What is PaintChat?
PaintChat (or PChat) is software for drawing and chatting on the web. Think Photoshop + AIM. It differs from Oekaki and similar software in that an Oekaki is an asynchronous message board system, while PaintChat is real-time drawing and messaging.
The PaintChat interface is a Java applet that runs in any web browser that supports Java, including Netscape 6.2x, Netscape 7, Mozilla 1.4+ and Firefox. It is simple to use, yet offers many professional-quality features, including the JTablet Java plugin which accesses your graphics tablet's full potential.
Before using PaintChat, make sure you have the latest Java software installed:
http://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp
Java works with several operating systems, including Mac OS X and Windows: Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 (SP4+), Windows XP (SP1 SP2) and Windows 2003. For complete information on browser and operating system compability, as well as instructions on how to download, install and test Java, go to the following URL:
http://www.java.com/
Find a PaintChat
To get started, all you need is a web browser with Java support and a link to a good PaintChat site. Just visit the Dojin Cafe at http://www.DojinCafe.com and search for "PaintChat". You'll find links to this tutorial and several PaintChat sites.
Start your PaintChat viewer
After you click on a link to a PaintChat, something similar to the following page appears in your browser window. It is simply the program name and version number (PaintChatClient v3.35b in this example), along with a numerical percentage indicating how much of the program is finished loading. If the loading process freezes, close the browser, reopen it and try again.
Enter a PaintChat Session
On some paintchats a small pop-up window titled "Your Handle" appears, enter your desired screen name and press Enter. This is your PaintChat screen name that identifies you to other users. A PaintChat session can accomodate several simultaneous guests. If the "Your Handle" message does not appear, you need to type your name in the "Input column" or "chat" box at the bottom of the screen.
Loading PaintChat
The PaintChat program will load up past PaintChats in chronological order. Once that is done you will can use the program.
Next: PaintChat Basics