InkPlot Studio Devlog -- v1.3.0 to v1.5.0

Three releases packed into a short stretch. Here is everything that changed since v1.3.0, organised by release.

v1.5.0 -- Einstein Aperiodic Monotile

The headline feature: a brand-new generator module based on the first aperiodic monotile, discovered by David Smith in 2022 and proven by Smith, Myers, Kaplan, and Goodman-Strauss in 2023.

New Module: Einstein

• Hat tile -- the original 13-sided polykite that tiles the plane but never repeats. Requires reflections.
• Spectre tile -- the 14-sided chiral monotile (Tile(1,1)) that needs no reflections at all. Available in straight-edge and Bezier-curved variants.
• Configurable substitution level (1-6). Each level multiplies the tile count roughly sevenfold.
• Four start-tile options (H, T, P, F) for different patch shapes.

Einstein Style Controls

• Inset rings -- shrink each tile toward its centroid for a mosaic look, with 1-10 concentric outline rings.
• Rotation jitter -- random per-tile rotation around its centroid, seeded for reproducibility.
• Supertile outlines -- overlay the metatile boundaries the substitution system uses, with adjustable depth.

Einstein Colour

• Three colour modes: Single, By Type, and By Orientation.
• Eight curated palette presets (Mondrian, Risograph, CMYK, Sunset, Ocean, Neon, Monochrome, Earth) plus a Shuffle button.
• Per-type and per-orientation colour buttons for fine-tuning.
• Type filters let you show or hide individual tile types.

Einstein Randomization

• The Random button now randomises all parameters: tile shape, start tile, level, seed, inset, rings, jitter, outline depth, colour mode, and palette.
• Parameter locks -- a lock checkbox next to each parameter. When locked, Random will skip that parameter. Great for exploring variations while keeping a shape or colour scheme you like.

v1.4.0 -- UI Overhaul

A focused pass on usability and polish across the entire application.

Layout and Navigation

• Resizable sidebar -- the left panel is now a QSplitter; drag the divider to adjust the sidebar and canvas widths.
• Sidebar widened from 320px to 360px for comfortable parameter editing on macOS.
• Sticky controls -- Generate/Random, Save/Load Preset, and Export SVG buttons are now affixed at the bottom of the right panel so they stay visible while scrolling parameters.
• Connection and Plot controls are similarly affixed at the bottom of the left panel.

Visual Feedback

• Canvas overlay messages replace the old status bar. Status messages now appear as a fade-out overlay directly on the canvas, keeping your eyes on the art.
• Favourite star repositioned to the top-right of the module header.
• Module visibility toggle uses an eye glyph instead of a checkbox.

Module-Wide Consistency

• Global line width is now respected by all applicable modules, so changing the pen width in the toolbar updates every canvas.
• Local pen colour added to Flow Fields. All modules now support per-module pen colour where it makes sense.

Vector Alchemy

• Rect hatches now extend fully to polygon edges (no more short strokes near boundaries).

v1.3.1 / v1.3.2 -- Refinements

Hypotrochoid (v1.3.1)

• Improved particle colour distribution so drops sample from the full palette more evenly.
• Splatter satellites now interleave with the main drops for a more natural layered look.
• Parameter locks -- the first module to get lock checkboxes. Lock drip rate, jitter, size range, and splatter params against the Random button.
• Multi-colour plotting fixes for cleaner pen-swap transitions.

Vector Alchemy (v1.3.2)

• Hex and triangle grid refactored for cleaner geometry output.
• Disable control points -- toggle individual control points off so they are excluded from the generated pattern.
• Live drag -- control points update the preview in real time as you drag them.

All Modules

• Pavlopulus Grid renamed to Vector Alchemy with proper artist attribution.
• About section added to every module's parameter panel, describing the algorithm and crediting its origins.

Plotter / Internal

• Fixed a pen-swap step-loss bug where the penup delay was calculated from the wrong servo position, causing registration drift on multi- pen plots.
• Internal documentation for AxiDraw raw EBB commands to prevent future step-loss regressions.

That is everything from v1.3.0 through v1.5.0. As always, SVG export and AxiDraw plotting are supported for every module. Happy plotting!