor keys) and press
<Enter> or the left mouse button.
Finally, one of the side vertices must be marked
as the program prompts, "Pick a point on the
polygon". Move the pointer, and press the left
mouse button.
A regular polygon (in the selected color) will be
drawn.
Press <Esc> or the right mouse button when you
no longer want to draw polygons.
Print
MAIN
Send a design to a printer, using one of several
available formats.
If a full design with symbols marking each color is
wanted, then "Pattern gr" [Pattern Graphic] would
be chosen.
If the user wants a print out of row and column
data, "Row/column" would be chosen.
A Block graph "Block graph" could be selected to
print so that all colors are represented only with a
solid block.
For convenience, a "Header graph", or small
banner of the entire design may also be printed.
Header grids provide a handy visual reminder of
the pattern, especially when row and column data
has been printed.
The "color Filter" option lets you select colors that
should be ignored, or filtered out, in the printing
operation.
Prompts
SWITCHES
Enable or disable help prompts displayed at the
top of the screen. The purpose of disabling
Prompts would be to suppress edit list displays
during editing, thereby speeding up the editing
process.
When the happy face in the speed button row {}
is smiling, there will be a high degree of help
messages. Disabling the prompts switch (clicking
the mouse on the speed button and making the
happy face lose his smile) allows experienced
users to perform functions quickly without using
the higher prompting level.
Quit
MAIN
Selecting "Quit" from the MAIN MENU indicates
that you want to terminate the use of GridCrafttm.
A warning message, "Quitting will not save this
work"" always appears.
Make sure that you have saved your work before
quitting, then select, "Quit anyway!".
r/C merge
[row/Column merge]
FILE
Merge a drawing into the current drawing from a
file containing row and column data.
R/c load
[Row/column load]
FILE
Load a design from a file containing row and
column data.
Rectangle
DRAW
Draw rectangles by specifying two corners.
A prompting message will inform, "Pick the first
corner". Move the double pointer immediately to
the desired location, and press the left, select
button, or the <Enter> key.
In response to the second prompt, "Pick the
second corner", move the pointer to the opposite
corner. A small line will show where the rectangle
will appear.
Press the select button a second time to complete
the rectangle. The right mouse button, or <Esc>
key would terminate the process before a
rectangle is entered into the working grid.
Redraw
VIEW
Refresh the drawing area to clean up minor
inconsistencies that may occur during editing.
Redraw is also represented with the speed button,
{}.
Resize drawing
SET-UP
Resize the drawing sheet to a specified number of
rows and columns.
It is a good practice to save your work before
resizing.
You will be prompted to enter the number of rows
and columns for your design. Type the desired
numbers, and press <Enter>.
A prompt appears asking, "Merge old sheet into
new?". The available choices are "Ok!" and "Start
fresh".
If a design is already in progress, the choice "Ok!"
will merge the design (or, at least as much of the
design as will fit) into the size of the new grid work
sheet.
"Start fresh" totally clears the working area, and
begins the design process with a new grid sheet
size.
Any drawing can be merged into any size grid
sheet, although if the drawing is larger than the
sheet size, some information may be ignored
(lost).
Drawings are loaded beginning at the lower left-
hand corner of the sheet. If a drawing is higher or
wider than the sheet size, parts of the drawing to
the right or above the top of the sheet would be
ignored.
The maximum size for a drawing on a typical
system is approximately 100,000 grid points (such
as a square sheet with up to 300 rows by 300
columns or 1200 rows by 80 columns).
roTate
EDIT
Rotate the grid squares in the current edit list by a
specified angle.
If the cOpies switch is on {oo}, the rotated image
plus the original grid squares will remain in the
design. If the copies switch is off {o}, the rotation
will be "in place of", rather than "in addition to" the
image.
When you select "roTate", you are prompted to,
"Pick the pivot point".
The "pivot point" is the one spot that will stay
stationary. Choose the point with the mouse or
cursor, and press the left mouse button or the
<Enter> key.
Next, appears the prompt,"Pick the first ROTATE
reference point". Select a point that you want to
"grab" and rotate. Then, "Pick the second
ROTATE reference point".
A line segment follows the pointer from the
original "pivot point" to the reference point's new
location. Press the select button or key.
A shaded image is shown where the new image
will appear. Press the left mouse button to "OK"
the procedure when the shaded image is in the
correct location.
