Development blog
Tag: Documentation
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Basics – Repeaters
Most use cases for Paragraphic will involve repeating elements in patterns in one way or another, and this is done by what is called Repeater layer nodes. The Repeater nodes take the existing content of the layer and adds repeated copies of it to let you create patterns of various types. This video gives you…
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Creating vector halftone effects
Halftones were originally a technical solution for printers to represent gray scale images using a single color ink, by varying the size of points in a fixed pattern to give the appearance of lighter or darker areas. However, scaled up this sort of raster effect can also be used to create interesting designs regardless of…
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Layer group effects
Like in most other layer-based illustration software you can group layers in Paragraphic. This allows you to easily select and move or transform layers together like you expect. However, in Paragraphic you can also do much more with layer groups, as you can add nodes to these groups just like you can in other layers.…
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Randomization methods
A common use-case for using a procedural design system like Paragraphic is when you want to add some form of randomization to repeated graphical elements. For example to make a pattern more interesting or organic by making it a little uneven. Or if you want to make some generative design with randomized components. Doing this…
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The hidden node graph
For some of you the concept node as it is used in Paragraphic might be unfamiliar. Or, if you’re familiar with node graphs and node-based design tools Paragraphic might not be immediately recognizable as one. This post will attempt to shed some light on this and explain how the node system works in Paragraphic. If…
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Using expressions for value inputs
To make the most of the parametric control features of Paragraphic you will often need to use custom mathematical expressions to establish relationships between different values or automatically calculate values based on something that you control. You can do this by using the Expression input node, which you can add by right-clicking any value parameter…
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Instance layers revisited
One of the core functionalities of Paragraphic is to make it easy to make repetitions of things, and then modify these repeated elements in various ways to make interesting patterns and effects. Beside the many repeater tools you can use for this, there is also the instance layer feature. Instance layers are basically copies to…
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Change node Apply to modes
While the repeater nodes that allow you to easily create repeated patterns from elements are very powerful on their own, you can do even more by combining these with change nodes that apply various changes to elements (like rotating, scaling or changing their color). And to get the most out of this it’s important to…
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Improved repeater tools
While the repeater nodes that allow you to add repetition patterns to layer have been around for a long time I’ve now added some new and improved visual tools for easily adding them. You can still just add a repeater node to the layer yourself if you prefer, but now there’s also the option to…
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Free-form path tools
A big a complex chunk of functionality I’ve been putting off for a while is free-form path drawing. It’s a standard tool in practically all vector design software, but requires a lot of tools and supporting functionality to work well, and it’s a challenge to fit into the more rigid structure of a parametric design…