smagt@fwi.uva.nl (Patrick van der Smagt) (08/14/90)
In article <3923@cica.cica.indiana.edu> templon@venus.iucf.indiana.edu writes: > >what IS PiCTeX? Is this the >same as {picture} mode in LaTeX? I am quite interested in any other means >of getting graphics into TeX (I use LaTeX) since {picture} mode routinely >makes latex run out of space at our site (I get the picture-mode stuff >from GNUPlot, it has a latex driver.) > > So, what is PiCTeX? Maybe you should rephrase that question in >the frequ. asked list to "What is PiCTeX and where do I get the manual?" I have just been writing a 60-page report with lots of figures, using LaTeX. There are several methodes for figures in (La)TeX: 1. LaTeX figure 2. epic, eepic 3. tpic 4. PiCTeX 5. postscript 1. Known by all, used by none. 2. An improved version of 1. Set of macros. It is really rather good, but causes TeX to run out of memory if you use too many or too complicated figures. Distribution includes manuals. 3. Not for free, need a DWB license from AT&T to get it. I never used it. 4. Set of very powerful macros but even the smallest picture causes TeX to run out of memory. Manual available from TUG for $30 ($35 including IBM PC floppy). 5. Unlimited power. I used these to create my figures. E.g., first draw your figures using xfig, then translate them with transfig (which is public domain). Transfig creates *.ps and *.tex from *.fig. The files *.tex can be included in your document, which causes *.ps to be included by dvips (or whatever). Required: psfig macros, ftp'able. Be sure to use the latest xfig (v. 2.0) and transfig. This version of transfig is not 100% perfect; in my opinion, it contains a bug when translating text in a figure. Transfig can be used to translate fig output to LaTeX, epic, eepic, pic, PiCTeX, or ps. Patrick van der Smagt
cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) (08/14/90)
smagt@fwi.uva.nl (Patrick van der Smagt) writes: }In article <3923@cica.cica.indiana.edu> templon@venus.iucf.indiana.edu writes: }> }>... I am quite interested in any other means }>of getting graphics into TeX ... }There are several methodes for figures in (La)TeX: } 1. LaTeX figure } 2. epic, eepic } 3. tpic } 4. PiCTeX } 5. postscript }5. Unlimited power. I used these to create my figures. E.g., first draw } your figures using xfig, then translate them with transfig (which is } public domain). ... } Required: psfig macros, ftp'able. I don't know the capabilities of xfig --- the version of 'fig' I have available to me on my SunView-SUN is pretty lousy as drawing programs go. I use a more-baroque scheme [similar in spirit, though] that I find allows me to make better pictures faster: Draw the pictures on any nearby MAC using MacDraw. Save a postscript image of the drawing. Kermit the files over to my SUN Run macps on the files. Run bbfig over the files, and edit the %%BoundingBox into the .ps file use psfig to suck the graphics into my LaTeX doc. This may look like a big pain in the ass, but it is not all that difficult. The advantages: (1) 'fig' is not even in the same *league* as MacDraw [II] [as I say, I dunno if xfig is a bunch better or not]. (2) the postscript-capturing is a property of the LaserPrinter driver on the Mac, *NOT* MacDraw, per se. And so you can use the same basic technique to pull a Gantt chart out of MacProj, or a spreadsheet out of Excel. /Bernie\
templon@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (jeffrey templon) (08/15/90)
== There are several methodes for figures in (La)TeX:
==
== 1. LaTeX figure
== 2. epic, eepic
== 3. tpic
== 4. PiCTeX
== 5. postscript
==
== 2. An improved version of 1. Set of macros. It is really rather good,
== but causes TeX to run out of memory if... Distribution includes manuals.
Does this version make TeX code, or do you have to get the graphic in
the file using some form of \special? Our current driver (QTEX for the
Talaris laser printer) does not support \special. If this could work on
our system I am interested. Where does one get the distribution?
== 4. Set of very powerful macros but even the smallest picture causes TeX
Thanks, not interested if it is worse than {picture} mode in
LaTeX as far as memory usage.
== 5. Unlimited power. I used these to create my figures. E.g., first draw
== your figures using xfig, then translate them with transfig (which is
== public domain). Transfig creates *.ps and *.tex from *.fig. The
== files *.tex can be included in your document, which causes *.ps to be
== included by dvips (or whatever). Required: psfig macros, ftp'able.
This sounds like the most desirable way to go from all angles.
Unfortunately, I live in a VAX/VMS, non-X-windows world. We are just
barely able (or soon will be able with any luck) to do the dvips thing
(I have found out that DVIOUT works under VMS, but I bagged it since it
looked too hard to set up; I am now talking to the author of DVITOPS to
try and see if that program can be used under VMS. Someone else told
me that a port of one of the other drivers is coming Real Soon Now),
and I have never seen any of the programs xfig, psfig, transfig, etc.
for VMS. Further more I am betting that Xfig needs Xwindows which we
don't have.
