SGI Hot Mix 2/hotmix_v02.iso/README.dir/README.da_paint

Text File | 1992-10-16 | 14KB | 407 lines

                       Welcome To Digital Artist Paint
                       -------------------------------

This is a brief 'tutorial' to get you up and running in the shortest amount
of time.  Please read it completely to get a good flavor for the capabilities
of the package - thank you!


If This Is A Locked Version
---------------------------

If the program runs, and asks for a 'key', simply select the "I don't have one"
button, and write down the number it gives you.  Next, fax Digital Arts the
following information at [phone]:

1.    Company Name:
2.    Contact Name:
3.    Address:
4.    Phone & fax #:
5.    Special # from the "I don't have one" interface



They will give you a key which will unlock the program.  Simply run the
program again, and when it asks for the key, select the 'blue rectangle'
with the cursor and type in the key.



Deinstallation Instructions
---------------------------

To remove Digital Artist Paint from your system, simply go to the directory
you installed paint into, and remove ALL the files.   A simple way to do this
is as follows:

    Example:    Let us say you installed Digital Artist Paint into
            the directory:

                /usr/local/dgs/paint

            To remove it, simply type:

                cd /usr/local/dgs
                rm -r paint

            You may want to be superuser when you do this!



Brief Tutorial
--------------


Running The Program:

The program may be run by simply 'cd'ing into the paint directory and typing:
For this demo version, always start the package from the directory that is was
installed into.
            paint

This will execute paint with a blank 640 x 480 canvas.

To load paint with existing pictures, type:

            paint  filename.tga

Where 'filename.tga' is any '.tga', '.rgb' or '.pict' image (note, change the
'.tga' in the example to match your image type).

You can load LOTS of canvases at the same time by typing:

            paint  *.tga

etc..

If you wish, you can add a variable to your .login (or .profile) script in your
home directory, to allow you to launch paint from anywhere.  Simply set the

            DGSPAINT

variable to the path that contains the paint program.  For example:

            setenv DGSPAINT /usr/local/dgs/paint


The Menus:


The first menu which appears is a small 'vertical' menu at the left of the
screen.  The icons, from top down are:

    Paint Brush:    Allows you to see the 'paint' brush tools
    Color Palette:    Allows you to see the color palette tools
    Pattern:    Allows you to pick a pattern
    Effects:    Allows you to pick an effect

Below this are four icons, two by two.. these are (from left to right, top
down):

    Paths:        Allows you to create and work with paths (spline/line)
    Mountain Range:    Allows you to access the 'pan and zoom' menu
    Fill To Screen:    Allows you to fill a range of colors, screen wide
    Fill To Border:    Allows you to fill a range of colors, to a border which
            is not composed of the colors in your range.

Below this is a color square which shows the current color, cycle, or pattern
used for painting.  Picking this square allows you to pick a color from any
open canvas.

Note that many of the menus have a silver arrow at the right.  Selecting the
arrow will expand the menu to include more options.  Hitting the arrow again
will unexpand the menu to the basic choice.


The Icon Leds:

Next to the top four main menu icons (paint, color, pattern and effect) are
four LED's.  Picking the LED turns it ON (purple) or OFF (black).  The LEDs
are defined as follows:

    Paint LED:    ON  - Use the brushes antialiasing information
            OFF - Do not antialias the brush
            (defaults to ON)

    Color LED:    ON  - Take the current color (or pattern) and process
                  it according to any effect and place it on the
                  canvas.
            OFF - Read the CANVAS, process it according to any
                  effect and place it back on the canvas.
            (defaults to ON)

    Pattern LED:    ON  - Use the currently selected pattern instead of the
                  current color.
            OFF - Do not use patterns
            (defaults to OFF)

    Effect LED:    ON  - Use the currently selected effect.
            OFF - Do not use any effects.
            (defaults to OFF)

These LED's allow you to effect changes WITHOUT having to have a particular
menu loaded (ie., you can turn patterns ON/OFF with the pattern LED, without
having to have the pattern menu displayed).


