Style: Points

The Style pane for drawings controls style characteristics. Buttons allow us to change individual style characteristics, such as Stroke and Fill colors, Symbol, Size and Rotation, or we can use the total Style button to change several characteristics at once. See the overview discussion in the Style: Drawings topic.

This topic provides details on using Style dialogs for points. We will learn to create displays such as the illustration above.

Our example will be a map showing provinces in Germany, with a drawing layer called Cities that shows the locations of selected cities in Germany as points. We start with the points layer using default, gray color and the default circle symbol. The map of Germany has been simplified to remove islands in Northern seas.

For a better view of point styles, we will zoom in to the region near the provinces of Sachsen-Anhalt (blue) and Thüringen (salmon color) so only the three points for the cities of Hannover, Magdeburg and Erfurt are in view.

In the Style pane, we click on the total Style button for points.

In the drop down menu we choose More to launch the Point Style dialog. The Point Style dialog is very similar to the Symbol dialog we would see had we clicked on the Symbol button for points in the Style dialog, except that since we clicked on the total Style button we also have duplicated within the dialog the Stroke color, Fill color, Size and Rotation controls from the Style pane.

In the illustration above, we have increased the Size just below the preview pane to 32 points, to better see the symbol in use, and in the Standard symbol collection we have chosen the Hexagon Insert symbol. Choosing a symbol with an insert causes the Insert size, Insert and insert color controls to appear in the dialog. The Point Style dialog includes a Symbol tab that allows us to choose basic symbology for points and a Box tab that allows us to specify an optional Box effect that surrounds the point.

