Step One - Working with Holons
There are many functions in this program and this initial tutorial is designed to work with a few basic functions that should give you a jump start in understanding how they work. I will try and be as thorough as possible and time allowing, cover as much ground as I can.
If I omit something by accident or you have suggestions, please let me know so that I can improve this for everyone!

Getting Started:
When you open the program you will see that the tab selected is File. Select the Shape tab and you should see the following screen. The window on the left shows a square shape (holon), this is where you will manipulate the "building blocks" of your composition. The window on the right will show you what the image looks like (Which will be blank at this point).

Below the left window (See image above) you will see three columns; X, Y & Z. These represent the three axis points of the shape (Holon).
There are also four rows; Scale, Skew, Rotate and Position.
Scale is the overall size of the Holon. Move the values in the three columns and your shape grows or shrinks. Try it and see and then return the values to 80.
Skew "twists" the angle of the holon. Again try this and then return the values in each column to 0.
Rotate will turn the holon on one of it's three axis.
Position will move the holon to different points of the screen. X= Horizontal (Left or right); Y= Vertical (Up & Down) and Z= Near or far, moves the holon closer or farther away to the camera view.

By changing the numbers in these boxes you can move the holon to different positions on the screen.

Now select the Z column and change the value in Rotate to 35. (I have omitted the right window for now in the image below for quicker image download) You should then see this image:

We will now add another Holon by selecting the Add button beneath the left window. You should now see two holons like the window below. Note that one is outlined in yellow, this is the "active" holon and changes you make are only to the active holon. Later I will show how to select more than one holon at a time.

Change the values in Scale to 25 in all three columns of X, Y & Z. Change the Y value of Rotate to 45. See the image below. (Tip: When you wish to make all of the values the same, as in Scale values of 25 in this instance, you can change one value and then click on the green icon next to the Scale row and it will change all three values to what you have entered. )

Step Two - Working with Metamorphs
Now add another Holon by clicking on the Add button. Change the Y value of Scale to 35 and the Y value of Position to minus 80. This creates a rectangle shape and moves the position (vertically) below the other holons. (See image below) You should now see your image taking form in the right window. Next, click on the smallest holon in the center of the screen so that it is the "active" holon (once selected it will be highlighted in yellow) instead of the bottom rectangle.

Metamorphs are transformations that can affect the texture and shape of the holons. These metamorphs can be applied to all holons at once or individually. More than one metamorph can also be applied simultaneously to one holon. We will do both in the following steps. Click on the center holon (small one) to make that the active holon. Be sure that the Metamorph button is depressed (should be selected by default).

Above and slightly to the right of the metamorph button you will see two columns with Style buttons that say None. These buttons select the "style" or type of metamorph applied. (See image above) Next to the columns there are three rows; Amount, Scale, Special. Change the value of Amount in the first column to 100. Select the check boxes for Reposition, Rescale and Reorient. Click the button that says None above the first column. This will open up a new window with the available metamorphs. Select .balled. You should now see the image below.

Now that we have our basic form to work with we can start to "play"! We will now begin to work with adding "metamorphs". This metamorph was applied to only the active holon since that was the only one selected. Now we will select all of the holons to move as a group instead of individually. Directly below the view windows you will see two buttons with a plus and minus sign. Select the plus sign which should highlight all holons. Once that is done change the Z Position value to 50. This moves all holons (since they have all been selected) closer in the view. See image below.

As you can see, the image has been moved closer to view and also changed the very structure and surface features of the image. Moving holons does not only affect position but can also change the structure and surface appearance as well. Since most of the image is out of view because it has been moved closer, we will move it back into view by changing the Object Size value which is directly below the left window. Change that value to 34 which will allow the full image to again fit in the right window.

Tip: Below the left view window there are two boxes, one named Zoom, one, Object size. The Zoom box controls the holons in the left window. Changing this value moves the objects closer or farther away in the field of vision. The Objects box controls the objects in the right window and acts the same as the Zoom feature except that it controls the right window.

Working with Metamorphs Part 2
You should now have the image below showing in your right view window. Now de-select the holon group by selecting the button with the minus sign and then click on the smallest holon to activate that holon alone.

