Question 1

Can you create puzzles with numbers using Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Search

Accepted Answer

This tutorial shows you how you can easily create word search puzzles with numbers, using Puzzle Maker Pro - Word Search.

The steps in this tutorial apply to all versions of Word Search.

Step 1 - Select a file with numbers or paste the list of numbers

First of all, you need a list of numbers instead of words. The process is the same as for word search puzzles:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/uI92RPKg8h/Word%20Search%20with%20Numbers.jpg (Word Search with Numbers)

As you can see, the numbers are in the puzzle, but the "filler", or empty squares are still using letters. You can easily fix that.

Step 2 - Enter the numbers for the empty squares

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/eNftVPmd6S/Word%20Search%20with%20Numbers%202.jpg (Word Search with Numbers 2)

Find the 'Hidden Word' section on the Solution tab, make sure 'Random Characters' is selected, and enter all the numbers you want as filler in the text field. Click 'New Preview' again to verify that the result is what you want it to be.

Right now the puzzle is correct, but there's one more step to make sure the PDF or PPT output looks good too:

Step 3 - Set the sort order

By default, words will be sorted in alphabetical (dictionary) order. You can do that for numbers too, but especially if you use numbers of different lengths, like 11 and 90210, you may want to use the numerical sort order. You can find this on the 'Style' tab, below the color settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/89vI8kQz01/Word%20Search%20-%20Number%20puzzles%203.png (Word Search - Number puzzles 3.png)

Creating Puzzles

You always start off with a blank screen. If you've activated your software (Instructions for this appear are sent in an email automatically upon purchase), you can start making your own puzzles.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/DiiQYZeann/Nonogram%20starting%20screen.jpg (Nonogram starting screen)

The starting screen

You can select a file with the "Select File" button, and a preview of the puzzle/solution will be shown in the panel at the right. The original image is shown at the left. (The actual puzzle isn't shown, since this resembles the solution, but without the black squares.)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/dsUqnwedEQ/Nonogram%20Puzzle%20selected.jpg (Nonogram Puzzle selected)

We have selected a picture of a puppy

There are several ways to further customise and finetune the puzzle:

Select the Puzzle Format. There are further options for Small or Large, that will impact the final size of the puzzle.
You can choose where the hints are shown. Top/Left is automatically selected, if you deselect this the hints will go bottom/right.
You can add a separator. This will appear between the numbers on the left, to make the guide easier to read.
You can choose to show zeroes. If you uncheck this box, the rows without any solution will not have any numbers.
Remove Padding. This will remove all empty rows, and redraw the puzzle. If you have a puzzle with a large amount of white space on the edges, this could make more detail show up in the puzzle. However, this option can also change the amount of rows and columns that appear in the puzzle. For further information on how to avoid this, you can look up our Advanced Nonogram Editing tutorial.

We have used several of these options, which leaves us with this puzzle for now.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/uLKz4TkItx/Nonogram%20Basic%20result.jpg (Nonogram Basic result)

For further tutorials, you can check out:

Question 3

Height Map Editor Tutorial - Quick Overview

Accepted Answer

The Height Map Editor is an interactive tool to create your own 3D landscape. You can raise and lower individual squares (blocks) and level entire rows and columns.

There is one basic rule for the height of the cells: cells in front have to be lower than cells in the back. (Otherwise there would be a path on the back of the cell, which is not visible).

The Height Map Editor always applies this rule automatically, which may cause some unexpected results when you’re changing the height of some cells. That’s why there’s an Undo option, so you can always go back to the previous version of the height map.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/s49dpbE6ax/Height%20Map%20Editor%20Screenshot.jpg (Height Map Editor Screenshot)

In the screenshot you can see:

You can save the height map as a preset for later use.

You can find more tutorials on the Mazes 3D Isometric tutorials page. Video tutorials can be found in the Mazes 3D Isometric Playlist.

Question 4

How to create letter or word nonograms with Puzzle Maker Nonogram

Accepted Answer

Creating a text nonogram

Welcome to the tutorial on how to create Nonograms with letters or words. This is possible with Puzzle Maker Nonogram Text.

You can use these techniques with Nonogram Complete, or Nonogram Text.

Creating a nonogram with text in it is rather easy, if you have this software. First, select the "text" button at the bottom of the program.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/4YY9vIUlAc/puzzle%20maker%20nonogram%20text%20option.jpg (puzzle maker nonogram text option)

The red square shows the Text button

If you click on this button, a screen will pop up. This screen has multiple options.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/vw1ZJpF2pY/Puzzle%20maker%20nonogram%20text%20options.jpg (Puzzle maker nonogram text options (1).jpg)

This is the standard screen you see if you're using Nonogram complete. Text will have a slightly different interface, but the same options should still be there.

