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DotsQt provides a canvas for creating photo-collages that can be run as 2D animations using transparent .pngs as sprites/clip-art - think "Monty Python's Flying Circus". It comes with some basic animations and paths that can be attached to sprite screen objects plus functions to create and modify paths, set backgrounds using photos or flat color, emulate cast shadows, and run animations with multiple scrolling backgrounds.

Currently dots is running in PyQt 6.7.1, Python 3.12.6 and Sonoma 14.6.1 on a M1 MacBookPro in X86 mode. As of June 2024 you can run dots on Apple Silicon using PyQt5. Definitely read the June 2024 entry in Changes.md - it's not difficult. August 2024 had dots up and running including shadows in Windows 11. Some of the type wasn't showing as well as it does on my Mac - otherwise it seemed to run fine.

You'll need to install opencv-python if you plan to use Shadows - numpy is included. StartHere.md has also been updated to cover the latest on scrolling backgrounds and shadows as well as whatever else I thought might be useful.

The code can change over time and it does. One of the few coding decisions I made was to try and keep my files, modules, under/around 300 lines whenever possible. I also use camel case after many years of coding in snake.

Sprites/clip-art can average up to 500-600 pixels per side and aren't necessarily square. I reduce everything from drag and drop to somewhere around %30-%40 of its original size when displaying it. You can also set the starting width and height for any Sprite, see dotsPixItem.

The background image needs to reside in the backgrounds folder as dots only looks in the background and demo folders for backgrounds. I'd recommend making any changes, mainly sizing and orientation, prior to deploying it.

Flat colors will be saved to the backgrounds folder using the save button in the backgrounds button dock. The file name is up to you with '.bkg' as the file extension. Saving a background to a '.play' file will preserve any settings you might have made, such as for scrolling and a flat color without needing to save the color.

If you plan to run it on a Windows machine you'll not need to edit the paths dictionary in dotsShared.py - either Qt or Windows takes care of it for you.

It's not advisable to attempt changes or make selections when running an animation as interesting and unwanted problems can occur.

The star in scrollPanel isn't currently designed to be dragged to the canvas, but without it none of this would exist.

• PyQt6 and you can also run PyQt5 with some easy edits to the PyQt6 source
• functools, though I'm sure it's built-in
• opencv-python if you're planning to use Shadows or ShadowMaker, it includes numpy
• Your favorite program for creating transparent pngs if you have one or try ShadowMaker

My background combines degrees in fine arts, photography and ceramics, work as a graphics artist, layout artist, photography teacher, and a 21 year career as a business application programmer. All procedural code and other than Fortran, languages you probably never heard of.

Special thanks to Martin Fitzpatrick of https://www.learnpyqt.com for taking a look at the last update and for his recommendations and code contributions. Thanks again, Martin