Design Documents
All About Design Documents
The first thing you will see when you first launch Design Intuition is a window asking you to select a Template file.
If you don't know what a Template file is, and don't want to know until later, that's perfectly fine. Just select a file whose name describes the size of your intended design. You needn't worry about picking the wrong size; you can always change your mind after your design is well under way. Design Intuition is very forgiving that way.
Okay, I've created a design, what can I do with it?
Design Intuition creates only one type of document. It has a file extension "hof," which stands for hierarchal object file. They can, however, be used in three different ways, as:
- Design documents
- Template files
- Smart Objects
At first, you'll probably just want to save your design as a normal design file. Later, as your needs expand, you can add your own Template files and Smart Objects and Design Intuition will help you keep them organized and handy, if you use the following mechanisms:
- To create a new piece of template, save it using the Save as Template command in the File menu. This way it will show up in the Template preferences.
- To create a new Smart Object, save it using the Save in Library command in the File menu. This way, it will show up in the Library inspector.
Furthermore, if you open a Smart Object or Template file, by double clicking on it in the inspector, you merely need save it with the Save command
I want to open my Design Intuition document, What do I do?
In the Finder:
- Double-click on any Design Intuition document in the Finder.
- Drag any Design Intuition document onto the Design Intuition application icon.
In Design Intuition:
- Open a recently edited document in Design Intuition using the File --> Open Recent menu.
- Use the File --> Open menu item and select a Design Intuition file using the standard open dialog.
- Double-click on any Smart Object in the Library Inspector.
- Double-click on any Template file in the Template preferences.
Why are Design Intuition files called "Hierarchal?"
This is a very powerful feature of Design Intuition. It refers to their ability to be added to other Design Intuition documents. Once you have created and saved a design, you can add it to a new design by simply dragging the icon of the first design's file onto your new open design. Any of the following can be dragged onto your working design:
- The finder icon of any Design Intuition document
- The titlebar icon of any currently open Design Intuition document
- Any Smart Object from the Library inspector
