ASCII art
ASCII-Art ( English for ASCII-Art ) is an art movement that tries to represent small pictograms or whole pictures with letters , numbers and special characters of a non-proportional font . The ASCII character set is particularly suitable for this on computers , as it is available on almost all systems worldwide. Before the advent of computers, there was already the type of typewriter , in which images were generated using a typewriter or teleprinter . The American Paul Smith is considered an artistic pioneer here.
In the meantime, however, there are also specialized programs that make drawing easier and that can also be used to create animations.
history
Before the introduction of graphics-capable PCs, ASCII-Art was the only way to create picture elements and illustrations, and it was especially widespread in mailboxes . Only the 128 ASCII characters are available, which means that e.g. B. Umlauts and many special characters cannot be used. Extensions of the ASCII character set to 256 characters are specific to the operating system or country and can therefore no longer be used globally.
Early examples based on this scheme were painstakingly created in the 1940s and before with type cases or mechanical typewriters . Carbon paper was initially used for copying, and later photocopiers were also used. The genre experienced its first high point with the spread of the teleprinter, as the graphics could be saved there on punched tape and sent to others, who in turn could "punch" the graphics on punched tape when they were received. In the 1970s, creating large format ASCII images was a popular pastime on mainframes.
Forms of ASCII Art
- ASCII-Art is very common in signatures for e-mails or Usenet postings and is largely comparable to emoticons .
- A variant of the ASCII-Art is the ANSI-Art , in which both colored and animated graphics based on the character set can be generated on the computer screen by means of ANSI escape sequences . In contrast to the original ASCII art, ANSI graphics cannot normally be output on a printer.
- An ASCII graphic should not be wider than 80 characters, as this is often the maximum number of letters per line that can be correctly displayed on text screens (terminals) or line printers.
- There is also a Perl script that is formatted in the form of an ASCII graphic and, when it is run, outputs itself as an ASCII image.
- A related method is the composition of large images by selecting suitable small images for the "pixels", as used in the Linux Image Montage Project (LIMP).
Examples
General examples
(__)
(oo)
/------\/ __ O __O .___. <( ,, )>
/ | || /o)\ /H\ _\-<, {o,o} ( (..) ) (-_(-_(-_-)_-)_-)
* /\---/\ \(o/ / \ _(_)/(_)_ /)__) -
~~ ~~ ¯¯ -"-"-
Kuh Yin/Yang Person Radfahrer Eule Hausschwein Gesichter
The cow is displayed if you enter the command “apt-get moo” under systems with the Debian package manager apt (see also Easter Egg ).
Examples from the Usenet
With many non-trivial ASCII works it is common to include a signature in the graphic, here SSt , an author's abbreviation. It is considered good form never to remove such signatures when the graphic is redistributed, especially since many authors regard ASCII Art as a work protected by copyright. It has not been clarified whether and from what complexity or originality such a work can be protected.
__ __
,;::\::\
,'/' `/'`/
_\,: '.,-'.-':.
-./"' : : :\/,
::. ,:____;__; :-
:" ( .`-*'o*',);
\.. ` `---'`' /
`:._..- _.'
,; . `.
/"'| | \
::. ) : :
|" ( \ |
:.(_, : ;
\'`-'_/ /
`... , _,'
|,| : |
|`| | |
|,| | |
,--.;`| | '..--.
/;' "' ; '..--. ))
\:.___(___ ) ))'
SSt`-'-''
To prevent inflation of ever larger graphics in the signatures of Usenet postings , it is considered netiquette-compliant not to automatically append more than four lines. This results in the difficulty of creating meaningful images with relatively few characters, as in this four-line graphic depicting a cat:
|\ _,,,---,,_ /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' '---''(_/--' `-'\_) fL
Instead of just showing the outlines, there is also the option of working flat. You can achieve light and dark effects with different characters.
