Glossary¶

Every specialised term used in this manual, defined in one or two sentences, with a pointer to where you can learn more. If a slider label, a menu item, or a paragraph in this manual has ever made you pause, start here.

A¶

Angle The rotation of a fill pattern, measured in degrees. 0 is horizontal, 90 is vertical, 45 is the classic diagonal. Every fill type that generates a directional pattern has an Angle parameter. See Tuning Your Artwork.

Auto Refresh A toggle that controls whether Vexy Lines recalculates fills automatically after every parameter change. When on, you see live updates. When off, you must manually trigger a refresh. Turn it off for complex documents to avoid long waits. See Controlling When Vexy Recalculates.

Auto Save A background process that periodically saves your document to protect against crashes and power loss. The auto-saved version is offered for recovery when you next launch the app. See Save, Backup, Recover.

B¶

Batch Convert A CLI command that processes every .lines file in a directory, extracting source images, previews, or metadata in bulk. See The Command Line Tool.

Blend Mode The method used to combine a fill's strokes with the content beneath it. Standard blend modes (Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, etc.) control how colours interact when fills overlap.

Brush The freehand painting tool (B) used to create and edit masks. Paint white to reveal strokes, black to hide them. Supports pressure sensitivity on tablets. See Hiding and Revealing.

C¶

Canvas The rectangular working area of your document, measured in pixels at the document's DPI. Everything outside the canvas boundary is cropped on export. See The Workspace.

Circular A fill type that generates concentric rings radiating outward from a centre point. Ring spacing maps to image brightness. See Circular.

CLI Command Line Interface. A text-based way to interact with software by typing commands in a terminal. The Vexy Lines CLI (vexy-lines-cli) provides offline file operations and app-connected export and style transfer. See The Command Line Tool.

Clone A layer that references another layer and inherits all its fill parameters. Changes to the source layer propagate to its clones. In the .lines file format, clones use an href attribute. See The .lines File Format.

Colour (Static) A single colour applied uniformly to every stroke in a fill. Chosen via the colour wheel, HSB/RGB sliders, hex input, swatches, or the eyedropper. See Colour: Static and Dynamic.

Colour (Dynamic) A mode where each segment of each stroke samples its colour from the source image beneath it. Controlled by the Segment Length parameter. See Colour: Static and Dynamic.

Crosshatch A technique created by stacking two or more Linear fills at different angles. The overlapping line directions simulate traditional crosshatch drawing. See Linear: The Engraver's Line.

D¶

Dash A stroke modification that breaks continuous strokes into dashed segments. Dash length and gap are configurable.

Dispersion A parameter that applies random perpendicular offset to individual strokes within a fill. Unlike Randomization (which shifts entire stroke paths), Dispersion affects segments of strokes. See Linear: The Engraver's Line.

Document The working file in Vexy Lines, saved with the .lines extension. Contains the canvas, layer tree, fill parameters, source image, and preview. See Save, Backup, Recover.

DPI Dots Per Inch. Determines the physical size of the canvas when printed. A 3000-pixel-wide canvas at 300 DPI prints at 10 inches (254 mm) wide. Does not affect on-screen display. See Creating a New Document.

Dynamic Color See Colour (Dynamic).

E¶

Editor The selection and transformation tool (V). Used to select, move, resize, and rotate fill regions and layers. See The Workspace.

Ellipse Mask A tool (O) that creates elliptical mask regions. Hold Shift to constrain to a perfect circle. See Shape Masks.

Emboss A visual effect that simulates three-dimensional relief on strokes, making them appear pressed into or raised from the surface. Controlled by rise, smoothness, and randomness parameters.

EPS Encapsulated PostScript. A vector export format used in legacy print workflows. See Getting Your Art Out.

Export The process of saving your artwork as a standard file format (SVG, PDF, EPS, PNG, JPEG) separate from the .lines working file. The source image is never included in the export. See Getting Your Art Out.

extract_style() A Python function in vexy-lines-apy that reads a .lines document and returns a portable style object containing all fill types, parameters, and layer arrangement. See Style Transfer and Interpolation.