You can look through the fonts you have installed, and select one that you like. Here's the settings we've used.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/n2EKn5S0eo/Puzzle%20maker%20nonogram%20text%20selected.jpg (Puzzle maker nonogram text selected)

Bold fonts work better than thinner and more graceful fonts, because of how Puzzle Maker Nonogram generates puzzles.

The program automatically removes all padding as well, so the letters show up more clearly.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/eSMtsIwV8X/Puzzle%20maker%20nonogram%20text%20hello%20there.jpg (Puzzle maker nonogram text hello there)

You can turn this off, but there is a chance it'll become text in a large blank square. You can also fine-tune the puzzle a bit more manually. For information on how to do that, check out our tutorial on how to use the advanced and edit tabs for Puzzle Maker Nonogram

Frequent errors

There are a few things that can go wrong with creating nonograms from fonts.

No text appears, or very incomplete text appears

There are two possible causes for it. First, the Nonogram size you chose is just too small. Try out a different puzzle format. Below you see what happens if we make the puzzle in 20x20 instead of 40x40. There simply isn't enough space for all the letters to show up properly.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7g9uDIC2kg/Hello%20there%2020x20%20nonogram%20puzzle%20maker.jpg (Hello there 20x20 nonogram puzzle maker)

The other option is that the font you chose is simply too thin. The same solution can be used here. Try a different size, and that should fix it most of the times. Sometimes it's also possible that the font is simply too thin to be picked up properly by the nonogram algorithm, in which case choosing a different font is the best solution. You can see that below.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1N9C3SIKzP/hello%20there%2090x90%20font%20doesnt%20work%20nonogram.jpg (hello there 90x90 font doesnt work nonogram)

The font selected here simply doesn't work well because the lines are too thin. Even at 90x90 it barely works.

I can't find the font I want to use

For this we recommend you try manually adding the font through the font browser, as described above. Again, not all fonts will work equally well with the program, for reasons described above.

I want a nonogram with a non-western script

This is possible! You have to make sure the language is installed on your computer for non-western scripts. You can do this by going to the Language options in your computer, and adding a preferred language.

One problem you may run into is that not all fonts support your language. In the example below we have used Japanese, which doesn't have many different fonts.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZeQ6abwVec/Japanese%20font%20Puzzle%20maker%20nonogram.jpg (Japanese font Puzzle maker nonogram)

Getting Started with Puzzle Maker Pro - Cross Sum

For Cross Sum it's not just important to understand the software, but you also need to understand the puzzles themselves:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/HiKrCpIHM7/0-20210330105932-1-01-J-P.png (0-20210330105932-1-01-J-P.png)

The rules:

Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares, to solve these simple equations
Calculate the steps from left to right, the first line would be (x + y) divided by z = 4, and top to bottom.
The outcome has to be zero or greater
Intermediate results have to be zero or greater
The outcome has to be an whole number, not a fraction.

The solution for this puzzle would be:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/F235Y4qjLd/0-20210330105932-1-01-J-S.png (0-20210330105932-1-01-J-S.png)

Creating Cross Sum puzzles with Puzzle Maker Pro

If this is the first time you're using Puzzle Maker Pro, there's an introduction of the main options here:

Getting Started with Puzzle Maker Pro

Information about the generic tabs in puzzle Maker Pro (Output Settings, Instant Puzzle Books and Tools) can be found here:

Puzzle Maker Pro - Tutorial Overview

When you start the Cross Sum module in Puzzle Maker Pro, you'll see a view like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/l31ILCpmjh/001%20Cross%20Sum%20Overview.jpg (001 Cross Sum Overview.jpg)

Cross Sum Standard

For standard Cross Sum puzzles, the rules are fixed. You can customize your puzzles by changing fonts, colors, adjusting the line width, etc.

Just click "Preview" when you make changes, to see a new puzzle in your customized style.

Cross Sum Variations

If you purchased the Cross Sum Variations module, you can change the rules for Cross Sum puzzles. Please be aware that you need to state clearly what the rules for a puzzle are, otherwise you'll confuse your customers.

Select the "Variations" tab, and select "Custom" to enable the different options.

Some of these options will allow you to create easier puzzles that can be used for teaching math.

You can combine the different options, but we'll show them one by one.

