BIG Circles in LaTeX
Pablo A Iglesias
diameter) circles. The way that I have set LaTeX this is currently
impossible. Can anyone suggest a way of "fixing" this problem?
Thanks in advance.
Pablo Iglesias
--
Pablo
Berthold K.P. Horn
NNTP-Posting-Host: jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
Summary: How do I get them
Thanks in advance.
Pablo Iglesias
Use TPIC \specials. They allow you to draw solid, dotted, dashed lines
and circular arcs and elliptical arcs, and qudratic splines etc. They are
supported by several DVI drivers, including DVIPS, DVIPSONE and DVIWindo.
TPIC \specials are device independent and are not restricted to particular
sizes and angles of lines and circles.
Berthold K.P. Horn
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Koen Vincken
Yet another solution: draw the picture with any drawing program that can
generate output readable for latex. Most common choice is the drawing
package 'xfig', save as PS file and include it in your document with
the 'psfig' utility. Simple, effective, and it does a lot more than you
want (not just circles, positioning is perfect, etc.).
Previewing is still possible by using dvips and ghostview.
Of course, you need X-windows for this solution.
Mail me if you want more information on any of these packages.
Koen Vincken
/ / Koen Vincken, AZU E 02.222, Heidelberglaan 100,
/ / _ / ___/ \ / 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
/ \ / / _/ / \ / e-mail: ko...@cv.ruu.nl, or vin...@cs.unc.edu
__/ _\ ____/ ____/ _/ _/ phone: +31-30-506710/506711
Uwe Kloss
>In article <1pfosb...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> pa...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Pablo A Iglesias) writes:
> I want to draw a picture in LaTeX which includes large (~5-10 cm in
> diameter) circles. The way that I have set LaTeX this is currently
> impossible. Can anyone suggest a way of "fixing" this problem?
>Use TPIC \specials. They allow you to draw solid, dotted, dashed lines
>and circular arcs and elliptical arcs, and qudratic splines etc. They are
>supported by several DVI drivers, including DVIPS, DVIPSONE and DVIWindo.
^^^^^^^ but not all !!!!
>TPIC \specials are device independent and are not restricted to particular
'specials' are NEVER device independent because they need to be
supported by the device driver which in turn is device dependent!
TPIC specials may be a good choice, but if it comes to truly
device indepedence, don't use them.
In this case use METAFONT to generate the cirles as letters
(hint: mfpic) or (not tested!) use bezier.sty.
A closed bezier curve through two points is a circle!
But beware, you might get 'TeX capacity exceeded!'
Uwe
--
Eliminiere das Unmoegliche. Was immer uebrig bleibt, so
unwahrscheinlich es auch wirkt, muss die Wahrheit sein.
Aber was ist, wenn einmal NICHTS mehr uebrig bleibt?
(nach: John Brunner - Mehr Dinge zwischen Himmel und Erde)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Uwe Kloss UUCP: UweK...@lionbbs.escape.de
Fasanenstrasse 65 BTX: 0531336908 0001
3300 Braunschweig neu: 38102 Braunschweig
Berthold K.P. Horn
> I want to draw a picture in LaTeX which includes large (~5-10 cm in
> diameter) circles. The way that I have set LaTeX this is currently
> impossible. Can anyone suggest a way of "fixing" this problem?
>Use TPIC \specials. They allow you to draw solid, dotted, dashed lines
>and circular arcs and elliptical arcs, and qudratic splines etc. They are
>supported by several DVI drivers, including DVIPS, DVIPSONE and DVIWindo.
^^^^^^^ but not all !!!!
>TPIC \specials are device independent and are not restricted to particular
'specials' are NEVER device independent because they need to be
supported by the device driver which in turn is device dependent!
By that definition, nothing is device independent. What I meant is that
--- unlike some other ways of drawing simple geometric figures --- TPIC
specials are _not_ restricted to PostScript output devices, or devices that
can handle certain types of fonts. For example, TPIC specials are available
for HP, IBM, dot-matrix, and PS printers, since DVIWindo supports them.