Once you have deselected the other holons we are going to move the position of this small holon. Change the Postition value of X to 160. Note the change this created in the image below. A big change! The changes in the fullness of the image and also the surface features have created a much more interesting image than the thin form we started with.

Now we will add a second metamorph style to this holon alone. Change the value of Amount in the second metamorph column to 30, check the reposition box and then using the Style button select the form Nubble. You should see the image below. Try selecting different metamorph styles on this setting and observe the different changes each creates in this image. Once you have finished "playing" return to the Nubble style before proceeding!

TIP 1:
There is a small grid next to the metamorph fields that are Memory spots. When you have an image you want to temporaily save, click one of those squares and it will save the settings while the file is open. This way if you make changes to an image and wish to return to where you were, simply click on the highlighted (red) memory spot and you're back where you were!

Caution! : This does NOT save the image permanently! To save the image to file, select the File tab and then the Save button. Name the image and save it to a folder of your choice.

TIP 2
Another additional feature with the Memory dots. You can erase either one or more spots if the grid is full. If you wish to clear only one spot to add another, simply hold your CTRL key down and then click on that spot. If you wish to clear all of the memory spots and start over, hold your Shift key down and click on any spot.

CAUTION! : This will remove all saved spots and you will not be able to recover them unless you have saved them to file before erasing the memory spots!
(Thanks to Panny Brawley for suggesting this addition!)   ;-)

Working with Metamorphs Part 3
Now we will add a different Metamorph to the large center holon. Click on that holon to make it the active holon. In the first metamorph Style column, change the Amount value to 30 and check the Reposition and Reorient boxes. Click on that column's metamorph Style button and then select Crinkle from the menu. You should now see the image below.

The third setting (row) for this column is called Special. This also has the effect of changing the degree or appearance of the metamorph style. Change this value to 30 and you should now have the image below.

Now we need to move the image back into the field of view since it is no longer centered. You will see a box directly below the LEFT window that says Drag Mode. It should by default say Position but if not change that. In the RIGHT window click your left mouse button and while still holding down the button "drag" the image until it is centered. Also change the Object Size field (Also below the LEFT window) to 31 or so to fit the image into the window completely.

As you can see, this last adjustment to the Special field changed the image dramatically. It is fuller and much more detailed. Change the values of these three Style fields and observe the changes. Return the values after experimenting before moving on.

Working with Holon Positions
While this image is an interesting one I want to reduce some of the "bulk" of the shape. Change the value of Scale to 4.70 and you should see the image below.

Now that I have an image I like we will begin to experiment with the position of the holons individually and collectively. Make sure only the large center holon is selected (active) and change the value of Y-Rotate to 355.0 and Y-Position to 25. This rotates the holon around the vertical axis and also moves the holon up vertically. You can now see a slight change in the image below.

Now we will move all three holons as a group. Select all holons by clicking on the button with a + sign directly below the windows.

Here is a very important technique for moving the holons as a group. Click on a memory spot to mark the image shown above before trying this since we want to return to this position! Now change the Y position to 50. Note that all holons moved to the same vertical position. If you simply change the number in the Y position box it will move all holons to that vertical plane. ie; They will all be lined up on the same line. We do not want to do that! (At least not in this demonstration!) You should now see the image below:

Now go back and click on your memory spot so that you have the image prior to this last example. In this case what we want to do is move the entire group vertically while maintaining their relative position to each other. Very different than moving them all to the same vertical axis!

Click your left mouse button in the X-Position box and while still holding your left mouse button down note that there is now a double arrow showing in the box. Still holding the mouse button down drag the numbers down until they reach -56.5. This moves the entire group, maintaining their relative position to each other laterally (horizontaly) to the left. Now using this same "hold and drag" technique change the Y position to 50. This moves the entire group verticaly but maintains the position relationship of the holons. Do the same "click and drag" technique with the Z positon and change to 100. Much different than when we simply entered the number before! Re-adjust the object size field to move the image completely back into the field of view in the right window and you should now see the image below, which is a radical departure from the previous shape!

Note that these position changes do not simply move the image but can also radically change the shape and structure of the image. It is not the same as "dragging" the image in the view window to a different spot on the screen but actually causes the holons to "interact" in their relationship with each other.

