Question 1

Word Puzzle Output

Accepted Answer

This tutorial explains the output options for Word Puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro.

This tutorial applies to:

When you generate puzzles (by clicking "Create") several files will be created in your project folder:

TXT file (plain text) in the 'Puzzles' subfolder
CSV file (Comma Separated Variable-length file) in the 'Puzzles' subfolder
PMP file (Puzzle Maker Pro file for internal use) in the 'Meta' subfolder

Additionally there are some optional files:

JPG/PNG files if you generate Images/Memes as well, see also: Creating Images/Memes for Word Puzzles
PDF and/or Powerpoint file - Instant Puzzle Books

TXT file output

The TXT file output consists of one line for each word or phrase, for example:

This file is for your own use, you can copy the words to other software, or not use it at all, if you create Instant Puzzle Books as well.

Encoded puzzle - the first part is the encoded puzzle, ending with "||"
Solution - after the "||" you see the solution, the original word
Description - if there was a description in the source words file (or a set title if you use word sets), this will be added after a colon ":". To use sets, see: Word List format for Word Puzzles

CSV file output

CSV is a standardized file format that can be used with many applications. The example above in CSV format would look like this:

You can import this file in Excel (or other spreadsheets), for example to use it with our Replicator software, and you can even import this file into Canva (with a Pro subscription) to quickly generate a batch of images. (Note: at the moment of writing, somehow the automatic import into Canva doesn't work properly, but as a work-around, manual import will work - Open the CSV file in Excel, then select all the rows / columns and past it in the manual bulk import area in Canva).

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.

How to set the Puzzle Output Format for transparency

To create mazes with a transparent background, the first step is to select the right image format.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/sbq7ZGtzxy/PMP%20-%20Puzzle%20Output%20Format.png (How to set the Puzzle Output Format in Puzzle Maker Pro)

"Transparent PNG" is the only format that allows transparency, JPG and regular PNG do not.

Note: Regular JPG and PNG are 24 bit formats. That means 24 bits (0's or 1's) for each pixel, using RGB colors (Red, Green Blue). Transparent PNG is a 32 bit format: 24 bits RGB plus 8 bits for transparency. Each pixel can have one of 256 grades of transparency.

How to set the Maze Colors for transparency

The next step is to set the specific Maze colors on the Puzzle Settings / Colors tab.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/UvjQraf8bB/PMP%20-%20Mazes%20-%20Transparency.png (Creating a transparent background for your maze.)

There are two different options here:

Canvas - this is the background on which the maze is printed. For square and rectangular mazes, the entire canvas will be covered by the maze itself. For shaped mazes, there will be a part of the canvas that is not covered by the maze, and you'll probably want this to be transparent or white;
Floors - this is the content of each square, for lack of a better name. In this image the floors are set to transparent. You can see in the oval at the bottom, that the background color of the maze is identical to the background of the Puzzle Maker Pro window itself. There is no fill added.

For shaped mazes, where you want to print the shape underneath the maze, you'll want to choose a non-transparent setting for the floors, e.g. white, otherwise you may not be able to see the maze. You can see the result of this in the image below.

Note: the shape image will be printed 'as is' on the puzzle canvas. If the shape image is not transparent, there will be no transparency in the resulting puzzle image.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/XehL4Zjiqe/PMP%20-%20Mazes%20-%20Transparency%20Shaped%20Puzzle.png (Create a solid floor color for your shaped maze)

How will transparency affect my Puzzle Book?

Puzzles with transparent backgrounds will be 'printed' on the pages in your puzzle book. Depending on the puzzle book settings, the effects will be different:

JPG/PNG: If you create page images as additional output, you can only use non-transparent JPG and PNG formats. Because commercial printers don't like transparency, the option is not added here.
PDF and Powerpoint: The transparent puzzle images will be imported into the PDF or Powerpoint file. The background image or page colors you use in the PDF or Powerpoint file will be visible wherever your puzzle image is transparent.

