Windows Expert/Windows Expert.iso/graphics/fpwin.zip/FP.DOC

Text File | 1990-12-08 | 40KB | 1,137 lines

                Fractal Paint User's Manual






                  Copyright (c) 1989-1990
                International ComputerSmiths
                     3726 West Broadway
              Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6R 2C1
                    Tel:  [phone]
                    BBS:  [phone]




                        TABLE OF CONTENTS


1. Introduction to Fractal Paint...........................1
    1.1 Installation.......................................1
    1.2 Introduction to Fractals...........................2
2. The Menus...............................................3
    2.1 The File Menu......................................3
    2.2 The Edit Menu......................................4
    2.3 The View Menu......................................5
    2.4 The Program Menu...................................6
    2.5 The Draw Menu......................................7
    2.6 The Tools Menu....................................11
    2.7 The Options Menu..................................11
    2.8 Help..............................................12
3. Fractal Programming Language...........................12
4. A Tutorial.............................................14
4.1 Basic Drawing.........................................14
4.2 Defining and Drawing Fractals.........................15
5. A Guide to the Enclosed Samples........................16
6. Support for Fractal Paint..............................16
Appendix A Updating WIN.INI...............................17
Fractal Paint Registration Card...........................18


1. Introduction to Fractal Paint

     Fractal Paint is an interactive graphics design
program.  Fractal Paint can draw lines, rectangles, ellipses
and text like any other drawing program.  However, Fractal
Paint also lets you draw more complex images called
fractals.  Before Fractal Paint, fractals were drawn out
laboriously on computer screens often taking overnight to
calculate.  With Fractal Paint you can create fractal shapes
instantly.

- Fractal  Paint is  a tool  for artists  and scientists  to
  create complex landscapes quickly.

- Fractal  Paint eliminates the tedium of computer graphics,
  allowing different  levels  of  self  replication  without
  manually drawing in every line.

- Fractal  Paint allows  users to  create their  own  unique
  fractals.

- Fractal Paint can inspire designers of all mediums.

- Fractal  Paint is  an ideal program for producing business
  cards, advertisements  and other  copy that  benefits from
  eye-catching graphics.

    Fractal Paint  runs under Microsoft Windows (Version 3.0
or higher)  on any  computer with  a mouse that will run MS-
Windows.    Fractal  Paint  objects  can  be  exported  into
Microsoft Paint as well as many other Windows-based programs
through the Windows Clipboard.

    To  run   Fractal  Paint,   Microsoft  Windows  must  be
installed on  your hard drive.  To install Microsoft Windows
refer to  the Microsoft  Windows manual.  If you do not have
Microsoft Windows,  then contact  a local  Computer Software
Dealer and  purchase it.  Make sure you purchase version 3.0
or higher.   If  you own  a lesser version of Windows, it is
well worth your while to upgrade.


1.1 Installation of Fractal Paint

    To install Fractal Paint copy the files from the Program
Floppy Disk to a directory on your computer's hard drive.

    For instance,  to install  Fractal Paint on the C: Drive
in its  own directory  C:\FP: and to create the subdirectory
type:

    C:                        - select C: drive.

    cd \                      - start at the root directory.
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    mkdir FP                  - create the FP subdirectory.

                               Fractal Paint User's Manual/3


    Now you must copy the program files to this directory so
type (this  assumes you  have just  typed what  is above and
that the program floppy is in drive A:):

    cd FP                     - enter the FP subdirectory

    copy a:*.*                - copy all the files over.

    Now the  easiest way  to run Fractal Paint is to install
its icon  in a  program group  in the  Program  Manager  and
double click  on that  icon.  First start Microsoft Windows,
and  when   in  the   Program  Manager  select  the  Windows
Applications program  group as  the current  window.    Then
choose File  - New  and select  program item,  then for  the
program path choose C:\fp\fp.exe and choose the icon.  Refer
to your  MS-Windows  manual  for  more  information  on  the
Program Manager.


1.2 Introduction to Fractals

What is a Fractal?

 "A fractal is a curve whose Hausdorff-Besicovitch dimension
     is larger than its Euclidian dimension."  Dr. Benoit B.
                                                  Mandelbrot


    Fractals are  mathematical objects  with the property of
being self-similar.   Fractals  are everywhere, they are the
geometric patterns  found in  nature:   in tree branches, in
contours of a coast-line, in peaks of mountains, in veins on
leaves, in cumulus clouds.