Symbol Tab Controls

(Preview)	Shows a preview of the total point style created by choosing options in the other controls.
	A color box in the upper right corner of the preview pane provides a drop down menu for choosing background color for the preview. This is often set with the Color Picker tool from the drop down menu, picking a typical background color from the map currently in use.
	Color, size and rotation settings like those in the main Style pane. Appear below the Preview in total style dialogs for areas, lines and points. (color boxes) - The main Stroke color and Fill color for the style. Changing these will replace any thematic format for colors with the specified colors. (size box) - The main Size parameter for the style. Changing the size will replace any thematic format for size with the specified size. (rotation box) - The main Rotation parameter for the style. Rotates the symbology to the specified angle. Changing the rotation will replace any thematic format for rotation with the specified rotation.
	Choose a collection for the symbology pane, from which we can choose a symbol. The Standard, Glyphs and Brands collections provide built-in sets of symbols. A short list of popular Windows symbols fonts are available for quick choices. We can also choose any Font installed on the system as a source of symbols, or load bitmap symbols from any Images on the system that are less than 4 MB in size and less than 1024 x 1024 pixels in extent.
Filter	Filter boxes in Manifold dialog allow reducing lists of very many choices to just those whose names match the text in the Filter box. For example, entering circle in the Filter box would show point symbols in the Standard collection named Circle, and Circle Insert. Use the Filter box to quickly find a given point symbol in large collections of symbols. The Glyphs choice, for example, provides hundreds of symbols from which we can choose, each of which has a more or less descriptive name. Enter fire to quickly find the Fire Extinguisher symbol.
(Symbols or Bitmaps)	Click a symbol from the collection shown. It will appear as the point symbol in use in the preview box.
Insert size / Insert	Appears when we choose a symbol from the Standard collection that includes a small shape within the overall symbol. The small shape is called an insert. Insert size: The size of the insert, 30% by default. There are four ways of specifying insert size, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes. Insert: The shape of the insert, auto by default, meaning the same shape as the symbol. The drop down menu provides choices for circle, diamond, hexagon, octagon, pentagon, triangle, rectangle, and rectangle rd, which is a rectangle with rounded corners. (color box) - Set the color desired for the insert. Loaded with the Stroke color from the Style pane by default.
Stroke	The width of the Stroke line used to draw a vector symbol. This option does not appear with bitmap image symbols or with font symbols, since the font itself controls stroke width. We can use fractional values if we like, for thin stroke lines. There are four ways of specifying Stroke width, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes.
Width	A value in % from 1% to 100%. The Width option appears for the Standard collection of vector symbols and for bitmap Image symbols, but not for fonts or other collections. A value of less than 100% squeezes the symbol horizontally to make it less wide. 50% width results in a symbol that is proportionally squeezed so it is the same height but only half as wide. Useful for creating vertically-oriented rectangles, or tall, pointy triangles.
Move	Check the Move box to shift the position of the point symbol relative to the actual location of the point object, shifting the symbol in the angular direction specified to the offset distance specified. If the box is not checked the point symbol appears exactly on the location of the point. Use with care, to avoid confusion when point symbols appear someplace other than where they are located. May find use with bitmap symbols such as Google-style "location" symbols, so that the center of the bitmap is not on the point location but the sharp, pointy end of the symbol is on the point location. Angle - The angular direction in which to shift the symbol. An Angle of 0 means to place the symbol directly North, that is, directly above the actual point location. An Angle of 270 means to place the symbol directly to the left, that is, directly West, from the actual point location. An Angle of 90 means to place the symbol directly to the right of the actual point location. Unlike label text or icons within label boxes, the Angle for points can be any degree value. Offset - The distance from the actual point location to shift the symbol. There are four ways of specifying offset distance, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes.
Shadow	Check the Shadow box to create a drop shadow for the point symbol, with the shadow shifted relative to the symbol in the given angle direction to the given offset distance. Angle - The compass direction in which to move the location of the shadow. An Angle of 0 means to move the shadow directly North, that is, directly upward, from the point symbol. An Angle of 270 means to move the shadow directly to the left, that is, directly West, from the symbol. An Angle of 135 is the default. Offset - The distance from the symbol to shift the symbol's shadow. There are four ways of specifying offset distance, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes. (color box) - Set the color desired for the drop shadow. Loaded with the Fill color from the Style pane by default.
Halo	Check the Halo box to create a halo, that is, an aura of color, surrounding the point symbol to the width given by the padding. Padding - The distance outwards from the symbol that the halo extends. There are four ways of specifying Padding distance, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes. (color box) - Set the color desired for the halo. Loaded with the Fill color from the Style pane by default.
	Buttons without any extra sub-icons show defaults inherited from the main Stroke and Fill color properties in the Style pane.
	Buttons that show a small "box" sub-icon indicate that the default color has been replaced by a user-specified choice.

The controls above apply only to the point symbol. If we add a halo or a drop shadow, for example, that halo or drop shadow will appear only for the point symbol and not for any box.

We can combine colors for the different elements to get a seemingly infinite range of effects. In the illustration above we have used a symbol from the Standard collection using black Stroke color and white Fill color, with a Size of 28 points and a Rotation of 15 degrees. The symbol we have chosen is the Pentagon Insert symbol. For the Insert shape we have chosen a hexagon shape with an Insert size of 50%. We use bright blue color for the insert. A Stroke width of 5% is used for the stroke line of the symbol and insert. We use a Halo of medium brown color that is has Padding for a width of 10% for the halo, and a Shadow using dark gray that is offset 8% from the symbol. The result is a sharply-drawn point symbol with a seeming 3D effect. We have set the background color of the preview pane to a light tan color.

Seen in the map, the new point style provides distinctive point locations. The slight Rotation of 15 degrees provides a more dynamic feel.

Transparency

We can use transparent color for different elements in the style.

Consider the same point style, shown above at a slightly larger size of 38 points. We have added a Bing satellite image server layer to provide a visually more complex background. We have also made a copy of the Provinces layer, called Provinces Borders, and have styled it so only the borders of provinces appear.

We drill down through the total Style button for points to get to the Point Style dialog seen above. In the illustration above, we have inset a copy of what the original style looked like, to make it easier to compare the changes made. We have chosen transparent color for the Fill color, which "knocks out" the white color used in the style. We have also chosen transparent color for the Insert color, which knocks out the blue color that was in the insert.

