Question 1

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

Getting Started with Link Finder (Plugin for Powerpoint)

The Link Finder plugin for Powerpoint is a tool to help you manage all the invisible link shapes that you (or your designer) may have added to a Powerpoint file.

If you haven't yet installed it, please do that first. You can find a tutorial on how to install Link Finder and our other Powerpoint Plugins here. (Link Finder is included in the download for Easy Journals).

##Finding Links

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/FlzkMszl5R/Link%20Finder%2001%20-%20Set%20Up%20colors.jpg (Link Finder 01 - Set Up colors.jpg)

The slide that's shown in this screenshot contains a couple of invisible shapes with links to other slides. It's hard to find these, especially if you haven't created the slide yourself, or if it was created a long while ago.

In the plugin panel you can see only very few options:

The color (now set to a very bright green color). Invisible shapes will be set to this color,
Transparency, ranging from 0% to 100% transparent. Although it makes sense to make the shapes opaque, that would also mean you cannot see the shape below it (which may have meaningful text). That's why you can set transparency to e.g. 20%. (The best value depends on the color you select and the colors of the shapes in your Powerpoint file).
A selector for "Current Slide" or "All Slides".

Click "Find Links" to find the invisible (transparent) shapes that contain link. It will show something like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/IfR4VZLk8I/Link%20Finder%2002%20-%20Results.jpg (Link Finder 02 - Results.jpg)

Once you've done your inspection or editing, you can make the links transparent again by using "Hide Links". This will make the shapes fully transparent again, but it only works for shapes previously found with "Find Links".

Question 4

Easy Journals Pro video tutorial

Accepted Answer

This video shows you how to quickly create low content books with Easy Journals Pro Plugin for Powerpoint

Question 5

How Do I get started with Connect the Dots (Text Version)

Accepted Answer

Puzzle Maker Pro – Connect the Dots is an interactive playground to create Connect the Dots puzzles. There are three different versions: The Lite Edition, the Manual Edition and the SVG Edition.

The Manual Edition has tools and options to add, insert, move and delete dots, change the style of the dots, the style of the lines and the style of the tags (numbers or text), for multiple paths (lines). These paths can be grouped together for easier overview.
The Lite Edition has all the features and options of the Manual Edition, but is limited to only one path.
The SVG Edition adds options to import SVG files and optimize the number of dots resulting from an SVG import.

In this tutorial we’ll focus on the basics – the window layout, and the tools and options to create a very simple Connect the Dots puzzle. This tutorial assumes some knowledge of Puzzle Maker Pro – Settings for output path, file size and format are explained elsewhere.

How to get Started with Puzzle Maker Pro – Connect the Dots

After choosing Connect the Dots in the Puzzle Type menu, you’ll see a window like the one below. (Details may differ slightly, because we’re continuously improving the software)

Creating a Connect the Dots puzzle consists of two steps:

Create the dots and paths for the puzzle
Change the styling and options

Lite Edition

The next image is the default display for the Lite version of Connect the Dots.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/dGEhcGHh9L/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-1.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-1.png)

The properties for the current path, such as line color and dot type. We’ll explain this after creating our first path.
The preview panel contains brief instructions for Connect the Dots, telling you to Open the Path Editor (3)

Click the “Open Path Editor” button (3) to get started.

Manual Edition and SVG Edition

The Manual Edition and SVG Edition open the window with the Navigation menu visible. When starting a new puzzle, there will only be one single path shown: "New Path".

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/YTBlcfghFd/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-2-1.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Start-Here-2-1.png)

Click the “Open Path Editor” button (3) to get started.

How to Use the Path Editor for Connect the Dots

The Path Editor contains tools and options to create the different paths for your puzzle.

Some Connect the Dots puzzles only use one single path, that is: a single chain of dots numbered from 1, where the puzzler has to connect all the dots with consecutive numbers. 1 to 2, 2 to 3, and so on.