    Formerly called  "monsters" and "dragons" by traditional
geometricians,  fractals   are  now   an  accepted  part  of
geometry.    These are objects that have a similar structure
when observed  at any magnification.  For instance, when you
look at  a coast-line it looks similar no matter how closely
you look  at (i.e.,  from 20,000  feet you  see big bays and
peninsulas and  from  close  up  you  see  little  bays  and
peninsulas).



                               Fractal Paint User's Manual/4



2. The Menus


2.1 The File Menu

+-----+
|File |
+-----+-----+
|New        |
|Open...    |
|Save       |
|Save As... |
+-----------+
|Print...   |
+-----------+
|Exit       |
+-----------+


    The file menu is used to clear the current drawing, load
a new  drawing, save the current drawing, print the drawing,
or exit the program.

    New. . .

    Selecting  New   clears  the  current  drawing  and  all
associated fractal or L-system definitions.

    Open. . .

    Selecting Open,  brings up  a dialog  box with a list of
files to  choose from,  and space  to enter a different file
spec or  file name.   You  can use  this dialog  box to move
around directories  as well.  To choose a file select it and
then press  return or  click on  OK, or  alternately  double
click on the file you wish to select.

    By default  this dialog  box lists files with the ".FPL"
(for Fractal Programming Language) extension.  If you want a
different extension enter "*.ext" where ext is the extension
you wish in the file name field and press return or click on
OK.   To  traverse  directories  select  [..]  to  go  up  a
directory.   Directories are  listed in  bold;  to  enter  a
directory, select  it.   If you  decide you  don't  want  to
choose a file click on Cancel or press the escape key.

    Save. . .

    Selecting Save  will save  your  file  with  no  further
prompting if  you already  have a  file name associated with
the drawing  (through Open  or Save  As).   If there  is not
already a  file name  (indicated in  the title  bar  of  the
program), then the Save As dialog box will be presented.

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    Save As. . .

    Selecting Save As will bring up a dialog box that allows
you to  type in  the desired  file name.  Type in the entire
file name including any path information, using the standard
DOS syntax  for files  and paths.   If you do not provide an
extension then  a default  of ".FPL" will be used.  Click OK
or press  return to  carry out  the save, or click Cancel or
press escape to return to the drawing without saving.

    Print. . .

    Selecting Print  will print  the drawing to the printer.
Printing can take a long time, so while the drawing is being
composed for printing a dialog box is presented allowing you
to cancel  the printing  process.   If you  have the spooler
installed then the spooler will be given a temporary file to
print.

    Exit. . .

    Selecting Exit,  terminates the  program and returns you
to the MS-DOS Executive.

    If you select Open, New or Exit and the drawing has been
altered without  being saved  then a  dialog box  asking you
whether you  want to  save the changes or not before exiting
the program will be displayed.  To Save the drawing click OK
or press  return.   To exit  without saving  click on  No to
return to  the drawing  without saving  or exiting  click on
Cancel.


2.2 The Edit Menu

+-----+
|Edit |
+-----+------------------+
|Undo         Alt+BkSp   |
+------------------------+
|Cut          Shift+Del  |
|Copy         Ctrl+Ins   |
|Paste        Shift+Ins  |
|Clear        Del        |
+------------------------+
|Select next  F2         |
|Select last  F3         |
+------------------------+

    Undo. . .

    Selecting  Undo   undoes  the   last  editing  operation
performed (if it can).  The Undo selection will be grayed in
the menu if there is nothing to undo.

                               Fractal Paint User's Manual/6


    Cut. . .

    Cut will  copy a  selected object  to the  clipboard and
delete the  object from  the  drawing.    If  no  object  is
selected then Cut will be grayed in the menu.  A object that
has been cut can be pasted back into Fractal Paint or pasted
into another Windows application.

    Copy. . .

    Copy will  copy  a  selected  object  to  the  clipboard
without deleting  it.   If no  object has been selected then
Copy will  be grayed  in the  menu.   A copied object can be
pasted into  Fractal Paint  or another  Windows  application
(such as Windows Paint).

    Paste. . .

    Paste will  add the  object  in  the  clipboard  to  the
drawing.   If there  is nothing  in the clipboard then paste
will be  grayed in  the menu.   The  data in  the  clipboard
should be  a  FPL  (Fractal  Programming  Language)  program
segment, such as something cut or copied from Fractal Paint;
however, you  can edit your own FPL code in Notepad and copy
it into Fractal Paint in this manner.