TPIC specials may be a good choice, but if it comes to truly
device indepedence, don't use them.
For complete device independence don't do anything graphical at all (:-)!
In this case use METAFONT to generate the cirles as letters
(hint: mfpic) or (not tested!) use bezier.sty.
A closed bezier curve through two points is a circle!
No. A Bezier curve is _never_ a circle --- or even a part of one. You can
_approximate_ a quadrant of a circle quite well with one Bezier curve though.
But beware, you might get 'TeX capacity exceeded!'
`Drawing' a figure by printing k-zillions of dots is not my idea of
a useful approach, either from the point of view of quality or efficiency...
Darrel Hankerson
>diameter) circles. The way that I have set LaTeX this is currently
>impossible. Can anyone suggest a way of "fixing" this problem?
Kristoffer H Rose's xypic macro package works very well for "commutative-
diagram-like-things". It easily does circled things.
To get big circles, one can add Ross Moore's Postscript addon, xyps.
Note: These two files were to become one. My copy is 2.6. See the
tex-index for versions and locations.
xypic is on diku.dk.
--
--Darrel Hankerson han...@mail.auburn.edu or ha...@ducvax.auburn.edu
Uwe Kloss
>In article <H.eg.Ekc...@lionbbs.escape.de> UweK...@lionbbs.escape.de (Uwe Kloss) writes:
> > I want to draw a picture in LaTeX which includes large (~5-10 cm in
> > diameter) circles.
> >TPIC \specials are device independent [...]
> 'specials' are NEVER device independent because they need to be
> supported by the device driver which in turn is device dependent!
>By that definition, nothing is device independent. What I meant is that
>--- unlike some other ways of drawing simple geometric figures --- TPIC
>specials are _not_ restricted to PostScript output devices, or devices that
>can handle certain types of fonts.
What are certain types of fonts?
If we talk about TeX there is only one STANDARD type of fonts.
(IMHO) Use of DVI2PS and the like are 'specials'!
And EVERY device driver is able to print fonts generated by METAFONT!
If not, then it's not a device driver for TeX!
>For example, TPIC specials are available
>for HP, IBM, dot-matrix, and PS printers, since DVIWindo supports them.
Ok!
But what about the rest oft the world?
Mind, I don't want to put down TPICs or anything else, but as
erverybody else (as you too, I suppose) I recommend what's a
working solution for me.
>For complete device independence don't do anything graphical at all (:-)!
Why?
But in fact that's what I suggested! ;-)
Use METAFONT to make characters from the graphics and use
anything you want to print them. (As long as it is a dvi2... ;-)
> In this case use METAFONT to generate the cirles as letters
> (hint: mfpic) or (not tested!) use bezier.sty.
> A closed bezier curve through two points is a circle!
>No. A Bezier curve is _never_ a circle --- or even a part of one. You can
>_approximate_ a quadrant of a circle quite well
>with one Bezier curve though.
Well, I'll clarify what I meant!
METAFONT uses a Bezier algorithm to draw curves.
And the command 'draw x1..x2..cycle' (closed curve through two points)
yields a good approximation of a circle!
If you need yet better ones, use four points.
> But beware, you might get 'TeX capacity exceeded!'
>`Drawing' a figure by printing k-zillions of dots is not my idea of
>a useful approach, either from the point of view of quality or efficiency...
Not mine either!
But I 've allready done worse when nothing else worked and
I needed the results 'the day before'.
Wanna get dat job dun, y'no! ;-)
Christopher Browne
>In <1ppneu...@life.ai.mit.edu>, Berthold K.P. Horn writes:
>>In article <H.eg.Ekc...@lionbbs.escape.de> UweK...@lionbbs.escape.de (Uwe Kloss) writes:
>> > I want to draw a picture in LaTeX which includes large (~5-10 cm in
>> > diameter) circles.
>> >Use TPIC \specials. [...]
>> >TPIC \specials are device independent [...]