Question 4

Getting Started with Mazes 3D Isometric

Accepted Answer

Mazes 3D Isometric was created to be interactive. The best way to learn how it works is to change the settings and click “Preview”. To get you started, or as reference, you can check out this tutorial.

Mazes 3D Isometric overview
Maze Generator
Grid Types
Style Options

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.

Question 5

How to add background images to my puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro?

Accepted Answer

This tutorial describes how to add background images to your puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro. This feature is only available when you have the Time Saver Add-on for the puzzle type you're creating.

Choosing Background Images

You can find the Background Images setup on the "Output Settings" tab, then look for the "Background Images" tab.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hoFkzwiNiV/Background%20Images%20Overview.png (Background Images Overview)

Click "Select Files" to select one or more files on your computer. Click "Clear List" to start over. A list of selected images be shown at the right
If the image is too large or too small for your puzzle size, you can choose to Zoom the image to a fitting size
If the image does not have the same proportions (relative width and height) as the puzzle size, you can change the alignment settings as well
Set the transparency for the image

The result can look like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/97i6pargNi/Background%20Image%20Zoom%20Gray.png (Background Image Zoom Gray)

Puzzle Settings

Depending on the puzzle type, you may need to change the color settings. For example, with Mazes, if you have set a fill color (or floor color) for the cells or squares, these will print over the background image. Set these fill colors to Transparent to show the background images.

Zoom and Alignment

If the image is larger or has different proportions than your puzzle type, you may need to check the Zoom option.

For example, if the result looks like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/OJl9T5mNTo/Background%20Image%20No%20Zoom%20Black.png (Background Image No Zoom Black)

For abstract images it may be fine to show only a part of the image though (that's why the Zoom is an option)

If the image has different proportions than the puzzle, for example the puzzle is 1000x1000 pixels and the image is 1500x500, you can use the alignment options to choose where the image will be printed.

Transparency

With the transparency option, you can use colorful or black images and make them look a bit softer. For example, an image like this would ruin the puzzle, because you cannot write numbers in the squares that are completely black.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/OfFWGCfPnz/Background%20Image%20Zoom%20Black.png (Background Image Zoom Black)

By making the image more transparent (e.g. 70-80% transparent), it creates the illusion of a shadow, creating a better looking puzzle:

Question 6

Mazes 2D Tiles - Tile format and naming conventions

Accepted Answer

The most complex and most fun part of Mazes 2D Tiles is creating your own tiles. You can use the tiles that are supplied, or buy tiles on the internet, but you can also create your own tiles. With your own tileset you can create truly unique puzzles.

In this tutorial we'll desribe how to create the tiles for square and isometric mazes, with and without the Tile Multiplier Add-On.

Creating Square Tiles for Mazes 2D Tiles

Tiles for Mazes 2D Tiles have to be saved in a .png format.

Naming conventions

We've set up a simple standard, where each side of a tile gets a number. The code consists of the numbers for the sides that are connected. The name of the file (the image file for the tile) has to start with this code, followed by a dash ("-"). The dash is required to let the software know where the code ends.

For example, a tile with a corner that connects sides 1 and 2, has code 12. The filename for this image can be something like "12-top right corner.png" or "12-corner with tree.png". You can also have both names, the software will randomly pick one of them each time this type of tile is needed.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/pgaxGX167f/Square%20Tile%20Numbering%20convention.jpg (Square Tile Numbering convention)

There are 16 possible codes for square mazes:

0 – optional, empty square. You can use this for embellishments, like trees, your logo, etc

1, 2, 3, 4 – Dead end

12, 23, 34, 14 – Corners

13, 24 – Straight connection

1234 – Crossing (all sides connected)

123, 124, 134, 234 – Split / three-way connection

In addition to those 16 codes, you’ll need two additional images:

s – start image (this will be printed over the start tile)

e – end image (this will be printed over the finish tile)

Image Size

The image size (or canvas size) for your tiles depends on the size of the mazes you are going to generate:

If you’d be creating a maze of 40 by 40 on that canvas, each square would be just 50 by 50 pixels.

