Question 1

How to create Squares patterns with POD Graphics Maker

Accepted Answer

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

Pattern 00-5 - Squares is part of POD Graphics Maker Starter Edition and XL Edition.

Question 2

How to Use the Time Saver Add-On for Mazes 3D Isometric

Accepted Answer

With the Time Saver Add-On for Mazes 3D Isometric you can create your mazes faster, and you can use additional layout options for the Instant Puzzle Books.

Batch Creation of puzzles

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

Here you see the following options:

The row with all the options. If you select Time Saver, you'll see this screen.
"Use Time Saver to generate Puzzles". Make sure this checkbox is checked if you want to use the time saver. You can tell it's active if the bottom shows "Create (TS)".
The Time Saver menu. Add new categories of puzzles, different grid types, and change the cube sizes and amounts of cubes.
Add row. With this you can add more kinds of puzzles to be generated.

You can quickly add rows with your preferred settings by changing the values at the top of the "Grid Setup" area, and then click Add Row. This will add one row to the table with the settings you selected.

You can also edit the values in the table: For the Grid Type and Path Type columns, you can click the downward arrow to select a different type. For the number columns, just click the value you want to change, and you'll be able to edit it.

Note: To use the Custom Height Maps or the Manual Start/End points, you'll have to use the "Preset Puzzles" tab, these options cannot be set with the "Fast" option.

Question 3

How to create Basket Weave Mazes with Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Bricks

Accepted Answer

How to create Basket Weave Mazes with Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Bricks

This tutorial applies to Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Patchwork Bricks.

The tutorial "How to use Mazes 2D Squares" describes how to use the generic options for Mazes 2D.

The module Mazes 2D Bricks for Puzzle Maker Pro contains two maze puzzle types:

Patchwork Bricks, and
Patchwork Basket Weave

This tutorial focuses on Patchwork Basket Weave

Mazes 2D Patchwork Basket Weave lets you design your own maze using the Basket Weave pattern. You can customize the size of the basket, and there are quite a few colorization options, resulting in a more playful (or artistically fulfilling) maze.

The module includes

1 Basket Weave pattern in 8 sizes (2 to 9 bricks/cells per tile)
5 colorization options, and color randomization control

In addition to the Basket Weave options, this module includes the 'standard' maze generation and style options in the Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D collection.

Note: The Masks Add-On is not available for this module.

Creating Patchwork Basket Weave mazes

Select Mazes 2D in the main Puzzle Type dropdown menu, then select Patchwork Basket Weave in the (maze) Type dropdown menu. Click "Next Preview" to quickly get a first impression. (Changing settings does not automatically create a new preview, because you may want to change multiple settings, and the mazes, especially at larger sizes, may take some time to generate).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/InjoZEAcpz/Patchwork%20Basket%20Weave%20Overview.png (Patchwork Basket Weave Overview)

On the special Basket Weave tab, you can see four groups of settings

Select the size (number of bricks) for each tile,
Select the Color Style and Accent Color
Select the Accent Color for Color Style 1
Select the Randomization Style for Color Styles 2 and 4

Basket Weave Steps

The number of Steps determines the number of bricks in each 'tile'. You can select a number between 2 and 9, resulting in 2 to 9 bricks horizontally in the first tile, and 2 to 9 bricks vertically in the second tile, etc.

Please be aware that larger tiles (e.g. Steps 7,8,9) will result in mazes that take less steps to solve (because the cells are larger).

In the screenshot above you can see a 20 x 20 grid, using tiles with 3 bricks each. At the right side and at the bottom, you can see that some of the tiles are cut off. That's because 20 is not a multiple of 18. You'll see 6 full tiles and 2 thirds of the tiles at the right and at the bottom.

To prevent this, you can use the option "Full Tiles Only", that will use the largest number of tiles possible without cropping any of them.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/bUaHpvv7WJ/Patchwork%20Basket%20Weave%20Full%20Tiles%20Only.png (Patchwork Basket Weave Full Tiles Only)

Basket Weave Colorization

There are 5 colorization options for Basket Weave mazes:

None - no additional colors will be applied
Bricks - Color Range: A custom color range will be calculated (see below). Brick 1 in each tile gets Accent Color 1, the last brick gets Accent Color 2, and each brick in between gets a color 'between' the other two
Bricks - Random Colors: Each brick gets a random color, but bricks in the same position will get the same color
Tiles - Checkerboard: Every other tile will be colored with the Accent Color, creating a checkerboard pattern
Tiles - Random Colors: Each tile will get a randomized color. Some tiles may get the same color

Color Range

The Color Range option used the two colors Accent Color and Accent Color 2, and will calculate steps between the RGB values of these colors. Let's say Accent Color = RGB (255,20,0) and Accent Color 2 = RGB (255,162,154). When there are three bricks in each tile (Steps = 3), the middle tile will get the 'averaged' color RgB (255, 91, 77). 91 is exactly in the middle between 20 and 91, 77 if exactly in the middle between 0 and 154.