Select Operations

First of all, you can select with operations / operators are allowed. There are different options, such as only plus and minus.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/rUhHfJTKkg/010%20Cross%20Sum%20variations%20-%20Only%20Plus%20Minus.jpg (010 Cross Sum variations - Only Plus Minus.jpg)

Even though fewer operations are allowed, it doesn't necessarily mean that the puzzles are easier.

Negative Outcomes

Negative Outcomes, including intermediate steps, can be enabled. You'll get results like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/NxMeQ8TisP/011%20Cross%20Sum%20variations%20-%20Negative%20Allowed.jpg (011 Cross Sum variations - Negative Allowed.jpg)

Fraction Outcomes

Fraction Outcomes will be displayed as 3/4, instead of 0.75. These will be simplified as well, e.g. 12/16 will become 3/4.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/T8D8y1I338/012%20Cross%20Sum%20variations%20-%20Fractions%20Allowed.jpg (012 Cross Sum variations - Fractions Allowed.jpg)

Regular Math

As stated in the first section, Cross Sum puzzles are calculated from left to right. This may feel unnatural, and you can change the math rules, by selecting "Regular Math". This will enable the order of operations you've learned in school with PEMDAS (or similar acronyms).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/DArxscd5Sj/013%20Cross%20Sum%20variations%20-%20Regular%20Math.jpg (013 Cross Sum variations - Regular Math.jpg)

Normally, the first line would be solved as (4 + 2) x 8, or 6 x 8 = 48. However, with the regular math option, it will be processed as 4 + (2 x 8) = 4 + (16) = 20.

Custom Numbers

Last but not least, you can enter custom numbers. There are two options to add a consecutive range, either select 11-19, or select "Base + 1 to 9" and enter a number. For example entering 25 would give you the numbers 26 to 34.

In the example we've used custom numbers:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/6cpRGNWeLY/014%20Cross%20Sum%20variations%20-%20Numbers%2020.jpg (014 Cross Sum variations - Numbers 20.jpg)

Another option is to type the numbers, separated by spaces or commas. You can be creative here, but be careful to explain your custom rules to your customers!

Question 6

How to create a sudoku with custom images

Accepted Answer

This quick tutorial shows you how you can use custom images for your Sudoku puzzles. You will need Sudoku 9x9 creative, or the equivalent for the size of puzzle you are working with.

Adding your custom images

It's actually very easy to add your own images. You do need to make sure you have the appropriate amount of images ready, but adding them is not too difficult.

First, go to the Symbol Options tab in the sudoku.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1Owe7lqUOe/Sudoku%20custom%20images.jpg (Sudoku custom images)

Next, you'll see the Symbol Settings option. You can change between 1-9, A-I, Roman Numerals I-IX, Symbols, or Hexadecimal.

For what we're going to do today, select the Symbols option. Immediately you'll see 9 standard images appear, looking like the side of dice. These are the standard images that come with the software.

If you want your own images here, click on the magnifying glass just below the pictures, and a popup screen will appear.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hbmpCvVQr7/Sudoku%20Select%20Images.jpg (Sudoku Select Images)

If you click on one of the white squares, windows explorer will open a new window, and you can search for the folder where you keep the images you want to use. Remember that because it's a sudoku, simplistic images work better. You also don't want images that look too similar, as that will cause confusion. You can either manually select each picture by clicking on the next square and selecting a singular image, or you can select multiple images at once.

Now if you click next preview, the sudoku will generate with the images you have selected. Beware that if you have "Show Solution" on, there is no difference between the hints and the solution to show which squares are part of the solution and which ones aren't.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/3ymHfDPyI2/Sudoku%20with%20custom%20images.jpg (Sudoku with custom images)

This same technique will work for several other modules as well.

Solving image sudokus

To solve a sduoku, you need to write the correct symbols in the empty squares. For regular (number) or letter sudokus that's not too hard. For harder sudokus, level 5 and up, it's also common to pencil in the optional values for each square. E.g. if you know that a square can contain only the 3, 5 and 6, you can write these in the square, but very small, as a reminder when solving other squares. (This is the only way to find hidden doubles or triples).

There are two ways to create image sudokus that are still fun to solve:

Choose symbols that are easy to draw / copy, just like the symbols in the example in the previous paragraph. Simple line art or icon style graphics, or images with a single dominant color (e.g. the person with the green hat). Even then, image sudokus with difficulty levels 6 and 7 will be really hard to solve;
Use the image sudokus as attractive magnets on social media. It's best to use the easier variations, circle one of the squares, and add a text like "which color hat has the person in this square?".