What is left is the main Stroke color, in black, the Shadow color in very dark, almost black, gray, and the Halo color in medium brown. When we knock out the Fill color, we can see how the Halo color appears on both sides of the border lines, in black Stroke color, that form the main symbol as well as the insert. The Shadow, likewise, can now be seen where it forms a shadow for parts of the style that otherwise would be hidden by non-transparent Fill color or non-transparent Insert color.

We picked the background color for the Preview pane seen above using the color picker tool, to pick a green color from the Bing satellite image. That gives us a feel for what the result will be like in the map.

Clicking OK, we see how the style using transparent Fill color and transparent Insert color appears in the map.

If we remove the Bing layer and the Provinces Borders layer from the map, we can see how the style appears against in the thematically colored Provinces layer.

Combinations with Multiple Layers

Using multiple layers, that are copies of each other but which use different styles, can create style effects when the point layers and styles combine.

We begin by copying and pasting the Cities drawing (just the drawing, not copying and pasting the drawing's table) to make a copy called Cities 2.

The Point Style dialog seen above shows the settings we have used for the Cities 2 layer.

We use the Map Marker Alt symbol for the Cities 2 layer with Rotation set to the default 0 degrees. The Map Marker Alt symbol in the Glyphs collection has the center of the symbol right in the middle of the blue shape. We want to shift it 50% upwards, that is, at an Angle of 0, so the lower end falls on the point location. The use of a 50% specification for the offset means that no matter what Size we make the symbol, the lower end will fall on the point location, because the offset will always be half the size of the symbol.

We use a Shadow that is black color and offset by 3.5%in the default Angle of 135 degrees. Using a percentage specification ensures the shadow will scale if we change the size of the symbol.

We use a simple green circle for the Cities layer. The green dots are placed exactly at the point location, while the Cities 2 layer symbols are shifted so the pointy end of the symbol is placed exactly on top of the point location. The composite effect accentuates the location of the cities.

Some symbols are not perfectly symmetric, and might require some tinker time to adjust the precise Angle and offset to use. For example, when using the Bolt symbol from the Glyphs collection, we have discovered through trial and error that an Angle of 10 degrees and an offset of 50% work well to position the tip of the lightning bolt on the point location.

We can combine point symbols with other layers, such as labels.

In the example above, we have created a computed field in the table, called PopK, which contains the population of the city (from another field) divided by 1000. We have created a PopK labels layer, which appears in our map above the Cities 2 point layer. The Cities 2 point layer uses the Comment symbol from the Glyphs collection.

Given some tinker time shifting the symbol, we discover that an Angle of 50 degrees and an offset of 78% give us the effect we want. Likewise, we have tinkered with the size, angle and offset of the label text in the labels layer Style to position the labels text within the Comments symbol.

Bitmap images used as point symbols can also be shifted as needed for composite styles. In the illustration above, a bitmap image from an Internet clip art collection has been used for the Cities 2 layer, and shifted so it falls underneath the label text for the Cities Labels layer. As a matter of good taste in graphics arts design, this is clearly pushing the limits of kitsch, but it does illustrate the idea.

The image above uses the Rook symbol from the Glyphs collection for the Cities layer points and a bitmap image symbol from a user-donated clip art collection for the Cities 2 layer underneath. The Cities 2 bitmap symbols have been shifted so the alight with the Cities symbols, as rotated by 15 degrees.

We can use bitmap image symbols in more than one layer. The illustration above shows a .png bitmap image showing a mug of beer in use as a bitmap symbol for the Cities layer. We have also shifted the map view somewhat, to show how effects in upper layers combine with lower layers, including the partially-transparent Canvas web server layer.

We add a Cities 2 layer, where we have used a bitmap image of a waitress as a symbol. We will then shift that symbol so it aligns with the beer symbols in the Cities layer. The use of partially transparent pixels in the original .png image used as the symbol in the Cities 2 layer automatically is reckoned when Manifold renders the various layers, to provide a natural effect.

