Question 1

How to Preview and Export in Geometric String Art Designer

Accepted Answer

Preview and Export

The goal of creating a design in Geometric String Art Designer is to have an image of your design.

Canvas Size

On the "Settings" -> "Canvas Size" tab you can set the details for your canvas:

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

Trim Size: the size of your image in centimeters, inches or pixels (internally it will be calculated in pixels, because that's how the size of JPG and PNG images is determined).
DPI: Dots Per Inch. If you plan to use the images in books for KDP (or elsewhere) where commercial print settings are required, choose 300 DPI. Otherwise you can choose 72 DPI, which is still good for display and web use.
Margins - set margins that will be kept empty
"Check Page Boundaries" - this will always make sure that shapes are drawn within the margins. If you uncheck this, you can move shapes partly outside the canvas as well.

Save Project

Always save your project before exiting the software or resetting the design. This can be done at the top right (similar to the Preset options in Puzzle Maker Pro).

Just type the name, and click the "Save" icon.

Preview Options

Geometric String Art Designer has separate settings for the Preview and for Export. While previewing you'll probably want to see the shapes and margins, which you may not want to include in an export.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/rqFOXzv0J5/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20Preview%20Settings.jpg (String Art Designer - Preview Settings)

You can set the preview options on the "Settings" -> "Preview" tab. Current options are:

Draw Shapes
Draw Pins
Draw Strings

The margin will always be shown in the preview.

Export Options

Select the "Export" tab to set the export options:

Include Shape Outlines - whether or not to print the shapes.
Include Pins - for string art designs you'll need to print the pins. However, if you want to print the image as geometric art, you don't need the pins
Include Margin Lines - Usually not needed, but it's available, just in case
Include Strings - Usually this will be included, but if you want to create 'pin art', you can omit the strings.
Project Name
File format - PNG, JPG or Transparent PNG

Export

To export your image, click the Export button at the bottom. This will use the current Export settings. You can select (or create) the folder where the file will be saved, and you can change the filename as well.

Connections

This tutorial will show you how to add connections (the strings/wires) between shapes in Geometric String Art Designer

Introduction

Please check the Glossary of Shapes and Segments to learn more about the use of 'Segments' in Geometric String Art Designer.

A "Connection" connects two different segments, and will draw the strings between both segments.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/100NCVrsI1/Geometric%20String%20Art%20Designer%20Shapes%20Segments%20Connections.PNG (Geometric String Art Designer Shapes Segments Connections.PNG)

In the example you can see a connection between Square (1) Left and Square (1) Top. "Left" and "Top" are two segments of Square (1). You can choose to rename the shapes; otherwise the "(1)" helps to identify the shape if you have multiple squares in your design.

The number of strings between both wires, depend on the 'Pin' settings for both segments.

Add a Connection

To edit a connection, go to the "Connection" tab and click the "New Connection" button.

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

This will open the edit panel just below the button, where you can select the shapes and segments that need to be connected. First select a shape in the dropdown menu "Shape 1", then you can select a segment for shape 1. Repeat for Shape 2.

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

If the pins of the segments are connected in the wrong order, select "Reverse" to reverse the order of the pins.

Edit a Connection

To Edit a connection, select the connection in the dropdown menu at the left of the New Connection button. The name for each connection is made up from the names of the shapes and the segments.

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

You can change the shapes, or just the segments, or only the color and/or gauge. Click "Save" to save the changed color and gauge. (The other options will be saved right away).

Edit Multiple Connections

You can edit the color and gauge for multiple connections at once, making it easy for you to make sure the same settings are applied to different connections.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/wLBCOsv8Kh/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20Multiple%20Connections.jpg (String Art Designer - Multiple Connections)

Open the "All Connections" tab, and you'll see a list of all connections in your current design. You can use the "Refresh List" button if not all connections are shown.

Now select one or more connections in the list, select a new color and/or gauge, and click Apply.

Adding Shapes

Adding and configuring shapes in Geometric String Art Designer is done in 4 steps:

Add the shape to the canvas
Set the size and position of the shape
Adjust the size and position of the shape with pixel-precision
Set up the Segments for the shape

Step 1 - Add the Shape

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EgKN5ncEFk/String%20Art%20Designer%20Overview%20Shape%201.jpg (String Art Designer Overview Shape 1)

To add shapes to your design, go to the "Shape" tab (1) and click "New Shape" (3). This will display a pop-up menu where you can select the shape you want: Line, Circle, Triangle, Square or Polygon (5 to 10 edges). Click to select the shape you want.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/53aTUk3Hiu/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20New%20Shape%20Options.jpg (String Art Designer - New Shape Options)

Note: to edit any of the shapes you've added, use the shape selection dropdown menu (2).

The shape will have standard size and position, but this is easy to change in step 2.

Step 2 - Set Size and Position

On the "Easy" tab (5) you can set the size of the position with just a few button clicks. You can separately set the height and width (6). The buttons indicate sizes based on the current canvas size and margins: "Full Width" means the maximum size within the margins.

