Question 1

Creating Templates with Journal Filler - Video Tutorial

Accepted Answer

This video shows you how to set up template slides in Powerpoint with Journal Filler

Question 2

Easy Journals Pro video tutorial

Accepted Answer

This video shows you how to quickly create low content books with Easy Journals Pro Plugin for Powerpoint

Question 3

Full Patterns in Pod Graphics Maker

Accepted Answer

POD Graphics Maker is a quick and easy way to make (mostly geometric) images with only a few presses of a button.

There are multiple modules available:

A rare third type of shape, that isn't in every pack, is the Full pattern.

Let's see what makes this type of pattern so special.

Symbol Options

The Full patterns combine the best features of both the tiles and the shapes. They don't have to adhere to the square tiles of tile patterns, but they also aren't based on a singular shape as the Shape is.

Instead, you have a pattern that can be variated in different ways.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/9xXP3m2K99/Full%20shape.jpg (Full shape)

Some of the options are very obvious. Shape size changes the size of the squares.

Mid-shift moves the mid-points of the lines out or in, turning the pattern into stars or octagons. Sounds confusing, but if you see it in action, you'll understand.

Fluidity is the same as in every other, make the lines rounded instead of square.

Pattern options

The most important option to note here is "Seamless". With this option you can turn the pattern into a seamless pattern.

You can also change the amounts of rows and columns, and the other options regarding color randomisation are also in this tab.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/RF36xQXJim/full%20pattern%20seamless.jpg (full pattern seamless)

Glossary of Shapes and Segments

Q: Getting Started with Mazes 3D Isometric

The full tutorial can be found here :

Currently there are five different types of shapes in Geometric String Art Designer:

Squares
Circles
Lines
Triangles
Polygons (5 up to 10 sides)

Squares

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Vv2X33qRqU/Geometric%20String%20Art%20Designer%20Square%20Segments.PNG (Geometric String Art Designer Square Segments.PNG)

For a square (or rectangle) shape, there are several options to define segments:

"Full" is the entire square, when you connect to this, the pins wil be placed on the entire contour of the square
Sides: Top, Left, Right and Bottom each are the full side of a square. Please pay attention when you rotate the square, because the position of these sides may change
Half Sides: The smallest segment are half sides, these are named Top 1, Top 2, etc, so you can easily see where a side is located. This will allow you to create connections between e.g. Top 2 and Bottom 2 of the same Square. The numbers of these segments are clockwise (Bottom 1 is at the right of Bottom 2)

Circles

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/LmXOquy3qz/Geometric%20String%20Art%20Designer%20Circle%20Segments.PNG (Geometric String Art Designer Circle Segments.PNG)

For Circles we use the same naming style as for squares:

"Full" - the entire circle
Quarters: Top, Left Right Bottom, each cover 1/4th (= 90 degrees or PI/2) of the circle
Eights: Each segment covers 1/8th (= 45 degrees or PI/4) of the circle. Just like for Squares, the numbering order is clockwise.

Lines

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/u69vFu5Dkv/Geometric%20String%20Art%20Designer%20Line%20Segments.PNG (Geometric String Art Designer Line Segments.PNG)

For Lines, we also use "Top" and "Bottom", even when the lines are horizontal or rotated. The top of the image shows vertical lines, the bottom of the images shows the segments for horizontal lines.

Triangles and Polygons

For Triangles and all polygons (5 up to 10 sides), we use different names.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/OSan2Bfasr/String%20Art%20Designer%20Polygon%20Segments.jpg (String Art Designer Polygon Segments)

"Full" is the entire shape
"Side 1" is the name of a side of the polygon
"Side 1 Part 2" is the name of half the side of a polygon.

The screenshot shows the numbering for a decagon and also shows the list of all the available segments. In the example, you can see that "Side 4" and "Side 8" have been connected, resulting in the string pattern you can see.

Checkerboard Sudoku

Checkerboard is a sudoku variation with a specific grid setup: Like a checkerboard.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FNWEI47XeO/Checkerboard%206x6.png (Checkerboard 6x6)

To solve a Checkerboard Sudoku, you apply the same rules as for regular sudoku, and additionally you have the Checkerboard rule: The white squares contain only odd numbers, the gray squares contain only even numbers.

