Table of Contents

SegPlay® PC Documentation

SegPlay® PC is an amazing PC application that provides a digital, interactive color-by-number experience that can be customized for all ages and experience levels. Various modes can be adjusted to suit the preferences of each SegPlay® PC user.

Transparency, texture and even the time it takes to fill a pattern piece can be adjusted so that each SegPlay® PC experience is unique. Texture and transparency of surface (canvas) and color (paint) can be adjusted, as well as properties of numbers and the lines that delineate various areas of color. SegPlay® PC is packaged with around 20 images to color.

Authorization

When you buy the SegPlay® PC software you’ll receive an authorization code providing you access to all the exciting features we’ve developed.

You’ll minimize technical problems by copying (Control-C) and pasting (Control-V) the code from the email into its respective field. If you prefer to type the authorization code by hand, type in the code EXACTLY as it appears in the email we send to you. You can’t have any characters or blank spaces in the field before you begin entering the authorization code.

Your code should look something like this:

SPP-ABEX-7YGW-LEQB-2GS3-HFT9

The authorization code you receive for SegPlay® PC will only work:

  • For that particular product
  • For the one user name you provide when purchasing it
  • For six months from the date of issue, so make sure you download SegPlay PC® as soon as you can.

Moving Your Software

If your time runs out or you have technical issues, let us know and we’ll get you fixed up. (this links to the technical form)

You may need to transfer SegPlay® PC to another computer if:

  • Your computer crashes
  • Your hard drive fails
  • Your corner of the world blows up

If catastrophe strikes, let us know and we’ll get you a new authorization code FAST! (this links to the technical form)

When your SegPlay® PC software has been authorized, you will see the word “Authorized” in the title bar of the program’s window.

Downloading Sets

When you purchase a set, you’ll get a custom download URL and password for the set. Note that our server has recently changed (August 2015) and if you are trying to download previously purchased sets, you’ll need to adjust the URL to use http instead of https.
(e.g. from: https://www.segmation.com/downloads/ANIHN78F13/SegPlayPC_ANI.exe to: http://www.segmation.com/downloads/ANIHN78F13/SegPlayPC_ANI.exe ).

Additional Patterns

Additional patterns are available at the Segmation Store.

Installation Requirements

Successful installation of SegPlay® PC requires Windows 2000 or XP [or higher] with 20 megabytes of available hard drive space, and DirectX 9.0 or higher.

DirectX is available from Microsoft’s web site. We recommend you download the latest version of DirectX to your computer before downloading SegPlay® PC.

A graphics card with a minimum of 64 Megabytes is also needed. You can verify its presence by looking at the Display Properties dialog on your PC-opened from the Control Panel.

Evaluation Mode Limitations

SegPlay® PC is a shareware product and there are some features which are limited until the product is purchased. Please see the SegPlay PC support page for more information.

Starting and Exiting

You can launch the SegPlay® PC program by:

  • Selecting SegPlay® PC from the Operating System Start Menu (Start/All Programs/Segmation/SegPlay® PC/SegPlay® PC).
  • Selecting the SegPlay® PC icon installed on the desktop.

You can close the SegPlay® PC program by:

  • Selecting the Close (X) button on the top-right corner of the SegPlay® PC Window.
  • Pressing the Esc (Escape) key.

An important feature of SegPlay® PC is its ability to save your work between sessions. The coloring you have done on all patterns is remembered until the next time the pattern is selected. Should you prefer, it’s easy to restart the pattern (see below) to remove the paint you’ve already applied and start over.

Overview

Getting Started GuideWe suggest opening the program and taking a moment to familiarize yourself with its features. The Canvas Area is the painting area, and it contains the picture you are working on and a background which can be adjusted to your preferred color.

The Control Panel is the area to the right of your screen. Descriptions of what each control in the Control Panel does will appear (“hint help”) when you roll your cursor over that control. The bottom of that area, containing round-edged rectangular fields of color with numbers on them, is your Palette. The color swatch in the Palette that is currently being used will have a dark ring around it.

Canvas

We recommend hitting the maximize button at the top of the window to make the working canvas area as large as possible. Alternately, you can switch to full screen mode (see below), to completely maximize the size of your canvas area. Another option is to drag the edges of the SegPlay® PC window to enlarge or collapse the window.

Navigation

  • Click the + magnifying glass icon in the control panel to switch to the magnifying glass tool. You can then zoom into area you want to work on in detail [make it larger]. If you hold down the “alt” key, the cursor will change to a “-” magnifying glass, and you will be able to zoom out [make it smaller].
  • To get back to original size, right-click the mouse to get back.
  • Clicking and dragging on the canvas using the magnifying glass or paint tools will move the canvas around so you can see different parts of the whole image. (This works similarly to the “hand” tool in some graphics programs).
  • If you mouse has a wheel, you can quickly zoom in and out of the pattern by spinning the wheel.
  • See Control Panel (below) for how to control other variables in the Canvas.

Control Panel

Getting Started GuideMany of the functions of the Control Panel can be understood by rolling over that function with your mouse to see the “hint help” (in yellow) or by studying the Control Panel diagram, above. There are many different creative combinations of ways to use this program, which makes it all the more fun to use!

In the following image, however, are a few notes regarding specific buttons and sliders.