Creating a custom background

Another way to add images to your sudoku puzzle is to add a singular image to the background. This could be done as a watermark, or if you have a themed puzzle book, it could be nice to have the theme shine through in the puzzle.

For this option, we go to Output Settings all the way at the top.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/8W4RZxWpFi/Background%20image%20sudoku.jpg (Background image sudoku)

Next, select "Background Images".

Turn on the "Use Background Image(s)" checkbox, and select one or more files. Then, generate the next preview, and you'll see the image you used.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZtF66zH7rO/background%20image%20sudoku%20done.jpg (background image sudoku done)

We've also set the transparency on the background image to around 60-70%, because otherwise the black lines will make the numbers of the puzzle invisible.

Mazes 3D Isometric Overview

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/yg0o4t9V2y/Mazes%203D%20Isometric%20Overview%20Screenshot.jpg (Mazes 3D Isometric Overview Screenshot)

After selecting “Mazes 3D Isometric” in the drop-down menu at the top, you’ll see a view like this:

Every Puzzle Maker Pro module consists of several parts:

The puzzle settings at the left, a puzzle preview (6) at the right, buttons to create puzzles or previews at the bottom (5) and the option to display the puzzle preview or the solution preview (7).

For Mazes 3D Isometric you’ll see the following options:

The best thing you can do, is to change colors, move sliders, and change other options, click Preview, and see what happens.

Maze Generator

The Maze Generator can be configured by you in several ways: by changing the maze generator algorithm, and by controlling the start and end points.

Maze Generator Algorithm

The maze generator is a mix of several algorithms. You can control the mix, using the “Solution Complexity” slider. Setting it to 0 (zero) will result in fairly long straight paths, while a setting of 100 will create a chaotic meandering maze. To get an idea of the results, here are two mazes with the extreme settings:

Mazes 3D Iso Complexity 0 Example

Mazes 3D Iso Complexity 100 Example

Besides the difference in solution complexity, for 3D Isometric mazes, the effect on the 3D look and feel is also different.

Start and End Point Options

There are several options to set the Start and End points:

Default: This will create a maze from Top to Bottom. The exact end-points will depend on the maze type and settings
Random: Create a path from one (randomly selected border) to the one across it
Longest Path: This will generate a maze first, and then find the longest possible path in the maze, and set the Start and End points accordingly
Manual: You can select the Start and End points, by right-clicking on the maze, and then select Start or End point from the popup menu. Please be aware that the maze, the paths in maze, the cell connections, will change every time a maze is generated.

Grid Types

The current version of Mazes 3D Isometric has several built-in 3D maps, along with a Random Map and the Custom Height Maps (requires the Height Map Editor Add-On).

The Flat map is a simple, flat map in isometric style. You can set the size using the “Rows” setting.

Mazes 3D Isometric Cubes

Mazes 3D Isometric Tower Example

Mazes 3D Isometric Colosseum Example

Mazes 3D Isometric Staircase Example

Mazes 3D Isometric Random Example

Style Options for Mazes 3D Isometric

Fill Colors

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/2Hlf0jNKNW/Mazes%203D%20Isometric%20Style%20Fill%20Colors%20Screenshot.jpg (Mazes 3D Isometric Style Fill Colors Screenshot)

The Fill Colors are the main surface colors. You can set:

Canvas (1): The background for your maze. With the 3D Isometric view, there will always be the four corners of the image that are not part of the maze. You can choose a color or set it to transparent
Cell / Plane colors: there are three colors, for the top plane (2), the right front plane(3) and the left front plane (4)
For the two ‘vertical’ planes, you can choose to set a fixed color, or to set the color relative to the Top Plane Color. The percentage you enter is calculated in the RGB color space for 24 bit color: Each color (Red, Green and Blue) has a value of 0 to 255. The percentage is take from the maximum value of 255. That means 10% is 25.5. If the top plane has an R (Red) value of 17, a relative value of 10% will set the plane R value to 42.5.

Line Style

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/amd7Dxcd5R/Mazes%203D%20Isometric%20Style%20Line%20Style%20Screenshot.jpg (Mazes 3D Isometric Style Line Style Screenshot)

There are three different lines to style, as you can see in the screenshot:

Outer Border: a border when there’s no maze cell at the other side
Cell Border: These are in fact the maze lines, indicating which cells are connected, and which paths can be followed
Plane Edge: The line between the top and vertical planes and between the two vertical planes. Usually this distinction is clear by the cell shading, but it’s here when you need it.