F¶

Fill An algorithm that reads pixel brightness from the source image and generates vector strokes. Each fill type produces a different visual pattern: parallel lines, concentric circles, dots, contours, and so on. A layer can contain one or more fills. See Your First Fill.

Fill Type The specific algorithm used by a fill. Vexy Lines includes fourteen fill types: Linear, Wave, Circular, Spiral, Radial, Halftone, Trace, Wireframe, Scribble, Fractal, Text, Handmade, Trace Area, and Source Strokes. See The One-Page Manual.

FillNode A Python object in vexy-lines-py representing a single fill within a layer. Contains fill_type (the algorithm name) and params (a FillParams object). See Reading .lines Files with Python.

FillParams A Python object in vexy-lines-py containing all parameter values for a fill. Attributes include interval, angle, randomization, smoothing, and others. See Reading .lines Files with Python.

Fractal A fill type that generates space-filling Peano curves. The curves weave through the image following a fractal pattern, with density modulated by brightness. Also called Peano in some contexts. See Fractal.

Freeform Mask A tool (S) that draws irregular mask boundaries by placing points one at a time. See Shape Masks.

G¶

Group A container in the layer tree that holds layers and other groups, functioning like a folder. Groups can have their own source image, which overrides the document-level source for all layers within. See Organising Your Work.

GroupInfo A Python object in vexy-lines-py representing a group. Contains name, layers, and visible properties. See Reading .lines Files with Python.

Guilloche A decorative pattern of fine, interlacing curved lines, historically used on banknotes and security documents. Achievable in Vexy Lines by combining multiple Circular or Spiral fills with offset centres.

H¶

Halftone A fill type that generates dots (or other shapes) arranged in a grid, with dot size determined by image brightness. Evokes pop art, newsprint, and retro printing. See Halftone.

Handmade A fill type where you draw custom strokes, then Vexy Lines repeats and modulates them across the image according to brightness. See Handmade.

Hidden Stroke Removal (HSR) A rendering feature that simulates 3D occlusion on mesh-warped layers. Strokes on the "back" of a warped surface are hidden behind "front" strokes. Computationally expensive. See Hidden Strokes Removal.

Histogram The visual display in the Image Threshold control showing the distribution of brightness values in the source image. Three draggable handles (shadow, midtone, highlight) control which tones produce strokes. See Image Threshold Deep Dive.

I¶

Image Threshold The control that determines which brightness values in the source image produce strokes. Implemented as a histogram with shadow, midtone, and highlight handles. The single most powerful tonal control after Interval. See Image Threshold Deep Dive.

Interval The distance between adjacent strokes in a fill, measured in millimetres. The most impactful single parameter in the application. Small intervals produce fine detail; large intervals produce bold, graphic marks. See Tuning Your Artwork.

interpolate_style() A Python function in vexy-lines-apy that blends two style objects at a given ratio (0.0 to 1.0), producing a new style with averaged parameters. See Style Transfer and Interpolation.

J¶

Job Folder A temporary directory created during batch operations (export, style transfer, video processing) to track progress. Enables resumption after interruption. See Video to Vector Video.

JSON-RPC 2.0 The protocol used by the Vexy Lines MCP server. A standard format for remote procedure calls encoded as JSON. You do not need to interact with it directly: the Python packages and CLI handle it. See Controlling Vexy Lines via API.

K¶

Knife A tool (K) that splits fills and cuts paths. See The Workspace.

L¶

Layer A single drawing surface in the layer tree. Each layer contains one or more fills and optionally a mask. Layers stack vertically; higher layers draw on top of lower ones. See Organising Your Work.

LayerInfo A Python object in vexy-lines-py representing a layer. Contains name, fills, and visible properties. See Reading .lines Files with Python.

Linear A fill type that generates parallel straight lines with thickness varying according to image brightness. The foundational fill in Vexy Lines, evoking copperplate engraving. See Linear: The Engraver's Line.

