ConstellaX

ConstellaX is a desktop application for creating and visualizing star constellations. Draw stars on a canvas, connect them with lines, and save your celestial artwork.

Features

• Interactive Canvas: Click to place stars on the canvas
• Connect Stars: Automatically connect stars with lines using pen state (pen down/up)
• Color Customization: Choose different colors for your stars and connecting lines
• Undo Functionality: Remove the last added star
• Clear Canvas: Remove all stars at once
• Show/Hide Lines: Toggle visibility of all connecting lines
• Save & Load: Save your constellations to .cnst files and load them later
• Export Images: Save your constellation as a JPG image
• Sound Effects: Audio feedback when placing stars

Requirements

• Java 17 or higher
• Maven (for building from source)

Building the Project

To build the project from source using Maven:

mvn clean compile

Running the Application

After building, you can run the application using:

mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="com.uniqueapps.constellax.Main"

Or run the main class directly:

java -cp target/classes com.uniqueapps.constellax.Main

Usage

1. Creating Stars: Click anywhere on the canvas to create a star
2. Pen State: Toggle the pen state (UP/DOWN) to control whether new stars connect to the previous star
3. Change Color: Use the "Change pen color" button to select a different color for new stars
4. Connect Existing Stars: Click on an existing star while in pen-down mode to connect it to the previously selected star
5. Remove Stars: Use "Remove last added star" to undo or "Remove all stars" to clear the canvas
6. Hide/Show Lines: Toggle line visibility with the "Hide all lines" button
7. Save: Use File → Save constellation file to save your work as a .cnst file
8. Load: Use File → Load constellation file to open a previously saved constellation
9. Export: Use File → Save constellation image to export as a JPG image

Project Structure

• src/com/uniqueapps/constellax/ - Main source code
  • Main.java - Main application class and UI
  • DrawEngine.java - Canvas drawing engine
  • StarPoint.java - Star point representation
  • AboutDialog.java - About dialog
  • PicturePanel.java - Picture panel component
  • ScreenImage.java - Screen image utilities
• resources/ - Application resources (fonts, icons, sounds)

License

This project is developed by Arpan Chatterjee. Licensed under the MIT license.

Version

Current version: 1.0