SonoDraw Help | About SonoDraw

Using SonoDraw

SonoDraw is a relatively straightforward vector illustration program for laying out patterns to be dispensed using a SonoPlot Microplotter. This help page provides an in-depth description of the various elements of the software.

Software updates

Updates to SonoDraw can be detected and downloaded automatically on any computer connected to the Internet. Unless specified otherwise, SonoDraw will check for updates every time it starts up by checking with a central listing at sonoplot.com. Users can check for updates manually by selecting Check for Updates... under the SonoDraw menu.

Once an update has been detected, the software will display a brief summary of what's new in this version and ask whether you would like to upgrade. You can choose to install the upgrade now, postpone the upgrade, or skip this version entirely. If you choose to perform the upgrade, a download will commence. At the completion of the download, the new version will be installed over the old and SonoDraw will restart.

File loading and saving

SonoDraw is used for drawing and editing the pattern files that specify what a Microplotter dispenser will print. These pattern files are text files with a .pattern extension (or .xml for legacy pattern files) that follow an XML-based format.

To load a file from disk, select the File | Open... or File | Open Recent menu item. You can load files with both the .pattern and the older .xml file extensions.

Saving a file is accomplished by selecting the File | Save or File | Save As... menu items. Files can only be saved with the .pattern extension.

The drawing tools

Drawing tools

There currently are four different feature types that can be drawn in SonoDraw:

Each of these feature types can be drawn by first selecting the appropriate tool type from the toolbar above the pattern. This switches SonoDraw into a mode where it will keep drawing that particular feature type until you select a different one.

Spots

Spots are simply droplets that are touched off by the dispenser at specific locations on a the surface. To draw a spot, select the Spot tool and click once on the location where you would like the spot to be dispensed.

Lines

Lines are continuous traces that are drawn across the surface in one motion. To draw a line, select the Line tool and either click once at the starting location of the line and once at the end or click at the starting location and drag to the ending point of the line.

Rectangular fills

Rectangular fills are rectangular regions that are going to be filled in with solution by the dispenser drawing a series of overlapping lines. To draw a fill, select the Rectangular Fill tool, click on the starting point, and drag to determine the size of the filled region.

Arcs

Arcs are continuous features similar to lines, comprising a portion of a circle, and are drawn by a Microplotter as either a series of line segments or one continuous path depending on the model of Microplotter used. To draw an arc, first select the Arc tool. Then click once to set the center point of the arc. As you move the mouse, you will see a representation of the radius of the arc. Click again to set the radius and starting angle of the arc. Now when you move the mouse you will see a preview of the arc at various ending angles. Click again to set the ending angle and draw the arc.

Editing features

One of the benefits of a vector-based illustration program is the ability to edit any drawn feature at any time. To start editing, place SonoDraw in selection mode by clicking on the Select Items tool.

Single items can be selected by clicking on them and multiple items can be selected by dragging a box that contains them all.

Moving an item can be accomplished by clicking on its body and dragging it to a new location. If multiple items are selected, clicking and dragging one item will move all items at the same time.

An item can be deleted by selecting it and hitting the Delete key or choosing the Edit | Delete menu item. Likewise, multiple items can be deleted by selecting them all and performing the same action.

Individual or multiple items can be cut, copied, and pasted. When an item or group of items has been selected, the menu item Edit | Copy will copy the items to the clipboard, from which you can use the menu item Edit | Paste to paste copies of the items within the drawing space. The menu item Edit | Cut works similarly to Edit | Copy, only the original items are deleted.

Zooming in and out of a pattern

The Microplotter has a working area of over 30 cm x 30 cm (depending on specific model), yet can print features as small as 5 microns wide. Therefore, you will frequently need to zoom in and out of detailed patterns to draw and edit features.

Scale popup menu

One place that scale can be adjusted is the Scaling popup menu in the bottom-right-hand corner of the pattern document window. The various scale factors it offers are designed to be quick shortcuts to the various magnifications needed to work at different levels of detail, from micron scale up to actual size. Finally, the option to Fit to Window will optimally scale the pattern to fit in the display window.

Another means of adjusting scale comes from the Zoom tool. If you select the Zoom tool you place SonoDraw in a mode that lets you zoom in by clicking on the drawing or out by holding Option / Alt while clicking on the drawing. A specific area can be zoomed in on by clicking and dragging to draw a box around the area of interest.

Finally, the scale factor can be changed using items under the View menu. The view can be zoomed in on using the Zoom In menu item or the Command-= keyboard shortcut and zoomed out using the Zoom Out menu item or the Command-- keyboard shortcut. The pattern can be zoomed to fit the display window using the Zoom To Fit menu item. Finally, the pattern can be displayed at its actual size using the Actual Size option.

The document inspector

Document inspector

The properties of the pattern document can be adjusted using the document inspector. The document inspector is a small window that appears when you click on the Inspect button in the pattern document's toolbar or when you choose the View | Show Document Inspector menu item.

You can adjust the size of the drawing canvas by entering new values (in microns) in the Pattern width and Pattern height boxes within the inspector. Clicking on another field or hitting the Tab key will set the new values and display the changes in the pattern window.

A grid is used to align all drawn features. To change the spacing of the lines within this grid, enter a new value (in microns) in the Grid spacing box. Clicking on another field or hitting the Tab key will change the grid to reflect the new value.

The feature size of drawn elements can be set in the Feature width box (again, in microns). This lets the pattern as you see it in the drawing window more accurately reflect the shape of the pattern you will see after dispensing via a Microplotter. It also provides a hint to the Microplotter about how far to separate the overlapping lines in a rectangular fill to provide an optimal filling of the defined region.