The Canvas Pulldown Bar:

Above each canvas is a pulldown bar which contains the following choices:

    FILE:        Accesses canvas open/close options, and other global
            canvas options including stopping the program.

    EDIT:        Accesses cut/paste options, along with canvas color
            modifiers, super menu and other choices.

    MASKS:        Brings up the MASKS sub-menu, allows softedged masks
            to be created and maintained.

    OPTIONS:    Contains options for the currently displayed menu. For
            example, if the brush menu is displayed, OPTIONS shows
            options for the brush menu.

    RGB Leds:    Shows the current color model (RGB, HSV or CMY) and
            brings up a sub-menu which allows you to change the
            color model.

To select a choice, pick the bar you wish, push and hold and drag down.  Go to
the choice you desire.  If the choice has a arrow at the right, slide towards
the arrow and a secondary pulldown will appear with more choices.  Release with
the choice you wish highlighted, to pick the choice.  To avoid making a choice,
simply move the cursor off the pulldowns and release the button.


Using The Super Menu:

The SUPER MENU is a menu which contains the most used choices (brush, color,
pattern and effect).  You can select this menu via the EDIT pulldown on any
canvas, selecting the "Make Super Menu Available" choice.


Using The Mouse and Mouse Buttons:

Paint is a single-button program.  This means that it does NOT matter WHICH
button you use to pick a choice.

To paint, simply move the mouse over the desired canvas and push ANY button.
The LEFT and RIGHT buttons will paint CONTINUOUSLY, as long as they are held
down.  The MIDDLE button will lay ONE BRUSH down, and requires releasing and
pushing again to lay another brush down.

Because this is a single button program, there is no concept of "I'm done" (ie.,
lots of programs use the LEFT button to pick a choice, and the RIGHT button to
indicate when a particular action is complete - PAINT does NOT do this).
Instead, when you are finished with an action, simply go on and select the next
item you wish to do.

For example:  If you are dragging a rubber band (eg., creating a path). To
          indicate you are finished, simply move the cursor and make the
          next choice.  The rubber-band will stretch with you - this is
          not an error.  When you select the next choice, the program
          will automatically stop the last action correctly for you.

          (Note, in path creation you may also hit the SPACE BAR to end
           one path, and begin another, or hit another button).


Automatic Crash Recovery:

While every attempt has been made to make the program as bug free as possible,
if the program should crash while you are painting, the current canvas, from
the last 'undo' point, can be restored when you run paint again.  This is an
automatic features, and the program will prompt you if you desire the
recovery of your last canvas(es) when paint is run the next time.


Some Other Hints
----------------

In the Brush Menu:

    *  The LEFT slider is the brush size, the RIGHT slider is the
       transparency of the brush.

    *  Picking in the brush window itself allows you to stretch (distort)
       the brush.

    *  Brushes may be any .tga or .rgb file, and new brushes may be
       created and added to your program, and may be catagorized into
       'families' of sizes/looks (see the OPTION pulldown when the
       brush menu is displayed).

In the Color Palette Menu:

    *  The SHADE command allows you to pick two palette colors and
       generate a shade of colors between them.

    *  The COPY command allows you to copy a color from one location in
       the palette, to another.

    *  The SAMPLE command allows you to 'draw' over the canvas, and load
       the palette with the colors that you 'draw' over (the canvas will
       not be changed).

In the Pattern menu:

    *  The slider allows you to pick different patterns.

    *  You may turn the pattern on/off by either picking the Pattern LED
       or by picking the pattern itself.

    *  Patterns may be any .tga file, and may be created via the OPTION
       pulldown while the pattern menu is displayed.

Effects:

    *  The slider allows you to pick different effects.

    *  You may turn an effect on/off by picking the effect name, from the
       list, or by using the Effect LED.

    *  Existing effects may be changed, by selecting the EDIT option while
       the effect is being used.

    *  A new effect may be created by selecting the MAKE option.

    *  An infinite number of effects are possible, by combining over 100
       'basic' effects together.

    *  Some effects have options, which are modifiable by hitting the
       EDIT button while the effect is being used.  Next, select the
       'basic' effect and if the OPTION button pops out, select OPTION
       and modify the options as desired.  You may paint with the effect
       WHILE modifying the option by simply keeping the EDIT menu open.

