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1996-05-27
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(C) WORKLab System Solutions GmbH, 1996
Theresienhoehe 1, 80339 Munich, Germany
Tel: ++49 89 54071073 - Fax: ++49 89 54071074
email:100022.2013@compuserve.com
Revision: 27.5.96, Version Beta 1.0
LOGOART V. Beta 1.x (Freeware Version)
=======================================
What is LogoArt?
================
LogoArt is a graphics editing program for OS/2, with the capability of
combining vector shapes with bitmaps, color dithering, printing and more.
Most of the standard Draw-Functions are supported: freehand draw, circles,
lines, rectangles, ellipses, arcs and splines. Shapes can be filled in
with colors or images by means of direct manipulation (drag and drop).
Objects may be rotated, sheared, enlarged, reduced or flipped. Editing
functions such as copy, cut, paste, grouping, and clipboard are supported.
Other functions are page zooming, import of drawings and outline fonts.
Any filled-object may be filled in with a bitmap, and drawings may be
exported as bitmaps. Supported formats are BMP, TIF, PCX and GIF.
Mixing and dithering of images is supported.
What is new in this version?
============================
- Full printing support (see section on printing for restrictions)
- Color dithering
- Line types support
- Patterns support (for lines and filled shapes)
- some improvements in the drawing tools
- overall error debugging
What will make it into the final version (*)?
=============================================
- point editing (insert, delete, append points to a shape)
- draw levels (actually only one draw level supported)
- more bitmap capabilities (evtl. color editing for bitmaps)
- wire-frame draw-mode
(*) no guarantees on any of these though.
Quick Help
==========
==> Left-Mouse
- In select-mode single left-click on an object to select it. Click on
another one to select the new one (and deselect the old one). Click on
the background to deselect all objects (press and hold the CTRL-Key if
necessary).
- For text- and filled-objects (bitmap and color) only: a second click on a
selected object shows a floating bar with settings specific to the object.
Left click on an object of different type or on the background and the
floating bar disappears.
- if editing a new object then press and hold the left-mouse to modify/size
the object.
==> Right-Mouse
- On a selected object press and hold the right-mouse to move it.
- On a selected object position the mouse under an editing handle (small
squares on the edges) and press the right-mouse to change it.
==> Keyboard and Mouse Combinations
- CTRL and right-mouse click on the background: toggle between select-tool
and last used tool (for ex. rectangle).
- CTRL and left-mouse click on an object: toggles selection state of
object(s)
- CTRL and selection-box (press on the background with left-mouse
down and move mouse) - toggles selection state of objects within box.
- (new) CTRL and color drag-drop updates the color of the outline border
of filled, selected object(s).
==> Left, Right, Up and Down Keys
- for selected objects moves the object(s) one pixel.
==> Page Up, Page Down Keys
- scrolls the whole window.
ESC - deselect any selected object, refresh display
ALT-R - refresh whole display
Delete-Key - Delete any selected objects
Insert-Key - Copies back any object in the paste list
==> Clipboard
- the clipboard lets you save selected objects between drawings. As
oppossed to the regular cut/copy/paste lists, which are lost each time
a new document is loaded or a new one is opened, objects in the
clipboard are more persistent (and more time consuming).
Only objects with LogoArt's specific format (ART) are supported.
- Selected rectangles of the drawing can also be copied to the clipboard
(as OS/2 bitmap), and are suitable to be imported by other applications.
Pasting of bitmaps from the clipboard is in this version not supported.
==> Image Editing
For filling an object with an image (BMP, TIF, PCX or GIF) drag-drop
it on the object (use a filebrowser or the system drives workplace-
shell object). After that you can edit the image thru the floating bar.
(click a second time on the selected object).
- After an image has been loaded (ie dropped on an object) it may be
further edited. Dither-mode and mix mode are self-explanatory and
you should try them to achieve the results you look after. The
W (width) and H (heigth) entry fields are used to size the bitmap
itself, and have following additional meanings:
W(idth) H(eight)
---------------------------------------------
0 - original width 0 - original heigth
-1 - adjust width to heigth -1 - adjust height to width
-2 - size to obj width -2 - size to obj height
(window width/heigth if background image)
- You can select specific areas of your drawing and save the rectangle
as an image to disk (BMP, PCX, TIF or GIF). Notice that the GIF format
does not support color resolutions > 256.
==> Color Editing
For setting the color of selected object(s) open the colorbar and
drag-drop the color. Clicking a second time on a selected (filled) object
will show an extended attributes bar for color dithering, mix and pattern
support.