Single line ASCII art
Single-line ASCII art can be incorporated into running text like emoticons . A tossed red herring , expressed through ASCII art, is a typical response to a troll's contribution . He should underline the worthlessness of his contribution:
<*)))><
Another example is the rose, which is used as a flower greeting that has become text:
@>--}---
Circuit diagrams
Since it is often not possible to attach binary files on Usenet , e.g. B. ASCII drawings are used in electronics groups to represent circuit diagrams . Therefore no external display program or is browser - plugin required. The following example shows a multivibrator (astable multivibrator ):
.----------o----------o-----------------o---------. | | | | | | .-. R1 .-. R2 .-. R3 .-. R4 | | | 25k | | 250k | | 250k | | 25k | | | | | | | | | | '-' C1 '-' '-' C2 '-' | | | | | | | || | | || | | o----||----o----. .------o---||----o | 9V | || \ / || | --- | \ / | - | 1n / 1n | | Q1 | / \ | Q2 | \| / \ |/ | 2N2222 |-------------' '--------------| 2N2222 | <| |> | | | | | | '----------o--------------------------------------'
There are no fixed rules as to how components should be optimally represented in ASCII graphics. Depending on the space required, the most suitable bases are used, but sometimes also your own inventions or older forms that do not meet today's standards, but which are easier to represent in ASCII.
Another, space-saving representation of the above example would be:
+-------+----+-----+----+ | | | | | | 25k 250k 250k 25k | | | | | |+ +-1n-+ +-+-1n-+ 9V | \ / | | | X | | C / \ C | 2N2222 B--+ +----B 2N2222 | E E | | | '-------+---------------+
As a further example from the connection of Scart cables (complete versions see there):
-| Linien: leitende Verbindung, Kabel + Kreuz: Abzweigung, verbundene Kreuzung, Knoten X Kreuz: nicht verbundene Kreuzung ) Brücke: nicht leitend verbundene Kreuzung O Schirmung: Schirmleitung zum umhüllten Kabel
Example logic gate according to DIN 40700 (before 1976) instead of the current IEC 60617-12
+-. -|--\ | |*--- 2-fach NOR -|--/ +-°
In comparison: a circuit diagram of a full adder created with Logisim and the associated ASCII-Art circuit diagram.
O-+---|>o-|‾\
| | |-+
| +-----|_/ +-\‾\
O-)-+ | >-+---|>o-|‾\
+-)-----|‾\ +-/_/ | | |-+
| | | |-+ | +-----|_/ +-\‾\
| +-|>o-|_/ | | | >-0
O-)-)-+ +-)-|>o-|‾\ +-/_/
+-)-)---|‾\ | | | |-+
| | | |------+ | +-----|_/
+-)---|_/ | | |
+-------------)-)-+
| +-)-----|‾\
| | | |-+
| +-----|_/ +-\‾\
| | >-0
| +-/_/
+--------------+
|
Tablatures
→ See also: Tablature # Modern guitar tablature
ASCII tabs for guitar and bass also exist. The example shows the guitar riff to Smoke on the Water , played with power chords .
e--------------------------------------------- B--------------------------------------------- G--0--3---5---0--3---6--5---0--3---5---3--0--- D--0--3---5---0--3---6--5---0--3---5---3--0--- A--------------------------------------------- E---------------------------------------------
Fonts
ASCII-Art also includes the so-called FIGlet fonts , which are available in a variety of designs.
____ ____ ___ __ ____ ____ ___ __
( ___)(_ _)/ __)( ) ( ___)(_ _) / _/__ ___ / /_
)__) _)(_( (_-. )(__ )__) )( - / _/ _ \/ _ \/ __/
(__) (____)\___/(____)(____) (__) /_/ \___/_//_/\__/
When searching Google for "ascii art" (only in lower case), the Google logo was displayed as ASCII art:
___ _
/ __|___ ___ __ _| |___
| (_ / _ \/ _ \/ _` | -_)
\___\___/\___/\__, |_\___|
|___/
If the source text is displayed on the Guardian's website , one of the first lines will read "We are hiring" as ASCII art.
