Question 1

Creating Square Tiles with MS Powerpoint (Video)

Accepted Answer

The video demonstrates how to create square tiles in MS Powerpoint. The actual tiles are just an example, you can create anything you want, as long as the tiles are square (height and width are equal). After drawing and editing the tiles, you save them as PNG images, using thenaming format that’s required by Mazes 2D Tiles.

You can find more tutorials on the Mazes 2D Tiles tutorials page. Video tutorials can be found in the Mazes 2D Tiles Playlist.

Question 2

How do I use the Time Saver for JigSaw?

Accepted Answer

This tutorial shows the basics of using the Time Saver for Jigsaw. For this you require any version of Jigsaw Maker, and the Time Saver.

Basics

To use the Time Saver for JigSaw, you need to select the "Time Saver" tab, and then check the box "Use Time Saver to generate Puzzles" at the top.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nQFCAF35W4/Jigsaw%20040%20-%20Time%20Saver%20Overview.png (Jigsaw 040 - Time Saver Overview.png)

There are two ways to use this Time Saver, which can be combined:

Using Images (the "Fast" mode)
Using (JigSaw) Presets

In addition to the "Use Time Saver" option, you'll need to check the options you want to use, e.g. the "Use Time Saver - Fast" option in the screenshot.

Using Images

In the Fast Mode you can just select a number of images and adjust some of the settings for each image. (All the other settings will be copied from the 'Puzzle Settings' tab.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XL3HqEShIN/Jigsaw%20041%20-%20Time%20Saver%20Fast%20Mode.png (Jigsaw 041 - Time Saver Fast Mode.png)

Add Images

At the bottom of the window ([1] in the screenshot), you can see a button "Add Images". This will allow you to select a number of images on your computer, that will be used for puzzles. These images will be added to the table.

Using the "Delete Rows" button you can remove rows that you have selected (by clicking on them), "Delete All" will remove all the rows from this table.

Set default values

You can set a couple of default values ([2] in the screenshot) for each set of images you import, such as the puzzle type, the number of rows and columns, "Perfect", and the connector type. This will allow you to very quickly create a list of puzzles to create.

Editing the table

For each image you can edit the settings in the table.

Once you're done, click "Create" to create your puzzles and/or puzzle book.

Note: "Next Preview" and "Save Preview" have no use for the Time Saver.

Using Presets

The other option for the Time Saver is using Presets. These are presets you have created for JigSaw.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EDacC7DyTl/Jigsaw%20042%20-%20Puzzle%20Presets.png (Jigsaw 042 - Puzzle Presets.png)

In the Time Saver you can see all the presets you have created, and select the ones you want to use to create puzzles (for your puzzle book). Everytime you use a preset, it will create a new randomized puzzle, based on the preset settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Zm6scty1QK/Jigsaw%20043%20-%20Time%20Saver%20with%20Presets.png (Jigsaw 043 - Time Saver with Presets.png)

Introduction

The Image Code Search option allows you to use your own images to create code search puzzles. Optionally you can use the built-in preset images for quick results.

Image Code Search Puzzles

Just like the other Code Search variations, with Image Code Search you can set a total number of Images (16 in the screenshot) and than select a limited number of images for each puzzle (5 in the screenshot). This way each puzzle will use different images. Of course you can also use the entire set of images for each puzzle - for example set the maximum to 20 and use all 20.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/8IuTmvZhR9/Image%20Code%20Search%20-%20Abstract.png (Image Code Search - Abstract)

The example uses one of the built-in image sets. It's alawys better to use your oqn unique images.

Note: For Image Code Search it's best to use a thicker line for the solutions, optionally with a colored or gray fill for the solution indicator symbols, as shown in the screenshot above. Especially with less abstract and more natural shapes, it can otherwise become hard to see the solutions.

For Kids' puzzles, it makes sense to use smaller grids and fewer symbols, and also set the number of copies for each code to 1 only.

Here's an example of an image code search puzzle for kids:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/pMAr2Pv0vv/Image%20Code%20Search%20-%20Kids.png (Image Code Search - Kids)

You can also reduce the number of codes to only 5 or 10 (or as few as you need).

Introduction

The Color Code Search option allows you to play with colors. You can set your own colors or choose random colors.