Solution Path Style

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/qcIr48XXDR/Mazes%203D%20Isometric%20Style%20Solution%20Line%20Screenshot.jpg (Mazes 3D Isometric Style Solution Line Screenshot)

For the Solution Path you can set the width and color, and choose whether the line should be curved and/or dotted.

Start and End Point Style

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/k8nJULYBti/Mazes%203D%20Isometric%20Style%20Start%20End%20Screenshot.jpg (Mazes 3D Isometric Style Start End Screenshot)

You can choose to use either Text or Images for the Start and End point. By default the text option is used, with the letters S and E for Start and End. You can also use control codes (Alt + number) instead of regular letters.

To use Images, you can either click on the white panels to select an image, or drag and drop an image on it.

Add-Ons

There are three add-ons for Mazes 3D Isometric:

The Paths Add-on has options to create smaller paths inside the squares (instead of using the entire square / cell as the path)
The Height Map Add-on lets you create your own 3D Maps, either from scratch, or starting with one of the built-in maps or the random map
The Time Saver Add-On helps you create your puzzles and puzzle books faster, with advanced layout options for the puzzle books.

You can find more tutorials on the Mazes 3D Isometric tutorials page. Video tutorials can be found in the Mazes 3D Isometric Playlist.

Question 9

How to Create Isometric Tiles with Adobe Illustrator

Accepted Answer

Creating Isometric Tiles with Adobe Illustrator

In this tutorial we'll teach you how to create an isometric tile from a square tile, so you can use it in Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Tiles.

You can use these same techniques in other drawing programs as well, such as Photoshop, Affinity, Canva, et cetera.

Step 1: Rotate the Image

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/HSIlqrXVM7/Create%20Isometric%20Tiles%20Step%201%20Copy%20and%20Rotate%20a%20Square%20Tile.jpg (Create Isometric Tiles Step 1 Copy and Rotate a Square Tile)

Create Isometric Tiles - Step 1 - Copy and Rotate a square tile

In this tutorial we'll be using separate artboards in Adobe Illustrator, so you can see the before and after images. When you create tiles yourself, it's not necessary to keep track of every step.

For Step One, make sure you rotate the image exactly 45 degrees clockwise. Otherwise you'll get unpredictable results in Mazes 2D Tiles.

In the examples we use a square around the tile, which is clearly visible in the rotated image. There are two reasons we do this:

The lines make it easier to rotate and scale the image, allowing you to better see what you're doing. If you don't want these lines in the final image, you can always remove them.
For isometric tiles, especially when you want to add depth to the tile, it can be a stylistic choice to keep these lines in the final image.

Step 2: Scale Down

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/lug90weVzx/Create%20isometric%20tiles%20step%202.jpg (Create isometric tiles step 2)

Create Isometric Tiles - Step 2 - Scale Down to fit the tile

In this tutorial we assume that the new tile size will be based on the size of the square tile you were using. If the square tile was 200x200 pixels, you'll want to scale the rotated image down, so the width is exactly 200 pixels. In the image you can see it's scaled down to fit the artboard.

Step 3: Scale Vertically

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/WHNvOdqN80/Step%203%20Scale%20vertically.jpg (Step 3 Scale vertically)

Create Isometric Tiles – Step 3 – Scale Down Vertically (Flatten the image)

The next step is to flatten the tile. This is done by reducing the height by 50%, while keeping the width at 100% (which means there should be no change in the width). Depending on your program, you may need to unlink horizontal and vertical scaling to enable this.

You can tell from the picture that it already looks very close to isometric.

Step 4: Reposition the Tile

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/KeE42IxIze/Step%204%20reposition%20the%20tile.jpg (Step 4 reposition the tile)

Create Isometric Tiles – Step 4 – Reposition the tile

The final step is to reposition the tile. It's also possible to resize your artboard or canvas to the correct height/width ratio. You can tell in the image that the new isometric tile covers exactly 50% of the square artboard.

Now you can save the image as a .png file. Make sure that all the areas that are not part of the tile (the parts between the diamond and red rectangle) are transparent, and not white.

But wait, there's more...

Step 5 (Optional): Add Depth

The result from step 4 is already a good result, and can be used in mazes 2D Tiles. However, in some cases you may want to add some suggested depth to the tiles, for an even better result.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/lChVd3XiFG/Step%205.jpg (Step 5)

Create Isometric Tiles – Step 5 – Add Suggested Depth

In this step you can add two slightly skewed rectangles, or even just lines, to suggest a sense of depth. The exact way to do this depends on the tools you're using. Adobe Illustrator offers advanced options to move or add individual points to a path, or to move just one side of a rectangle, to create the skewed appearance.

