BluePrintTools-Pro (BPT-Pro) v2.1

Manual

Installation:

How to Install BluePrintTools-Pro (BPT-Pro)

When you open the BPT-Pro folder, you'll see the files shown above. Double-clicking the Installer icon starts the installation process. Click OK to continue. The Installer will automatically locate appropriate versions of Adobe Illustrator. If you have multiple versions or copies of Illustrator installed, you can use the Change Disk and Change Folder buttons to specify which version you want to use with BPT-Pro. If the Installer cannot locate any copies of Illustrator, you can use the Change Disk and Change Folder buttons to locate the program. In case the Installer still cannot detect any copies of Illustrator, you can also install BPT-Pro manually by dragging the plug-in from the BPT folder to Adobe Illustrator’s Plug-ins folder.

The next time you start Illustrator after installing BPT-Pro, you will be prompted to enter your serial number.

BPT-Pro System Requirements

Adobe Illustrator 7/8/9

Mac OS 8 or later

While there are no known conflicts with other third-party plug-ins, the possibility exists.

When Adobe Illustrator is launched after installing BPT-Pro, six new sets of tools, comprising 13 tools, will be added to the Toolbox. The Illustrator Window menu also gets an addition. The command Show/Hide BPT-Pro Information Palette. The BPT-Pro Info. Palette is show above. The BPT-Pro Settings dialog box, is opened through Illustrator 9’s menu command Edit> Preferences> BPT-Pro Settings... (In earlier versions of Illustrator, the Preferences are located under the File menu.).

Using the BPT-Pro Settings and BPT-Pro Info. Palette allow you to take full advantage of all 13 BPT-Pro tools.

Shape

The pop-up menu allows you to select the shape of the end points for dimension lines. The choices are Rectangular, Triangular, Oblique Line, and Dot.

Accuracy

You can specify the number of decimal places to be shown, from none to six.

Units

BPT-Pro can work in inches, feet, millimeters, centimeters, or meters.

Unit Indicator

The unit indicator check box determines whether or not the unit of measure is shown for each dimension line.

Unit Accuracy

When checked, trailing zeros in a decimal will be shown. When unchecked, zeros at the end of a number will be dropped. For example, checked: 5.00in; unchecked: 5in.

Dimensions

This section of the dialog box allows you to specify various appearance features of the dimension lines.

The uppermost section of the BPT-Pro Information Palette shows the location of any BPT-Pro tool. The X,Y coordinates are measured from the document’s point of origin. When a BPT-Pro tool is being dragged, a first set of coordinates (X,Y) is frozen to show the location of the initial click, and a second set of coordinates (W,H) shows the cursor’s current distance from that point. The W reading shows the distance along the X-axis; the H reading shows the distance along the Y-axis.

The length measurement capability is perhaps BPT-Pro's most powerful feature. While Illustrator’s Measure Tool can be dragged to measure straight line distances and angles, BPT-Pro Info. Palette can show path segment length, including curves. Precise measurement of curved or straight paths is simple. Click the Length button in the BPT-Pro Info. Palette to activate the measurement capability. You can then click on any path segment with Illustrator’s Direct Selection tool to see its length. The reading will be updated as a selected path segment or object is edited. Shift-clicking allows you to see the combined length of multiple segments. The segments need not be contiguous, and can even be from different objects.

Using Illustrator’s Selection Tool or Group Selection Tool will give the length of an open path or the circumference of a closed path. (This can also be accomplished by using the Direct Selection Tool and Shift-clicking on all segments of a path or object.)

Once a length measurement has been made, the reading can be preserved in the palette by clicking the Length button to deselect the option. The most recent reading will continue to be displayed until the button is clicked again to reactivate the capability. When the Length button is next clicked, the length of whatever path or object is selected will be displayed. If no path or object is active on Illustrator’s art board, the BPT-Pro Info. Palette’s Length reading will show 0.

BPT-Pro's Snap function allows you to use the tools precisely by snapping to Illustrator’s grid or existing points and paths. Multiple options can be selected. When Snap to Anchor Point or Snap to

Intersection is active at the same time as Grid,

BPT-Pro's tools will be able to snap to points or intersections, even if not aligned to the grid.

Three numeric fields to the right allow you to specify the snapping tolerance. You can set separate intervals for horizontal and vertical snap, as well as for snapping to the grid.