This is a fun innovative sudoku variation. Because it's easier to solve - it has less options for each square - it's a great variation to include in activity books for children and adults.

Because Checkerboard Sudoku requires an even number of rows and columns in the grid, this variation is not available with a 9x9 grid.

Checkerboard Sudoku math

To compare the number of options of Checkerboard Sudoku with regular sudoku, here's the math for the first 3 squares in a 8x8 sudoku grid:

In a regular sudoku, you have 8 options for the first cell, 7 for the next, 6 for the next, and 5 different options for the fourth cell, which would be 8 * 7 * 6 * 5 = 1680 different options for the first 4 cells. (for a full grid, the math becomes increasingly more complex, and the number of options are bilions.

For Checkerboard sudoku, you have 4 options for the first cell: just 1, 3, 5, 7. Then 4 options for the next (2, 4, 6, 8). For the third and fourth cells there are only 3 options. For just the first 4 cells you have 4 * 4 * 3 * 3 = 144 options, which is less than 10% of the regular sudoku options. The difference gets increasingly larger when we add more cells.

Find Checkerboard Sudoku in Puzzle Maker Pro

To create Checkerboard Sudoku puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/uoaWRSeyqD/CheckerBoard%20Sudoku%20Overview.png (CheckerBoard Sudoku Overview)

Go to Sudoku Variations
Select one of the Sudoku Grid Sizes that are available for Checkerboard Sudoku (6x6, 8x8, 10x10, 12x12, 14x14, 16x16)
Select "Checkerboard" in the Variation menu.

There are quite a few tutorials about all the regular features of Sudoku in Puzzle Maker Pro, ranging from grid setup to symbol options, please check the tutorials below.

Note: Even though it's possible to use images for Checkerboard Sudokus, it doesn't make much sense, and the sudokus may be impossible to solve, since there are no odd and even images.

Getting Started with Link Finder (Plugin for Powerpoint)

The Link Finder plugin for Powerpoint is a tool to help you manage all the invisible link shapes that you (or your designer) may have added to a Powerpoint file.

If you haven't yet installed it, please do that first. You can find a tutorial on how to install Link Finder and our other Powerpoint Plugins here. (Link Finder is included in the download for Easy Journals).

##Finding Links

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FlzkMszl5R/Link%20Finder%2001%20-%20Set%20Up%20colors.jpg (Link Finder 01 - Set Up colors.jpg)

The slide that's shown in this screenshot contains a couple of invisible shapes with links to other slides. It's hard to find these, especially if you haven't created the slide yourself, or if it was created a long while ago.

In the plugin panel you can see only very few options:

The color (now set to a very bright green color). Invisible shapes will be set to this color,
Transparency, ranging from 0% to 100% transparent. Although it makes sense to make the shapes opaque, that would also mean you cannot see the shape below it (which may have meaningful text). That's why you can set transparency to e.g. 20%. (The best value depends on the color you select and the colors of the shapes in your Powerpoint file).
A selector for "Current Slide" or "All Slides".

Click "Find Links" to find the invisible (transparent) shapes that contain link. It will show something like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/IfR4VZLk8I/Link%20Finder%2002%20-%20Results.jpg (Link Finder 02 - Results.jpg)

Once you've done your inspection or editing, you can make the links transparent again by using "Hide Links". This will make the shapes fully transparent again, but it only works for shapes previously found with "Find Links".