Print

  1. Click here and you will get the standard Windows printer dialog.
  2. Make sure to choose either a portrait or landscape layout so that the printed area is maximized.
  3. Automatically, two pages will be printed: The Pattern Page and the Palette Page.
  4. We suggest that if you want to print out the pattern for coloring, decrease the transparency of the line color and number color and decrease the font size.

Full-Screen Mode

When the window is maximized, the image and the palette become large as possible, making it easier to see the numbers and select the palette colors This is the way we recommend using the program. Note that some operations (such as changing the numbers font and changing colors) might require the program to temporarily go into a windowed mode. The program will return to the full-screen mode, once the particular operation has been completed. Also when running SegPlay® PC in full-screen mode, screen savers may not be operational.

Reset to default settings

Resets program controls to their default settings.

Help

Brings up this help file.

Store

Provides information about purchasing SegPlay® PC, determining how many days remain in the evaluation period, and visiting the Segmation Store to obtain additional patterns.

Pattern Thumbnail

  1. When you click on the pattern thumbnail, you will be presented with a pattern selection dialog. In this dialog you can sort by the pattern code, pattern skill level, title, or opt for a random selection.
  2. Each pattern will have a different level of complexity (skill level) which is based on the number pieces needed to be filled. These are color-coded and indicate Simple, Easy, Medium, Difficult, or Complex.
  3. Each pattern also has a pattern code which indicates which pattern set the pattern is from. For example in the start set for SegPlay® PC, all of the pattern codes start with SPP.

More Info

This will link to a web page which will provide more information about the artist or subject you are painting.

Background color

Selects a color to use in the background of the canvas area.

Painting Basics

There are two basic tools that you will use to paint: the brush tool and the zoom tool.

  • Click on a color from the palette. The active color number will have either a black or white circle around it. The brush tool will be selected once there is an active color.
  • In the painting area, find a pattern piece which contains the number matching the active color number. Select that piece and watch it be filled with the active color. Note that depending on the zoom level, its possible that the number may not be drawn totally within the piece.
  • You can zoom in and out of the pattern by using the zoom tools, which look like magnifying glasses. Select the + zoom tool and click on the pattern to magnify. There is a virtually no limit to how far you can zoom into the pattern.
  • You can zoom out by selecting the – zoom tool. You can also zoom out by right-clicking on the pattern.
  • You can reposition/pan the pattern (similar to the hand tool in many graphics applications) by holding down any painting tool and dragging in any direction.

Coloring Modes [the three box icons with radio buttons]

Select from one of three coloring modes:

  • Normal: Each piece is shown with the designated color number. When all pieces with the selected color are filled, that color is removed from the palette, and the next available color in the palette is automatically selected.
  • Hint Mode: Only those pieces with a designated color number matching the current color contain a number. This makes it much easier to find the pieces to color and will greatly speed up your painting time. As in the Normal painting mode, when all pieces with the selected color are filled, that color is removed from the palette, and the next available color in the palette is automatically selected.
  • Free Coloring Mode: No numbers are drawn on the pieces. You are free to paint any piece with any color you like. No colors are removed from the palette.

Timing

  • You can challenge yourself in your painting efforts by using the timer. User skill level affects the amount of time allotted for painting the pattern.
  • To the left of the digital clock are radio buttons that indicate beginner, experienced, and expert. The pattern must be restarted before the user skill level can be set.

Restart Pattern

Use the restart button to set the timer to the countdown amount. The clock will start running once a mouse click is detected in the canvas/painting area.

Pause

The pause button will stop the clock, allowing the user a break. No mouse clicks are allowed when the timer is paused. You can restart timing by reselecting the pause button.

Fast Forward

You can see the pattern automatically completed by selecting the Fast Forward button. Jump to the end of the completed pattern by selecting the fast forward button a second time.

Toggle Clock

You can turn the clock on or off with the clock button. When the clock is off, you will not see the clock, nor the user level buttons.

Stats

At the bottom of the control panel, three figures are displayed:

  1. A counter showing the number of pieces remaining to be colored,
  2. A counter showing the number of colors remaining to be used, and
  3. A counter which shows the number of “misses” made. A “miss” is an attempt to paint a piece with the wrong color.

Painting Options

Canvas

You can change the canvas color and texture. You can change the canvas transparency, which determines how much of the original image will appear when painting. You can also change the canvas texture scale. (see diagram)

Lines

You can change the line color and transparency. (see diagram) Numbers: You can change the number color, font, and number transparency. (see diagram)

Paint

You can change the paint texture and transparency. You can also change the paint texture scale and the speed at which the paint appears to fill in the piece. There’s also a button which controls the paint texture alignment which will produce a more “random” appearance with the paint texture. (see diagram)

Fun Suggestions!

  • Try Painting with no lines! Turn the transparency down on the lines so that you just see the numbers. Try painting by selecting an area close to the appropriate number.
  • Guess which Number! Turn the transparency down on the number so that you just see the lines. Turn the paper transparency down so that you can see some of the original image. Take a guess which color is the best match. Better yet switch to free coloring mode and fill the piece with the color you think is best.
  • AutoPaint! Turn the speed of applying paint way down and then fast forward to complete. Watching paint dry has never so much fun!

Licensing Agreement

The SegPlay®PC software license agreement is installed with in the program directory and is named “license.txt”. Please review this file to completely understand the usage restrictions of this program.