This document describes the picture editor of Free Hero Mesh.
To start the picture editor, use the -p switch. In this case, the puzzle
set files are not required to exist; the .xclass file will be created if
necessary, and the other ones are ignored.
This allows creating the graphics for the classes of objects in the puzzle
set. The class definition file will associate one or more pictures with
each class, using the names given in the picture file.
Each named picture can have up to fifteen variants. Only one variant is
used; which one is used depends on the .altImage and .imageSize settings,
which can be defined by the end user.
=== Main menu ===
The main menu displays the list of the names of all pictures. This list is
sorted by name.
You can push escape to quit and save, or shift+escape quits without saving.
The F3 key allows entering a name of a picture to edit.
=== Drawing ===
The following keyboard commands are available:
Esc
Leave the drawing screen.
Shift+Tab or [
Select the previous image variant.
Tab or ]
Select the next image variant.
1 to 9
Select one of the first nine image variants.
Space
Unmark the block and point.
Return
Copy the marked part of the picture to the clipboard. This will discard
the previous contents of the clipboard (if any). This is separate from
the operating system clipboard; it is local to Free Hero Mesh, and is
lost when Free Hero Mesh is restarted.
Insert
Paste from the clipboard. If a block is marked, it will stretch the
pasted image to fit the area. If a point is marked but not a block, that
point will be the upper left corner of the paste position. If neither,
then it is pasted with its upper left corner at the upper left corner of
the current image buffer.
Delete
Erase the pixels marked block, making all of the pixels transparent.
Arrows
Allows selecting a colour without using the mouse.
Home
Selects transparency as the current colour.
F1
Rotate marked area clockwise by 90 degrees. The marked area must be
square in order for this to work.
F2
Rotate marked area counterclockwise by 90 degrees. The marked area must
be square in order for this to work.
F3
Flip marked area verticaly.
F4
Flip marked area horizontally.
F5
Resizes the current image variant. It will ask for the size; enter a
number from 1 to 255 to set the size (which is always square), and then
it will resize and clear the image. If you enter P then it will become
a copy of the contents of the clipboard; this won't work if the contents
of the clipboard is not square.
F6
Add a new image variant. It will ask for the size, like with F5, except
this adds a new one rather than replacing the existing one. The maximum
number of image variants is fifteen.
F7
Delete the current image variant. You cannot delete all of the variants
of an image; you must have at least one.
F8 or number pad *
Mark the entire image as a block.
Click in the colour palette on the right to select a colour. With the left
button, that colour is selected as the current colour. The middle button
will replace everything of the current colour with the clicked colour, and
the right button will exchange pixels between the current colour and the
clicked colour; in either case, if any block is marked, only the marked
block will be affected.
You can type alphabets to select the drawing mode. The available drawing
modes are as follows:
Draw (D)
The left mouse button draws with the current colour, and the right mouse
button draws transparent pixels; you can also hold and drag the mouse to
draw multiple pixels. Clicking with the middle button will select the
clicked colour as the current colour.
Mark (M)
Select a point with the left button, and then the right button selects
the opposite corner of the rectangular area to mark.
Pick (P)
Clicking in the picture editing area will have the same effect as
clicking in the colour palette, on the same colour as the pixel.
Line (L)
Click the left button on the initial point of the line, and then click
the middle or right button on the final point of the line. If the right
button is used then the new point is the new initial point for further
lines, otherwise a further line will use the old initial point.
Hollow rectangle (R)
Click the left button on the first corner and the right button on the
other corner.
Filled rectangle (F)
Click the left button on the first corner and the right button on the
other corner.
Hollow circle (C)
Click the left button at the centre of the circle and the right button
at the radius, or you can click the left button at the radius and the
middle button at the centre.
Filled circle (I)
Click the left button at the centre of the circle and the right button
at the radius, or you can click the left button at the radius and the
middle button at the centre.
Hollow ellipse (E)
Click the left button on one corner of the bounding rectangle of the
ellipse, and then click the middle or right button on the other side.
Filled ellipse (S)
Click the left button on one corner of the bounding rectangle of the
ellipse, and then click the middle or right button on the other side.