Row/column
PRINT
Print row and column data, as is appropriate for
certain crafts, such as weaving. Refer to figure 1-
11 for an example.
save As
FILE
Save the design to disk while giving it a new file
name. When prompted to provide a new file
name, you may give it any name with up to eleven
characters (up to eight letters in the main body of
the file name plus up to three characters in the
extension that follows a period).
Example: GREAT.WRK.
save Part
FILE
Save a section of the current design to disk.
When you select "save Part" you are prompted to,
"Pick the first corner of area to save". Move the
cursor to a desired location and press the left
mouse button. Then, you are prompted to, "Pick
the opposite corner". Move the pointer so that the
indicator box covers the portion of the design that
should be saved, and, again, press the left mouse
button.
The program will prompt for you to, "Enter drawing
name". Assign the portion a file name (up to eight
characters followed by up to three characters in
the extension, such as, "GOOD.PRT"), and press
<Enter>.
Save draw
[Save drawing]
FILE
Save the design to disk using the currently
specified file name (the file name is displayed on
the top left corner of the status bar).
Scale
EDIT
Scales (enlarges or shrinks) items in the edit list.
Whatever items have been included in the edit list,
through the use of "list Add" may be scaled.
The first step is to choose a "stationary point", or
reference point in the design. Move the pointer
and press the left mouse button.
Next, the program prompts, "Pick the handle
point", a point in the design that you would like to
"grab" and "pull" toward, or away from, the
reference point. Again, click the left mouse button
on the select point.
Finally, you will be prompted, "Pick the new
handle location point". Move the pointer, and
press the select button.
Notes:
Save your work before using the "Scale" option.
The status of the copies switch (the sixth speed
button from the left, {oo}), determines whether the
original design in the edit list remains, or is
replaced by the scaled design.
When scaling a design to a larger size, editing will
probably be required to complete blank grid
squares.
set-Up
MAIN
Set program configurations and preferences.
GridCrafttm can be customized to suit a wide
variety of needs and crafts. Whatever preferences
are normally used may be saved by using the
"Keep setup" option.
Existing drawings, or a new grid sheet may be
defined with the "Resize drawing" command.
The color palette and printed color legends and
names may be altered using "Mod(ify) colors",
"swap Patrn", and "Color name" options.
File names can be changed on the fly using the
"File name" option.
Printer preferences may be set with "Output set"
while digitizing tablets may be calibrated with the
"Tablet" option.
Color backgrounds for the drawing window (big)
and viewing window (small) may be set with "Sml
bckgnd" and "Big bckgnd.
Selecting "Aspect ration" even allows a user to
customize the size and shape of the actual grid
rectangles of the screen.
Sml bckgnd
[Small background]
SET-UP
Change the background color of the small, viewing
window in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
After selecting "Sml bckgnd", a palette of sixteen
colors will appear. Move your pointer to the
desired viewing window color background, and
press the select mouse button on the preferred
color.
Background colors used in the display are not part
of the drawing, so the print out of the design will
not be affected by changing the background
displays.
swap Patrn
[swap Pattern]
SET-UP
The SET-UP option, "swap Patrn" works exactly
the same as "Swap patrn" in the SWITCHES
menu.
Each of the sixteen colors in the current color
palette can be matched with any of sixteen
available patterns for coding patter printouts.
Selecting swap Patrn will display the patterns that
will be printed to represent each color.
To change the symbols that will be printed, move
the spider to a symbols that you want to swap,
press and hold the left mouse button, and move
the pointer to another color symbol. When the
mouse button is released, the two symbol patterns
will have been switched.
If you want the changes made in "swap Patrn" to
be saved permanently, use the "Keep setup"
option.
Swap patrn
[Swap pattern]
SWITCHES
Allows different graphic designs to be matched
with any of the sixteen available colors for printing
purposes.
When "Swap pattern" has been selected, each of
the current sixteen colors, along with the symbol
that will be printed to represent each color will be
displayed.
To switch the normal, or "default" symbols, move
the spider pointer to one of the color symbols that
you want change, press the left mouse button, and
while holding it down, move to another color
location and release the button. The symbols will
be switched between the selected colors.
Press the <esc> or right mouse button to
terminate color pattern symbol switching.
Switches
MAIN
Global settings that affect program operations.