>> 'specials' are NEVER device independent because they need to be
>> supported by the device driver which in turn is device dependent!
>
>
>>By that definition, nothing is device independent. What I meant is that
>>--- unlike some other ways of drawing simple geometric figures --- TPIC
>>specials are _not_ restricted to PostScript output devices, or devices that
>>can handle certain types of fonts.
>What are certain types of fonts?
>If we talk about TeX there is only one STANDARD type of fonts.
>If not, then it's not a device driver for TeX!
>
>>For example, TPIC specials are available
>>for HP, IBM, dot-matrix, and PS printers, since DVIWindo supports them.
>
>Why?
>But in fact that's what I suggested! ;-)
>Use METAFONT to make characters from the graphics and use
>anything you want to print them. (As long as it is a dvi2... ;-)
Or use mfpic, a set of TeX macros that generate Metafont code for
graphs/pictures/what have you.
>> In this case use METAFONT to generate the cirles as letters
>> (hint: mfpic) or (not tested!) use bezier.sty.
>> A closed bezier curve through two points is a circle!
>>No. A Bezier curve is _never_ a circle --- or even a part of one. You can
>>_approximate_ a quadrant of a circle quite well
>>with one Bezier curve though.
>Well, I'll clarify what I meant!
>METAFONT uses a Bezier algorithm to draw curves.
>And the command 'draw x1..x2..cycle' (closed curve through two points)
>yields a good approximation of a circle!
If it's a close enough approximation, then the difference really
doesn't matter very much.
>> But beware, you might get 'TeX capacity exceeded!'
>>`Drawing' a figure by printing k-zillions of dots is not my idea of
>>a useful approach, either from the point of view of quality or efficiency...
>Not mine either!
Using mfpic/Metafont does NOT involve k-zillions of dots, nor does
it consume TeX's memory capacity (tables are MUCH nastier in that
respect).
Just Use Metafont.
It would be a neat idea to do the reverse of what's been discussed
lately (emulating Metafont using Postscript), and create a utility
that converts some subset of Postscript into Metafont "code." This
would be even BETTER than the \special hackery, since it would likely
make objects MORE device independent. And mean that those of us that
don't have PS printers could use PS stuff in our TeX documents (yes, I
know about GhostScript. Too slow/RAM hungry to use on a regular
basis.)
--
Christopher Browne | PGP 2.0 key available
cbbr...@csi.uottawa.ca |======================================
University of Ottawa | Genius may have its limitations, but
Master of System Science Program | stupidity is not thus handicapped.
Geoffrey Tobin
Browne writes:
>It would be a neat idea to do the reverse of what's been discussed
>lately (emulating Metafont using Postscript), and create a utility
>that converts some subset of Postscript into Metafont "code."
ps2mf might be worth developing further. (In my ignorance of
PostScript, I cannot! :-)
I _think_ "ps2mf" _used_ to be listed in the STI. Archie still finds
it in various archives around Europe and the USA.
>This would be even BETTER than the \special hackery, since it would likely
>make objects MORE device independent. And mean that those of us that
>don't have PS printers could use PS stuff in our TeX documents (yes, I
>know about GhostScript. Too slow/RAM hungry to use on a regular
>basis.)
On a different tack, I suggest:
Let's decide on the specifications of a set of TeX macros for graph
drawing (after much contemplation and experimentation, of course).
Scope:
These can be translated into the LaTeX picture environment, or PiCTeX,
or Metafont or mfpic, or into pic or Fig, or into tpic or PostScript
\special-s, or PSTricks, you name it.
Omissions:
If a graphics object or operation cannot be interpreted (for any
reason or unreason), then it can be ignored, perhaps with an error
message (probably we want to log such omissions).
Optimism:
We can't wait for the TUG DVI Drivers \special standard to be settled,
and we don't need to, as \special-s are a lower-level specialisation.
Attack:
"PSTricks" and "mfpic" might be indicative of some desirable graphics
objects and operations.
All the Best!
Geoffrey Tobin