Working with Holon Positions Continued
We'll now continue to adjust the size and position of the holons as a group. Using the "click and drag" technique change the Y Position to 25 and the Z postion to 120. You should now see the image below.

Now for a couple of techniques that can come in handy! Deselect the holons by clicking on the minus sign button and then select the bottom rectangle holon by clicking on it. Directly below the right window you will see a small red button. By hovering your cursor over this you will see it says "Hide Holon". Click on this button. You should now see the image below.

Because the holons interact with each other, simply removing this holon will radically change the form of the image while "hiding" the holon only removes unwanted areas from view. To demonstrate, the image below is where the holon was removed instead of hiding.

Tip: You can still continue to manipulate the "hidden" holon which will change the image but continue to keep that holon area from view. Try selecting the hidden holon and changing some of the parameters to see how it continues to influence the image. Don't forget to use a memomry spot before doing this so that you can return to this point and continue the tutorial! Also try this hiding technique on the other holons and observe the results.

Working with Holon Positions Continued
Return to the image position below and then we will use another holon selection technique.

Now while holding down the Ctrl key click on the center holon and while still holding down the Ctrl key also click on the smallest holon. You should now have those two holons selected and the bottom rectangle holon should not be. By using this technique you can select only a specific group of holons to adjust. Now change the Rotate Z position to 45 and you should see the image below. Note that the bottom rectangle in the image below is not highlighted because it is not selected as part of this group. Note how this Rotate Z changed the angle of the image to make it "level" horizontaly.

Tip: Another technique for moving holons, either individually or as a group, is accomplished by selecting Position in the Drag Mode dialog box. You can then highlight the holon(s) that you wish to move and then left click in the left view window and while holding down the mouse button, drag the holon(s) to various positions.

Working with Metamorphs II

You can change metamorphs selectively, either as a group of holons or individually. By selecting one or more holons and then selecting a metamorph from one of the Style buttons you can then apply the metamorph to all selected holons at the same time.

You can also choose to randomly select metamorphs by the small hat icon directly below the metamorphs boxes. Each column has a "hat" (or Random button) for that respective column.

On the right, next to each row (Reposition, Reorient, Amount, Scale, Special) you will see check boxes. These check boxes are for designating which of these fields you wish to change for that holon(s). If you check all the boxes, then all the holons selected will each have the metamorph changes randomly applied. If you only wish to change Amount, for instance, you would only check the box next to that row and only that field will change.

You will also see a Sync check box. This is for "syncing" these changes to all selected holons, otherwise each holon will have a different metamorph randomly applied to it. So if Sync was not selected and you had all three holons active, each may have a totally different metamorph applied.

Let's try a couple of different approaches. In the image below I have selected only the small holon and checked all boxes in the right column except Reorient ( and Sync since I have only one holon selected ). I have then clicked on the "hat" icon for the second metamorph Style and it has changed the metamorph to Shell and changed the fields for the boxes checked.

Now uncheck the Reposition box for the second metamorph and note the change below from the image above. Changing combinations of the Reorient and Reposition boxes for each metamorph styles can also change the image dramatically. This modification is minor but try unchecking the Reorient and Reposition buttons for the different metamorphs on each holon in different combinations and observe the changes. Return to the previous position before making the next changes.

In the next example I have selected all holons and checked the sync box ( since I wish the same metamorph to be applied to all three holons ). I have then randomly changed the numbers in each field myself and then unchecked all the other boxes since I want all three fields ( Amount, Scale and Special ) to stay at the numbers I changed them to and hit the random again. Here is the result:

In this next example I changed the Special field to 45, the Amount to 25 and hit the random again for the second style. Below is the result.

You can also easily check which holons have which metamorphs applied by selecting the small button directly above the main Metamorph button. This gives you information on each holon, what metamorphs each holon has and the degree. See example below:

Drag Techniques and Random Settings

So far we have learned how to add holons, change sizes and positions, move holons individually or as a group, hide holons, apply metamorphs individually or as a group, learned how to selectively apply metamorph settings both by user input and randomly and how to "drag" the images in the Object size view window to different positions. If that wasn't enough in basic composition, here are a few more techniques! In the image below you will see additional settings for composition.