Switch options include "grid Lines", "Color",
"Tracking", "cOpies", "Prompts", "color Filters",
"Swap pattern", "Edit pattern", "Disk print", and
"Number direction".
Several "Switch" options are also represented with
"speed buttons".
Tablet
SET-UP
Sophisticated pointing devices, called tablets, may
be calibrated for use with GridCrafttm.
Tablets provide more precise pointing and drawing
capabilities than do mice. GridCrafttm supports
tablets by providing the "Tablet" option to calibrate
the devices using Microsofttm mouse calls in
"absolute" tablet mode.
Prompts to select the corners to digitize, and to
specify the number of rows and columns ensures
that the program and tablet are properly
synchronized.
Text
DRAW
The text option allows for construction of letters
and characters that will be placed in a design.
Each letter is composed within an 8 x 8 grid
pattern.
When selecting "Text", the program will prompt
"Pick the text start location...". Align the cross-hair
pointer to where the bottom left corner of the first
letter should appear, and press <Enter> of the left
mouse button.
Next will be a block prompting, "Enter the text:".
Type the desired text (you may use capital and
lowercase letters), and press <Enter>.
Letters and text may be repositioned by using the
EDIT function "Move".
If the size of the lettering needs to be adjusted,
the companion program "GCRESIZE"
(demonstrated in Lesson 4) may be used.
Tracking
SWITCHES
The "Tracking" switch affects how squares in the
edit list are placed on the drawing sheet during
editing operations.
If the tracking switch is on (shown in the speed
button row with {}), you can reposition the
shaded areas of the edit list by moving the mouse
or arrow keys. Tracking can be awkward when
moving a large group with the mouse because of
the time it takes to redraw the highlighted group in
a new location.
The current tracking setting is displayed on the
speed button row with "" (tracking on) or "
"
(tracking off).
View
MAIN
View options make it more convenient to work
with your designs by allowing you to change the
way information is displayed on the screen. View
allows you to "Zoom in" to magnify a detailed
area, or change the location of where you are
working in the drawing. You can "Pan" from one
area to another, re-set the view to "Full", or return
to the beginning, "Base" view. The "faCtor"
command allows the view to be increased or
decreased by the specified percentage. "Redraw"
refreshes the screen.
Options within the VIEW MENU change only how
the drawing sheet is displayed. The actual
drawing or design does not change as a result of
changes in viewing perspective.
Zoom in
VIEW
"Zoom in" magnifies a specified area of the
drawing sheet.
The Zoom in feature is also available through the
use of a "speed key", the [] icon in the speed
button row (fourth from the right)
When you select "Zoom in", you are prompted to
pick the upper left and lower right corners of the
area to be zoomed.
Note: it is also possible to "zoom" into areas that
have previously been magnified.
Appendix A: Using Directories for Unique Designs
Overview
GridCrafttm saves your preferences in a file named, "GRID.CFG"
whenever "Keep setup" is selected from the SETUP Menu. These
preferences become the default values that the program will use.
Included in the information saved are:
Standard drawing sheet size
SETUP - Resize drawing
Grid aspect ration (grid block height to width)
SETUP - Aspect ratio
Standard color palette
SETUP - Modify colors
Color patter legends
SETUP - Color name
Standard printer width
SETUP - Output set
Background colors of working and viewing windows
SETUP - Small background & Big background
When working with different crafts, or projects with vastly different
setup preferences, placing the drawing files in different directories
will allow different "GRID.CFG" files, and therefore, different
preferences to be stored.
For example, someone may want to keep latch hook rug files and
preferences in a directory area called C:\RUG, scarves in an area
C:\SCARVES and beadwork in C:\BEADS.
Making a directory
Use the computer's DOS (Disk Operating System) to make a
directory. These instructions assume that you are at the DOS
Ready prompt, such as
C:\>
If you are in a DOSSHELL, or other menu system, select an
option to "Exit to DOS".
In these instructions, you will type only what appears in BOLD type.
The computer's prompts will also be shown, but will not be bold.
Note that in working with directories, the backslash key <\>, and not the slash
key is the one to use.
Think of an appropriate directory name.
File names are limited to eight characters and, optionally, may be
followed by a period and an extension of three characters. No
spaces are allowed in a directory name.
The example will use the directory name "BEADS".
To make a new directory type
MD\BEADS
and press the <Enter> key
You may make as many different directories as you will need using
this method.