Paths:

    *  A single path many be composed of any number of OBJECTS.

    *  An object is a POLYLINE, POLYGON, SPLINE or POLYSPLINE.

    *  Paths may be copied and merged together, as well as saved and
       loaded.

    *  Paths may be 'cut and paste' (see the EDIT pulldown).

    *  Paths may be rendered with a single antialiased outline.

    *  Paths may be rendered with a antialiased fill.

    *  Paths may be 'brushed' outlined or or 'brushed' filled with the
       current brush.

    *  Paths may be edited (endpoints moved, inserted or deleted).

    *  Paths may be rotated, scaled and translated.

    *  A path may be considered a set of multiple objects, rendered
       individually (eg., one after the other) or a single OBJECT (composed
       of many paths).  For example, a square in a square, may be rendered
       as two squares, or as a square with a square hole in it.

Zoom and Pan (Mountain Range):

    *  You can zoom the canvas to see ALL (the entire canvas) regardless of
       the size of the canvas or the size of the window.

    *  You can smooth zoom to any portion of the image by picking the
       zoom window as follows:

        * Pick NEAR or OUTSIDE the corner of the bounding rectangle
              in the zoom window, HOLD and DRAG the rubber box, to size
              the box to a new size.

        * Pick INSIDE (middle) of the bounding rectangle in the zoom
              window, HOLD and DRAG the rubber box to PAN the display.


    *  When ZOOMED, you can also pan the display by moving the cursor over
       the canvas, pushing AND HOLDING the ALT key and moving the cursor
       to a new position.  A 'thumbtac' will appear marking the position.
       Pushing the mouse button will pan to the new location.

The FILL buttons:

    *  After picking FILL (either one) simply move the cursor over the
       image, PUSH AND HOLD AND DRAG the cursor through the colors you
       wish to fill and RELEASE.

    *  For FILL TO SCREEN, the entire image, with the range of colors you
       selected, will be filled.

    *  For FILL TO BORDER (paint can only), the range of colors you selected
       will be filled to the border of where there are no more colors of
       that type.

    *  To fill a single color only, simply select the position to fill and
       do NOT drag the cursor.

The MASK submenu:

    *  The 'paint' button turns paint on/off.  If the button is off (not
       lit), you will NOT be able to paint (this is used for creating masks
       without painting on the canvas).

    *  The 'set' button turns the ability of creating a mask on/off.  When
       'lit', painting will also paint into the ALPHA channel.

    *  The 'flip' button flips the ENTIRE mask.

    *  The 'flip fore' button only flips the 'non-black' mask.

    *  The 'telescope' button displays the mask area which is equal to 255.

    *  The 'mask on a page' will zero the mask for the selected canvas.

    *  The 'erase mask' will erase the mask whever you paint.

    *  The 'use tint' will USE the mask in a TINT mode (eg., the current
       color will be 'tinted' into the image).

    *  The 'use soft' will USE the mask in a SOFT mode (eg., the current
       color will be 'blended' onto the image).

    *  To turn the mask menu off, simply paint or hit any other choice.


Other General Features
----------------------

    *  The program is built to be totally virtual.  You may have up to 92
       canvases open at one time (swap space permitting) and may paint
       freely between them.

    *  Canvases may be any size, limited to swap and RAM space.

    *  The program is TOTALLY INTEGRATED.  All functions work with all
       functions.  This means that brush transparency, effects, patterns,
       etc.. all work together.

    *  A 'network paint' options is available which allows the program to
       paint, interactivly, over a network such that multiple users share
       a common canvas, and may paint freely on the one canvas.  All users
       see the total result at all times.  The network option supports
       serial port users, ethernet users, and internet users all at the
       same time.  Up to 31 users may paint interactivly.  This is an option
       and is not available without purchasing the option separatly.



If A Problem Occurs
-------------------

If you run the program, and experience a problem consitantly, go into the paint
directory and delete the file:

            paint.pref.user



For More Information
--------------------


Contact Digital Arts at [phone]