The Move parameter for symbols in the Point Style dialog 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. Please read the Style: Points topic before continuing.
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.
Consider a display like the above. Each city in the Cities layer has a Time field, which contains an integer value from 1 to 12. The lower Cities 2 layer is a copy of the Cities layer with the Style for each point set to using a bitmap image symbol, which shows a clock with no hands.
The upper Cities layer uses the default gray point for each city.
We will alter the upper Cities layer to use a triangular symbol from the Standard collection, with the symbol being rotated and placed using a thematic format based on the Time field.
With the focus on the Cities layer we choose the Style pane.
We click on the total Style button to see the thematic format in use. The thematic format has twelve intervals, one for each unique value of the Time field, from 1 to 12. The samples for each interval look weird because there is not enough room in the samples boxes to provide a good illustration. We double-click into the sample box for the 2 interval and then we choose More in the drop down menu to drill into the full dialog.
The Point Style dialog appears, as it would when using the total Style button. We see that the triangle symbol from the Standard collection is used as the symbol. A Size of 28 points together with a Width of 30% provides an elongated triangle. A Stroke of .6 provides a border line around the triangle, but a not-too-thick line. A drop Shadow using gray color with an offset of 1 provides a slight 3D effect.
The rotation magic occurs in two settings: the Rotation setting of 60 degrees, which rotates the triangle so that if it were centered in the clock face it would point at the two o'clock position, and the Move parameters which use an Angle displacement also of 60 degrees, moving the symbol from the center of the clock out towards the two o'clock position, and an offset of 50%, that is, about 14 points. The result is a triangle that points at the 2 position in the clock and which is shifted fourteen points in that direction as well.
All of the other intervals use identical settings, except that for each the Rotation and the Angle for the Move setting are both the same value, the correct angle for that "time." The interval for 1 uses a rotation of 30 degrees with a Move angle of 30, the interval for 3 uses a rotation of 90 degrees with a Move angle of 30, and so on.
We can achieve a similar effect using a bitmap image for the symbol, if we like. The illustration below uses a bitmap image of a pointing hand as the point symbol.
In this case, the thematic format varies only the Rotation for each interval.
To create this effect, we first Copy the Cities image and Paste it to create a Cities 3 image. We add the Cities 3 image as a layer in the map, and we turn off the Cities layer.
With the focus on the Cities 3 layer we click on the Symbol parameter in Style, and we choose More.
In the Symbol dialog we change the image used to a bitmap that shows a hand. We also uncheck the Move and Shadow boxes. Press OK.
We click on the Size button for points and increase the size to 56. That provides the desired size in the map.
The other settings for total style, that is, the rotation, remain unchanged. Only the rotation need be varied because the bitmap image we use, as seen above, was created so the pointing finger is exactly on the center line of the image, and the center of the image occurs at a location where if the entire image is rotated the pointing effect remains correct.
Point Styles and Pixels - When using point styles that include precisely vertical or horizontal lines, with some choices of border stroke width and point size we can encounter visual effects where some point symbols seem sharper than others when seen on a computer monitor. That is a result of thinner lines being interpolated slightly differently for rendering on the grid of pixels that makes up the display screen. We can deal with that easily, as discussed in the Style: Symbol Sizes and Pixels topic.
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.
Style: Symbol Sizes and Pixels
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: 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: Fill Areas with Bitmap Images - 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.
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.