After adding the skewed rectangles to the image, you can give them each a different colour. In the example we've used two shades of grey, suggesting a light source that comes from the right, and a bit more shadow at the left. This increases the 3D look and feel of the tile.

There are many styles and options here:

The example shows a 3D cube, used in games like minecraft. It is completely up to you to choose how much depth you want to add. You could go from a thin line, to as long as a cube or even longer.

In the example, the top layer stops at the edges. It's also possible to copy those colours to the top 5% or top 10% of the depth. In a colour maze, you could make it look like the top is grass, the top 5% of the depth would also be grass, and below that could be brown for dirt.

Connector Types

No Connectors

Puzzles no connectors are easiest to cut out. You won't be distracted by the connectors, but the image has to be clear enough to solve a puzzle without additional clues. You also won't get any clues as to which pieces are sides or corners. If you or your customers are people who tend to start with the edges of a puzzle, this may not be the best connector type for you.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FD92o6fKDW/Jigsaw%20007%20-%20Square%20Connectors.png (Jigsaw 007 - Square Connectors.png)

Additionally you can display the coordinates and/or a number of clues for the puzzle, as shown in this screenshot:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nqigYYDS5D/Jigsaw%20008%20-%20Square%20Connectors%20and%20Coordinates.png (Jigsaw 008 - Square Connectors and Coordinates.png)

Note: You can see difference in sizing for the puzzle grid and the puzzle pieces in these screenshots, because the coordinates require space as well.

Square Connectors

The standard setting when you open the program. Because of this, most examples and tutorials use Square Connectors:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/M456z7oFcV/Jigsaw%20002%20-%20First%20Preview%20-%20Solution.png (Jigsaw 002 - First Preview - Solution.png)

These are easy to cut out, and add the much-needed help for difficult puzzles. You can also see what pieces go near the edges.

Triangle Connectors

The following screenshot shows what Triangle Connectors look like:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZWC6eu9y6j/Jigsaw%20009%20-%20Triangle%20Connectors.png (Jigsaw 009 - Triangle Connectors (1).png)

Much like square connectors, these are easier to cut out than the jigsaw connectors.

JigSaw Connectors

JigSaw Connectors are curved connectors that make your puzzle look like real jigsaw puzzles.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/WKMQgbx0MG/Jigsaw%20010%20-%20JigSaw%20Connectors.png (Jigsaw 010 - JigSaw Connectors.png)

As you can see, these would be hard to cut out, but for copy / draw puzzles they look quite nice. Or if you have a cricut or similar, you could even cut these out properly to create a real jigsaw.

Other Connector Options

Connector Length

The Connector Length determines how much the connector sticks out from the edge of the puzzle piece. This is a percentage of the puzzle piece size: 0.25% is 1/4 of the size of the puzzle piece. Horizontal connector length is derived from the puzzle width, vertical connector length is derived from the puzzle height. The following screenshot illustrates this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/0k1yXbN2bp/Jigsaw%20011%20-%20Connector%20Length.png (Jigsaw 011 - Connector Length.png)

In the example we used a fixed size for the length. You can also choose to use a randomly varied length. To do this, you can set the minimum and maximum length for the connector.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/CyHZijeErN/Jigsaw%20012%20-%20Connector%20Length%20Random.png (Jigsaw 012 - Connector Length Random.png)

You can see in this screenshot that the lengths of the connectors vary greatly. You may notice that the smaller lengths also have smaller widths...

Connector Width

By default the Connector Width is equal to the Connector Length. In some cases you may want to use a fixed width - in that case you can set it to "Max". That will use the maximum width for all connectors, regardless of the length.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/LgkwjsvaZV/Jigsaw%20013%20-%20Connector%20Width%20Max.png (Jigsaw 013 - Connector Width Max.png)

Connector Position

The final option for the connectors is the Connector Position. By default the connectors are placed exactly in the middle of the side. The amount you enter here (up to 25%) defines the maximum random adjustment away from the center. This creates a more organic look, and extra hints for where the pieces go. Just like real puzzles, you can now also tell from the location and shape of the connector where a piece goes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1MEmNJMUju/Jigsaw%20014%20-%20Connector%20Position.png (Jigsaw 014 - Connector Position.png)

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