    Clear. . .

    Clear deletes  the selected object without first copying
it to the clipboard (Clear in no way affects the clipboard).
If no  object is  selected then  Clear will be grayed in the
menu.


2.3 The View Menu

+-----+
|View |
+-----+--------+
|Fit in window |
|Actual size   |
|2 X           |
|3 X           |
|4 X           |
+--------------+
|Page...       |
+--------------+

    The View menu is used to change the magnification of the
drawing on the screen and adjust the page size and margins.

    Fit in Window. . .

                               Fractal Paint User's Manual/7


    Fit in Window will cause the entire drawing to be fitted
exactly into the drawing window.

                               Fractal Paint User's Manual/8


    Actual Size. . .

    Actual size  will cause  a  display  pixel  to  equal  a
logical pixel for a maximal blowup.

    2 X, 3 X and 4 X. . .

    2 X,  3 X and 4 X will magnify the drawing two, three or
four times  original size  in the  drawing window.  When the
drawing is  magnified, scroll  bars are added to the drawing
window, so that you can scroll around the drawing.

    Page. . .

    Page brings  up a dialog box to adjust the page size and
margins.


2.4 The Program Menu

+--------+
|Program |
+--------++
|Edit...  |
|Print... |
|Run      |
+---------+

    The program  dropdown menu is used to edit, print or run
the FPL program that represents the drawing.

    Edit. . .

    Edit  brings  up  an  edit  window  containing  the  FPL
program.   You can  move or  size the  edit window  like any
other window.   When  you are  done with the edit window you
can close  it from  its system  box.  Use the scroll bars to
move around  the program,  type new text, or delete old text
with  backspace  (remember  Del  will  clear  the  currently
selected object).

    Print. . .

    Print will  print out  the FPL program in text format on
the attached  printer.   If the  Windows  print  spooler  is
installed, then a temporary file will be spooled.

    Run. . .

    Run runs  the FPL program.  Use this selection to redraw
the screen.   If you edit the program in the edit menu, then
you must  use this  to show  the changes  you  made  in  the
drawing window.

                               Fractal Paint User's Manual/9



2.5 The Draw Menu

+------+
|Draw  |
+------+-----------------------------+
|Define base shape...                |
|Define L-systems...                 |
+------------------------------------+
|Edit text and text type...   Ctrl+T |
|Line style...                Ctrl+L |
|Patterns...                  Ctrl+P |
+------------------------------------+

    This dropdown menu allows you to define and edit fractal
definitions as  well as alter or edit text, fill patterns or
line styles.

    Define Base Shape. . .

    The Define Base Shape item allows you to define the base
shape of your fractal:

    The Base  Shape is what starts the fractal.  It is shown
in the tool box for you to select when you draw the fractal.
The Base  Shape is  what you  get if you draw the fractal at
level 1  (set by  the Options  menu fractal dialog box).  At
level 2 each line segment of the Base Shape is replaced with
a copy  of the Base Shape.  At level 3, each line segment of
the level  2 drawing is replaced by the Base Shape.  This is
the fractal process.

    To define a fractal Base Shape with this dialog box, you
draw the  base shape  by moving  a little  turtle around  (a
pointing icon).   You move this turtle forward and backwards
with the  Forward: +  and -  buttons.   You turn  the turtle
using the  Turn +  and - buttons.  The turn increment can be
altered from  the Options  menu in  the fractal  dialog box.
Normally you draw with the pen down, however you can put the
pen up  to draw  discontinuous fractals like a mainland with
islands.   As you  draw the Base Shape it will appear in the
drawing area on the right-hand side of the dialog box.

    When you  click on  OK (or press return) the new fractal
Base Shape  will appear in the tool box allowing you to draw
this fractal  at any  level in the drawing area.  A computer
generated name  for this  fractal also  appears in  the tool
menu.   Clicking on  Cancel or  pressing the escape key will
exit the  dialog box  discarding any  drawing you  may  have
done.

    Define L-systems. . .

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/10


    L-systems  are   a  generalization  of  the  Base  Shape
definitions.   They define a fractal by a number of symbolic
equations (called  production rules)  and an  axiom to  draw
them.  This dialog box allows you to edit existing L-systems
and create  new ones.   You  can also  evolve  L-systems  by
creating a  number of child systems obtained from the parent
system by random perturbation.

