About
Controls
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The following controls appear along the left
side of the Spinart window at all times:
Type a number or use the up
and
down control to change the size of the anchor
wheel. This changes
the overall size of the art. The Anchor size can be between 10 and 500 pixels.
Type a number or use the up
and down control to change the size
of the runner wheel. The Runner size can be
between 1 and 500 pixels. Click the Inside or
Outside button to virtually place the
runner relative to the anchor. In the
physical world, the runner must
be smaller than the anchor to be placed inside of it, but Spinart
doesn't limit you that way. Experiment!
Type a number or use the up
and down control to change the
position of the virtual pen on the runner
wheel. The number is the distance from the center of the runner. You
can use any number between zero (0) and 500.
Using zero places the pen at the center of the runner and will just
draw a circle. Larger numbers will create the classic loopy art. In the
physical world, the pen
must always be in the runner (i.e. the pen radius must be smaller
than the radius of the runner), but Spinart has no such limitation.
Uncheck the box to create some fanciful art.
Type a number or use the up
and down control to set how many
trips the runner will make around the anchor.
You can set between 1 and 300 revolutions (which is really quite
ridiculous!) Creating a closed shape (one without a noticable break)
and evenly spaced curves requires experimenting with the anchor, runner, and revolutions settings.
PRO TIP! If you're
struggling to make a spiral art close nicely, you can type decimal
numbers into the anchor or
runner radius boxes. By
making one radius or the other just a fraction
larger or smaller you can make nearly any spiral close perfectly.
You
can use up to three colors when drawing your Spinart. Click the first
color well to
change the color used to draw the art. If you click the “Use” box above
the second color well, half of the art will be drawn using that color.
Checking that box will also activate the second “Use” checkbox which if checked will show your art
colored in equal thirds.
Slide
the pen thickness control to adjust how fine or bold the shape is
drawn.
NOTE WELL: Drawing very complex
shapes (e.g.
more than 75 revolutions) using a thick pen can significantly slow down
Spinart. To avoid the dreaded spinning beachball, use a narrow pen
setting to experiment with shapes and thicken the line as the last step.
Click the Close Curve checkbox to force a line to connect the ending
and starting points of your art. Best used when the ends are almost
touching.
Check the Fill with
Color check box to paint the interior of your art with a solid
color chosen with the large color well.
The
Draw Slowly button animates the loopy process of
creating Spinart. When you click the button the art is drawn a little
bit at a time, adjustible with the speed slider. Watching can be quite
hypnotic. The button changes to “Stop Drawing” in case you get tired of
waiting. Note that you can change most shape and color controls while
the art is drawing.
Click this button to show
the
location and size of the anchor ring.
If this option is on and you click the Draw Slowly
button, you can watch the runner spin around the anchor and the pen
tip trace out your loopy pattern, just like a real Spirograph™!
This switches on an
alternative
mode where the runner spins extra quickly. The patterns you'll see are
loopier than traditional Spirograph™; check it out!
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