Color Code Search Puzzles

Just like the other Code Search variations, with Color Code Search you can set a total number of colors (20 in the screenshot) and than select a limited number of colors for each puzzle (5 in the screenshot). This way each puzzle will be different.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/NL5DpcKQev/Color%20Code%20Search.png (Color Code Search)

You can choose the default set of 9 colors, change the colors 1 by 1, or Randomize the entire set. To change a color, click the colored panel, and a color selection dialog will be shown:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/O2guA6agV2/Color%20Code%20Search%20-%20Color%20Selection.png (Color Code Search - Color Selection)

You can change the color in several ways:

Click the black or white mini panels
Click the rainbow panel that shows the entire color range
Click the saturation or illumination panels
Enter the Decimal or Hexadecimal color value
Enter the HSL code for the color

Note: For Color Code Search it's best to use a thicker line for the solutions, optionally with a colored or gray fill for the solution indicator symbols:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/WDcl0BNmGL/Color%20Code%20Search%20-%20Solution%20Lines.png (Color Code Search - Solution Lines)

Introduction

With Puzzle Maker Pro - Letter Code Search you can create several types of Code Search puzzles:

Letter Code Search puzzles
License Plate Search puzzles
Password Code Search puzzles
Binary Code Search puzzles

Letter Code Search puzzles

Letter Code Search is actually a very flexible module that can also be used for License Plate, Password and Binary Code Search puzzles.

You can type the letters you want to use (Values -> Custom) or use one of the buttons to quickly enter the (English) alphabet or the digits 0 to 9. You can also paste or type letters and characters in other languages.

Here's an example using the default Alphabet:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/2yewWzhntI/Letter%20Code%20Search.png (Letter Code Search)

And an example using Spanish, French and German letters:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/E2HJ9zvrxi/Letter%20Code%20Search%20-%20Characters.png (Letter Code Search - Characters)

License Plate Search puzzles

Using the "Letters" symbol type, you can create some fun themed puzzles. For example with a mix of letters and digits (ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789) , you can create the so-called License Plate code search puzzles:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/KulNm2arIH/Letter%20Code%20Search%20-%20License%20Plate.png (Letter Code Search - License Plate)

Password Code Search puzzles

Using a mix of uppercase and lowercase and other symbols (ABCdefGhIJKlMnoPQRStuVwXyz0123456789@#$%^&(!), you can create codes that resemble passwords:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7Q7F8COhOw/Letter%20Code%20Search%20-%20Passwords.png (Letter Code Search - Passwords)

Binary Code Search puzzles

Binary codes consist of only zeroes and ones (0 and 1). This type of puzzle works best when also setting the Min / Max Copies to larger values:

Introduction

With Puzzle Maker Pro - Number Search you can create several types of Code Search puzzles:

True Number (Code) Search puzzles
Roman Numerals Code Search puzzles

Number Search Puzzles

To create Number Search puzzles, select "Numbers" in the Symbol dropdown menu.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/yd9pB6JRuy/Number%20Search%20-%20Details%20-%20Annotated.png (Number Search - Details - Annotated)

There are three options to set the numbers for your number search puzzle (2):

Default - the range of numbers from 1 to the "Max" value. (Although it says "Max Colors/Images", this applies to the default numbers setting as well).
Range - You can set a different range, for example 100 to 200 or 25 to 2500.
Value List - type the numbers you want to use

The "Number of Items for Puzzle" (1) specifies how many different numbers will be used in the puzzle. In the example this is set to 5 - that means 5 different numbers are randomly selected from the range from 1 to 100. The randomly selected numbers will differ for each puzzle that is generated.

Roman Numerals Code Search puzzles

For Roman Numerals Code Search puzzles you can use the default range or set a specific range of numbers. Please be aware that there's an upper limit to the Roman numerals of 3999. Since Roman numerals can be quite long, the font size used will be quite a bit smaller than for numbers or letters. Here's an example of a Roman Numerals Code Search puzzle:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/61nlRyNwJh/Roman%20Numerals%20Code%20Search%20Example.png (Roman Numerals Code Search Example)

Introduction to the Time Saver Add-On

Time Saver Add-on's in Puzzle Maker Pro serve two main purposes:

Additional Layout options for Instant Puzzle Books, and
A faster way to create puzzle variations (batch processing)

Layout Options

The Page Layout options will be shown in a separate window, which can be accessed with the Edit Layout button on the Instant Puzzle Books -> Page Layout tab:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/wMjJdHqSfh/Instant%20Puzzle%20Books%20-%20Page%20Layout.png (Instant Puzzle Books - Page Layout)

You can set the number of puzzle rows and columns and the number of solution rows and columns, along with some other settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/2hcfQDc5aC/Instant%20Puzzle%20Books%20-%20Page%20Layout%20Window.png (Instant Puzzle Books - Page Layout Window)

The page layout can be used directly in combination with the Dynamic Size option (on the Output Settings tab), to get the right output for Code Search puzzles for your puzzle books. The Dynamic Size option is discussed in the Main Code Search Tutorial.