    To edit  an existing  L-system select it in the list box
of current  L-systems and  click on  the Load button to load
its production  rules, axiom, name and angle into the dialog
box.   To save  an L-system make sure the Name field is what
you want  (a new  name for  a new  L-system, an  old name to
replace an old L-system) and click on the OK button or press
Enter.   To disregard  any changes  and exit with a click on
the Cancel button or press escape.

    L-systems, or  string rewriting  systems, are algorithms
that produce  character strings  which  are  interpreted  as
curves and  pictures.   L-systems provide  an elegant way to
generate the  classic fractal  curves such  as the  von Koch
snowflake, von Koch islands, Hilbert and Peano space-filling
curves and branching patterns such as trees and bushes.

    Fractal Paint Turtle

    In the  course  of  the  algorithm,  a  long  string  of
characters is  generated.   Fractal Paint  has a more direct
and efficient  way of  rendering these curves; however, this
is more  instructive.   The characters  are letters  of  the
alphabet or  special characters  such as '+', '-', '[', ']',
'/', etc.   Such  a string  corresponds to  a picture.   The
correspondence is  established via a turtle which interprets
the characters  sequentially as basic commands such as "move
forward", "turn left", "turn right", etc.

    The main  ingredient of  the method is the algorithm for
string generation.   A first string of only a few characters
must be given.  It is called the axiom.  Then each character
in the  axiom is  replaced by a string taken from a table of
production rules.  This substitution procedure is repeated a
prescribed number of times according to the fractal level to
produce the end result.

    In order  to specify a complex curve or tree, only a few
production rules  will suffice.   The  axiom along  with the
production rules  may be regarded as the genes which control
the "growth"  of the object.  This information is very small
as compared to the complexity of the resulting picture.  The
challenge  is   to  find  the  axiom  and  production  rules
necessary to  produce a given object or an object with given
properties.   This is  a  topic  of  current  research,  but
methods do exist, such as evolution.

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/11


    As an  introductory example, let's consider the von Koch
snowflake curve.  Consider a turtle that obeys the following
commands: 'F' draw a line forward, '+' turn right by 60° and
'-' turn  left by  60°.   We start  out with a straight line
denoted by "F".  This is the axiom of the von Koch snowflake
curve.

    In stage  1, the  line is  replaced by a line forward, a
left turn,  a line, two right turns (for a total of 120°), a
line, a  left turn  and  another  line.    In  the  turtle's
language this  can be  written  as  the  string  "F-F++F-F".
Subsequently, each  line; symbolized  by the  character 'F',
again has to be replaced by the string "F-F++F-F".  Thus, in
stage 2  we have  the string "F-F++F-F-F-F++F-F++F-F++F-F-F-
F++F-F" and so forth.

    In summary,  we have that when proceeding from one stage
to the  next we  must replace  a character 'F' by the string
"F-F++F-F", while  the characters '+' and '-' are preserved.
Thus, the L-system consists of the axiom "F", the production
rules:   "F ->  F-F++F-F", "+  -> +", "- -> -" and angle 60.
Generally if  a production  rule is not listed it is assumed
to be the identity mapping such as "+ -> +".

    The turtle commands that Fractal Paint uses are:

    'F': move  forward in  the present  direction and draw a
line.
    'f': move  forward  in  the  present  direction  without
drawing a line.
    '+': turn left by the given angle.
    '-': turn right by the given angle.
    '|': turn back (turn by 180°).
    '[': save the state of the turtle on the stack.
    ']': restore the state of the turtle from the top of the
stack.
    '/': divide the drawing line length by 2.

    Any other symbols are ignored by the turtle in the final
rendering, but  are still  important  for  constructing  the
drawing path.

    Evolve

    When you  click on  the Evolve button, then a dialog box
pops up which draws the current L-system, at a fractal level
set by  the Evolve  Level field,  and seven child L-systems.
The child  systems are derived from the parent (original) L-
system by  randomly altering  its axiom, production rules or
angle.

    From this  dialog box you can choose one of the child L-
systems to  replace the parent, or choose the parent to stay
the same.   By  choosing the  L-system that looks  most like

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/12


the way  you want it and iterating this process, you can use
evolution or  controlled selection  to construct an L-system
that has  the properties  that you desire.  You can also use
this feature  to generate  variations on  a theme,  such  as
drawing a forest of similar but not identical trees.

