SignMaker Central
The above picture is a rendering of a Big Green Sign (BGS) assembly over Interstate 91 in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. It looks realistic, but it's even better than real: the two interstate highways shown were once planned, but never built.With SignMaker, you can make signs like this that say almost anything you want. With TrippyDrive '71, you can drive along make-believe freeways, seeing signs generated automatically using SignMaker technology.
SignMaker
If your computer can run Java, the SignMaker program is all you need
to make signs like this, with the route numbers,
town names, and markers you choose. Many people decorate their Web sites
with them, but you could print signs for your little brother's Hot
Wheels town, or make a personalized greeting card for a friend.
You can choose among over 40 route markers, 12 types of arrows,
six types of exit tab, and four types of metal support. Finish it off
with up to three lines of text, and place up to four sign panels
on an overhead pole. There are still plenty of complicated real-life
signs that SignMaker can't make, but the tools you have will mimic
reality quite well.
You can use SignMaker online (a Java "applet"), which does not copy any
files to your computer. You'll need a browser and net connection for this.
Or, you can download an offline version (Java "application") that requires
neither, but does need a Java runtime environment.
Before you start SignMaker, please read "How to
save a sign" if you
don't already know how.
- Play online
- SignMaker Lite (online) (use this smaller version if the full SignMaker won't run or runs too slowly)
- SignMaker 2.2.0 (old) (use this older version if the full or Lite SignMaker won't run or runs too slowly)
- Download for offline use
- Help and Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
TrippyDrive '71
TD71, also in Java, simulates driving along a freeway. It uses SignMaker
technology to draw the signs you would see (in fact, the I-91 sign shown
above is from TD71). At many interchanges, you
can either continue on the present freeway, or exit onto an
intersecting freeway. There's no scenery, buildings, or traffic, but
the signs provide a surprisingly good sensation of traveling along the
road.
Currently TD71 is only available online.
Legalese
SignMaker and TD71 are free for noncommercial use. I don't make any money
from them; neither should you. If you use a SignMaker image on your
website, please provide a link to this page so your visitors can learn
how to make their own signs.
I'm keeping the source code to myself for both programs; they're not
open source. Also, please do not mirror either program on your
own website.
How to save a sign
Because of Java's security restrictions, SignMaker and TD71 cannot write
files to your system (disk drive, zip drive, etc.) How this affects you
the most is that there's no "Save" function.
To save a sign, take a screen shot, and edit it in your favorite
paint program. Here's how:
- Macintosh: press Command-Shift-3, which writes a Picture file in your hard disk's main folder. GraphicConverter can convert this file to GIF.
- Windows: press the Print Screen key, which places a bitmap image in the clipboard. Paste this into an image converter program.
- X Windows, run xwd, then import the file into an image program like ImageMagick, GIMP, or xv.
Credits
All state route markers are adapted from James Lin's excellent
Route Markers site.
US and Interstate markers are courtesy of Richard C. Moeur.
For more information on road signs in the real world,
including the US standards, visit
Mr. Moeur's Traffic Signs.
Awards
SignMaker earned a Yahoo "Pick of the Week" in April 1998, and
similar awards from smaller sites who evidently comb Yahoo for candidates.
Although the Yahoo Effect has subsided in the web logs, SignMaker is
still consistently the most popular place at Kurumi.com.
There are about 30-50 sites using SignMaker images, some to decorate pages
unrelated to highways.
Trippy Drive '71 earned a "Useless Site of the Day" award in 1998 as well.
Here's to goofing off.
