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vgapaint
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1979-12-31
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VGA PAINT
Description
VGA PAINT is a graphics/drawing program that produces screen
images in up to 248 colors at once. Fourteen brush shapes
and four automatic shapes are provided. Image handling
capabilities include: sizing, flipping, moving, copying and
saving images to disk. Although the resolution of the
screen is only moderate (320 X 200), the careful use of
color mixing can produce images with near-photographic
realism.
VGA PAINT is written in Micosoft QuickBASIC 4.0. The
pictures and images produced by VGA PAINT are saved on disk
in the form of BASIC "BSAVE" files. When loaded into an
integer array with the dimension of 32004, these files may
be loaded by BASIC application programs and put on the
screen with the PUT (0,0) command in screen mode 13.
Requirements
IBM PC/XT/AT or compatible. (? Sys 2 /OS 2)
450K RAM
VGA card & appropriate analog or multi-sync monitor
capable of displaying screen modes 12 and 13.
Mouse (3 buttons recommended)
MSDOS 3.2
Note: VGA PAINT was written for and on a KAYPRO PC
(8MHz), with 640K RAM, a Vega VGA card, a multi-sync
monitor in analog mode, and a PC Mouse. It has also
been tested with several other (cheap) mice, and seems
to work o.k. with all of them. VGA PAINT generates its
own cursor, and does not require a VGA mouse driver,
providing that the program can access the existing
driver with standard mouse calls to read the motion
counters and the status of the buttons.
Display:
320 X 200 with 248 displayable colors from a palette of
256K colors (screen mode 13). Eight colors of the
usual 256 displayable colors are reserved for program
use.
Files provided:
VGAPAINT.EXE (the main program)
MENU.VGA (graphic menu screen file)
VGAPAINT.PAL (a spare palette file)
LOGO.VGA (the logo screen file)
VGA.DOC (this file)
For the program to run, VGAPAINT.EXE & MENU.VGA must be in the
current directory. If the file LOGO.VGA is present, the logo
screen will appear when the program is run.
- 1 -
PROGRAM OPERATION
Note:
B1=the right button on the mouse or CRTL
B2= the middle button or Left SHIFT
B3=the left button or ALT
For the indicated keyboard keys to function as mouse
buttons, the keyboard status byte for these keys must be at
0000:0417. This is the standard address for IBM PC's and
truly compatible clones. The four cursor direction keys will
move the cursor one pixel at a time.
The program is invoked by typing VGAPAINT <enter>. If the logo
file is present, the VGA PAINT logo screen will be displayed. To
proceed, press any mouse button, or the spacebar. The screen
will clear, and the cursor will appear. At this point, the color
is set to EGA red, and the brush shape is a small box.
Press B3 to display the menu.
MENU
To return to the drawing, press B3.
PALETTE: The left half of the menu shows the palette of the 248
displayable colors as they are originally set by the VGA card.
These are not in numerical order. The color with the white box
around it is the current Selected Color for drawing. The color
with the yellow box around it is the "color at cursor" -- the
color in the drawing that was at the center of the cursor just
before the menu was displayed.
To select a color, move the cursor over the desired color,
and press B1. The white box moves to the Selected Color.
Pressing B2 while the cursor is over a palette color will
change that color to the Selected Color. This is useful for
subsequent mixing of a color that differs only slightly from
the Selected Color. NOTE: once changed, the only ways to
regain the original color are to mix it, or to load a
palette file with that color in it (e.g.,VGAPAINT.PAL)
FUNCTION BOXES: The function boxes on the right half of the menu
include the brush shapes (14), automatic shapes (circle, ellipse,
box, line), and screen, image, and file manipulation functions.
The "Mix" box on the left side of the screen is also a function
box.
When the cursor enters a function box, the box is outlined in
bright green; the function may be selected by pushing B1.
MIX: Each of the 248 displayed colors may be mixed to any of
256K displayable colors. When B1 is pressed, the drawing
appears on the screen, with the mixing box in the upper left
corner. The bottom of the mixing box shows a sample of the
current Selected Color for mixing. The small blue, red and
green boxes are used for mixing. The color bars above the
small boxes show the relative mixture of blue, green, and
red for the Selected Color. (None will appear is the
Selected Color is initially black).
- 2 -
You may select a different color to mix from the drawing by
moving the cursor to a point of that color and pressing B1.
The mixing box will show the new color. This will not change
the Selected Color when you resume drawing.
To increase the amount of blue, green, or red in the color
to be mixed, place the cursor over the appropriate small box
and hold down B1. The color bar will grow in length, and
the sample of the color at the bottom of the mixing box will
show the new color. If the color being mixed is in the
drawing, it will also change as you mix.
To decrease the amount of blue, red, or green, put the
cursor over the appropriate small box and hold down B2.
To save the color you have mixed and put it in the palette,
move the cursor over the sample of the color at the
bottom of the mixing box, and click B1. You are now
returned to the drawing.
To cancel the mix and return the color to its original hue,
click B3.
BRUSH SHAPES & AUTOMATIC SHAPES: The 14 brush shapes and four
automatic shapes comprise the basic drawing tools. When selected,
the box containing that tool is set to red. Selecting a tool
does not immediately return to the drawing, so you can change
your mind, select another color, or select another function.
B1 selects the tool.
B3 returns to the drawing.
BRUSH SHAPES: when you return to the drawing:
Hold B1 to use the brush.
Hold B2 to use selective erase. (See "ERASING" below).
Click B3 to return to the menu.
AUTOMATIC SHAPES: The shape will appear on the screen in a
light color, indicating the size of the shape to be drawn.
CIRCLE: B2 toggles between moving the circle and changing
the diameter. Initially, the circle moves with the cursor.
Click B2 to freeze the midpoint of the circle and
adjust the diameter. Moving the mouse to the right
will increase the diameter; moving left decreases the
diameter. Click B2 again to move the adjusted circle
around the screen.
Click B1 to draw the circle in the Selected Color. Move
the cursor to see the circle you have drawn. The
circle tool is still selected and active.
Double click B1 to draw a circle filled with the
Selected Color. (Objects in the circle which are
outlined in the Selected Color will not