    Edit Text & Text Style. . .

    Selecting edit  text and  text style  brings up the text
dialog box.   With  this dialog box you can Edit Text in the
drawing window  as well as the Text Style.  You can also set
the Text  Style for  future text  and enter new text for the
drawing window.   If  some text  is selected when you invoke
this dialog  box, then  that text  will be  displayed in the
Enter text  field and  can be  edited there.   Also the Text
Style characteristics  will be  displayed and  can  also  be
edited.

    Text height  is the  height of  the text  in points, the
text width  is the  width of  each character  in points,  if
width is  0 then  the character  width will  be whatever  is
appropriate for this character height.  In Character Format,
weight is a number between 0 and 1000 and refers to how bold
the character should be, 900 is bold and 0 is normal.

    The Font Name list box lists all available printer fonts
and screen  fonts.  For the printer fonts to be correct, the
correct printer  must  be  installed  by  Windows  (see  the
Windows manual on how to do this).

    The Background  field determines  if each character will
erase a  little square  around it, or if the background will
be visible through the character.

    Color sets  the Text Color and Background Color sets the
color of  the little rectangle drawn around the character in
White Out  background mode.   Note that not all combinations
of Color  and Background Color produce visible text.  If you
have a  color monitor  then the  color will be displayed, if
you have  a monochrome display then you are limited to black
or white, and the same goes for the printer depending on its
color capability.

    A sample  of how  the text  will look  on the  screen is
presented on  the bottom of the dialog box.  Windows can not
accurately display  printer fonts on the screen, but will do
the best it can.

    Line Style. . .

    The line style selection brings up the line style dialog
box.   This dialog  box allows you to change the line width,
color and style for the selected object and for future drawn

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/13


objects.   You select  the color by using the scroll bars to
select the composition out of red, blue and green.  A sample
of the  line is  provided to  help you  choose.  Click OK or
press Return  to make  the change,  or click Cancel or press
escape to quit without making any changes.

    Patterns. . .

    The Patterns  item brings  up the  patterns  dialog  box
This dialog  box allows  you to  change  the  pattern  of  a
selected rectangle,  rounded rectangle or ellipse as well as
set it  for all  future rectangles,  rounded rectangles  and
ellipses.   Click OK  or press Return to make the change, or
click Cancel  or press  Escape to  return without making any
changes.

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/14



2.6 The Tools Menu

+-------+
| Tools |
+-------+-----------+
| Selection         |
| Text              |
| Line              |
| Rectangle         |
| Rounded Rectangle |
| Ellipse           |
| F1                |
| F2                |
| LSYS1             |
| LSYS2             |
+-------------------+

    This menu  provides an  alternative to  using the  Tools
box.   If you  maximize the drawing window, then the toolbox
becomes inaccessible and this provides an alternative method
of selecting  tools.   A check  mark  appears  next  to  the
selected tool.


2.7 The Options Menu

+--------+
|Options |
+--------+----+
|Show toolbox |
|Rulers       |
+-------------+
|Fractal...   |
+-------------+

    This dropdown  menu  lets  you  set  some  miscellaneous
options.

    Show toolbox. . .

    Show toolbox  will recreate  the toolbox  window if  you
previously closed  it from  its system menu.  If the toolbox
is displayed then this menu item is grayed.

    Rulers. . .

    Rulers will  display rulers  along the top and left side
of the  drawing window.   This  is  to  aid  in  positioning
objects on  the page.  To remove the rulers then select this
item again.

    Fractal. . .

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/15


    When you  select the  Fractal item from the Options drop
down menu,  you can  select a  number of options that affect
drawing in other parts of the program.

    The first  set of  buttons let  you select  the  fractal
level that will be used when drawing any future fractals.

    The turn increment box lets you enter the turn increment
that will be used when you press the '+' or '-' turn buttons
in the Define Base Shape dialog box.

    The next  check box  select whether  Fractal Paint  will
automatically redraw  the screen  whenever  required.    You
might want  to turn off this automatic redrawing if you have
a drawing  that requires  a long  time to redraw and you are
doing a lot of switching between windows.


2.8 Help

    To get  Help click on the Help menu item or press the F1
key.  Help is a separate program to Fractal Paint that comes
with Microsoft  Windows.  It can be moved and sized like any
other Windows  application.   To move  through the Help text
use  the  scroll  bars  in  Help's  text  area.    For  more
information on  the Help  program refer  to  the  MS-Windows
manual.


