We can use bitmap images as "fill" symbology for areas, including for the fill of the area itself, or as fill for Inner or Outer effects. In this example we use Style Overrides to fill different areas in a map of provinces with a different bitmap image pattern. The Provinces layer we use shows provinces of Germany using area objects.
Important: In what follows we use Style Overrides so we can independently style each area in the Provinces layer. This allows us to use a different bitmap image for each area. Style Overrides are not on by default: we must enable Style Overrides to use them. Please read the Style Overrides topic to learn how to enable Style Overrides for a layer.
The map we use has layers with labels and with points. The Provinces layer shows regions in Germany as areas. We click the Provinces tab to make it the active layer. To change the Style for the blue area, we Alt-click it to pick it.
A blue border pattern surrounds the area we have Alt-clicked to show it has been picked. The Info pane automatically pops open to show that area's information.
We click the Style tab.
In the Style tab, we click the Symbol button.
In the drop down menu we choose More to launch the full Symbol dialog.
The dialog shows the Standard
symbology in use. We have set a white background color for the preview
pane. We click the collections picker button and choose Image in the drop down menu. Since
this will be the first use of bitmap image symbols in this layer, the
system goes directly to the Import
dialog.
Just as with using images for point symbols, we can Click or Ctrl-click the images we want to import. We will choose three images that contain raster imagery which is designed to tile seamlessly when the image is repeated as adjacent tiles left and right and up and down. We press Import.
The images we import appear in the Images grid, shown as samples in use within triangular area shapes. The samples are small, so it is difficult to see the patterns well. We must go on colors and the tooltips that appear when the mouse cursor hovers over a sample, giving the name of the image (taken from the name of the file that was imported). We choose the one we want and press OK.
Since we are using Style Overrides, we must press Update Record for the choice to take effect.
The effect is not what we had in mind. Where is the pattern of squiggly blue lines?
The pattern is there, but it is too small to see at the size of 8 points we have in use. We should have increased the size before pressing the Update Record button. That's OK. We can click on the Style tab again and change the size to something bigger than 8 points.
We choose 64 points and press Update Record.
That's better! Many patterns, such as this one, will look OK in a fairly wide range of sizes, giving different effects. To apply a different pattern to a different area, we Alt-click that different area.
Clicking on the Style tab to get to the style pane, we press the Symbol button and in the drop down menu choose More.
We click the collections picker button and choose
Images in the drop down menu.
In the Images grid we click a different bitmap symbol, and then
we press OK.
This time, we increase the Size button to 64 points and then we press Update Record.
Right away, the agate pattern fills the area. In the illustration above we have pressed the Esc button to clear the choice of the area, so the blue border does not appear.
Images that tile seamlessly - There are many web sites which allow visitors to create images that tile to create seamless patterns. The seamless patterns shown in this topic were created using the patterncooler.com web site, to help demonstrate what you can do with that site. Visit, enjoy, create patterns of your own and support the effort by donating a few bucks so Harvey can keep creating more cool web sites. Remember to buy a license for commercial use.
Manifold 9 - Style Pane Quickstart - Points - A fast and easy introduction to the new Style and formatting capabilities for Pionts in Manifold Release 9 and Viewer. Learn how to rapidly change colors, symbology, sizes and rotations including the use of vector symbols, fonts and even bitmap images. The new system is "always on" and immediately shows changes in the main workspace for rapid, easy choice of exactly the visual effect we want. This video gets right to the basics used every day.
Manifold 9 - Style Pane Quickstart - Lines - Learn how to use the spectacular new style capabilities for lines in Manifold Release 9 and Manifold Viewer to create an endless variety lines quickly and easily. See how to add arrowheads or other symbols to the ends of lines, how to customize lines with repeating symbols, how to start lines with custom symbols and how to add accessory left and right lines for exactly the right effect.
Manifold 9 - Style Pane Quickstart - Areas - New area style capabilities in Release 9 and Viewer make it easy to rapidly create spectacular visuals that get the story across with clarity and compelling effect. Learn how to use point and click controls to fill areas, control borders, draw "inner area" effects and "outer area" effects for a seeming infinite range of options, all available with a rapid click of the mouse. Use bitmap images for area effects too!
Manifold 9 - Style Pane Quickstart - Labels - Recent builds of Release 9 have added extensive new style facilities for labels, making it easy to choose a wide variety of effects, including sidecar icons, box frames, drop shadows and many others. This video shows how fast and easy point-and-click dialogs make it easy to create exactly the label look you want. Works for the free Manifold Viewer, too!
Manifold 9 - Bitmap Styles - A quick, first look at very extensive additions to Style, enabling use of bitmaps for styles, inner and outer area hatches, left and right line style additions and many other new features.
Example: Change Point Style - Using new Style pane controls to change point style, either very rapidly one property at a time, or using the total Style button to compose a new style with changes to several properties at once.
Example: Style Pane Quickstart - A tutorial introduction to using the Style pane to apply color, symbology, size and rotation to areas, lines and points in drawings.
Example: Complex Point Style using a Circle Box - This example creates a complex point style, which uses a variety of different colors within the different effects tabs in the Point Style dialog.
Example: Point Style using Move and Rotate - The Move parameter for symbols allows us to move symbols in an angular direction even as we rotate them. This example shows how to create point symbols that are clock faces with hands, using Move and Rotate.
Example: Line Style with Multiple Effects - We can use effects from all of the Line Style dialog tabs to create a more complex line style. This example shows how to create a line style with an arrowhead symbol at the end of the line, a symbol at the beginning of the line and accessory lines in different colors to the left and right of the main line.
Example: Use Repeating Images to Fill Areas - Areas are often filled with bitmap images that form a seamless pattern when tiled. If we like, we can use any bitmap image that can be used as a symbol, which will repeat within the area.
Example: Inner and Outer Effects using a Bitmap - The Inner and Outer effects with area styles can use bitmap images for fills. We first illustrate an Outer effect using a bitmap, and then add an Inner effect.