Question 1

How to create Triangulated Mazes using Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Random Shapes?

Accepted Answer

This short videos shows how to create Triangulated Mazes using Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Random Shapes

Question 2

How can I change the Title Text for puzzles and solutions?

Accepted Answer

You can set your own titles for puzzles and solutions, which will be used in the additional output. One of the uses for this is for books in other languages than English.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xThFv21sLj/PMP%20-%20Additional%20Output%20-%20Puzzle%20Titles.png (PMP - Additional Output - Puzzle Titles.png)

You can type your own text for the Puzzle Title and Solution Title. By default, the hashtag symbol will be replaced with the puzzle number. If you want to use the hashtag symbol in your title, for example to print "Puzzle #13", you can set the 'Placeholder' to '@', and the title to "Puzzle #@".

Question 3

Can I get an overview of what Puzzle Maker Pro can do for me?

Accepted Answer

This is a short overview video of the features and functions of Puzzle Maker Pro.

Question 4

How to create a 'Draw' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

Accepted Answer

This Youtube tutorial shows how to create Draw style patterns with POD Graphics Maker.

Pattern 02-2 - Draw is part of POD Graphics Maker XL Edition and Expansion Pack 02.

Question 5

How do I create multiple puzzles at once in Puzzle Maker Nonogram

Accepted Answer

Welcome to the tutorial on how to create multiple puzzles at once in Puzzle Maker Nonogram. This function is only possible with Puzzle Maker Nonogram complete edition.

How to use the Batch Function

The Batch function can be found on the bottom right of the screen.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/fMSvLDC8Y3/nonogram%20where%20is%20the%20batch%20button.jpg (nonogram where is the batch button)

Using the batch option has its pros and its cons.

On the upside, you can generate many puzzles in one go.

On the downside, you do not get to manually edit all your puzzles.

This allows for a faster workflow, but many puzzles that could be discarded.

Then why would you use the batch option? There are two things you can do with this. But first, let's check out the screen.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/IEi20shRxz/Nonogram%20batch%20screen.jpg (Nonogram batch screen)

The Source and Output Folders. You can select the folder where all your templates are, and the area where the program should drop all of the puzzle results.
The Puzzle Sizes. Very similar to what you've already seen in the normal screen, and we'll get back to this later.
The Source Files. After you've selected a Source Folder in step 1, you'll see a list of all the pictures in that Folder here. Right now we have a folder with a lot of fish images selected.

From here multiple options are possible. First, just below the Output Folder button, you see multiple options on where you want your hints to show up, what the separator is, zeroes and empty rows... If you're curious about what these buttons do, you can find the information in our Getting Started with Nonograms tutorial.

Now, first things first. Let's grab one picture, and select multiple Puzzle Sizes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Pm1vJDGkZS/Batch%20option%201.jpg (Batch option 1)

Now, if we select "Go", the software will automatically generate all the puzzles we have selected.

As you can see, we haven't selected any options to remove white space, so a lot of empty rows appear in the puzzles.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/HIDyyzSzNH/A%20lot%20of%20fish.jpg (A lot of fish)

From this, we can select whichever puzzle(s) we like best, and keep those. Everything else we can discard, or choose to use later. However, as they're output as PNG files, we can no longer edit these puzzles.

There's a second option available too. We can select many puzzles, and only one size.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Yey09KroKQ/Batch%20option%202.jpg (Batch option 2)

Let's see what happens if we output with these settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/B9IZ007nqg/Many%20different%20fish.jpg (Many different fish)

A lot of 40x40 puzzles have been generated, one from each image in the Source Folder. Again, we can quickly select the puzzles that work, and discard the ones that don't. If you need many puzzles of the same size for a puzzle book, this is a quick and easy option to create them.

Finally, let's combine both options. Multiple puzzles, and multiple sizes.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/MC19pVBgTI/Even%20more%20fish.jpg (Even more fish)

You can see that all fish have different sizes where they work better, and if we discard everything else, we have the beginnings of a fish-themed nonogram puzzle book. Now all that's left is to combine them all into a book, for example by using our Easy Puzzle Books Powerpoint Plugin.

Create Puzzle Books with Puzzle Maker Pro

There are several ways to create puzzle books with Puzzle Maker Pro. With 'puzzle book' we mean a PDF or Powerpoint file that can be used as an interior for KDP books, or as a printable on e.g. Etsy.

Single Puzzle Type

Single Puzzle Type in this case mean: a single format / difficulty level. For example:

Sudoku 3 star puzzles
Word Search 12x12 grid with the same word list
Mazes with the same size and settings.