LinesDocument The top-level Python object returned by the parse() function in vexy-lines-py. Contains metadata, the group/layer tree, and methods to extract embedded images. See Reading .lines Files with Python.

M¶

Mask A greyscale overlay on a layer that controls where strokes are visible. White regions reveal strokes; black regions hide them. Painted with the Brush tool or drawn with geometric mask tools. See Hiding and Revealing.

MCP Model Context Protocol. The communication channel through which external tools (scripts, AI assistants, other applications) control a running Vexy Lines instance. Uses JSON-RPC 2.0 over TCP on localhost:47384. See Controlling Vexy Lines via API.

MCPClient The Python class in vexy-lines-apy that manages the connection to the Vexy Lines MCP server. Provides methods for all 29 MCP tools. See Controlling Vexy Lines via API.

MCPError The exception raised by MCPClient when an API call fails. Contains a descriptive error message. See Controlling Vexy Lines via API.

Mesh A grid of control points overlaid on a layer. Displacing the points warps the fill strokes, creating three-dimensional deformation effects. See Mesh Warping.

Morphing The visual effect of smoothly transitioning between two states, often achieved through style interpolation across a sequence of frames or images. See Style Transfer and Interpolation.

Multiplier A parameter that scales overall stroke width. A multiplier of 2.0 doubles the thickness of every stroke in the fill. Default is 1.0. See Linear: The Engraver's Line.

N¶

Node A control point on a vector path. Nodes define the shape of masks, pencil paths, and freeform boundaries. Drag nodes to reshape; add or remove them with the Pencil tool.

O¶

Opacity A per-fill setting (0--100%) controlling how opaque the fill's strokes are. At 100%, strokes fully cover what is beneath. At lower values, underlying fills and the background show through. See Colour: Static and Dynamic.

Overlap When strokes from adjacent passes of a fill cross or touch each other, they overlap. The visual density of overlapping strokes depends on the fill colour, opacity, and blend mode.

P¶

Pencil A tool (P) for drawing precise vector paths. Used to create custom mask boundaries and shapes. See The Workspace.

Phase Shift An offset applied to periodic fill patterns (Wave, Spiral) that shifts the starting phase of the waveform. Changes the visual character without changing frequency or amplitude.

Preview The rendered thumbnail of the document, shown in the canvas and embedded in the .lines file. Toggle with Cmd+Space / Ctrl+Space. See The Workspace.

Properties Panel The panel on the right side of the workspace that displays and controls all parameters for the currently selected fill. Every slider and input field in this panel maps to a fill parameter. See The Workspace.

R¶

Radial A fill type that generates rays emanating from a centre point, like a sunburst. Ray density is modulated by image brightness. See Radial.

Randomization A parameter (0--100%) that adds perpendicular jitter to stroke placement, breaking mechanical precision. At 0%, strokes are perfectly regular. At high values, strokes scatter chaotically. See Tuning Your Artwork.

Rectangle Mask A tool (I) that creates rectangular mask regions. Hold Shift to constrain to a perfect square. See Shape Masks.

Refresh All A command (Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+R) that re-renders every fill in the document. Use after making changes with Auto Refresh off. See Controlling When Vexy Recalculates.

Refresh Fill A command (Cmd+R / Ctrl+R) that re-renders only the currently selected fill. Faster than Refresh All for targeted updates. See Controlling When Vexy Recalculates.

Rendering Quality A toggle between Fast (approximate, quick) and Best (full precision, slower). Work in Fast; export in Best. See Performance and Troubleshooting.

Resolution The pixel dimensions of the canvas or the source image. Higher resolution captures more detail but increases rendering time and memory usage. See Creating a New Document.

S¶

Scribble A fill type that generates chaotic, energetic strokes. Strokes cluster densely in dark regions and scatter in light ones. See Scribble.

Segment Length In Dynamic Colour mode, the length of each colour segment along a stroke. Short segments produce high colour fidelity; long segments produce broad colour zones. See Colour: Static and Dynamic.