3. Fractal Programming Language


    The  image   in  the   drawing  window   is  represented
internally to  Fractal Paint  as a  program in  FPL (Fractal
Programming Language).   You can write your own FPL programs
or  edit   existing  FPL  programs  using  the  Edit  window
(obtained from  the Program  dropdown  menu),  or  by  using
another text editor (and transferring the program to Fractal
Paint through  the Clipboard  or as  ASCII text file usually
with an ".FPL" extension).

    FPL is  a very  simple assembly-like  language with  one
statement per  line  and  each  statement  consisting  of  a
command (like MOVETO) and a number of arguments separated by
white space (spaces and tabs).

    When you  edit drawings  using  the  Tool  Box  and  the
various dialog  boxes,  you  are  in  fact  editing  an  FPL
program, however  Fractal Paint  is handling all the details
for you.

    If you write or edit FPL programs you should try to make
them look like programs that are generated using the toolbox
commands.   Each object  should have a label and coordinates

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/16


should be  zero extended  to five  digits.   If you don't do
this then  some of the toolbox command such as move and some
of  the  dialog  boxes  may  have  difficulty  editing  your
program.

    Fractal Paint  uses a  logical coordinate  system, where
(0,0) is  at the  lower left,  the X  axis extends  right to
(10000, 0),  and the  Y axis extends up to (0, 10000).  This
coordinate system is then mapped onto whatever page size you
have specified with the Page Size dialog box.

    Following is  a list of all the FPL commands and a quick
description of their arguments:


FRACDEF NAME CUTFAC NUMPTS T1 P1 T2 P2 ... TNUMPTS
    PNUMPTS
- Define fractal NAME, with cut factor CUTFAC, number of
    defining points NUMPTS, Tn turn after point n, Pn pen
    pos while drawing to point n.

LSYSDEF NAME TURN_INC AXIOM NUM_PROD_RULES
    INP_PROD_RULE1 OUT_PRODRULE1 ... INP_PROD_RULEn
    OUT_PROD_RULEn
- Defines a L0-system fractal with the given production
    rules and axiom.

FRAC NAME SIZE LEVEL
- Draw fractal NAME, SIZE units across, of level LEVEL.

LSYS NAME LEVEL SEG_LENGTH
- Draw L0-system NAME, at level LEVEL with line segments
    SEG_LENGTH long.

LINE DIST
- Draw a line DIST units in the current direction.

LINETO X Y
- Draw a line from the current position to (X,Y).

RECT X Y
- Draw a rectangle with one corner at (X,Y) and the other at
    the current position.

RNDR X Y XE YE
- Draw a rounded rectangle with one corner at (X,Y) and the
    other at the current position.  The width and length of
    the ellipses used to round the corners are XE and YE.

ELLI X Y
- Draw an ellipse enclose in the rectangle with one corner
    at the current position and the opposite corner at (X,Y)


                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/17


MOVE DIST
- Move forward DIST units in the current direction (without
    drawing).

MOVETO X Y
- Move the current position to coordinates (X,Y) (without
    drawing).

TURN ANG
- Turn ANG degrees.

TURNTO ANG
- Turn to ANG degrees direction.

TEXT "String of text"
- Write the text contained between the quotes starting at
    the current position.

TSTYLE HEIGHT WIDTH WEIGHT ITALIC
           UNDERLINE STRIKEOUT CHARSET PITCHANDFAMILY BKMODE
    RED BLUE GREEN BKRED BKBLUE BKGREEN "FACENAME"
- Set text style, gives all parameters that Windows can
    accept when rendering text.

LSTYLE WIDTH STYLE RED BLUE GREEN
- Sets the line style.

PATTERN STYLE COLOR HATCH BACK_MODE
- Sets the pattern to use for filling regions.

CLEAR
- Pauses and then clears the screen.


4. A Tutorial


    The  following is  a  step  by  step  guide  through
constructing a number of fractals, and through drawing a
number of objects.

4.1 Basic Drawing

    To draw  a line  click the mouse on   the  line  tool in
the Toolbox  Window.   Position the  mouse  in  the  drawing
window over  where you  want the  line to  start.  Press the
left mouse  button down  and hold  it down.   Drag the mouse
around,  notice   that  a  line  follows  the  mouse  around
connected to the starting point.  When the line is where you
want it,  release the  mouse button.   To  draw  most  other
objects you follow the same procedure, you select the object
you wish  to draw,  from the  Toolbox Window (or Tools menu)
and then  press the  mouse button  down over the start point
and release  the mouse  button over  the  end  point.    The

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/18


exception  to   this  rule  is  drawing text which  is
explained further down.

