home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Collection of Tools & Utilities
/
Collection of Tools and Utilities.iso
/
graphic
/
kd_doc.zip
/
KD-DOC.1-3
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1987-10-18
|
32KB
|
991 lines
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to PC-KEY-DRAW! You are about to encounter
one of the most powerful graphics programs avail-
able for the IBM PC and compatibles.
PC-KEY-DRAW is a graphics package that can be used
by anyone and everyone. It includes many features
designed specifically for a mechanical engineer,
such as calculate and measure. It also includes
many features designed specifically for artists,
such as pattern fill and area smear. Its ability to
create symbol libraries is ideal for the electrical
engineer or the architect. Those into needlepoint
will find that the drawing capabilities combined
with the zoom printer feature allow interesting
patterns to be designed on the computer and easily
transferred to a form suitable for stitching.
Graphic game designers can use the drawing abili-
ties along with the ability to save an image as a
BASICA subroutine to create graphics ideal for ani-
mation. Teachers will find the geometry aspects of
the program useful in the math and science class
room. Business people can create eye catching
slides for presentations using such features as
slide and text fonts.
Drawing with a computer can and should be very dif-
ferent from drawing with more conventional tools.
PC-KEY-DRAW gives you all the features you need for
free hand drawing, but its power and the power of
the computer lies in the many features that are not
possible with conventional techniques. When you
learn to use such commands as slide, rotate,
revolve, mirror, spray paint, etc. then the real
power of computer graphics will be in your hands.
INTRODUCTION 1-1
This manual is provided primarily for those who
like manuals. Many people will just dive straight
into the program and so PC-KEY-DRAW has been laid
out with that in mind. Significant help informa-
tion is available on the basic program operation
from within the program. The manual does include
some additional information that will become more
and more useful as you proceed to master the numer-
ous drawing functions available. I am always open
to suggestions on improving not only the program,
but the manual as well. If you have any sugges-
tions or comments for the manual, please let me
know. Many of the features of this manual are a
direct result of comments and suggestions from
users. The complete manual is no longer contained
on the disk because of size limitations and because
I hope to encourage users to register. The manual
on the disk should provide more than enough infor-
mation to allow the user to try out PC-KEY-DRAW.
This manual is laid out to provide two ways of
finding how to perform a function. The Command Sum-
mary section is divided by the function keys that
activate the various commands. The DEFINITIONS &
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION is an alphabetized listing
of the commands and how to use them.
PC-KEY-DRAW is distributed as User-Supported or
Shareware. This means it is not only legal for you
to copy the program and give it to friends, but
that I actually encourage you to do so. I feel
that everyone is entitled to try out a software
package before paying for it. If you don't like
the program, fine, please give it to someone who
might. If you do like the program, please be sure
to register. Your support is greatly appreciated.
INTRODUCTION 1-2
HISTORY
PC-KEY-DRAW version 3.3 is the result of thousands
of hours of development time by myself, Edward H.
Kidera IV. I am trained as an ocean engineer, a
mechanical engineer for equipment to go near, on or
in the ocean. I bought a PC in the spring of 1983
to help my engineering. Like most PC users I use my
PC for word processing, information filing, and
basic accounting. I also wanted to use the PC to do
mechanical engineering drawings. When I first got
the PC there weren't any programs available, in my
price range, for doing the type of drawing I wanted
to do, so I decided to write my own.
The first eight months of development proceeded
rather slowly, but I had developed a program that I
could use. As I started to use the program to
create drawings, I realized that there were numer-
ous features that I would like to be able to have
to speed drawing and allow the creation of images
not possible by purely manual techniques. At about
ten months into the development I began showing the
program to fellow PC enthusiasts. There was great
interest in what PC-KEY-DRAW could do and I was
encouraged to sell the program. This encouragement
prompted me to spend more time on the program
development and to add features to improve user
friendliness.
PC-KEY-DRAW version 1.3 was first released in May
1984 as two programs, a high resolution and a
medium (color) resolution version. The response to
the program was very favorable and so I began to
devote more and more time to its advancement. Sev-
eral months after the first release I released ver-
sion 1.8 with many additional features and the
color and high resolution portions combined into
one program with the ability to readily switch
between the two. This was followed by version 2.0,
2.1, 2.2 and 2.21 around January 1985. These ver-
sions offered many additional features, improved
HISTORY 2-1
user friendliness, and included a slide show and
zoom printer feature.
Since February 1985 I have been working on PC-KEY-
DRAW version 3.0. Rather then release numerous
small updates I decided to create a major update.
Version 3.0 was released in October 1985 and offers
a significant improvement in user friendliness
without any sacrifice in power or speed of oper-
ation. It also provides many new features to aid
drawing of all types of graphics. Appendix D lists
the improvements included in version 3.0 over ver-
sion 2.21.
The development of PC-KEY-DRAW continues with 3.1
3.2, and now 3.3. Appendix D also lists the addi-
tions that are found with each new version. This
time rather than keep the additions and improve-
ments to myself and then releasing them in large
chunks as I had done between version 2.2 and 3.0, I
have decided to release the newer version as they
become available. I have been slowly adding new
features and improving old features to PC-KEY-DRAW.
Some of this is driven by the compiler I'm using,
some by my time and some by need for a particular
feature. Recent version have added nume