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Amiga Collections: MegaDisc
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MegaDisc 24 (1991-10)(MegaDisc Digital Publishing)(AU)(Disk 2 of 2).zip
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ART_GALLERY
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1991-09-26
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6KB
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159 lines
S P Y R A L
Iterative polygonal spiral generator.
Written by Michael Stapleton of
Graphic Bits.
Please distribute the Spyral drawer intact.
This SHAREWARE program is copyright © 1991 .
( See the end of this file for details. )
by
Michael Stapleton, Graphic Bits
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What does it do ?
Spyral lets you draw a multi-colored polygon (any connected 'loop' of
straight lines). It completes your loop then shrinks and rotates it,
creating an intricate perspective spiralling pattern.
Spyral can be started from WorkBench or the CLI. Simply Double-Click
on the Spyral icon, or type Spyral at the CLI prompt.
For a quick demo:
Start Spyral.
Click a few points in the main screen area with
the Left Mouse Button (LMB).
Click the Right Mouse Button (RMB) to change colors !
Click a few more points in the main screen area with LMB.
Select (LMB) the Twist gadget.
Watch that spyral go!
Spyral simply shrinks the end of each line towards its start, by the
fraction shown in the slider along the bottom of the window. This
amount can be easily adjusted in the usual Intuition style - slide it.
All other functions are accessed through the Gadget buttons OR by
keyboard shortcuts - the plain initial letter (no shift, Alt etc).
Sorry if you find some of these keywords confusing, but it gets tricky
doing this sort of thing !
Controls
Spyral has two modes of operation Edit mode and Twist mode, the
current mode is shown in the screen title bar.
In Edit mode you can add or subtract from your polygon, or clear it
and start anew.
In Twist mode you can view the results of your handiwork as it spins
its way to its centre.
Some gadgets behave differently in the two modes, but these
differences will, I hope, seem logical and natural. Generally, in Edit
mode you permanently affect the actual polygon but in View mode you only
affect the immediate display. The ratio gadget accepts input at
anytime, even when spyralling.
Command Summary
Edit
As logic may suggest, this button puts you in Edit mode.
This is the starting mode of Spyral.
Delete
In Edit mode, deletes last point. Can delete multiple
points. Inactive in Twist mode.
Return
In Edit mode, returns the last deleted point. Can return
multiple points. Inactive in Twist mode.
Clear
In Edit mode, CLEARS the POLYGON !!! There is NO undo.
In Twist mode, merely clears the screen.
View
In Edit mode, clears the screen, redraws polygon and
connects last point to first. Useful after multiple Deletes
or Returns.
In Twist mode, clears the screen and retwists polygon.
Useful after changing the ratio.
Twist
In Edit mode, selects Twist mode, connects last point to
first point in the current color, and twists (see Pause).
In Twist mode, retwists polygon.
Pause
This button toggles between Pause and Play (keyboard p). It
Play
has no affect during Edit mode (but may be selected).
In Twist mode, pauses the polygon at the end of the current
loop. Select Play to continue twisting.
File Commands
- Requester courtesy of C. Heath of Microsmiths.
Save
Save polygon in ASCII format. Works anytime.
Load
Load polygon in ASCII format, clearing current polygon.
Works anytime.
Append
Append polygon in ASCII format to end of current polygon.
Works anytime. Quickly make giant, pulsating THINGS !
Just don't overflow the vector buffer ( 300 points ).
IFF
Save whole screen in standard IFF ILBM format. No icon.
Works anytime. Thanks to C. Scheppner of CBM,
J. Morrison, Steve Shaw etc. of Electronic Arts.
X
Locks mouse X co-ordinate so only vertical movement is
possible. Current mouse X co-ordinate value is displayed
on this button in Edit mode. Use keyboard to start lock.
Y
Locks mouse Y co-ordinate so only horizontal movement is
possible. Current mouse Y co-ordinate value is displayed
on this button in Edit mode. Use keyboard to start lock.
* Technical Note *
You can 'return' funny points by Loading or Appending in Twist mode.
This is because the buffer is never cleared, only the pointers get
changed, and in twist mode I don't bother to reset the 'last deleted'
pointer. Experiment with this, and let me know how you feel about this
sort of 'unplanned feature' or any others you may discover!
Have fun and be creative. M.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you use this program please send one of the following :
a. $15 Australian (Cheque prefered)
b. 5 blank disks
c. 3 art data disks (original or PD )
d. Spare hard drives, color inkjet printers etc. !
To:
Graphic Bits
P.O. Box 674
Bankstown 2200
NSW, Australia.
Your contribution will directly influence my continued
enthusiasm in this project.
Future enhancements include:
Color cycling range(s).
Alternative color selection.
Faster, smaller, neater code.
Save as Animation ???
User-definable button(s).
Any suggestions, comments etc. are welcome.
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