Changing into the
directory
In order to change into the directory that you created, you may type
CD\BEADS
and press <Enter>
The computer's DOS ready prompt should look like
C:\BEADS>
If your computer screen does not look like that, type the
command
PROMPT $P$G
and press <Enter>
Technical (DOS)
requirements
If you begin the program from different directory areas on the
computer's hard disk, you must give the computer a way to find the
GridCrafttm program.
One way to start the GridCrafttm program from another directory
would be (rather than starting the program by typing GCRAFT and
<Enter>) to specify both the GridCraft directory and the program
name.
Example:
C:\BEADS>\GCRAFT\GCRAFT
and press the <Enter> key
The example above assumes that you did not change the default
values of the GridCrafttm Installation program.
If you did put the GridCrafttm program files into another directory,
replace that directory name for the first "GCRAFT" in the example
above.
The program will begin. All files in this example would be saved to
the C:\BEADS directory, and preferences stored in the "GRID.CFG"
file would also be saved in this directory when the "Keep setup"
option in the SETUP Menu in GridCrafttm is used.
Any time in the future you want to work with your BEAD drawings,
following this startup procedure:
CD\BEADS
and press <Enter>
Then type
\GCRAFT\GCRAFT
and press <Enter>
Changing the
computer's PATH
Another way to let your computer find the GridCrafttm program files
is to add the GridCraft directory to the computer's search path.
If you change the path once, it would than be possible in all future
uses of GridCrafttm to start the program from any directory by typing
the GCRAFT command.
Warning: If you are not familiar with computers, it would be safer
to have someone who is familiar with DOS to make the
following change.
There is a "batch" file in the root directory of the hard disk that
automatically executes when the computer begins. That file is
called "AUTOEXEC.BAT". That is the file that must be modified to
include the GridCrafttm area in the computer's search path.
First of all, make sure that you are in the root directory by typing
CD\
and press <Enter>
The DOS ready prompt should look like
C:\>
Type
EDLIN AUTOEXEC.BAT
and press <Enter>
You should see
End of input file
*
If, instead, you got a "Bad command or file name" message, the
computer's DOS files are not in the search path, and you will
need more help.
If, instead of the "End of input file" message, you got a "New file"
message, press the Q key and <Enter> to quit the editing
procedure.
If you have the proper "End of input file" message, type
L
and press <Enter>
The list of lines in your autoexec.bat file will be listed.
Look to find the number of the line that begins with the word "path".
Type the number of that line, and press <Enter>. For example, if
the line that contains the path statement is line number 8, type
8
and press <Enter>
The line will appear on screen. Immediately below the full line will
be the line number followed by an asterisk.
Example:
8:*path c:\dos;c:\wp51;c:\
8:*
Press the function key
<F3>
Note: function keys are single keys, usually on the top of the
computer. The function key <F3> is a special key for performing
special function (in this case, going to the end of the current
command line). Do not try to type the <F> key, and then the <3>
key.
The line will be duplicated and the cursor will be at the end of the
second line.
Example:
8:*path c:\dos;c:\wp51;c:\
8:*path c:\dos;c:\wp51;c:\
Begin typing, where the cursor is, with a semicolon (;) to add the
GridCraft area to the path.
;C:\GCRAFT
and press <Enter>
The example above assumes that you did not change the default
values of the GridCrafttm Installation program.
If you did install GridCrafttm program files into another drive or
directory, replace that drive and directory name for C:\GCRAFT
in the sample above.
Your screen will now be showing only a lone asterisk (*).
If you are confident that you have followed this instructions properly,
press
E
and press <Enter>
to exit from the EDLIN program and save your modifications.
If you are not sure that you have followed the steps, or if you
encountered unexpected problems, press
Q
and press <Enter>
to quit the edit. Answer the "Abort edit (Y/N)?" prompt with "Y".
If you have successfully changed your autoexec.bat file to include
the GridCrafttm program files in the path, you must now Reboot
your computer in order for the changes to take effect.
You may reboot your computer by turning it off and then on, or you
may press <Ctrl> <Alt> and <Del> all at the same time.
Starting
GridCrafttm after
the path has been
changed
If you changed the path statement, your computer will automatically
find the GridCrafttm program files any time you ask for them.
Starting the program and using different directories would follow this
pattern (using the sample directory name "BEADS" for illustrative
purposes).