More complex Connect the Dots puzzles may have multiple paths. Puzzle Maker Pro – Connect the Dots – Manual Edition and SVG Edition support the use of multiple paths.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/yGMV6mJDvg/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Path%20Editor.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Path Editor.png)

With the Path Editor you can:

Click to add dots (1). Just click on the preview panel, that contains the tutorial text. As soon as you place your first dot, the text will disappear.
Clear all (2): If you make mistakes, or you want to continue with a blank slate, click the “New Image” button
You can select an image on your computer to use as an overlay (3). That way you can add dots along the outline (or outlines) of your image. The filename of your overlay file will be shown as well (5)
With the SVG Edition you can also open the SVG Editor (4). This is a separate window that will display your SVG image and has options to change the number of dots.
At the left you can see the path settings panel (6). You can change all the path settings here, such as the name, colors, dot type, and more.

How to Add Dots to create a puzzle

By left-clicking the mouse on the panel at the right (that initially shows the tutorial text), you can add dots. The software will keep track of the order of the dots, and display lines between the dots (the path).

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/xwHaNtzTma/Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options.png (Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options.png)

In this example we’ve created a simple path with 5 dots in the shape of a house.

After you change the settings for any of the styling options, click “Preview” (bottom left) to update the preview.

The next screenshot shows the same image with totally different styling options:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/a5T7aISQwi/Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options-2.png (Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Options-2.png)

How to Edit the Current Dot position

Puzzle Maker Pro - Connect the Dots is the only puzzle app where you can edit (move or delete) the individual dots in a path.

How to use the Path Data (tab)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/iNC8uP2T6X/Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Data.png (Connect-the-Dots-101-Path-Data.png)

An additional way to see all the points, is the “Path Data” tab. This will show you co-ordinates for all the dots. The current dot is shown with a blue bar. You can use buttons to “Clear All” dots from the path, or to “Delete” the current dot. Usually you won’t need to use this information. You can also click other points in this list, and you’ll see a different dot getting selected in the image.

The option “Closed Path” will allow you to automatically add a line between the last and first dot in the path. In the puzzle this will result in a combined number for the first dot, shown as “1/73”

How to use the additional path settings

All the path settings are available in all Connect the Dots editions, however some path settings only make sense when you use multiple paths.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/gKq1Sdk0HV/PMP%20-%20Connect%20the%20Dots%20-%20Additional%20Settings.png (PMP - Connect the Dots - Additional Settings.png)

How to use Multiple Paths in Connect the Dots

You can create Connect the Dots puzzles with one or more paths if you have the Manual Edition or the SVG Edition. On the Navigation tab you can see a hierarchically ordered list of all the paths.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/ufpMrOGdAp/PMP%20-%20Connect-the-Dots-101-Multiple-Paths.png (PMP - Connect-the-Dots-101-Multiple-Paths.png)

By right-clicking on the navigation panel, you’ll see a popup menu with different options:

Question 6

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 7

How can I get started with the FreeStyle module of Ultimate Planner Maker?

Accepted Answer

This video tutorial will get you started with Ultimate Planner Maker FreeStyle

Question 8

Masks Add-On for Mazes 2D Squares Video Overview

Accepted Answer

Masks Add-On for Mazes 2D Squares Video Overview

Question 9

How do I use the advanced and edit tabs of Puzzle Maker Nonogram

Accepted Answer

This tutorial shows how to use the advanced and edit tabs of Puzzle Maker Nonogram Complete.

This tutorial applies to:

Puzzle Maker Nonogram Complete.

(The advanced and edit tabs are not available in Puzzle Maker Nonogram Standard.)

Introduction

In the getting started tutorial, we discussed easy ways to quickly make a nonogram puzzle. In this tutorial, we'll be looking into how to edit your nonogram to make it fit your requirements.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/uLKz4TkItx/Nonogram%20Basic%20result.jpg (Nonogram Basic result)

Where we left off last time

Advanced Options

For this tutorial we're using the same reference as before, but you're free to pick another image if you want. The first thing we can do is go to the Advanced Tab.

Here you'll see multiple options.

First of all, you can manually change the amount of rows and columns (cols) for the puzzle.