Step 1: Set Puzzle Settings

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Qr3fZ8Qtmu/Puzzle%20Books%20No%20Time%20Saver%20-%20001%20Sudoku.jpg (Puzzle Books No Time Saver - 001 Sudoku.jpg)

The first step is to set the puzzle settings you want. The screenshot shows sudoku as an example. You can set the difficulty level and quantity (the number of puzzles). After that you can set the styling and the advanced options. Use preview to verify that it's to your liking.

Step 2: Set 'Book' Settings

Creating a PDF or Powerpoint file is called 'Additional Output', because the puzzle files are the primary output of Puzzle Maker Pro.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/GBLEarIzjQ/Puzzle%20Books%20No%20Time%20Saver%20-%20002%20Additional%20Output.jpg (Puzzle Books No Time Saver - 002 Additional Output.jpg)

There are several output options to choose from, in the example we selected "Create Powerpoint File". If you want, you can edit some of the custom layout settings as well.

If you don't have the Time Saver, you'll get a book with one puzzle or solution per page. If you do have the Time Saver, you can choose different page layouts for puzzle pages and solution pages.

Step 3: Create

Click "Create" - Puzzle Maker Pro will create the different puzzles for you, and automatically create a Powerpoint (or PDF) file that is the puzzle book (interior or printable).

Multiple Puzzle Types

There's a secret option to create a puzzle book with multiple puzzle types - meaning: multiple difficulty levels for Sudoku, different sizes or other options for word search or mazes, etc. Don't try to mix different puzzles, e.g. sudoku with word search, in a single book. This usually won't work correctly.

Step 1: Setup

First: Switch off the Additional Output - Make sure Powerpoint and PDF are not selected in the Additional Output area (on the Output Settings / Additional Output tab).

Second: Go to the Tools tab, and make sure the option "Clear Project Folder Before Create" is not selected.

This will make sure the files you create will be kept (and not deleted each time).

Step 2: Create Puzzles

Now you can Create puzzles in several steps. You can change sizes, difficulty levels, colors, etc. Each time you click "Create" it will add some puzzles in the puzzles folder.

The puzzle file names contain a time stamp (current date and time and a number), that will ensure that puzzles will appear in the book in the same order you create them.

Step 3: Create the Book

Before you create the book, go to the Output Settings / Puzzle Files tab and make sure "Skip Puzzle Creation" is selected. This will let you create a Powerpoint or PDF from the puzzles that have been generated earlier.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/7kKtp3hSRv/Puzzle%20Books%20No%20Time%20Saver%20-%20004%20Skip%20Puzzle%20Creation.jpg (Puzzle Books No Time Saver - 004 Skip Puzzle Creation.jpg)

Now go to the Output Settings / Additional Output and select the options you need (e.g. Powerpoint).

Click "Create" and the Powerpoint or PDF file will be generated from the existing puzzles.

Using "Save Preview"

This is identical to the "Multiple Puzzle Types" steps, except that you can use the "New Preview" - "Save Preview" buttons to create new puzzles and select the ones you want to have in your book.

So: Switch off the option "Clear Project Folder Before Create", and switch on the option "Skip Puzzle Creation".

Now add puzzles by creating new previews and saving them.

Finally click "Create" to create your Powerpoint or PDF file

Why do I need the Time Saver?

After reading this, you may ask yourself: Why would I need the (expensive) Time Saver extention?

You don't, if the steps above work for you.

The Time Saver does two things:

It saves TIME. It saves time when creating the puzzles: instead of having to go through the steps in this tutorial, you can configure the Time Saver to create a variety of puzzles.
It offers a flexible page layout system, and this will save you more TIME: When there was no Time Saver, you could copy and paste the puzzles, to create your own 2x2 or 2x3 puzzle pages. Which takes a lot of time. The Time Saver offers these options, so you get the layout you want with a single click.

The name "Time Saver" was made up by the early users of Puzzle Maker Pro, because it saves time.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/wXDJPzFqfQ/Puzzle%20Books%20No%20Time%20Saver%20-%20005%20Page%20Layout.jpg (Puzzle Books No Time Saver - 005 Page Layout.jpg)

The screen shot shows how you can flexibly set up layouts for your puzzle books. This option is only available as part of the Time Saver extensions.

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.

Introduction

Ultimate Puzzle Books Menu Option

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/aPpH0I5ezP/01%20Ultimate%20Puzzle%20Books%20Menu%20Option.png (01 Ultimate Puzzle Books Menu Option)

Ultimate Puzzle Books is a separate module, integrated in Puzzle Maker Pro, to create puzzle books or activity books with different types of puzzles. These puzzles can be generated by Puzzle Maker Pro when you create the puzzle book, or imported from other puzzle makers.

