Transform Palette

The Transform Palette gives you access to some of MandalaMaker's most powerful features. Using transforms, you can create many effects which would be time consuming to make by adding one shape at a time.

To get the most out of the Transform feature it is important to understand how MandalaMaker draws transforms.

Essentially, the Transform feature draws a series of shapes one after the other. Starting with the base shape defined by your choices in the Shape Palette and Ringshape Palette, each subsequent shape is a modification of this shape using the settings you choose in the Transform Palette.

The number of shapes drawn is determined by the # of Steps attribute. If you set this attribute to 10, ten shapes will be drawn.

The other attributes available will vary depending on the shape you are working with.

Suppose that you have selected a Circle with a Radius of 60. In this case, the only attribute available other than the # of Steps will be the Radius Step. If you set the Radius Step to -2, MandalaMaker will draw shapes as follows:

With more complex shapes the range of attributes available for modification will be increased. You can modify as many attributes at once as you want. The best way to learn how the attributes effect the transform is to play with different combinations and watch the preview. Transforms work very well with unfilled shapes, though working with filled shapes can also be interesting. Below is a brief description of each control on the Transform Palette.

Open the Transform Palette by selecting Show Transform Palette from the Window Menu.

You can adjust the attributes of the transform by dragging the Attribute Sliders.

Once you have clicked on an Attribute Slider, you can change its value from the keyboard using the arrow keys. The "up arrow" or "right arrow" keys increase the value of the slider, while the "down arrow" or "left arrow" keys decrease the value. You can also move the focus to the next slider down the palette by pressing the "Tab" key and move the focus to the previous slider up the palette using "shift-Tab."

The Direction Buttons set the direction of the Rotation Step attribute. In the default Clockwise (CW) mode, each step moves the shape in a clockwise direction by the amount of the Rotation Step. Counterclockwise (CCW) mode moves the shape in the counterclockwise direction.

When the Draw checkbox is checked, the selected shape becomes a Transform and MandalaMaker draws the Transform on the Canvas.

The Reset Button resets the # of Steps to the minimum value of 2 and all other attributes on the palette to zero.

Hey! This Transform Palette looks a lot like the old MandalaMaker's Spiral Palette.

That's because it is. New name, same Palette. Let's face it, the Spiral Palette was always capable of a lot of effects that were not at all "spiral-like," so we've renamed it in MandalaMaker 2 to more accurately denote it's function.

This attribute sets the number of shapes drawn by the Transform. With # of Steps set at 10, The Transform will consist of the original shape plus nine modified shapes for a total of ten shapes.

The Radius Step attribute modifies the shape's radius dimension. This attribute can be either positive or negative, positive makes the radius larger, negative makes it smaller. Setting the Radius Step to plus or minus one lets you draw shapes with heavy line weights. With Ring of Shapes this attribute modifies the radius of the ring. To modify the radius of the shapes in the ring use the Size Step attribute.

This attribute modifies the shape's rotation. The Rotation Step varies from 0 to 1, the same as the Rotation attribute on the Shape Palette and Ringshape Palette. To change the direction of rotation use the Direction Buttons as described below. With Ring of Shapes this attribute modifies the rotation of the ring. To modify the rotation of the shapes in the ring use the * Rotation Step attribute.

These attributes modify the Star's Sharpness attribute and the Flower's Petal Length. The Step can be either positive or negative. Positive settings increase the Star's sharpness or the Flower's petal length, negative settings decrease the the attributes.

The Size Step attribute is available only for the Planet and Ring of Shapes. It modifies the Radius or Width attribute of the Ringshape. In other words it changes the size of the individual shapes in the ring. This attribute can be positive or negative, with positive values increasing the ringshape's size, and vice versa.

When Transform Steps modify the attributes of individual shapes in a Ring of Shapes or the planetary shape in a Planet, the name of the attribute is preceded by the asterisk (*). Below you will find details of the various * Step attributes.

This attribute is distinct from the Sharpness Step above. (Note the addition of the asterisk.) The * Sharpness Step is only available with the Ring of Shapes or Planet when the Ringshape is Star. It modifies the sharpness of the Stars in the ring and can be either positive or negative. Positive settings increase the star's sharpness, negative settings decrease the sharpness. The * Petal Length works similarly for Ring of Shapes or Planets with Flower RingShapes.

This attribute is distinct from the Rotation Step above. (Note the addition of the asterisk.) The * Rotation Step is only available with the Ring of Shapes. It modifies the rotation of the individual shapes in the ring. The * Rotation Step is limited to clockwise rotations.

These attributes are available with the Rectangle shape. They modify the rectangle's Width and Height attributes respectively. The Width Step attribute is also available with the "Heart" shape. In this case, it is analogous to the Radius Step attribute for the other shapes.