With this tutorial I want to explain how to create a simple icon.
I will not go too much into details, as I simply want to convey the basics.
To create an icon open Icon-o-matic, which you can find in the menu under Applications.
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Since Icon-o-matic is an integral part of the system, it does not have to be pre-installed. |
Each icon consists of several components. First there are the paths, then the Shaps and the Styles.
Of course you can create new components in each area, but if you build a new icon it is easiest to create a Shape with Path and Style.
So go to the Shape menu and select Add with path & style.
This creates a Shape, a Path and a Style. Since you have to link this components together so that you can change them at the same time or assign a color to objects, a cross must be placed in front of the components. This will be made here atomatically.
Before we start painting an icon, let's go to the added style to give our shape a color.
After selecting the Style, we click on one of the two small triangles below the vertical color row. After that we can choose a color in the color palette.
Now we can start drawing the icon.
Now highlight the path and then select Add circle in the Path menu.
Now you can start with the mouse on the editor field to paint an icon. To do this, click on the editor field with the mouse and set a path point with each click. Once more than one path point is set, these points will be linked together. The points are connected in the order in which they are placed.
For the sake of simplicity, in this tutorial I painted a circle as an icon.
Export an icon and assign it to a file or folder
Now that we have created an icon, we have to export it now and assign it to the desired program or folder.
Go to the program menu and select Export as......
...search the system for the desired file and select it. Select the format BEOS:Icon Attribute and press Save.
The icon of the selected file will be replaced by the new one.
Important tools
Change complete object
If you would like to modify a ready-made Path, for example stretching or compressing, you have to close it first.
To do this put a cross in the Properties at Closed. Of course, closing the path also includes the shapes associated with the path.
To change the painted object, you can now select one of the existing path points with the mouse (keep the left mouse button pressed) and move. The path and the associated components are changed.
Reset a failed path
If one of the path-points you set on the editor are not optimally set then hold down the Alt-key and click with the mouse on this point...
...to optimize him.
Remove a path-point
If you would like to remove a path-point, hold the Ctrl key pressed and...
...click on the respective path-point to remove it.