This brief explanation is just to get a feel for it. It's best to play with the colors and find results that appeal to you. This mechanisme will work with grayscale colors as well.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/sof2BqySIP/Patchwork%20Basket%20Weave%20Color%20Range.png (Patchwork Basket Weave Color Range)

Random Colors

For random colors, a new color is selected 'near' Accent Color. The "Randomization Range" slider determines the maximum percentage that the new color can be changed from the Accent Color. When you use bricks with random colors, Brick 1 in each tile will always get the same color, etc.

When you select Tiles with Random Colors, each tile (the bricks in each tile) will get a different random color.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/MBYGaDjcFI/Patchwork%20Basket%20Weave%20Random%20Colors.png (Patchwork Basket Weave Random Colors)

That's all... it's a Basket Weave is a simple pattern, that gets a unique look and feel with the colorization options.

Color Settings

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/Yrs6RV7i10/31%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Transparent%20Canvas.png (31 Mazes 2D - Transparent Canvas.png)

Canvas

The canvas is the background of the image, on which the maze will be drawn. For square or rectangular mazes this won't be visible. For other shape types, and with (future) add-ons like the Masks and the Crossings, it will have a major impact on your maze.

To create a Transparent canvas, as shown in the screenshot, you will need to select Transparent PNG is the file type (Output Settings --> Puzzle Files --> Puzzle Output Format). Otherwise the transparent background will be shown as black.

Floors

The floors, the contents of each cell in the maze, can be any color, or you can make them transparent. In which case the canvas color will be shown instead.

There is no limit to color combinations you can use. An example is the screenshot below, using black for the floors and white for the walls:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/0fOczbSr6x/32%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Reverse%20Colors.png (32 Mazes 2D - Reverse Colors.png)

Walls and Solution Path

The colors for the Walls and the Solution Path can also be set to any color. Depending on the colors you use, you may need to adjust the Wall Thickness or Solution Line Thickness on the Style tab.

Start / End Point Settings

In Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes you can fully customize the Start and End point indicators. By default these will be printed as Text ("S" for Start, "E" for End) in black, using the Arial Font style. You can change the font by clicking the font preview panel (which shows "Arial" in the screenshot below, or by clicking the small looking glass on top of the panel).

Outside Passage Open

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/TYNEdjuza9/33%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Start%20End%20Points.png (33 Mazes 2D - Start End Points.png)

You can set the "Outside Passage Open" to enable make it possible to actually enter and leave the maze.

Using Images

You can also use images instead of text, to indicate the Start and End points for the maze.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/vcbdxwYKcP/34%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Start%20End%20Images.png (34 Mazes 2D - Start End Images.png)

First click the option "Images". This will display the two white panels where you can select the images you want to use. You can either click each panel and select an image (on your computer), or drag and drop an image onto the panel. (You can also drag and drop two images at once, dropping them on the left panel).

You can use images for any shape type, here's an example of a hexagons maze with the same images:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/nJc1FBSaeB/35%20Mazes%202D%20-%20Hex%20Start%20End%20Images.png (35 Mazes 2D - Hex Start End Images.png)

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

What are Presets in Puzzle Maker Pro

Accepted Answer

An updated version of this tutorial can be found here: How to Use Presets in Puzzle Maker Pro: Save Time and Create Consistent Puzzles

There are many ways to fit Puzzle Maker Pro in your workflow. To help you to keep your layouts and styling consistent, we introduced 'Presets' in one of the earliest version.

What is a Preset

A Preset is basically the list of all the settings you can use for a puzzle. What is saved in a preset for Sudoku is different than for Word Search. In general, all the settings and options that are shown on the Puzzle Settings tab are part of it.

Time Saver Presets

In the Time Saver tab you can also find presets. These contain all the settings on the Time Saver tab (and sub-tabs) for that puzzle type. For example, for Sudoku, it will contain the entire table of sudoku variations and quantities. For Word Search it will include the word list and the table of puzzle sizes, along with the Main settings.

It is not required to use presets at all, but in some cases it can make your workflow more efficient.

Presets and Word Puzzles

A specific use case is when you generate word puzzles, such as Word Search: The word list you select for Word Search is part of the preset. When you 'load' that preset, you should see the same word list or word list file displayed.

When you use the Time Saver for Word Search, you can use select these (word search puzzle) presets to generate a puzzle book, and choose the option to use the word list that's included in that preset.

Please note: Puzzle Maker Pro supports different workflows. You don't have to use the presets, it's an option that may work for you.

Alternatively you can use a single preset for consistent styling of your puzzles, and use the Time Saver to override the word list.

How to create Squares patterns with POD Graphics Maker

How to Use the Time Saver Add-On for Mazes 3D Isometric

How to create Basket Weave Mazes with Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Bricks

How can I create Voronoi mazes with Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Random Mazes?

How can I select my image folder in POD Pattern Maker?

How do I use the Colors options for Puzzle Maker Pro - Geometric Mazes?

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

What are Presets in Puzzle Maker Pro