Sympathy Tutorial

2.3 Changing the Grid Symmetry

At the end of the previous step, the new grid will have been created with the requested size and pattern, and the Sympathy window should appear as below. The top left hand corner square (called a "cell" in Sympathy) has a dashed line inside to show it is selected:

Step 2.3 Initial Image

The puzzle we created in Module 1 of the tutorial has a grid with 180 degree symmetry (i.e. it looks the same if turned upside down). We now want to create a grid with 90 degree symmetry (so it looks the same after a quarter turn).

You can change the grid symmetry using the buttons on the Editing toolbar. These show the type of symmetry pictorially; if you position the mouse pointer over the button and wait a few seconds, you also see a verbal description of the symmetry.

By default, the button is pushed in to show that 180 degree rotational symmetry is in effect. To get 90 degree rotational symmetry, click on the button immediately to the right. When you have done this, the Sympathy window should appear as shown at the start of the next step.

Note that the buttons on the Editing toolbar don't have any immediate effect on the grid. They determine what happens when you make a change to the grid, such as adding a block. If you want, you can change the symmetry several times during the construction of a grid to make editing quicker.

Relevant Help Sections

Editing Toolbar