   ____                             __  __         _               ____
  / ___|  __ _  _   _   __ _   ___ |  \/  |  __ _ | | __ ___  _ __|___ \
 | |  _  / _` || | | | / _` | / _ \| |\/| | / _` || |/ // _ \| '__| __) |
 | |_| || (_| || |_| || (_| ||  __/| |  | || (_| ||   <|  __/| |   / __/
  \____| \__,_| \__,_| \__, | \___||_|  |_| \__,_||_|\_\\___||_|  |_____|
                       |___/                                                   

GaugeMaker 2.2.0

https://fantaseum.com/gaugemaker2/

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Thank you for downloading GaugeMaker 2.2!

This program is a complete cross-platform redesign of my original GaugeMaker program that generates gauges by doing the
hard math for you in regards to tick rotations and divisions based on angles. It also handles some basic counting functions
and can draw Arcs as well.

The big reason this program has been redesigned is for cross platform capability, it is now available for Windows, Mac, and
Linux! This version also includes scalable PNG export, as well as SVG export. Some additional graphical enhancements have
been made and you can now also save and load .gauge files for storage and sharing them.

This program is provided as freeware! If you wish to make a donation my paypal is robbie@fantaseum.com.

Thanks for using this program! Please email me and let me know what you made with it! If you'd like to send me some
.gauge files for consideration as built in presets, I'll gladly include them if they seem useful to everyone.

-Robbie Powell
https://fantaseum.com
https://fliteadvantage.com

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Note: The Linux version requires the Qt 6 libraries installed on your system, and a reasonably current distribution
(Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, RHEL 9 or newer). The Windows and Mac versions include everything they need. If you have
trouble with any of this, please contact me.

Mac notes:

- Needs macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer. It is a universal application, so it runs natively on both Intel and Apple
  Silicon Macs - no Rosetta.

- Drag GaugeMaker2.app wherever you like, Applications being the usual place. You do not need to keep this folder;
  the presets travel inside the app.

- Your presets live in a folder called GaugeMaker inside your Library's Application Support folder. The five that come
  with the program are copied there the first time you run it, and anything you save with "Save Layer..." joins them.
  The Load and Save buttons take you straight there, so you rarely need to go looking - but if you want to, in Finder
  choose Go > Go to Folder and enter:

      ~/Library/Application Support/GaugeMaker

  Presets are kept outside the application itself so that replacing the app with a newer version never disturbs the
  ones you have made.

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New in Version 2.2.0

New:

- Save Layer...: Saving is now two buttons instead of one. Save writes your whole design with every layer in it. Save
  Layer... writes just the layer you are working on, as a one-layer file, and opens in the Presets folder - so building
  a preset is now a single click and your multi-layer designs no longer clutter the preset drop-down.
- Loading Adds Layers: Loading a .gauge file now adds its layers to what you already have instead of replacing it, so
  you can assemble a gauge from several saved pieces. If the layer you are on has unsaved changes, GaugeMaker asks
  whether to add the file as new layers, overwrite the current one, or cancel. Loading into a freshly opened GaugeMaker
  behaves exactly as it always did.
- Rename Layers: Double-click a layer in the Layers panel - or select it and press F2 - to rename it. Names are saved
  in the .gauge file.
- New .gauge File Format: .gauge files now use a versioned format that is readable, and that no longer breaks when Qt
  is updated. Your existing .gauge files from 2.1.x still load normally.
  Please note: files saved by 2.2.0 cannot be opened by 2.1.6 or older. Old files open in 2.2.0 fine - it is only the
  other direction that does not work. If you share .gauge files with someone, they will need 2.2.0 too.

Fixed:

- PNG Export Size: PNG export now works at every size. Previously only exact multiples of 512 came out correctly - any
  size below 512 saved a completely blank image, and larger sizes drew the gauge at the wrong scale in an
  otherwise-empty canvas. This was easy to hit, since the size box steps in 32s.
- PNG Export Transparency: The area behind the gauge is now properly transparent. It previously picked up whatever
  happened to be in memory, so exports could come out with garbage behind the artwork, differently each time.
- Fractional Arcs: Arc line widths, start angles and lengths now keep their decimals instead of being rounded to whole
  numbers. Arc widths below 1.0 used to collapse to a hairline.
- Tick Label Decimals: The Dec. Places setting now actually changes the drawn labels. It previously only affected what
  you could type into the boxes, so a tick set to 1.00 still drew as 1.
- Skip First Tick / Rotate Tick Counts: These two settings were swapped when a .gauge file was loaded, so a saved gauge
  could come back with the wrong one turned on.
- Tick Font Colour: The tick font and its colour survive saving and loading again. A .gauge file written by one version
  of Qt could silently lose its font colour when opened by another.
- Keyframe CSV: The CSV now contains every layer rather than only the last one drawn, with a Layer column naming each.
  Angles are also written at full precision - they were previously rounded off past 100 degrees, and any value of a
  million or more came out in scientific notation. Since this column positions a real needle, it is now exact.
- Centre Marker: The centre marker is drawn solid rather than hollow, so the exact centre pixel can be snapped to.
- Stability: Fixed crashes when removing layers and when starting from certain saved files.

Previously, in Version 2.1.6

- Biased Non-linear Gauges: Create realistic analog-style layouts with non-uniform spacing using bias functions.
- Bias Type Selection: Choose between Exponential and Midpoint algorithms for tick spacing.
- Update Checker: GaugeMaker now checks for new versions when launched. If a newer version is available, a download link is presented.
- Save Keyframe Angles as CSV: Export a table of tick value and angle positions for use in animations or simulation logic.
- Layers Panel: Easily manage multiple gauge layers, such as left/right fuel or duel needle applications.
- Reference Images: Load a background image to help visually align and recreate real-world instruments.
- Preset Drop-down: Save and load gauge templates quickly using the preset selector. Save Gauges in the Presets folder to add here.