== Patrick van der Smagt
Thanks for the helpful reply, Patrick. Are there any VMS people
out there who have a working system for dvi->ps with inclusion of ps
graphics? Does bbfig run under VMS (our plotting prog supports ps output,
but does not output the bounding box)? Any help would be appreciated.
Jeff Templonscott@wiley.uucp (Scott Simpson) (08/15/90)
In article <58919@bbn.BBN.COM> cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) writes: >I don't know the capabilities of xfig --- the version of 'fig' I have >available to me on my SunView-SUN is pretty lousy as drawing programs go. Does anybody out there use idraw!? I find it far superior to xfig (although I haven't tried the new version of xfig). Idraw is much like MacDraw. It is available in the InterViews C++ toolkit from interviews.stanford.edu. It generates BoundingBox comments so it is usable with drivers like dvips and can be used with epsf \specials. Scott Simpson TRW scott@coyote.trw.com
spqr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Sebastian Rahtz) (08/16/90)
In article <1194@carol.fwi.uva.nl> smagt@fwi.uva.nl (Patrick van der Smagt) writes:
3. Not for free, need a DWB license from AT&T to get it. I never used it.
(this refers to tpic). there is now a public domain, better,
replacement for tpic - the pic which forms part of the GNU groff
package, written by James Clark.
pluses:
- compatible with current AT&T pic (tpic isnt)
- generates TeX output (pic -t) with tpic \specials
minuses
- you need a driver which understands tpic \specials, like dvitops
or dvips
- its written in C++ (assumes gnu c++, but may work with AT&T)
but its an excellent product, and I recommend people who like pic but
use TeX to go straight out and get a copy
4. Set of very powerful macros but even the smallest picture causes TeX
to run out of memory. Manual available from TUG for $30 ($35 including
(this is pictex). it can be enhanced slightly with macros which
replace some of the complicated stuff with calls to tpic \specials
--
Sebastian Rahtz S.Rahtz@uk.ac.soton.ecs (JANET)
Computer Science S.Rahtz@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Bitnet)
Southampton S09 5NH, UK S.Rahtz@sot-ecs.uucp (uucp)spqr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Sebastian Rahtz) (08/16/90)
In article <58919@bbn.BBN.COM> cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) writes:
Draw the pictures on any nearby MAC using MacDraw.
Save a postscript image of the drawing.
Kermit the files over to my SUN
Run macps on the files.
Run bbfig over the files, and edit the %%BoundingBox into the .ps file
use psfig to suck the graphics into my LaTeX doc.
do us all a favour and use Adobe Illustrator; that way you avoid 75% of
the work you are doing. An Illustrator file *is* good Encapsulated
PostScript already, so no special saving or mangling is needed
--
Sebastian Rahtz S.Rahtz@uk.ac.soton.ecs (JANET)
Computer Science S.Rahtz@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Bitnet)
Southampton S09 5NH, UK S.Rahtz@sot-ecs.uucp (uucp)harmo@cc.helsinki.fi (Timo Harmo, Fac. of Soc.Sci, U of Helsinki) (08/31/90)
In article <58919@bbn.BBN.COM>, cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) writes: > > Draw the pictures on any nearby MAC using MacDraw. > Save a postscript image of the drawing. > Kermit the files over to my SUN > Run macps on the files. > Run bbfig over the files, and edit the %%BoundingBox into the .ps file > use psfig to suck the graphics into my LaTeX doc. Can this type of thing be done under msdos?
royster@unccvax.uncc.edu (David Royster) (08/31/90)
>> Draw the pictures on any nearby MAC using MacDraw. >Can this type of thing be done under msdos? Try the program TEXCAD which comes with the package emTeX. It does a pretty nice job of interactive graphics for the MS-DOS environment. emTeX is public domain and is available for anonymous ftp from terminator.mich.edu in US and in Europe (I don't remember the location). -- David C. Royster royster@unccvax.uncc.edu (128.109.143.1) Mathematics Department fma00dcr@unccvm.bitnet UNC Charlotte, Charlotte NC Augustus F. Mobius Jewelers---Rings to fit every finger.
kap1@phyllis.math.binghamton.edu (Dietrich Kappe) (09/01/90)
So where does one get macps, bbfig, and psfig? _________________________________________ Dietrich Kappe kap1@phyllis.math.binghamton.edu
schwer@unix.SRI.COM (Len Schwer) (09/01/90)
In article <3923@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu> kap1@phyllis.math.binghamton.edu (Dietrich Kappe) writes: >So where does one get macps, bbfig, and psfig? macps -- sumex-aim.stanford.edu /info-mac/unix bbfig -- linc.cis.upenn.edu (from memory :-)) psfig both in /pub/dist