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VOIDSKETCH - Installation and Usage Guide

Overview

VOIDSKETCH is an offline-first pixel art editor designed for creating creepy, grainy, monochrome, low-resolution masterpieces with glitched frames, dithering, and a lore-coded interface. Inspired by the aesthetics of Uno Moralez, Serial Experiments Lain, and Morrowind, VOIDSKETCH provides a unique environment for pixel art creation with a focus on horror, glitch, and cyber-fantasy themes.

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v14.0.0 or later)
  • npm (v6.0.0 or later)

Setup

  1. Clone the repository or extract the downloaded archive:

    git clone https://github.com/yourusername/voidsketch.git
cd voidsketch

  2. Install dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Start the application:

    npm start

Building for Your Platform

To build a standalone application for your platform:

npm run package

This will create executables in the release-builds directory for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Features

Canvas and Drawing

  • Pixel-Precise Canvas: Default 64x64 resolution with monochrome or limited color palette
  • Brush Tools: Pencil, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, Glitch, Static, Eraser, Fill
  • Symmetry Modes: None, Horizontal, Vertical, Quad, and Octal symmetry
  • Grid Toggle: Show/hide grid for precise pixel placement

Animation

  • Frame-Based Animator: Create multi-frame animations with preview
  • Timeline Controls: Add, duplicate, and delete frames
  • Onion Skinning: Show adjacent frames as a reference while drawing
  • Animation Playback: Preview with adjustable frame delay and loop settings

Effects

  • Grain Effect: Add film grain to your artwork
  • Static Overlay: Apply TV static noise effect
  • Glitch Effects: Shift rows, corrupt data, and add digital glitches
  • CRT Effect: Simulate CRT screen curvature and scanlines

Color and Dithering

  • Limited Palettes: Monochrome, Lain (purple), Red, and Green
  • Dithering Options: Floyd-Steinberg, Ordered (Bayer matrix), and Noise dithering

Export Options

  • PNG Export: Save individual frames as PNG images
  • GIF Export: Create animated GIFs with custom settings
  • Sprite Sheet Export: Generate sprite sheets from animations

Themes

  • Lain Dive: Purple hues inspired by Serial Experiments Lain
  • Morrowind Glyph: Warm sepia tones inspired by Elder Scrolls UI
  • Monolith: Minimalist black and white high contrast theme

Lore Features

  • Metadata Ritual: Embed hidden messages in your projects
  • Hidden Sigils: Add occult-inspired glyphs to your work
  • Glitch Injection: Deliberately corrupt your artwork for effect

Usage Guide

Interface Overview

The VOIDSKETCH interface consists of:

  1. Title Bar: Window controls and application title
  2. Tools Panel (left): Drawing tools, symmetry options, palette selector, and effects
  3. Canvas Area (center): Main drawing area with zoom controls
  4. Timeline Panel (right): Animation frames and controls
  5. Menu Bar (bottom): File, Edit, View, Export, and Lore menus

Drawing Basics

  • Select a tool from the left panel
  • Click and drag on the canvas to draw
  • Use the color swatches to select drawing colors
  • Toggle the grid with View → Toggle Grid

Animation

  1. Click "+" in the Timeline panel to add a new frame
  2. Draw on each frame to create your animation
  3. Use the playback controls to preview your animation
  4. Adjust frame delay to control animation speed

Using Effects

  1. Check the effect boxes you want to apply (Grain, Static, Glitch, CRT)
  2. Adjust the intensity slider to control the effect strength

Exporting Your Work

  • PNG: Export → Export Current Frame (PNG)
  • GIF: Export → Export Animation (GIF)
  • Sprite Sheet: Export → Export Sprite Sheet

Working with Themes

Switch between themes via the View menu:

  • View → Lain Dive Theme
  • View → Morrowind Glyph Theme
  • View → Monolith Theme

Lore Features

  • Toggle Lore Layer: Lore → Toggle Lore Layer
  • Edit Metadata Ritual: Lore → Edit Metadata Ritual
  • Add Hidden Sigil: Lore → Add Hidden Sigil
  • Inject Glitch: Lore → Inject Glitch

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl+N: New Project
  • Ctrl+O: Open Project
  • Ctrl+S: Save Project
  • Ctrl+Shift+S: Save Project As
  • Ctrl+Z: Undo
  • Ctrl+Y/Ctrl+Shift+Z: Redo
  • Ctrl+G: Toggle Grid
  • B: Pencil Tool
  • E: Eraser Tool
  • F: Fill Tool
  • L: Line Tool
  • R: Rectangle Tool
  • O: Ellipse Tool
  • G: Glitch Tool
  • S: Static Tool

Project Files

VOIDSKETCH uses a custom .void file format that contains:

  • Canvas size information
  • All animation frames
  • Palette and effect settings
  • Metadata and lore layer information

Troubleshooting

  • Canvas Not Rendering: Try toggling the grid or changing themes
  • Animation Not Playing: Check if you have multiple frames and frame delay is set properly
  • Export Not Working: Ensure you have write permissions for the destination folder
  • Glitches/Effects Not Visible: Adjust the intensity slider or toggle the effect off and on again

Credits

VOIDSKETCH was inspired by:

  • The pixel art of Uno Moralez
  • The interface aesthetics of Serial Experiments Lain
  • The UI design of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
  • Late-90s cyber-fantasy OS interfaces