CD\BEADS
and press <Enter>
GCRAFT
and press <Enter>
Index
Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83, 87, 99, 106
Aspect r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 99
Aspect ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 86, 99, 100, 112, 118, 131
Beginning the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Bezier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32, 60, 61, 83, 88, 100, 101, 106
Big bckgnd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 48, 49, 89, 101, 126
Block gr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Circle. . . . 27, 29, 32, 38, 60-62, 64-66, 83, 87, 101, 102, 104, 106
color Filt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72, 86, 87, 102
Color name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73, 88, 103, 126, 131
color palettes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115, 116, 119
cOpies27, 29, 30, 29, 51, 52, 56, 57, 64, 65, 67, 75, 76, 79, 83, 85, 86, 95, 97, 98,
103-105, 111, 123, 125, 128
Copy26, 27, 29, 46, 48, 51, 52, 56, 57, 63, 66, 67, 79, 80, 83-86, 92, 98, 103-106, 114
default drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 8
directory . 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 24, 33, 68, 75, 112, 114, 115, 117, 131-136
Drawing
see window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
drawing window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9, 19, 84, 92, 94-98, 126
Edit
see "list". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
EDIT MENU .26-31, 35, 38, 51, 53, 55, 57, 63, 66, 80, 86, 92, 103, 104
Edit patrn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72, 86, 107
Ellipse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83, 88, 106, 108
faCtor. . . .19, 35, 52, 53, 55, 56, 76, 77, 84, 95, 98, 108, 110, 129
FILE MENU . . . . . . . . . . .22, 37, 57, 59, 62, 77-79, 96, 109, 119
File name9, 15, 22, 33, 36, 45, 59, 61, 62, 68, 76, 77, 83, 88, 96, 109, 110, 117, 124-126, 134
Fill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
freehand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1, 10, 11, 13, 17, 91, 94
Fundamentals
Beginning the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
GCRESIZE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34, 75, 76, 78, 88, 129
Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
GRID.CFG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112, 131, 133
Header gr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 87
Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55, 64, 85, 111
INSTALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Keep setup24, 59, 73, 76, 89, 94, 99, 101, 112, 116, 118, 126, 127, 131, 133
keyboard control4, 6, 11, 12, 15, 17-19, 21, 22, 24, 27, 32, 36, 38, 46, 60, 64, 65, 68, 73,
92-94, 100, 113, 117, 11
List
Edit. . . . . . . . . . .26-28, 30, 56, 63, 64, 72, 86, 92, 106, 107
list Add26, 31, 35, 38, 40, 51, 53, 57, 63, 64, 80, 84, 92, 102, 104, 106, 107, 113, 117, 125
list cLear. . . . . . . 26, 31, 35, 38, 40, 53, 63, 106, 107, 113, 117
list Remove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102, 107, 113, 114
list sHow . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-31, 53, 65, 67, 84, 102, 107, 114
Load draw . . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 31, 33, 50, 68, 77, 78, 83, 114
magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 9, 83, 84, 92, 97, 98
MAIN MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12, 14, 93, 110
Maximum size for a drawing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
MENU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Menu organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Menu selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 30, 93
Menu selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Merge draw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76, 78, 83, 95, 109, 115
Mod colors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25, 50, 88, 95, 116
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Mouse buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
mouse control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 94
Mouse movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Move. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35, 36, 38, 53, 84, 117
Number dir. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 46, 87, 117
Output set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89, 118, 126, 131
paleTte15, 17, 24-26, 49, 83, 88, 89, 95, 101, 102, 109, 112, 114-116, 119, 126, 127, 131
Pan . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 19, 22, 23, 55, 84, 95, 97, 98, 119, 129
Pattern gr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37, 38, 69, 87, 120
Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46-48, 52, 53, 83, 87, 106, 120
printer grid width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89, 118
printer port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7
Printers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3, 6, 71, 118
Program Customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
R/c load. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 109, 121
r/C merge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 109, 121
Requirements
color adaptor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Hard disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
microprocessor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Saving designs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Set-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 45, 59, 76, 126
Switches. . . . . . . . . . 1, 46, 64, 71, 72, 80, 83, 86, 96, 97, 128
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
see window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Viewing window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92, 97, 98
viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 14, 89, 97, 126
Working area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9