    To alter  the way  the line looks choose Line style from
the Draw  Menu.   Try altering  some of the controls in this
box and  then drawing  lines to  see what  effect they have.
Notice that  there is  a sample  line to  show what  you are
selecting in the Line style dialog box.

    To alter  the way  rectangles and  circles look  you can
alter the  line that  forms their  boundary using  the  Line
style dialog  box.   Plus you  can choose  Patterns from the
Draw menu  and alter the way their interiors are drawn.  Try
playing with  these controls  and drawing some rectangles to
get the feel for how it works.

    To draw text, choose the text tool in the Toolbox Window
(a big  T).  The click the mouse in the Drawing window where
you want  the text  to start.   A  vertical bar  will  start
flashing at  this point.   This  is a  cursor that indicates
where typed  text will  be placed  in the drawing.  Now type
some text.   The  text will  probably be very small, this is
because the  default view  in the  drawing window  is of  an
entire page.  You can make the text bigger by selecting Edit
text and text style in the Draw Menu.  You can make the text
bigger by  making the  height bigger, perhaps 40.  You could
also "blow up" your view of the drawing using the View menu.
Try experimenting  with this.   Try  altering different text
styles as  well, such  as different  fonts, colors, italics,
etc.

    To delete  draw objects,  choose the selection tool from
the Toolbox Window (an arrow in the upper left).  Then click
on the object you wish to delete.  A dashed rectangle should
appear around  the selected  object.  Then choose Clear from
the Edit  menu (or  press Del).   If  you wanted  the object
copied to  the Windows  clipboard so  that you  can paste it
back into  Fractal Paint or into another Windows application
choose Cut  instead.   (Copy  copies  it  to  the  clipboard
without deleting the object.)

    To move an object, choose the move tool from the Toolbox
Window (a  four headed  arrow second  from the  top  on  the
left).   Then push  down the  left  mouse  button  over  the
desired object,  a dashed rectangle should appear around the
object, then  while holding  down the mouse button, move the
mouse until  the dashed  rectangle is where you want to move
the object.   Then  release the  mouse button and the object
will be moved for you.

    If you  have a  number of objects stacked on top of each
other and  you wish to select one that is under another one,
use the  Select next and Select previous menu items from the

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/19


edit menu  to bring  the desired  object to  the top  of the
stack so that you can select it.


4.2 Defining and Drawing Fractals


    There are two basic ways to define Fractals with Fractal
Paint.   The first  we'll try  is the  simplest.  We use the
Define Base  Shape Dialog Box.  These Fractals are made from
a base  shape, the  first level  of these fractals is simply
the base  shape itself.    The  next  level  is  reached  by
replacing each  line in  the current  level  with  the  base
shape.   To illustrate,  first set  the  turn  increment  in
Options -  Fractal from  the main  menu to 60 (degrees), and
start with  a new  drawing (File  - New).   Then go into the
Define Base  Shape Dialog Box from the Draw menu.  Press the
+ button after Forward.  The turtle should move to the right
leaving a  trail.   Press Turn +, and the turtle should turn
60 degrees left, now press forward + to move the turtle, now
press turn  - twice  and press  forward +  again.  Now press
turn +  and finally  press forward  + again.   Now press OK.
The Fractal  you  just  define  should  now  appear  in  the
toolbox.  Try drawing this Fractal first at level 1 and then
at level  2 and then at level 3 (set by the Fractal Level in
Options -  Fractal).   You should  be able  to see  how this
Fractal is  generated  from  the  level  1  base  shape  you
created.   Play with the Define Base Shape Dialog Box to see
what wonderful Fractals you can come up with.  One good rule
of thumb  is to  always  have  the  turtle  end  up  in  the
direction it  started from (i.e. all the turns sum to zero),
also a turn increment of 90 degrees will often generate nice
looking Fractals easily.


5. A Guide to the Enclosed Samples


    The following  table outlines  what is  in each  of  the
sample files  contained on  the distribution disk.  Load the
file using File - Open from the main menu.

    SAMPLSYS.FPL    - Some sample L-System definitions.  Try
drawing these  at different  fractal  levels  and  different
sizes.