Puzzle Creation

The Time Saver also allows you to create many different Code Search variations at once: You can add rows to the (empty) grid on the Time Saver -> Puzzles Setup tab. Each row consists of a selected preset along with the options you can choose, these are prefilled from the preset, but they can be adjusted in the grid.

Click the Add Row button to add one or more rows:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7ePvGv8bJo/Code%20Search%20TS%20-%20Select%20Presets.png (Code Search TS - Select Presets)

In the screenshot you can see a list of presets, these are presets that are saved from within the Puzzle Settings for Code Search:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/UAI2fcRsWk/Code%20Search%20-%20Preset%20Box.png (Code Search - Preset Box)

After selecting one or more presets, these will be added to the list of puzzles to be generated. The number of rows and columns etc will be retrieved from each preset, but you can edit them in the table.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/8Ot6k7tJYv/Code%20Search%20TS%20-%20Table%20Options%20V2.png (Code Search TS - Table Options V2)

Once you have specified all the puzzle preset and puzzle details you want, you can click the "Create (TS)" button. (click the "Use Time Saver" option at the top of the window to make sure the "Create (TS)" button is shown.

"Create (TS)" will create all the puzzles you specified, and can optionally create an Instant Puzzle Book with these puzzles.

Introduction Code Search

Code Search is a puzzle where you have to find a list of codes in a randomly filled grid.

The codes can be numbers, letters, a combination of numbers, letters and other characters, Roman numerals, or even colors and images.

When you create these puzzles, you can select which symbols to use, the length of the codes, and even if multiples of the codes can be used. Details for the symbols differ, depending on the symbol type.

Code Search Overview

After selecting "Code Search" in the Puzzle Type menu, you'll see a default preview of a code search puzzle. The actual layout may differ, depending on your current settings in Puzzle Maker Pro. In the screenshot below you'll see both the puzzle preview and the solution preview, because "Both" is selected at the bottom right (5).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/RUTNdXftQH/Code%20Search%2001%20-%20Overview%20-%20Annotated.png (Code Search 01 - Overview - Annotated)

If you're familiar with Puzzle Maker Pro, the puzzle layout may seem a bit different, we'll explain this in a minute.

In the screenshot you see:

The puzzle settings and the symbol settings, by default set to numbers
A puzzle preview, consisting of the puzzle grid and a list of codes
A solution preview. The previews are identical to the puzzle and solution files that can be saved as JPG/PNG files
Create / Next Preview buttons, to generate a new puzzle
Options to change which preview is shown

Symbol Selection Options

The Symbol Selection dropdown menu has different options: Numbers, Letters, Roman numerals, Colors and Images. These will be discussed in detail on separate pages:

There is a randomization option that works for all symbol options:

Number of Items for Puzzle - Here you can set how many different numbers, letters, etc can be used in the puzzle. Without randomization, these will always be the first numbers, letters, etc, in the list
"Draw x Random Values" - This allows you to use different numbers, letters, etc for each puzzle. For example if you use 5 numbers in a puzzle, but the numbers 1 to 9 are selected, it will randomly select 5 of those 9 numbers. It works the same way for letters, Roman numerals, colors and images
Max Colors / Images: This sets the maximum number of colors or images that can be selected in the color / image grid. It will also apply to the Default number range

In the screenshot you can see that all 9 numbers can be used.

Clue constraints

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1o5LDAoYGI/Code%20Search%20-%20Clues%20Options%20v2%20-%20Annotated.png (Code Search - Clues Options v2 - Annotated)

There are some flexible options to select the clues you want and how they are printed:

The minimum and maximum length of the clues (1), in the screenshot this is set to create clues with a length ranging from 2 to 5.
The number of occurences of the clues (2), here this is set to a range of 2 to 5. This setting defines how many times a code must appear in the grid to be added to the list. With a minimum of 2, codes that appear only once will not be shown in the list. For each code in the list, the number of copies is shown after the code, in parentheses.
Constraints for code placement in the grid (3), see the example below.
Clues Sort Order (4) - there are four different options: Default / Random, Alphabetic (shown in the screenshot), Length / Short First and Length / Long First. (Alphabetic is not available for Color Code or Image Code puzzles)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/1HLAzLPAcL/Code%20Search%20-%20Code%20Constraints.png (Code Search - Code Constraints)

To further control the difficulty of the puzzle, there are three more options to set:

Diagonals - controls whether or not codes can be placed diagonally
Reversed - controls whether or not codes can be placed reversed (i.e. from bottom to top or from right to left)
Overlap - controls whether codes can overlap in the grid

The screenshot shows a puzzle with all three options switched off. The solution looks a lot simpler and clear, but of course when you see the puzzle grid and the codes to be placed, it's still complex.