When you use puzzles that are generated by Puzzle Maker Pro, the puzzles will be generated when the puzzle book is created. Each time you create a new puzzle book, new puzzles will be generated. This makes it an extremely powerful tool to create a series of mixed puzzle books that have the same mix of puzzles and difficulty levels.

Because the sizes of puzzles can differ, you can specify the layout for each set of puzzles.

Workflow Overview

Ultimate Puzzle Books uses the presets you save for the different puzzle modules, Time Saver add-ons or Imported puzzle sets.

By adding presets to the 'job' table, you'll add all the different puzzles and puzzle types that you want to include in the puzzle book.

Ultimate Puzzle Books Overview

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/VXdbGVBk8t/02%20Ultimate%20Puzzle%20Books%20-%20Overview.png (02 Ultimate Puzzle Books - Overview)

The first step for you is to create the presets that you want to use for each puzzle type. Although it is an additional step for Ultimate Puzzle Books, it also makes it a very powerful tool. You can use and combine all the features of the different puzzle modules in these mixed puzzle books.

The next step is to select the Puzzle Type you want to add, select the preset(s) you want to use for that puzzle type, and then click "Add" to build the 'job' table.

The third step is to customize some of the settings, such as the "Type in Title" and "Override Layout" settings.

Type in Title - If you use a title setting like "Puzzle # %TITLE%", this will replace the "%TITLE%" part with the puzzle type. For example, this can result in "Puzzle 13 Latin Squares". This is especially useful if you mix several types of sudoku or logic puzzles, or different types of word puzzles. On the other hand, for word puzzles, it's also possible to use the Word List name in the title.
Override Layout - To use a custom layout for a specific row in the Job table, click the "Special Layout" cell for that row, and then edit the settings.

Final step: Click "Create" to create all the puzzles and create the puzzle book.

Pro Tip: Save the puzzle book setup as a Preset, for later reuse, or in case of issues. Although we do everything we can to eliminate errors and other issues in the software, with the Ultimate Puzzle Books module you can use almost each and every feature that's available in Puzzle Maker Pro. Therefor it can be impacted by any issue anywhere in the software.

Using Puzzle Presets

The first step is to select a puzzle type, for example Sudoku Variations or Standard Word Search.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ZqCSefHOTE/04%20Select%20Puzzle%20Type.png (04 Select Puzzle Type)

After selecting the puzzle type, the dropdown menus for TS Preset and Puzzle Preset will now show all the presets you have for that puzzle type. (TS Preset stands for Time Saver Preset, it will be set to N/A by default).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/DvhAbkWxNr/03%20Select%20Puzzle%20Preset.png (03 Select Puzzle Preset)

Select one of the presets, optionally change the quantity, and click "Add". The new 'job' will be added to the table.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/EdwkggbKx4/05%20Add%20Preset%20to%20Job%20Table.png (05 Add Preset to Job Table)

Adding Word Lists

For all word puzzles, you can select "Add With Word List" instead of "Add". This will allow you to select one or more word lists on your computer (using Windows File Explorer). If you select more than one word list, several rows will be added to the job table, one for each word list. (You can change the word lists later).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/H44aOtlfHG/06%20Add%20Word%20Lists.png (06 Add Word Lists)

The word list(s) you select here will be used to replace the words or word list that may have been saved as part of the preset.

Using Time Saver Presets

Time Saver presets contains a part of the setup to create puzzles. Depending on the puzzle type, the Time Saver presets may contain word lists, grid sizes and other settings. However, the Time Saver presets never contain the basic styling settings of the puzzle type. That means that in addition to the Time Saver preset that you select, you will also have to select a puzzle preset that contains the specific layout settings.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/tJh1jGL7Za/07%20Add%20TS%20Preset.png (07 Add TS Preset)

For Time Saver rows in the job table, the Quantity will be set to 1 (one), because the Time Saver presets also contain quantity settings. For Time Saver presets you can also not add Word Lists, since the Time Savers for word puzzles also include specific word lists.

Using Imported Sets

We completely understand that you also want to include puzzles that have been created with other software than Puzzle Maker Pro. To enable this, we have included an option to import puzzle sets. An "Imported Set" includes of puzzle and solution images in JPG or PNG format. Even though the concept is simple, it's a very powerful feature that enables you to create an endless variety of puzzle books.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/s9s93nF5RJ/02%20Ultimate%20Puzzle%20Books%20-%20Imported%20Sets%20button.png (02 Ultimate Puzzle Books - Imported Sets button)

Manage Import Sets

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/kPSfItwnbR/08%20Manage%20Imported%20Sets.png (08 Manage Imported Sets)

When you open this window using the "Manage Import Sets" button, you'll see an empty list (3). You can then open an existing preset for editing (1), or add a new one.