Choosing Different Symbol Collections

The collections picker button provides a drop down menu that lets us pick a collection of symbols to use.

Built-in collections of symbols appear in the upper section of the menu. The Standard collection is a simple set of vector shapes, which includes shapes with inserts, that is, sub-shapes. The Glyphs collection provides a general purpose collection of vector symbols. The Brands collection provides a set of vector shapes implementing logos and trademarks for well known brands.

The middle section of the drop down menu provides one-click access to popular symbol fonts usually found on Windows systems, including Webdings and the Wingdings series of fonts. The Font choice allows us to choose any font that is installed on our system as a source of point symbols. The Image choice allows us to choose as a bitmap symbol any bitmap image that is less than 4 MB in size and less than 1024 x 1024 pixels in extent.

Important: For point symbols we can use symbols from the built-in collections of symbols, like the Standard and the Glyphs collection, from fonts or from bitmap images. Symbols we use from the built-in collections are always available and will continue to work even if we move the project to a different computer.

Symbols we take from bitmap images will also continue to work if we move the project to a different computer. When we use a point symbol taken from a bitmap image, the image data for the symbol is encoded and stored into the style within the project. If we save the project to a .map file we can copy the project to a different computer and the style will still appear correctly even if the original image file does not exist on that new computer.

In contrast, symbols from fonts are not embedded into the project. They depend on having the font installed in the Windows system we are using. Suppose we choose a symbol from a font such as Meteocons, the font used as an example in the Example: Style Pane Quickstart topic, and we save the project as a .map file. If we move that .map project to a different computer and then open it with Manifold, the style using that symbol will display correctly only if the Meteocons font is also installed in that new computer. If the Meteocons font is not installed, the symbol will not display.

To choose a different collection of symbols we press the collections picker button and choose the collection desired. For example, we can choose the Glyphs collection. That will fill the symbol grid with many point symbols available in the Glyphs collection.

In the illustration above we have clicked on the Ambulance point symbol. It immediately appears in the preview pane. We have taken a moment to set the background color to light blue, and we have chosen bright red color for the symbol's Stroke color and white color for the symbol's Fill color. We have increased the size to 36 points, and we have checked the Shadow box to use a black color shadow at an offset of 1 point.

We can change the symbol used for the point without changing the other factors.

For example, we can use the collections picker button to choose a Font.

In the illustration above, we have chosen the Meteocons font, the same font used as an example in the Example: Style Pane Quickstart topic, and we have clicked on one of the symbols in that font. It immediately replaces the ambulance symbol, but the other options remain the same even if they are not used: Stroke color is still red, and Fill color is still white, although it is not used by this font symbol. The shadow is still used. The Stroke option has disappeared, since fonts set their own stroke thickness as part of the definition of the font and choice of font characteristics such as Bold or Regular when choosing a font.

We can use the collections picker button to choose a bitmap point symbol from images. See the discussion in the Style: Bitmap Symbols topic.

In the example above we choose Images in the collections picker, and then we right-click into the symbology pane and choose Add to load symbols from a collection of bitmap images of colored beads. This particular collection of images has each image in two forms that are just slightly different. The first image has pixels on the edge anti-aliased for a lighter background while the second image of a pair has pixels on the edge anti-aliased slightly darker, to look better against a darker background.

We click on the first image to choose it as the point symbol. It appears at the equivalent size of 36 points. Stroke and Fill colors are still red and white, but not used by the image point symbol. A Width parameter has appeared, just as with the Standard collection, and that is still at 100% as before. We have unchecked the Shadow box since the shadow effect does not look good with the square of transparent pixels that frames the "bead" in this particular bitmap.

If we press OK in the dialog, and the focus was on the Cities tab, we will replace the beer mug bitmap symbol with the selected bead symbol. The surprising thing about combining bitmap symbols in layers is how at times a totally crazy combination can appear visually plausible. The key is to use quality bitmap images that have been attentively cut out from backgrounds and which have good anti-aliasing on their edges and good use of transparent pixels and partially transparent pixels for slight shadows within the image.