You can also quickly set the position using the "Easy Position" buttons (7). In many cases, this is all you need to do to get the shape sized and positioned correctly. If you need more control, go to step 3.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XItrzBUBj7/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20New%20Shape%20Top%20Right.jpg (String Art Designer - New Shape Top Right)

The screenshot shows an example where the width and height have been set to one third of the maximal width and height, and the shape has been positioned in the top right of the canvas (within the margins).

Step 3 - Adjust Size and Position

On the "Main" tab you can find settings to further adjust the size and position.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/8SVsEt8PS0/String%20Art%20Designer%20-%20Shape%20Details.jpg (String Art Designer - Shape Details)

You can choose between centimeters, inches, pixels or a percentage, to set the position and size of the shape. This will apply to all the size and position settings in the software.
You can set the horizontal/vertical position in detail, as well as the width/height of the shape. Optionally you can lock the Aspect Ratio, which means that the relative height/width proportion of the shape will not change.
An additional option, is to drag the mouse over the canvas to set the size and position of the shape. Just click this checkbox, then click and drag the mouse over the canvas, and let go of the mouse-button. This will work just once (unless you click the checkbox again), the normal behaviour of the mouse-buttons and mouse-wheel is to zoom and drag the entire image.
You can also rotate the shapes. This will give an additional complexity to the strings that are drawn between separate shapes.

Note: You can also change these settings after you've set up one or more connections. This will let you see immediately what the effect of the changes is.

Step 4 - Set up the Segments

There are three options to add segments to the shapes. Segments are used to connect the different shapes. Read more in the Glossary of Shapes and Segments.

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)

Use the "Segments" tab to choose which segments you want to use. Full, Quarters or Eights. It's best to only select the set you need - selecting the right one later on is easier when you have less clutter.

Pins

The string between two segments are connected to the pins of each segment. Pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, etc. Therefore it's important to set the number of pins for each segment properly.

If the number of pins of both segments is not identical, the software will connect multiple pins from one segment to a single pin on the other segment.

You can also set the number of pins for a segment to 1 or 2, for special effects.

Cloning Shapes

If you have a shape set up just right, and want to create identical copies, use the "Clone" button at the bottom. This will create an identical shape, with a different name, and the same size, position and segment settings.

Deleting Shapes

To delete a shape, first select it on the "Shape" tab, then click the "Delete" button at the bottom

Geometric String Art Designer Software

The basic workflow for Geometric String Art Designer is as follows:

This tutorial shows the general layout and options of the software.

Main Window Layout and Options

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/PDmdAhC2oH/String%20Art%20Designer%20Overview%201.jpg (String Art Designer Overview 1)

If you are using other software from BookPublisherTools, the layout and generic functions will be familiar to you.

The version number for the installed software - Please include this when reporting unexpected or erroneous behaviour of the software
The preview panel - this shows the canvas with all your shapes and strings
The About Window - Use this to enter your license information
Demo - there are three simple demo designs available. Each time you click the button, a different design will be shown. You can use this as a live tutorial to play with the settings and see the effects of certain options
Reset - this will remove all shapes and connections
Redraw - After changing settings, you can click this button to redraw the design with the current settings. (In many cases this will be done automatically as well)
Export - Save the design as a PNG or JPG image
The panel at the right shows the Shape or Connection details and options. Use the tabs at the top to navigate
Project Save and Load

Glossary of Shapes and Segments

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.

Geometric String Art Designer

Introduction

Geometric String Art Designer (GSAD) is a tool to help you design string art creations. You can use this to:

Create your own unique designs
Analyse existing designs, without having to re-create it with pins and string
Create drawing images or coloring images

Tutorial Overview

The tutorials for GSAD have been split into different topics:

Overview and Design Approach

For Geometric String Art Designer, or GSAD, we developed a specific approach that will allow for a lot of flexibility when creating your design:

You can add different "shapes" to the canvas, such as squares, circles, polygons and lines.

Each shape has a number of "Segments", e.g. for a square you have the top, left, bottom and right.

In most cases each segment is split into two further (smaller) segments.

To add a string, you can add a connection between two segments. The following screenshot illustrates this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/100NCVrsI1/Geometric%20String%20Art%20Designer%20Shapes%20Segments%20Connections.PNG (Geometric String Art Designer Shapes Segments Connections.PNG)

In this image a square shape is used ("Square (1)"). Of this shape, the segments "Top" and "Left" are connected, resulting in the purple lines (the 'connection'). At the right of the screenshot you can see how the connection can be found in the list (or dropdown menu): "Square (1) Top - Square (1) Left".

Creating a design with GSAD means you have to add shapes, and then select the scale and position of the shape, define the segments for each shape, and finally add connections. These steps will be explained in detail in separate tutorials.

If you prefer to learn by doing, instead of reading, you can also:

Click the "Demo" button and then look at the tabs for Shape and Connection, and make changes, or
Go to the Shape tab, and click "New Shape", and add one or more shapes.

You can also go to Glossary of Shapes and Segments and read more about the shapes and segments.

How to Preview and Export in Geometric String Art Designer

How to add Connections to your design in Geometric String Art Designer

How to add Shapes to your design in Geometric String Art Designer

Overview of the Geometric String Art Designer Software

Geometric String Art Designer - Glossary of Shapes and Segments

How to get started with Geometric String Art Designer