- Color dithering is supported in 4 modes only (from left-to-right,
right-to-left, bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom). The algorithm used
takes a starting RGB color (red, green and blue components),
delta values for those components (minus or plus values) and a
step-gradient (in pixel). Dithered objects cannot be made part of
a group (same restriction applies to bitmap filled objects).
- Mixing and patterns is supported on the same extended-attributes bar.
==> Line Editing
There are two basic modes of line editing, directly dependant on the
thickness of the line: for normal and thick you can define the line-
type (like dotted, dashed..), for other thicknesses you can specify
the same attributes (patterns) as for filled objects.
Also it is possible (thru the options-menu) to define line-end and
line-join types.
==> Changing the defaults for standard operations (rotate, shear, size..)
Defaults to standard operations may be specified thru the options-menu,
particularly the defaults for object-sizing, rotation, and shearing.
==> Page-Settings and Printing
The page-settings dialog lets adjust the size/area of the page and the
way the grid looks like. This is particularly useful for printing
forms, labels, and the like (a future option may save this settings also).
CAUTION: when printing a drawing with bitmaps, the display area gets
corrupted. For this reason you should save your drawing *before*
printing! To recover select the "new"-Button from the command bar.
For other functions please use the Toolbars and/or Menu. They should be
more or less self-explanatory.
Problems(we are working on these..)
===================================
==> printing
Drawings with bitmaps corrupt the display area after a print operation.
==> bitmaps
if a filled-object contains a bitmap and a copy of the object is made, the
original object should not be deleted (our bug).
==> miscellaneous
- PC's with 65000 and more colors cause loss of color information when
printing. Use 256-colors as a workaround (with dithering mode enabled) for
better results.
- when savings drawings with bitmaps notice that the bitmap itself is not
made part of the file saved (art-format). If you are moving your drawings
to another PC, the bitmaps must be included (in this case you should
edit the bitmap path to contain for ex. only the bitmap-file-name so that
it is loaded from the current directory).
BUG: if the first time your start no grid is visible then the printer has not
been initialized correctly. Please do (for ex) a "type cofig.sys >lpt1" and
restart LogoArt. We're investigating this one (..).
Recommendations
===============
We have found LogoArt to be best with a fast graphics card with a
resolutions of at least 1024 X 768 pixel, with 256 colors. This is
particularly true if you're planning to do lots of printing.
LogoArt has been tested on WARP and OS/2 2.11. If you experience problems
with starting the programm however, this may lie on a defect graphics-driver
(SYS3XX errors).
Color printing has been tested with the HP850C and the new omni-driver
(Level 16, available in Compuserve or with the FIX17 pack, as of this
writing).
Current Limitations
===================
- if an object has been filled with a bitmap it can not be made part of a group.
- if an object has color-dithering applied to it can not be made part of a group.
- one draw-level only
- no wire-frame mode drawing
- no point editing (insert, delete, ..)
Availability and prices
=======================
Future Shareware Releases of LogoArt will be placed in Compuserve (OS2USER,
OS2UGER and OS2DF2), and in Internet (HOBBES FTP-site:
ftp.cdrom.com, graphics directory).
The current version level Beta 1.X (or below) is free of charge, and may be
used, tested and distributed as you wish. However, after a trial-period
of 30 days we are asking you to register (no obligations of any kind for you).
Please use the attached registration form for this purpose, and e-mail
it to address above.
Please notice: future Beta-realease *may* be made available to registered
fellow OS/2 users only.
The final release (Version 1.0) will be available as a commercial product thru
the regular distribution channels or directly from our Headquarters in
Munich (see address above).
Call for "drawings"
===================
We're looking for talented individuals who would like to contribute to
a LogoArt clipart-collection - on a freeware basis. (Hey, get known and
famous).
The best drawings will be made part of the official LogoArt collection
and released with the retail version of the product.
Please contact us or send your artwork to the email above.
Disclaimer
==========
The use of this software implies no warranties or liabilities of any kind
(implied or not) on WORKLab or its developers. All software is as is. You
use it at your own risk.
How to contact us:
==================
If you would like to report a problem please send us an email to the address
above. Dont forget to include information such as
- processor type (for ex. Pentium 90)
- RAM avalilable ( for ex 16 MB)
- Disk Size (for ex 1GB)
- graphics-card type
- monitor resolution and number of colors you are using (for ex. 800x600x256).
- problem description (when, how, can you reproduce it ?..).
Thanks and enjoy.
Marcelo Krebber
Munich, May 1996