There are several useful composition tools contained in this small section! These settings are for controlling or changing the holons in the Left view window in several different ways or combinations. This is accomplished by holding down your left mouse button in the Left view window and dragging the holon(s) , after selecting the various options here. I'll refer to this as the Drag Technique from here on!

Note that the drag mode is set to Position. In the Drag Rotate setting there are several options, Angle, Position, Both & Counter. Angle will only allow the angles of any selected holons to change by this drag technique. Position will do the same except allow you to move selected holons freely to differnt positions. Both will allow both options (Drag & Position) to be applied in the dragging operation and Counter reverses the action. Got all that?!   ;-)

In the next image you can see several options that are available in the Drag Mode box.

Any of these options can be selected and then applying the Drag technique in the left window it will change the image for that option setting. In other words, if you select Scale and then use the drag technique it will change only the Scale settings of any selected holon(s) . If you hold your CTRL key down while doing this it will move the image closer or farther from view (toward/away from camera ) as well. If you select the Skew option and use this drag technique it will only change the Skew settings for the selected holon(s). If you select Metamorph in this box than the Metamorph settings will change as you drag the mouse. Etc., Etc.

Mark a memory spot and try this Drag technique using the various settings in the Drag Mode Box and observe the changes.

Randomizing Shapes

On the previous page we learned how to set the various parameters in the Drag Mode options and then using the drag technique in the left view window, change the image dramatically by dragging it. In this section we will cover using random changes to generate new image forms and holon combinations.

In the image below you will see several icons below the Drag Mode Box. Hold your mouse cursor directly over each button to see the info dialog box for that button. Note that the buttons are "Randomize sequences for selected holons" ; "Zero constrained values" ; "Toggle centering" ; "Align Linear" ; "Align cyclic" and "New geometric fractal".

The Randomize button ( rabbit-in-the-hat icon ) generates random sequences for the selected holons from whatever parameter is set in the Drag Mode box. To change ALL parameters set it to Morph (or Metamorph). For instance, if you have Position selected in the Drag Mode box and then press the Random button it will randomly move the selected holon(s) to different positions. If you select Rotate then the randomize button will randomly change the rotational axis for the selected holon(s).

Don't forget to mark a memory spot or save your file prior to experimenting so that you can return to your previous image if you wish, otherwise it's history!

The icon to the right of the Randomize button is the Centering button. This will toggle the image from it's current position to the closest position to 0,0,0. By "toggling" back and forth you can get a different view. Try it! Try us also using the Align Linear and Cyclic buttons and observe the changes. These are pretty self explanatory so I won't expand on those!   ;-)

At the bottom left is the New Geometric Fractal button. Note, this is not for editing an existing image but will randomly generate an entirely new set of holons! Don't do this unless you have already saved the image you have been working on!

There is also a button for Zero Constrained Values. To observe this option select one of the parameters in the Constraints box, check the Absolute box and then click on the Zero Contraint Values button. This is for "over-riding" the 3D effect to a 2D plane (on some images). Laymans explanation! Refer to the help file for more detailed info.

I have included several examples below using the techniques I have been demonstrating. The first image is one we previously created in this tutorial and I am using as a strating point for the following images.

The next image is using the Constrained Value button ( XY parameter ) from the previous base image.

Using the various parameters in the Drag Mode box in combination with the Randomize button created the following images from this same set of holons.

Summary

This completes the first part of this tutorial working with the basics of holons and metamorphs. Hopefully covering these basics in a visual format has been of some help to you in exploring the potental of this program.

I have included a zip file of 44 files to experiment with. These files are groups of three to ten holons and offer some beginning points to try some of the techniques explained earlier in this tutorial. Also be sure to check out the starter files included with the program that offer a number of great starting points and also the Help files that come with the program.

I hope to continue this tutorial to cover other aspects of this program in the near future. Please let me know of any questions or suggestions you may have and if you found the tutorial helpful!

Click on the link below to download the zip file of xeps: XenoDream XEP's

在哪里可以下载到免费的Xenodream?

完全看不懂啊

这些按钮是作什么用的？

红色的这些小方格到底是怎么用的阿