SAMPFRAC.FPL   - Some  sample Fractals  made with the Define
    Base Shape  Dialog Box.   Try drawing these at different
    fractal levels and different sizes.

TREE1.FPL - A Fractal Tree.

TREE2.FPL - Another Fractal Tree.

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/20


KOCH1.FPL - A Koch Island.

KOCH2.FPL - Some Koch Snowflakes.

DEMO.FPL  - A  demo of  many Fractals  and many  of  Fractal
    Paints capabilities.  If you plan to load this, it might
    be a good idea to turn off automatic redraw in Options -
    Fractal from  the menu  and then  draw the program using
    Program - Run from the main menu.  Notice that this demo
    is entirely written in FPL itself.


6. Support for Fractal Paint


    Support for  Fractal Paint  is available  for registered
users.  Have your registration number handy for verification
when you call.  We can be reached at ComputerSmiths, between
8:30 a.m.  to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time at 604-224-5242, or you
can reach us at our BBS line at 604-224-5247.

    We would  love to  hear your  comments and find out what
our users  are doing with this new drawing program.  Call or
write please.

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/21


Appendix A: Updating WIN.INI


    You can  add a line to "WIN.INI" so that when you double
click on  a file  with the  extension ".FPL",  Fractal Paint
will automatically  be run by Windows and Fractal Paint will
automatically open this file when it starts up.

    To do  this you must edit the file "WIN.INI" which is in
the directory  in which  you installed Windows.  First, save
the current  copy of  "WIN.INI", so  that if  something goes
wrong you  can recover.   To edit the file use some standard
text editor  such as  Notepad which comes with Windows.  All
you have  to do  is add one line to the [extensions] section
of  "WIN.INI".     Look   for   a   line   containing   only
"[extensions]" in "WIN.INI", it is then followed by a number
of lines  that look like "cal=calendar.exe ^.cal".  To these
lines add  the line  "fpl=c:\fp\fp.exe ^.fpl",  assuming you
installed Fractal  Paint on  the C:  drive in \fp, otherwise
substitute the drive and path of where you installed Fractal
Paint.

    Then save "WIN.INI", exit Windows and restart Windows so
that the change in "WIN.INI" can take effect.

                              Fractal Paint User's Manual/22


      Fractal Paint Registration Card

    Fractal Paint  is shareware,  so if you use this program
please send  $25.00.  Without some sort of financial support
from users,  work on  this program will not be possible.  If
you send  in the  $25.00 you  will receive a registered next
version of the program absolutely free.

    Please fill  out this  card, enclose a cheque for $25.00
and mail it immediately to:

                Fractal Paint Registration
                International ComputerSmiths
                3726 West Broadway
                Vancouver, B.C.
                V6R 2C1
                  Canada

    Doing  so  entitles  you  to  additional  Fractal  Paint
product information.

Product: Fractal Paint  Version: 1.0  Registration Number:

Name:    ___________________________________________________

Company: ___________________________________________________

Title:   ___________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________

         ___________________________________________________

City: _______________  Province/State: _____________________

Country: ____________  Postal/Zip Code: ____________________

Computer Type: AT Comp 286 [  ]  AT Comp 386 [  ]  PS/2 [  ]

            Other: _________________________________________

Index                              Tools  11
                                   TSTYLE  14
2 X  6                             TURN  13
3 X  6                             TURNTO  13
4 X  6                             Turtle  8
Actual Size  6                     Tutorial  14
Basic Drawing  14                  Undo  4
Clear  5, 14                       View  5
Copy  5                            WIN.INI  16
Cut  5
Define Base Shape  7
Define L-systems  7
Draw  7
Edit  6
Edit Text & Text Style  9
ELLI  13
Evolve  9
Exit  4
Fit in Window  5
FRAC  13
FRACDEF  13
Fractal  11
Fractal Programming Language
    12
Help  12
Installation  1
LINE  13, 14
Line Style  10
LINETO  13
LSTYLE  14
LSYS  13
LSYSDEF  13
MOVE  13
MOVETO  13
New  3
Open  3
Options  11
Page  6
Paste  5
PATTERN  14
Patterns  10
Print  4, 6
Program Menu  6
RECT  13
Registration  18
RNDR  13
Rulers  11
Run  6
Samples  16
Save  3
Save As  4
Show toolbox  11
Support for Fractal Paint  16
TEXT  13, 14