Shift A parameter that offsets the entire fill pattern perpendicular to the stroke direction, in millimetres. Use non-zero Shift values when stacking multiple fills to prevent overlap. See Linear: The Engraver's Line.

Smoothing A parameter that reduces jagged thickness transitions along strokes. At 0, strokes respond sharply to brightness changes. At high values, weight changes are gradual and flowing. See Tuning Your Artwork.

Source Image The raster photograph or image that fills read brightness (and optionally colour) from. The source image is the blueprint for stroke generation. It is embedded in the .lines file but never appears in the export. See Creating a New Document.

Source Strokes A special fill type that uses strokes from the source data directly rather than generating new ones algorithmically.

Spiral A fill type that generates a continuous winding path from a centre point outward. Stroke density is driven by image brightness. See Spiral.

Static Color See Colour (Static).

Stroke A single vector path generated by a fill algorithm. Strokes have position, shape, thickness, and colour. Thousands of strokes combine to form the visible artwork.

Stroke Thickness The mapping from image brightness to stroke weight. Three modes: Linear (proportional), Thick (emphasises weight), Thin (emphasises delicacy). See Tuning Your Artwork.

Style The complete set of artistic parameters in a document: fill types, their settings, layer arrangement, and colour choices. A style can be extracted, applied to other documents, and interpolated between two reference documents. See Style Transfer and Interpolation.

SVG Scalable Vector Graphics. An XML-based vector format. The primary export format for web use and compatibility with design applications (Illustrator, Affinity Designer, Inkscape). See Getting Your Art Out.

T¶

Text A fill type that uses letters and words as stroke elements, with character density following image tone. See Text.

Trace A fill type that generates contour lines following the edges detected in the source image. Produces a topographic-map or edge-based abstraction effect. See Trace.

Trace Area A variant of the Trace fill that fills enclosed regions between detected edges rather than drawing contour lines.

U¶

Undo Reverses the last operation. Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z. Repeatable to step back through the editing history. See Keyboard Shortcuts Reference.

Units Vexy Lines works in pixels internally but displays measurements in millimetres based on the document's DPI setting. An interval of 1 mm at 300 DPI is approximately 12 pixels.

V¶

vexy-lines-apy The Python package that provides MCP API bindings and the style engine. Requires the Vexy Lines app to be running for API calls. Install with pip install vexy-lines-apy. See Controlling Vexy Lines via API.

vexy-lines-cli The command-line tool for file inspection, batch export, and style transfer. Install with pip install vexy-lines-cli. See The Command Line Tool.

vexy-lines-py The pure Python .lines file parser. Works offline with no running app. Install with pip install vexy-lines-py. See Reading .lines Files with Python.

vexy-lines-run The standalone batch processing GUI application. Three tabs for images, folders, and video. Install with pip install vexy-lines-run. See Beyond the GUI.

vexy-lines-mcp The bridge binary that translates between the MCP stdio protocol (used by Claude Desktop and similar tools) and the TCP protocol (used by the Vexy Lines app). Installed as part of vexy-lines-cli. See AI-Assisted Workflows.

W¶

Warp A deformation applied to fill strokes through a mesh grid. Warp templates include Rectangle, Donut, Rising, Falling, and Ribbon. See Mesh Warping.

Wave A fill type that generates flowing sinusoidal curves. Strokes follow a wave pattern with thickness modulated by image brightness. Also known as Sigmoid in the file format. See Wave.

Wireframe A fill type that creates a 3D lattice mesh draped over the image, producing an elevation-map effect. See Wireframe.

X¶

XML Extensible Markup Language. The text-based format used inside .lines files. Every group, layer, fill, and parameter is encoded as XML elements and attributes. See The .lines File Format.

Z¶

zlib A compression algorithm used to compress the JPEG source image data inside .lines files. The compressed data is then base64-encoded for storage in XML. See The .lines File Format.

Zoom Magnifying or shrinking the canvas view. Z zooms in, X zooms out, Alt + scroll wheel zooms continuously at the cursor. See Zoom, Pan, and Navigate.

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