To add a new one, type the name (or 'puzzle type') (2), then select Puzzles and Solutions.

If the puzzles and solutions are in different folders, first click "Add Puzzles", then click "Add Solutions" (4) and select the puzzles and solutions you want to use. They will be added to the table from top to bottom. Make sure you select the right puzzles and solutions that will be matched.

If the puzzles and solutions are in a single folder and grouped together (e.g. puzzle 1, solution 1, puzzle 2, solution 2, etc), use the "Add P+S Files" button (5). This will expect the selected file list to be alternating puzzle and solution files, and fill the table accordingly.

Save the list as a preset (1) with a name that clearly indicates which type of puzzle, difficulty level, style, etc, it is.

Close the window by clicking OK.

In the main Ultimate Puzzle Books window, use the Puzzle Type "Import Puzzle Sets", select the preset you just created and click "Add". When creating the puzzle book, this set will be used along with all the puzzles that are generated with Puzzle Maker Pro.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nVSmnY6W2a/09%20Add%20Imported%20Puzzle%20Set.png (09 Add Imported Puzzle Set)

Editing the Job table

At the moment of release, there are several items that you can edit after a 'job' has been added to the table:

Type in Title - this can create a result like "Puzzle 1 - Latin Squares", "Puzzle 2 - Word Search"
Preset - Click the preset you want to replace
Time Saver Preset - Click the Time Saver preset you want to replace
Word List (if applicable)
Quantity (only for Puzzle Presets, for TIme Saver presets this is set to 1)
Override Layout
Special Layout

Page Layout

In the Layout Settings area of Ultimate Puzzle Books, you'll see a short, coded, summary of the current Page Layout, for example:

P:2x2, S:2x2, W:5 - this means that solutions will be collated, both puzzles and solutions will use a page layout with 2x2 puzzles / solutions per page, and the Word Search / Crosswords layout is set to style 5
P/S:3x2, W:1 - No collation, 3x2 puzzles/solutions per page, Word Search / Crosswords layout style 1.

You can click the "Edit Default Layout" button to set the default layout, or click the "Special Layout" cell for a row in the job table that you want to change. This will display the new Layout Edit Window with all the different layout options.

Randomize / Mix the puzzles

With Ultimate Puzzle Books you can mix the puzzles. This will be based on the layout settings. For example, puzzles with a 2x2 puzzles per page layout can be mixed, but will be generated separately from pages with 3x3 puzzles or puzzles with a word list.

Although the system will try to balance the puzzles and pages, randomized mixing of the puzzles works best when there are more or less equal quantities of each puzzle type. (The algorithms will continue to evolve and create better results for unbalanced sets of puzzles).

It's best to just try this option and take a look at the results and see how this works best for your puzzles.

Advanced/Pro Strategies

Layout Considerations

The current version(s) of Puzzle Maker Pro will adjust the puzzle size to the available space for the puzzle. It will never enlarge the puzzle, only make it smaller. However, if you create mixed puzzle books, and especially if you make randomised mixed puzzle books or activity books, it's best to use puzzles with similar grid sizes on each page. For example, if a 4x4 sudoku and a 9x9 sudoku will be printed next to each other, the squares in the 4x4 sudoku will be twice as large as the squares in the 9x9 sudoku. It makes sense to use a different layout setup for the two puzzle variations.

Preset Naming Strategies

The Ultimate Puzzle Books module is completely based on the presets you save for the different puzzles types and Time Saver add-on's. To reduce guesswork when you create these mixed puzzle books, it's best to add information to the presets that will allow you to quickly select the right presets here. For example "9x9 Sudoku Level 4 Arial Font", or "15x15 Word Search Animals Theme - Young Kids".

Themed Puzzle Book Variations

Once you have a setup for your mixed puzzle book or activity books with the right quantities and layouts for all the puzzles, it's relatively easy to change the theme. For example you set up the mixed puzzle book for "Animals" and now you want to create a mixed puzzle book for "Occupations".

For all the word puzzle presets, such as Word Search, Word Scramble, etc, you can just change the word list that needs to be used.

How to create Triangulated Mazes using Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Random Shapes?

How can I change the Title Text for puzzles and solutions?

Can I get an overview of what Puzzle Maker Pro can do for me?

How to create a 'Draw' style pattern with POD Graphics Maker

How do I create multiple puzzles at once in Puzzle Maker Nonogram

How to use the Time Saver for Standard Word Search

How can I create a Puzzle Book without using the Time Saver in Puzzle Maker Pro?

Getting Started with Mazes 2D Tiles

How to create Mixed Puzzle Books with the Ultimate Puzzle Books module in Puzzle Maker Pro

Can I use Arial (font) in my puzzle books?