Manifold's ability to handle pixel transparency from a very wide range of image formats allows us to use bitmap images that have drop shadow effects within them, created by using partially-transparent and transparent pixels. The image above shows how a 3D effect can be obtained by using a bitmap image where pixel transparency is used to provide a partially-transparent region of "shadow" pixels below the flying object. Such effects are easily accomplished when creating images in Photoshop or GIMP or similar graphics arts editors, using Gaussian blurs.

Less dramatically, a slight amount of partially transparent shadow within the bitmap image at the base of the main item provides a better 3D effect for illustrations. The bitmap symbols shown in this topic all come from a user-contributed clipart collection.

Specifying Size in Parameter Boxes

Dialog controls often provide a box that specifies a size of some kind, such as the width of a line, the size of symbol, the padding width of a halo, the offset distance of a shadow or other effect, the length of a dash element in a dashed line, or some other indication of size, width, length. Manifold uses the same style of size specification in all these cases, providing four ways to specify the size. Two of these ways are absolute, without reference to any other parameter. The two other ways of specifying size are relative to some other, controlling size value.

There are four ways of specifying size:

	A number - Entering a number, such as 5, gives a size in points.
	A number with a unit - Entering a number with an abbreviation for a unit, such as 10pt, specifies a size in that unit, for example, 10 points. At the present time, only the pt abbreviation is recognized. Plans for future builds included adding units such as millimeters and inches.
	% sign - A relative size specification, the specified percentage of whatever is the main size factor, for example the main Size factor in the Style pane for point size. 200% specifies a size twice the overall size. 50% specifies a size half the overall size. % specifications are popular with experienced users because they automatically scale the specified size if the overall Size is increased or decreased.
	@ sign - A relative size specification, that adds to or subtracts from whatever is the main size factor. 5@ means five points larger than the main size factor. -3@ means three points smaller than the main size factors.

Examples

We use 1.5 for the Stroke size of a point symbol: If the overall Size for the point is 36 points, or 24 points or any other value, the width of the stroke line used to draw the symbol would be 1.5 points. Using a fixed specification like this is not a good idea if point sizes will vary, because the stroke line will appear disproportionately fat for smaller symbols and disproportionately thin for larger symbols.

We use 5% for the Stroke size of a point symbol: If the overall Size for the point is 36 points, the width of the stroke line used to draw the symbol would be 1.8 points. If the overall size of the point is 24 points, , the width of the stroke line used to draw the symbol would be 1.2 points. Using a % specification for Stroke width is a good idea if point sizes will vary, because then the thickness of the stroke line will be proportionate to the size of the symbol, retaining visual balance.

We use 10% for the Shadow offset size for a point symbol: If the overall Size for the symbol is 36 points, the shadow would be offset 3.6 points. If the overall Size for the symbol is 24 points, the shadow would be offset 2.4 points. Using % for shadow offsets may not produce the desired effect, because shadows are perceived as indicating the distance of the object from some background. Visually, they should be the same displacement for both larger and smaller objects if all objects are in about the same imagined distance from the background. Using a fixed value like 3pt might be a better idea.

We use 300%,200% as the Dashes specification for a border line: If the border line size was 2 points the specification would result in a dash length of 6 points and a space length of 4 points. If the border line size was 3 points the specification would result in a dash length of 9 points and a space length of 6 points,

We use -3@ as the Insert size specification for an "insert" style point symbol: If the size for the point symbol is 10 points, the -3@ specification results in an insert that is 7 points in size. An insert for a point symbol with a size of 36 points given an Insert size of -5@ would be 31 points in size. Negative numbers resulting from use of negative @ specifications are converted to a value of zero.

Box Tab

The Box tab allows us to add a box around the point. Boxes of contrasting color that surround point symbols can help set off the symbol for greater legibility. Such effects may be called backgrounds, or a symbol within a lozenge or similar nomenclature. Manifold simply calls it a box.