When the squares are printed on the canvas by Mazes 2D Tiles, they will be resized to fit.

The default tiles in Puzzle Maker Pro were created at 500×500 pixels.

Drawing the Tiles

Drawing the tiles is actually very easy. The important thing to do is make sure that the connections, at the edges of each square, are at the same place for each tile. Below is the template we used for Adobe Illustrator:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xqzaVE3Tmn/Adobe%20Illustrator%20template.jpg (Adobe Illustrator template)

This template has several options for each tile. If you don't have the option to create multiple artobards, it's best to create a template that has all sides connected, and use that for all other tiles as well.

While we use Illustrator for the example, any editing software will do, such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint, Affinity, Canva, or even the software that comes with your computer, such as MS Paint.

To summarise, you'll need 16+2 Tiles for your maze:

1-top.png
2-right.png
3-bottom.png
4-left.png
12-topright.png
23-rightbottom.png
34-bottomleft.png
14-topleft.png
123-toprightbottom.png
124-toprightleft.png
134-topbottomleft.png
234-rightbottomleft.png
13-topbottom.png
24-rightleft.png
1234-allsides.png
0-blank.png (optional)
S-Startsymbol.png
E-Endsymbol.png

For each of the files, the code at the start (the numbers plus the dash) have to be there. The rest of the filename can be omitted, or changed to something else if you want to. You can also create multiple tiles for the same code, for extra variation.

Creating Isometric Tiles for Mazes 2D Tiles

The standard naming convention for isometric tiles looks a lot like the square tiles: the code for each tile consists of the numbers for the sides that are connected. The tiles are just rotated 45 degrees.

1 – Top Right (instead of top)

2 – Bottom Right (instead of right)

3 – Bottom Left (instead of bottom)

4 – Top Left (instead of left)

Again, the name of the file has to start with that code, followed by a dash (“-“).

For example, a tile with a corner that connects sides 1 (top right) and 2 (bottom right) has code 12. The filename could be something like “12-simple corner.PNG”

For isometric mazes there are 16 possible codes as well:

0 – optional, empty square. You can use this for embellishments, like trees, your logo, etc

1, 2, 3, 4 – Dead end

12, 23, 34, 14 – Corners

13, 24 – Straight connection

1234 – Crossing (all sides connected)

123, 124, 134, 234 – Split / three-way connection

In addition to those 16 codes, you’ll need two additional images:

s – start image (this will be printed over the start tile)

e – end image (this will be printed over the finish tile)

(The list of files that are required for isometric mazes is identical to the list for square mazes, although the tiles look different.)

Drawing the Tiles

For Mazes 2D Tiles we follow the isometric ‘standard’ that is used by most game developers: For the basic tile, the width is twice the height. In addition to that, you can add depth to the tiles, by drawing ‘suggested’ depth below the tile.

It’s usually easiest – but not required – to start with square tiles, and then rotate and resize them. There are other options, depending on the tools you have. For example, in Photoshop you can use ‘smart objects’ to do the transformation for you (after you set it up just once).

The steps to transform a square tile into an isometric tile:

Rotate the tile 45 degrees clockwise
Scale the tile to fit onto the canvas – if you have a 200×200 pixel tile and rotate it, it will be approx 280 pixels wide, so scale it back to have a total width of 200 again
Re-scale the tile – Horizontally to 100%, vertically to 50%. Immediately you’ll see the isometric look of the tile.
You can save the tile as PNG image. If you started with a 200×200 pixel tile, the canvas should now be 200 (wide) x 100 (high).
Optionally add additional lines and colors to suggest depth.

For an in-depth tutorial on how to do this, you can look at our tutorial on how to create isometric tiles with Adobe Illustrator, where we go into detail on the creation of isometric tiles.