Snap to Grid

When on, the grid fit function works like Illustrator’s command View> Snap to Grid. However, BPT-Pro allows you to specify the interval independently for vertical and horizontal snapping.

Snap to Anchor Point

Snap to Anchor Point allows the tools to snap to anchor points of nearby paths and objects. The cursor will change to indicate that it is over an anchor point. The paths need not be selected.

Snap to Intersection

When Snap to Intersection is selected, the cursor will change to indicate when it is positioned directly above the intersection of two paths. The paths need not be selected.

Snap to Path

When Snap to Path is active, the cursor will change to indicate when it is positioned directly above an existing path. The paths need not be selected.

Vertical/Horizontal Snap

This option allows the cursor to change to indicate vertical and horizontal movement.

Grid Spacing

When selected, you can use the field to the right to specify an offset distance for the Oblique Dimension Tool (See Page 7). The dimension line will snap to multiples of the specified distance.

To use this tool, click on your first point (shown here as A), drag to the second point (B), and release the mouse button. To place the dimension line, move the mouse the required distance in the required direction and click the mouse. To make the tool snap to a path or point, choose the Snap option from the lower section of the BPT-Pro Info. Palette. The length information can be flipped across the dimension line by dragging in the opposite direction (from B to A).

Like the Oblique Dimension Tool, you create dimension lines with this tool by dragging from point to point, offsetting the mouse, and clicking again to place the dimension line. When working with small distances, the dimension line’s arrowheads can be placed outside.

When the Length option is selected in the BPT-Pro

Info. Palette, this tool can be dragged along curves to measure them. In addition, it can be used with combinations of straight and curves segments. Note, however, in situations such as that shown to the right, the dimension shown will be correct, but the dimension line, due to offset, will; not be precisely the same length.

Straight Dimension Tool

Curve Dimension Tool

Radius, Diameter Tools:

Double-clicking the tools’ icons in the Tool- box opens their Settings dialog boxes.

For the Radius tool, you can elect to have the dimension line extend from the center to the edge of the circle, or point to the edge of the circle from outside. The measurement can be shown along the line or on a subline from the left or right.

The three Fillet Tools give you the capability of rounding angular corners. You can leave the original squared corner unchanged and create a new rounded path (Addition); you can add a rounded corner to the path, and the original corner remains as a separate path (Separate); you can replace the original corner with a new, rounded corner (Replace). To use the Fillet Tools, first set the rounded corner’s radius by double-clicking any of the Fillet Tools. You can then input the desired radius in the BPT-Pro unit of measure. (You set the unit in Edit> Preferences> BPT-Pro Settings.). Once the radius is set, click on one side of the path to be rounded and drag to an adjoining side. The cursor will change to cross hairs when it is positioned over a path segment. Once you release the mouse button, the new corner will be formed.

Angle Tools, Slant Tool:

Angle Tool

You can use this tool to show an angle measurement in degrees. Click on one leg of the angle, drag to the other, and release the mouse button. To set the dimension line, move the mouse and click again. If you move the mouse toward the inside of the angle, the measurement will be made (and displayed) inside the angle. If you move the mouse outside the angle before the second click, the angle will be measured (and displayed) outside.

Slant Tool

Slant Tool can be used to straighten objects and establish horizontal baselines. Click on one point of an object (A) and drag along the angle to be made horizontal (B). BPT-Pro will re-orient the object to the new baseline. The tool need not be dragged along any of the object’s paths. If dragged from right to left, the object will be flipped across the new baseline.

Arc Tools:

Dragging from point A to point B determines the direction of the arc; the cursor movement to point C established the length and diameter of the arc. When moving the cursor from point B to point C, you’ll be able to preview the arc.

Tangential Line

Arcs created with this tool pass through all three points: the first click (point A), the position to which the cursor is dragged (point B), and the location where the mouse is clicked the second time (point C). This tool is especially useful when two points on the arc are known. Remember that, because the arc must pass through all three points, the point C cannot be on a line that passes through the point B perpendicular to a line from A to B.

Unlike the other two Arc Tools, this third tool does not begin drawing the arc from point A. Instead, point A serves as the center of the arc. Dragging from point A to point B establishes the radius of the arc, and the arc is actually drawn from point B to point C. This tool is most useful when the radius and center point of the arc are easily determined.

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