SpinArt 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!