Image Size

The image size of the files for isometric tiles depends on the embellishments you use:

The size of the basic tile should have a 1:2 ratio for the height:width sizes. If the tile is 200 pixels wide, it should be 100 pixels high. (The proper working of Puzzle Maker Pro – Mazes 2D Tiles depends on this, otherwise the results will not look right)
If you have added depth to the tile, either by adding additional lines or shading at the bottom, or by placing objects on the tile that stick out on top (e.g. towers, persons, arrows), the tile size can be larger. If you add depth suggestion at the bottom, each tile should have the same additional depth!
Mazes 2D Tiles will use the height of the smallest tile to determine the depth of the tiles. and align the tiles according to that height
If you have objects sticking out on top, these should be drawn over the tiles behind it. Mazes 2D Tiles will take this into account when setting up the canvas dimensions and margins

How to create Puzzles

The primary function of Puzzle Maker Pro is to create puzzles for you.

You can set the the resulting image size and file format on the Output Settings / Puzzle Files tab, and set all specific puzzle settings on the Puzzle Settings tab.

Which files will be created by Puzzle Maker Pro?

For most puzzle types this will result in

A file containing the puzzle image in JPG or PNG format (in the project/puzzles folder)
A file containing the solution image in JPG or PNG format (in the project/solutions folder)

In some cases additional files will be created:

For Mazes, the SVG add-on will let you create the maze drawing in SVG format. This is an efficient vector format that can be used to display the puzzle on a web page, for further editing or styling in Adobe Illustrator, or to control cutter machines such as Silhouette
An XML file containing specific information about the puzzle, to use when you create puzzle books
A TXT file with the words used in a Word Search puzzle, and an additional file with the remaining words from your word list

You can use these files in any way you like. There is no obligation to create your puzzle books with Puzzle Maker Pro.

How to create Puzzle Books

After creating your puzzles, Puzzle Maker Pro will automatically create a puzzle book for you. Consider this a friendly gesture of Puzzle Maker Pro - it does not aspire to compete with professional book layout software such as Adobe Indesign, Affinity Publisher or Microsoft Publisher.

This is called "Additional Output". It will use the settings on the Output Settings / Additional Output tab, and the Output Settings / Page Format tab to create a PDF or Powerpoint file according to your specifications.

If you have set the options to create additional output, it will do so immediately after creating the puzzles (when you click the Create button).

How does the Time Saver fit in?

The Time Saver extension allow you to create puzzles a lot faster, by creating puzzles with different settings in one go. It speeds up Step 1 (see above). It will create puzzles for each setting you specified, and will create a puzzle book after all the puzzles have been generated.

Question 8

How to create shaped mazes from silhouette images

Accepted Answer

This video tutorial will show you how to create a shaped maze.

Question 9

How to use Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Patchwork Log cabin

Accepted Answer

How to use Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Patchwork Log Cabin

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

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

In this tutorial we'll explain the specific 'log cabin' features.

Log Cabin is a type Patchwork design, resembling the way logs are stacked to build a log cabin.

This module includes:

4 different log cabin designs
3 colorization options (no colors plus two ways to add color accents, dependent on the log cabin design)
Several options to fill a larger grid (maze) with a smaller log cabin design, just the way it's done in patchwork designs.

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

Note: Due to the specific algorithm for Mazes 2D Patchwork Log Cabin, the Masks Add-On is not available for this module. It would go against the log cabin concept, and additionally, you wouldn't be able to mask smaller parts of the 'logs'. However, the Mazes 2D DIY Maze module can do all this and more.