Example 3D graphics
The Penrose triangle
____ ____ ____ ____ ______________________
/\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \ /\ \
/ \___\ \___\ \___\ \___\ / \ _________________\
\ / __/_/ / / / / / \ \ \ /
\/_/\ \__/\/___/\/___/ \ \ \__________ /
/ \___\ / \___\ \ \ \ / / /
\ / __/_ _\ / / \ \ \ / / /
\/_/\ \/\ \/___/ \ \ \/ / /
/ \__/ \___\ \ \ / / /
\ / _\ / / \ \/ / /
\/_/\ \/___/ \ / /
/ \___\ \ / /
\ / / \ / /
\/___/ \/___/
unterbrochene Version ununterbrochene Version
Three-dimensionality like the "magic eye"
Since 1996 there have been stereograms based on the SIS or SIRDS method, which normally works with horizontally periodically repeated point graphic patterns. But this also works in ASCII, as a student (anonymized here and somewhat expanded) demonstrated in his Usenet signature:
:---------------:---------------:---------------:---------------:
| Hannes Hannes Hannes Hannes Hannes| 3-D-Signatur.
| Muster Muster Muster Muster Muster| Aus etwa 50 cm Entfernung betrachten.
| muster@ins. | muster@ins. | muster@ins. | muster@ins. | - In die Ferne starren: "Hintergrund"
| unisupergut.de| unisupergut.de| unisupergut.de| unisupergut.de| erscheint als hinterste Ebene;
| Hinter- | Hinter- | Hinter- | Hinter- | - Augen kreuzen: "Hintergrund"
| grund | grund | grund | grund | erscheint als vorderste Ebene
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
Automatic creation
There are programs that convert ASCII graphics into images in real graphic formats. This can be done by hand at first simply by taking a screenshot of the window with the ASCII graphics. For a scalable graphic, however, the effort is higher.
There are also programs and program libraries that convert images and films into ASCII images ( aalib ) or ASCII films ( aaplayer ). An interpretation of the original graphic as a template for lines is rather rare. The image brightness is often implemented through the area coverage of the characters used. The JavE program , for example, allows you to influence the result of such a conversion by selecting different groups of characters and changing the brightness and contrast of the original. Such automatic conversions usually produce very large images, with small formats the quality is usually less than satisfactory without massive manual post-processing, depending on the original image.
With ATI graphics cards under Windows, when using OpenGL, there is a so-called “Smartshader” (a real-time computation effect on a shader basis), which displays the rendered image data as ASCII art on the screen.
Video players like MPlayer and the VLC Media Player in newer versions can play videos in colored ASCII characters.
Also on smartphones , there are apps that camera -Pictures live convert to an ASCII graphics. An example of this is AsciiCam for Android.
Original image
Monochrome ASCII art
Colored ASCII art
See also
Web links
ASCII art on the internet
- media4u.ch - ASCII-Art (ASCII Art Movie. The Matrix in ASCII Art in top quality)
- Oldest (1939) and second oldest find (1948) of ASCII-Art
- Large ASCII art collection
- ASCII History of Moving Images and more contemporary ascii (animated ASCII Art)
- Russian ASCII text art collection
- Star Wars Asciimation , Episode IV (A New Hope) as ASCII film (Work in Progress)
- Newsgroups: de.alt.rec.ascii-art (German) and alt.ascii-art (English)
- Image converter to ASCII
Software for creating ASCII art
- ASCII generator generates lettering in various Figlet fonts online from texts
- JavE , platform-independent ASCII art editor, freeware
- AACircuit for electronic circuits, freeware
- Implementation with example in C # (.NET)
- jp2a Generates ASCII art from JPEG graphics, can be called from the command line, open source
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sebastian Stöcker: ASCII Art by SSt. (No longer available online.) March 17th, 2012, archived from the original on August 3rd, 2013 ; Retrieved March 22, 2013 .
- ↑ Felix Lee: felix lee - ascii art. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008 ; Retrieved March 22, 2013 .
- ^ Normand Veilleux: Ascii Art by Normand Veilleux. Retrieved March 22, 2013 .
- ↑ AsciiCam on F-Droid.org; accessed on March 26, 2016.