Getting Started

ArtMatic doesn't require you to do a lot of thinking or planning to create images. Your job is basically to roll the dice, explore, recognize what you like, and save the picture.

Note: Click on any picture to see a more detailed description of the described feature then press the 'Back' button in your browser to return to this page.

Here are the steps of a typical session. You can treat this section as an introductory tutorial.

A) Choose a basic tree structure.
Click on this icon and choose a structure from the list which pops up. Don't worry about which structure to choose or what the structures' icons do. All of them produce amazing results.

B) Roll the dice. Click the large die in the middle . If you aren't intrigued or enticed by what you see, click the die again. When you find something that captures your interest, it is time to move on to the next step. Remember that the range of images possible from any one configuration of any single structure is mind-boggling. In the exploration phase, you will explore the possibilities of the configuration given you by the "big die".

C) Mark the spot. This is an optional step. If you like your starting point, save the current structure using the "Save As" menu command. You can also click one of the Record Parameter Set buttons to save the current settings of all of the structure's parameters.

To return to a location saved by clicking the Record Parameter Set buttons, option-click the button.

D) Explore the structure. There are a few ways to explore the possibilities of any structure:

• Zoom in/Zoom out/Scroll
  Use the zoom buttons and (or the '+' and '-' keys on your keyboard) to find the magnification level you find appealing. Zooming in and out can reveal details not apparent at the default position. You can also scroll the image by clicking and dragging in the image display.
  Note: The zoom level is not one of the parameters saved when you click on the Record Parameter Set buttons . It is, however, saved when you save the system from the File menu.
  
  
• Stroll a random path
  
  Tweak the parameters of the system using the Random Path scroll control. Click and drag the icon (the rightmost of the two found in the lower tool bar) to the left or right and see how the image changes. You can option-click and drag for fine control of the changes. Any nice spots can be saved by clicking either of the Record Parameter Set buttons .
  
  You can also click the Random Path Animation button to have ArtMatic stroll the path for you. Click the stop or pause buttons when you find a place that you would like to mark.
  
  
  
• Roll the "little dice"
  By clicking either of the smaller dice, you can make small tweaks to the current system. Clicking the die at the left makes fine adjustments of the system's parameters. Clicking the die at the right slightly randomizes the image's colors.
  
  
  
• Mutate
  Choose Mutations from the Edit menu. Click on any of the thumbnails and watch the new mutations that are created.
  
  
• Save your work
  
  Use File-> Save As to save the current system in ArtMatic's native format. It is more compact than saving as a pict file, but this format can only be read by ArtMatic. To save the image as a high resolution, anti-aliased PICT format file which can be opened in other programs, click . When you click the Save Pict tool, the save dialog box is displayed, the anti-aliased image is calculated, drawn on the screen and saved to the location specified in the save dialog. The image size is determined by the Pict Size option chosen in the Preferences dialog box.

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