Below that, is a checkbox for small squares. This is great if you have large nonograms, so they can still fit on a page without you having to resize.

There's also the option for fixed dimensions. Let's select this option. This option will force the amount of rows and columns you have selected earlier. For this example, we have it at 30 rows, and 30 columns. We can also change this option for a bigger or smaller puzzle. Say you have a rectangular image, then maybe you want to change it to 30 by 40.

Below the fixed dimensions checkbox is also the choice for the image position. If you select center, additional empty rows will be created. If you select stretch, the image will get stretched so it fills in the puzzle properly. Below you can see the results for both options.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/O8I7lrQYpa/Stretch%20vs%20center.jpg (Stretch vs center)

This can lead to some very funny results if you force a square puzzle into a rectangular box, or the other way around. An example below.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/SpzFZD9YnS/Stretched%20out%20puppy.jpg (Stretched out puppy)

Since this isn't the result we want, no matter how funny it can be, let's reset to 30 by 30, and stretched position.

Edit Options

Time to go to the Edit tab to see what we can do for our puppy here.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/arx1aJWoiu/edit%20screen.jpg (Edit Options)

Right now, we can't do much. But once we select "Edit Mode", a world of possibilities opens up.

First, we can add rows and columns on basically every side of the puzzle. These rows and columns will be blank when we add them, and if you select "remove padding", all empty rows will be removed. It basically does the same as the "remove padding" on the left of the screen.

So why is it important that we can add and remove rows?

Because another possibility opened up when we selected Edit Mode.

We can now click on squares to add them to the puzzle, or remove them, to further finetune the result.

Try it yourself. Click on a square that is black, and it'll become white. The numbers in the rows and columns will also automatically be changed.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/fEXYqr4y78/Nonogram%20creating%20a%20puzzle%20from%20scratch.jpg (Nonogram creating a puzzle from scratch)

In the example above we opened a blank screen (essentially, we loaded a picture that had nothing on it), and manually clicked some tiles on to create a very rudimentary flower.

Now, Puzzle Maker Nonogram has no click and drag option to mass select squares, so it's probably best for your sanity if you work from a png, and don't try to create a massive nonogram by hand.

But this means we can finetune our nonogram more, to make it perfect for our purposes. One thing that is very unsatisfying about the nonogram we've been working with so far is the eyes. They aren't symmetrical and stand out a lot. So let's fix that first, and maybe change a few other small details too.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/lmlQ5IZqN7/Nonogram%20final%20doggy.jpg (Nonogram final doggy)

And there's the final appearance for our doggy. If we save the puzzle, both the puzzle and the solution get saved in the map we have selected.

Opening Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw

When you switch to Puzzle Maker Pro - Jigsaw, you'll see this view. (Details may be different in future updates of the software)

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/i6SyZtuvMp/Jigsaw%20001%20-%20Initial%20View.png (Jigsaw 001 - Initial View.png)

Click on the white area just below "Select Image", or drag and drop an image file on it. You can use JPG or PNG files that you have on your computer.

After setting the file, click "Next Preview" at the bottom left, and you'll see a jigsaw puzzle, which can look a bit like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/M456z7oFcV/Jigsaw%20002%20-%20First%20Preview%20-%20Solution.png (Jigsaw 002 - First Preview - Solution.png)

This will usually be the solution of the puzzle, because that makes the most sense for many puzzle types. To view the actual jigsaw puzzle and the jigsaw puzzle pieces, click the checkbox "Preview Solution" at the bottom right of the window. The view will change into something like this:

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/wuGqS3zSeN/resources/lmbu7bT83K/Jigsaw%20003%20-%20First%20Preview%20-%20Puzzle%20and%20Pieces.png (Jigsaw 003 - First Preview - Puzzle and Pieces.png)

If you want to save one or more puzzles with these settings, just click "Create". To generate several different puzzles at once, you can change the Quantity (which is by default set to 1).

Mazes 2D Tiles - Tile format and naming conventions

How do I filter out certain words in a word search puzzle