When I double-click on the .jar file icon, nothing happens.
This is probably a Java install issue. Some information is available on the
developers page, but you'd better consult your JVM documentation.
When I run Arabeske through the command line, it answers
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Arabeske/jar
The default java or jre behaviour is to expect a class as its main parameter.
As Arabeske is stored in a JAR archive, it is mandatory to add the "-jar"
option before the archive name.
How can I translate Arabeske into a new language?
Arabeske has been used for educational purposes, which mandates a native language
translation of the GUI. This translation process has been deeply integrated into
the software, through the use of the i18n/I18n.java source file. If your language
uses latin characters, just rename the source file appending the
iso 639-1 code
of the language (eg. i18n_nl.java for Dutch), translate the GUI text strings, and
recompile the software. If your language uses a different character set, an additional
conversion step and the use of an Unicode editor will be necessary. In any case please
contact the author so that your contribution can be added to the mainstream releases.
Where is the UNDO feature?
There is none yet. It's on the first line of the to do list for the next main
version. A full implementation of such a feature supposes a deep integration
inside the software architecture, and would not be reasonable currently. In
the meantime, please use the temporary storage feature
()
as a workaround.
Why isn't there a p5 or p7 group?
Just because they don't exist. It is not possible for a pattern to be at the
same time invariant through a rotation of a 1/5th or 1/7th round, and through
translations. However, it's up to you to develop a patch to enable Arabeske
to work in hyperbolic (p7) or spherical (p5) geometries ;-)
I can't change my pattern from p4 to p3m1.
You use polar coordinates for one of your links. Since secondary nodes appear
at different locations depending on the main group order, changing the order
is not allowed after a polar link is created.
What do those words besides the progress bar mean?
Complex rendering, in both final and interlaced modes, involve several steps
of varying and rather difficult to predict duration. Therefore, using a unique
progress bar would not be very relevant. To put it simply, let's say that rendering
first involves generating copies of all the possible links and texture "drops",
which might need 4 steps. Then, interlacing is a 7 steps phase, followed by
texturing which needs 10 steps, and finally the pattern can be displayed.
Step 7 in the texturing process is way too slow!
This step can be quite long, and is only used to help the user in case a leak
is detected in a later step. It is not mandatory and can be disabled (please
consult the "leaks" section of the documentation).
Arabeske refuses to enter interlaced mode !
Your pattern uses Bézier lines. Interlacing calculation in patterns using
Bézier splines is currently impossible with Arabeske. The geometrical
issues involved in this process are much more complex than with segments, and
need much longer and complicated algorithms, which might be added in a future
version.
Arabeske freezes in texturing step 10.
Except in case of a bug, it is theoretically possible, but extremely unlikely.
The only known possibility is to have two osculating curves, ie. Curves which
are tangent to each other at a point where they have the same curvature. If
you think your pattern does not feature this problem, please contact me. In
any case, nothing is lost, as you can always select another display mode to
get back to normal operation.
How can I export to DXF?
There is currently no exporter written for DXF. Such a module is not on my to
do list, as I don't know and don't use this format. However, writing such code
wouldn't be very hard for someone with the sufficient DXF and Java knowledge.
A workaround consists in using gsview as a converter.
My EPS export overlaps the bounds of the pattern.
The pattern exported as EPS is globally clipped, but every component is fully
drawn, even if it overlaps the bounds. Good implementations of the PostScript
interpreter, such as GhostView, will handle this properly, but most implementations
fail to do so. As strange as it seems, Adobe Illustrator fails miserably here.
PNG export takes hours!
If the export resolution differs from the dsiplay resolution, Arabeske will
recalculate the whole picture. This may take time, but not hours.
If you use a JVM 1.4 under some Unix, and run Arabeske on another computer than
your X server, PNG exporting can really take several hours. This problem is
known by Sun, and comes from an optimisation (!) of version 1.4 JVMs. To get
back to affordable exporting times, this optimisation has to be disabled at
launch time, using the following option:
java -Dsun.java2d.pmoffscreen=false -jar Arabeske