Mazes 2D Patchwork Log Cabin

Select Mazes 2D in the main Puzzle Type dropdown menu, then select Patchwork Log Cabin 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/77E92SJ0ue/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Overview.png (Patchwork Log Cabin Overview)

On the special Log Cabin tab, you can see several groups of settings:

The Log Cabin settings Variation and Steps
Repeat settings
Colorization settings

Variation and Steps

Currently there are four different Log Cabin variations in this maze module:

Standard
Courthouse Steps
Chimneys and Cornerstones
Chevrons

For each variation you can customize the size ("Steps"), this will add more log levels.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/J4gJVE2Imb/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%204%20Variations.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin 4 Variations.JPG)

Repeat Settings

As you can see, these separate grids have quite long cells, which would result in fairly easy mazes. That's why there's the option to fill a larger grid with these log cabin patterns, and generate a maze for the entire grid. The grid size is determined by the Rows/Columns settings in the Puzzle Control area.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/fETY0Ty7Fp/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Repeat%20Patterns.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin Repeat Patterns.JPG)

There are several 'Repeat' options:

Copy - this will just copy the log cabin pattern until the grid is filled.
Rotate Clockwise (1x, 2x, 3x)
Mirror Vertically or Horizontally or both
Random - will randomly select one of the repeat options for each maze you generate.

Finally there's the "Full Repeats Only" option: When you want a 50x50 puzzle, but the log cabin size you selected is 8x8 squares, the log cabins at the right and bottom will be cut off. This may not be a problem, but especially when you use the colorization options, you may want to show only full log cabins. The Full Repeats Only option lets you do that. In the 8x8 log cabin example and a 50x50 maze, it would generate a 48x48 maze instead, using 6 log cabin patterns in each direction.

Colorization Settings

Colorization of your mazes is not required, but it can be a nice touch. In patchwork / quilting there's usually a kind of contrast in the different fabrics that are used, resulting in patterns like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/hsLv9rHrj8/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Colorization.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin Colorization.JPG)

You can use this for a maze as well. There are three colorization options and a random option

No Color
Color Variation 1
Color variation 2
Random (Randomly choose one of the three options for each maze you generate)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/UQQLVJHdnl/Patchwork%20Log%20Cabin%20Maze%20Colorization.JPG (Patchwork Log Cabin Maze Colorization.JPG)

The colorization can give a true patchwork log cabin look and feel to the maze, as you can see in these examples.

Just like other Puzzle Maker Pro modules, it's best to play around with the settings, generate previews of the mazes, and find settings that fit your style. Don't forget to save these settings as presets, for later reuse!

Circles

First of all, the JigSaw Circles will only create a circular puzzle. It will not fill out the empty space along the borders of your image. This means a significant part of your image will be cut off - it makes sense to prepare images that have the actual image centered.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/sOnRU71cz1/Jigsaw%20025%20-%20Blank%20Circles%20Puzzle.png (Jigsaw 025 - Blank Circles Puzzle.png)

Number of concentric circles

Instead of changing the amount of rows and columns, you only get one choice here: The amount of concentric circles that will be in the image. We personally recommend 2-4 circles for the best result. If you go much larger, the printed pieces will become much smaller, and it will be hard to tell the pieces apart.

Circles and Ovals

The option "Perfect Circle" will enforce the resulting puzzle to be an actual circle. If you don't have this selected, and your picture isn't a perfect square, the puzzle will instead come out as an oval.

This can be used in some cases, but the pieces will become more easily recognisable by shape, and the end result may not be aesthetically pleasing in all cases. Puzzle Maker Pro - JigSaw Circles has not been optimized for extreme differences. The screenshot below illustrates the effects of using an oval where the height and width differ a lot:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/27rrCZUA1M/Jigsaw%20036%20-%20Circles%20-%20Oval%20Shapes.png (Jigsaw 036 - Circles - Oval Shapes.png)

In addition to this effect, the puzzle page (showing the separate puzzle pieces) may show overlapping pieces, because the sizes of the pieces differ too much.

Word Puzzle Output

Getting Started with Checkerboard Sudoku

How to get a Transparent background for my maze

Getting Started with Mazes 3D Isometric

How to add background images to my puzzles in Puzzle Maker Pro?

Mazes 2D Tiles - Tile format and naming conventions

How to create puzzles and puzzle books with Puzzle Maker Pro

How to create shaped mazes from silhouette images

How to use Puzzle Maker Pro - Mazes 2D Patchwork Log cabin

How can I create Circle JigSaw Puzzles?