To add a box around a point symbol, in the Box tab we check the Use box option and then choose the box desired from the grid pane. More box styles are expected to be added in future builds.

In the illustration above, we have first in the Symbol tab chosen the rook symbol from the Glyphs collection. Next, in the Box tab we have specified dark blue and white for the Stroke and Fill colors of the box. We have chosen a box in the shape of a pentagon. A Padding of 30% points spaces the box with just enough space around point symbol. A Stroke of 5% points provides a box border line that at this size is just under two points thick. We use a black shadow, also using a % specifier for the offset. We use percentages in this example so that as we increase or decrease the overall Size of the point style, the widths of the elements will scale accordingly.

For example, in the image above we use the point style with a Size of 24 points, but the drop shadow and box stroke widths are in proportion.

Box Tab Controls

(Preview)	Shows a preview of the total style created by choosing options in the other controls.
	A color box in the upper right corner of the preview pane provides a drop down menu for choosing background color for the preview. This is often set with the Color Picker tool from the drop down menu, picking a typical background color from the map currently in use.
	Color, size and rotation settings like those in the main Style pane. Appear below the Preview in total style dialogs for areas, lines and points. (color boxes) - The main Stroke color and Fill color for the style. Changing these will replace any thematic format for colors with the specified colors. (size box) - The main Size parameter for the style. Changing the size will replace any thematic format for size with the specified size. (rotation box) - The main Rotation parameter for the style. Rotates the symbology to the specified angle. Changing the rotation will replace any thematic format for rotation with the specified rotation.
Box	Check to add a surrounding box to the point symbol. Controls in the tab will not be enabled if this box has not been checked.
(color boxes)	Specify the Stroke color and Fill color desired for the box. The color boxes are loaded by default with the Stroke color and Fill color from the main Style pane. We can choose transparent color for the Stroke color to make the stroke line disappear, while leaving the Fill color. This is slightly different from symbols used for point object styles, where choosing a Stroke color of transparent makes the entire point object disappear.
Filter	Filter boxes in Manifold dialog allow reducing lists of very many choices to just those whose names match the text in the Filter box. The Filter option is not useful in the Box tab given the limited number of choices.
(Boxes)	Click a box style from the collection shown. It will appear as the box in use in the preview box.
Padding	The distance outwards from the point symbol to the box. There are four ways of specifying Padding distance, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes.
Stroke	The width of the Stroke line used to draw the box. We can use fractional values if we like, for thin stroke lines. There are four ways of specifying Stroke width, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes.
Shadow	Check the Shadow box to create a drop shadow for the box, with the shadow shifted relative to the box in the given angle direction to the given offset distance. Angle - The compass direction in which to move the location of the shadow. An Angle of 0 means to move the shadow directly North, that is, directly upward, from the box. An Angle of 270 means to move the shadow directly to the left, that is, directly West, from the box. An Angle of 135 is the default. Offset - The distance from the box to shift the box's shadow. There are four ways of specifying offset distance, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes. (color box) - Set the color desired for the box's drop shadow. Loaded with the Fill color from the Style pane by default.
Halo	Check the Halo box to create a halo, that is, an aura of color, surrounding the box to the width given by the padding. Padding - The distance outwards from the box that the halo extends. There are four ways of specifying Padding distance, as discussed in the section on specifying sizes in parameter boxes. (color box) - Set the color desired for the box's halo. Loaded with the Fill color from the Style pane by default.
	Buttons without any extra sub-icons show defaults inherited from the main Stroke and Fill color properties in the Style pane.
	Buttons that show a small "box" sub-icon indicate that the default color has been replaced by a user-specified choice.

The controls above apply only to the box. If we add a halo or a drop shadow, for example, that halo or drop shadow will appear only for the box and not for the point symbol.

For examples combining different effects, see the Example: Complex Point Style using a Circle Box topic and the Example: Point Style using Move and Rotate topic.

Notes

Point Styles and Pixels - When using point styles that include precisely vertical or horizontal lines, with some choices of symbol 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.

Videos

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.