4. Compatibility

Use the following graphics settings to improve the display of graphics created in earlier versions. The default global values are intended to provide the highest quality display, but you can change them as needed for better clarity.

Under Graphics, select or clear check boxes as follows:

  • The Anti-alias lines check box is selected by default. When the check box is are selected, the objects are blurred and appear to be smoother (without jagged edges) than lines that are not anti-alias. This is particularly visible with curved and diagonal lines.

  • The Rotate Gradients/Fill Animation check box is selected by default. Beginning with CIMPLICITY v8.1, animated fills can rotate with the object but you can disable the feature to maintain backward compatibility when required.

  • The Pixel Offset High Quality check box is cleared by default, since using it may slightly impact performance. However, selecting the check box improves the quality of your anti-aliased lines by making them appear sharper (since it helps the anti-aliased pixels better align with the center of the physical pixels on a monitor), and is the recommended setting.

  • The Proportional dashes check box is selected by default. Dash size and spacing is adjusted for line thickness, as shown in the graphics below. The first is with the check box cleared and the second is with the check box selected.

  • The Round end caps check box is selected by default. In earlier versions of CimEdit, ends were mitered (squared) but have been enhanced to appear rounded, as shown in the graphics below. The top graphic is with the check box cleared and the bottom graphic is with the check box selected.

Under Text rendering, select or clear radio buttons as follows:

  • The Non-anti-alias radio button is cleared by default. When the radio button is selected, anti-aliasing is not applied to the alphanumeric objects.

  • The Anti-alias (speed optimized) radio button is selected by default. When the radio button is selected, anti-aliasing is applied to the alphanumeric objects but it is speed optimized for faster performance.

  • The Anti-alias (appearance optimized) radio button is cleared by default. When the radio button is selected, anti-aliasing is applied to the alphanumeric objects, and it is appearance optimized. Select this option for better font clarity than the Anti-alias (speed optimized) option. This option provides the highest possible font quality.

Under Font Compatibility you can enter offset and size factors, which are a percentage of the font height. Because CimEdit incorporated a new drawing engine in version 8.0, screens that were created in earlier CIMPLICITY versions show differences in the font spacing and alignment. For most fonts, this issue is corrected in CimEdit with the default factors but you can enter new values in the fields if necessary.

IMPORTANT: Do not change the defaults unless you are sure it is necessary. You should back up your screens before changing the default entries.

The fields calculate the percent to make the text do the following:

  • For Offset factor, the text renders off from the anchor point (negative x direction).
  • For Size factor, the text is reduced by that factor,

You can also select the check box to zoom when you simultaneously click the mouse and press the Alt key.