Code Search Output and Export Options

By default all the Puzzle Maker Pro - Code Search variations will save a puzzle and a solution image, just the way they are shown in the screenshots. Additionally you can use the "Export Parts" option:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/JaFPb2rOuQ/Code%20Search%20-%20Export%20Parts.png (Code Search - Export Parts)

This will also save separate images (JPG/PNG) for the puzzle grid, the solution grid and the code list, using the Image Size settings from the 'Output Settings' tab. This way you can create these puzzles and manually add the images to your own puzzle or activity books.

Note: At release time there is no SVG export for these puzzles, because using bitmap images (for the Image Code Search) doesn't really result in useful SVG files.

Here's a screen with the parts output for a Number Search puzzle:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7UchiUJibk/Code%20Search%20-%20Export%20Parts%20Output.png (Code Search - Export Parts Output)

Code Search Puzzle Size Options

Code Search uses a slightly different way of sizing than most other puzzle types in Puzzle Maker Pro, because the puzzle grid and the code list are included in a single image. There are two ways to use these puzzles:

Generate a puzzle book or puzzle pages using Puzzle Maker Pro's Instant Puzzle Books, and
Generate and save the separate images for the puzzle grid, code list and solution grid, and assemble your books manually (using Powerpoint, InDesign or other software).

The default settings for Code Search are set for Instant Puzzle Books, but this is easy to change.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/zviqgLo8IW/Code%20Search%20-%20Output%20Settings.png (Code Search - Output Settings)

In recent updates for Puzzle Maker Pro we have introduced a "Dynamic Size" option: This will use the settings for Instant Puzzle Books to calculate the optimal puzzle size. For example:

Trim Size - for example 8.5" x 11"
Margins - for example 0.5" on all sized, leaving a printable area of 7.5" x 10"
Page Layout - Let's say 1 Row and 2 columns, for two puzzles side by side. This would result in 3.75 x 10" for each puzzle. With 1 Row and 1 Column, you would have an area of 7.5" x 10" for the puzzle

The best layout settings depend on your puzzle size (grid size), the number of clues, and a few other settings we'll discuss in the next paragraph.

This Dynamic Size option is the default for Code Search, because in most cases a square image containing both the puzzle and the code list will not result in an attractive layout.

However, you can easily check out the options: Just click Fixed Size, and "Next Preview" to see the result, or click "Dynamic Size" and then change the Page Layout (Instant Puzzle Books -> Page Layout) and generate another preview. Puzzle Maker Pro was made for experimenting to find the best settings for your puzzle books. (There is no "one size fits all" without severely limiting some demanding users of the software).

Code Search Layout Settings

In all the screenshots so far we have used a certain layout setting, with the code list below the puzzle and aligned to the puzzle position. You can change this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/yzXrJ2xHMQ/Code%20Search%20-%20Layout.png (Code Search - Layout)

On the Layout tab for Code Search you can:

Change the position of the symbol grid and the code list
Set the relative area of the grid size (e.g. 70%), which will automatically adjust the Code List area as well
Align the grid horizontally and vertically
Align the code list horizontally and vertically
Align the code list to the puzzle grid. (In the screenshot this is switched off, so the code list is wider than the grid)
Set padding between the Grid and the Code List
Set the number of Code List Columns (by default this is set to 4)

For example, if you would want a layout with two puzzles on a page on top of each other, you could set the page layout to 2 rows and 1 column, and then set the Symbol Grid Position to Left or Right:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/bAW6fzSrYR/Code%20Search%20-%20Horizontal%20Layout.png (Code Search - Horizontal Layout)

Creating Square Tiles with MS Powerpoint (Video)

How do I use the Time Saver for JigSaw?

Mazes 2D Tiles Overview (Video)

How to get the most out of Puzzle Maker Pro - Image Code Search

Creating Isometric Tiles with Adobe Illustrator (Video)

How to get the most out of Puzzle Maker Pro - Color Code Search

How to get the most out of Puzzle Maker Pro - Letter Code Search

How to get the most out of Puzzle Maker Pro - Number Search

How to use the Time Saver for Code Search

How to create Code Search puzzles with Puzzle Maker Pro?