Question 8

Getting Started with Mazes 2D Tiles

Accepted Answer

Puzzle Maker Pro – Mazes 2D Tiles is a maze generator to create mazes with your own tiles. Tiles are PNG images with a set format and naming convention. (See also the tile format and conventions tutorial). We have included a default tile set with the software for both isometric and square mazes. However, we also encourage you to create (or buy) and use your own tilesets, to create mazes that are uniquely yours.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/mgGG8OB0gd/Overview%20Mazes%202D.jpg (Overview Mazes 2D)

Overview

The screenshot above shows several things:

You can also see 5 tabs for this puzzle type

Setting up your maze

Puzzle Size

You can select the number of rows (horizontal) and columns (vertical) for your maze. Both have a mazimum of 100. We chose this maximum because of multiple reasons:

We want to keep the appearance of your tiles intact. If you print too many tiles on a small surface, details could be lost.
Each tile image has to be 'printed' on the maze image. Using larger puzzles will take more time to generate.

However, if you really want larger puzzles, feel free to contact us, and we can see if a larger upper limit is possible.

Empty Cells

You can add empty cells to the maze. Depending on your tile set, these tiles will be actually empty, or you can add specific tiles for these empty cells. For example, if you create a maze with road style tiles, you could add houses or small lakes in the empty cells.

Quantity

Finally, there's an option to set the quantity. This is the number of mazes you want to generate when you click the "create" button. The puzzles will be saved in the location you set up using the Output settings in Puzzle Maker Pro

Selecting the Tiles Folder

To select the Tiles Folder, click the "browse" button, and navigate to the folder where you have stored your images. Select one of the images, and click "open". This will automatically select the entire folder of images.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/6bNZxAf1hA/Mazes%202D%20Tiles%20select%20tiles%20folder.jpg (Mazes 2D Tiles select tiles folder)

The pack shown here is a free Cartography Tiles Pack from Kenney. As you can see, we've renamed the files, with each file now starting with one or more numbers. The numbers indicate the sides of the square that are connected, with 0 having no connections, 12 meaning side 1 and 2 are connected, et cetera. For more information, you can always look at our tile format and naming conventions guide.

Note: The tiles used in this preview are only 64 by 64 pixels, meaning they have to be upscaled if you want to use them in a maze.

After selecting this set, and clicking the "preview" button, you'll see something like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/TedRrqgpv6/Mazes%202D%20Tiles%20using%20your%20own%20tile%20set.jpg (Mazes 2D Tiles using your own tile set)

The straight black solution line looks out of place in this maze style, so let's change that up a bit.

Style

The screenshot below shows the style settings for Mazes 2D Tiles

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/8N1WT532Nv/Mazes%202D%20Style%20Settings.jpg (Mazes 2D Style Settings)

Mazes 2D Tiles Style Settings

There are several options to customise the way the solution path is drawn:

You can change the width and colour of the solution path. Here we changed the width to 15. The width is a percentage of the square, so when a maze gets drawn the width of the solution path will now be 15%.
Curved line: This will uze Bezier curves (if you've used Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Affinity before, you may be familiar with these already), to make a curved line. The line will go through the center points of each tile.
Dotted Line: Instead of a single continuous line, you can also create a dotted line. We have chosen this style because it fits the general style of the puzzle more.

In addition to these options, you can also change the canvas colour. We haven't changed that setting here, because the tiles themselves have transparency as well.

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:

Preset function at the top. Presets are just files saved on your computer, there’s no limit. (If you want to clean up or copy your presets, there’s an easy access button on the Tools tab)
The Grid Type, to select between different built-in 3D map options
Grid Type configuration (2), to set the number of rows, or the number of cubes and the cube size (this depends on the grid type)
Detailed options, consisting of several tabs (3):
- Main, Maze Generator control (4)
- Style, How the generated maze will look
- Path Options Add-On
- Height Map Editor Add-On
- Info – To check your licenses for Mazes 3D Isometric modules, in case you’re not seeing everything you’d expect to see

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.

FAQs directory

Creating Templates with Journal Filler - Video Tutorial

Easy Journals Pro video tutorial

Full Patterns in Pod Graphics Maker

Generate Isometric Tiles from your Square Tiles (Video)

Geometric String Art Designer - Glossary of Shapes and Segments

Getting Started with Checkerboard Sudoku

Getting Started with Link Finder (Plugin for Powerpoint)

Getting Started with Mazes 2D Tiles

Getting Started with Mazes 3D Isometric

Getting Started with Mazes 3D Isometric