QuikDraw, By David Rice

QuikDraw is a QuickBASIC utility for creating EGA sprites using
a mouse. Both an EGA monitor and a mouse are required. This program
will produce QuickBASIC code that may be included into your programs
using the metacommand $INCLUDE (or by using any text editor that
copies one text file into another).

Unlike the other popular EGA sprite program, the size of the
sprite using QuikDraw is determined by you. It may be from two
pixels square, up to 50 pixels wide by 31 pixels high, or any
combination in between.

Color selection is by choosing the desired color out of the
color bubble array by pointing at a bubble and hitting any button on
the mouse. The color acquired will be displayed by the Acquired
Bubble above the color array, so you will always know which color is
active.

The peg board array may be sized by increasing or decreasing the
number of boxes in height or width. Each box represents one pixel in
the finished sprite. You may increase or decrease the sprite size by
poking the appropriate Arrow Bubble at the top of the screen.

Not only may the peg board be resized by you to fit the size of
the sprite desired, you may also choose the size of the boxes that
make up the peg board. The smaller the boxes are, the more boxes you
may display on the screen, and thus the larger the sprite may be. If
you only need small sprites, you could choose to have large pegs so
that a very steady hand on the mouse is not required. If you need a
large sprite, your boxes will have to be smaller, and your mouse
hand will have to be steady. The defaults have been set somewhere in
the middle.

No keyboard input is required. The name of the file to save the
sprite to is passed to the program on the command line. For example,
you may type in the following at the DOS prompt:

QUIKDRAW GLASS.INC

And QuikDraw will save the sprite in the file GLASS.INC every
time you poke the Save Bubble from the Menu Bubbles at the top of
the screen.

If you do not pass a file name, the system's time will be used.
This means that if you draw a sprite and save it, then make changes
and save it again, you'll have more than one file--- one for each
time you poked the Save Bubble, with the file names reflecting the
times they were saved to disk.

The program code QuikDraw produces is in QuickBASIC 3.0 format,
and is complete by itself. If you run the code, it will place the
sprite you have created in the center of the screen.

The program is extremely simple to use, so detailed explanations
aren't required. A few notes are in order, however.

You must load your mouse driver BEFORE running QuikDraw.

You must have an EGA monitor that handles the QuickBasic "SCREEN
8" command.

Selected options that take time to complete will display an "hour
class" icon showing that the computer is working on your selection.

Poking the color selection array does not require poking it with
the mouse twice, nor does filling in the peg board array. You may
select a color, move to the peg board, and hold down a mouse key
while "painting" the pegs, without the need to constantly poke the
mouse button.

The Exit Bubble requires you to poke it TWICE before the program
will terminate. QuikDraw does not care how long the time span
between these two pokes are, but the second must follow the first,
without any mouse clicks elsewhere in between.

The Clear Bubble will clear the peg board after you poke at it
TWICE. It will use the acquired color to do so. If you want a sprite
with a background color of green, for example, poke the green bubble
in the color selection array, then poke the Clear Bubble twice. This
will fill the peg board and the sprite completely green. To erase
the peg board, poke the "Clear Block" bubble to acquire the color
black, then poke the Clear Bubble twice. Any existing sprite will be
erased by this function.

The Save Bubble need be poked at only once to save a sprite.

The Arrow Bubbles at the top of the screen allow you to size the
sprite to your needs. These Arrow Bubbles will increase the number
of rows and columns in your sprite, and will also change the peg
board to reflect your new sprite size. If you draw a sprite and then
choose to make it smaller, the large sprite will be cut. If you
increase the sprite size, a "jar of glue and a brush" icon will be
displayed. If you cut the size of the sprite, a "scissor" icon will
be displayed. These Arrow Bubbles must be poked TWICE before they
will execute. The numbers at the top of the Arrow Bubbles show the
size of the sprite.

There are four arrows on the right side of the screen. These are
used much like the Arrow Bubbles at the top of the screen, only
these are used to change the size of the peg board, and not the size
of the sprite. All changes here are NOT destructive to the sprite.
These arrows must be poked TWICE, just like the other menu options.

If you pay for the program, you will receive a "registered"
version. The unregistered version will include a reminder in the
source code QuikDraw produces that I expect to receive compensation
for my programming efforts. The registered version has no such
reminder. For $8.00 US, it's a bargan!


QuikDraw Author
David Rice
2686 Santa Ana Avenue, Apt. "B"
Costa Mesa, California
92627