Catalogues Help

First are various buttons that load knots from the standard catalogues included
with KnotPlot.

   All --- loads a knot chosen randomly from the entire `basic' knot and
           link catalogue.  this is essentially Appendix C from Dale Rolfsen's
           classic book `Knot and Links'.

   1  2  3  4 --- loads a knot/link chosen randomly from the basic catalogue
           with 1, 2, 3, or 4 components, resp.

   spec coll --- loads a knot chosen randomly from the `Special Collection'.
           these are knots that are `special' for some reason (they have a 
           name, they are mathematically interesting, they look neat, etc.)

For more information about the basic catalogue, see the help page on the Main
control panel.

The next row of buttons load knots from basic catalogue, but displays them in
a `zoo' where you can choose them interactively.

   Rand --- selections are random chosen

   A  B  C  D  E  F --- the entire basic knot and link catelogue, in the same
           order they appear in `Knots and Links'

   Torus --- a zoo of torus knots and links, in order of increasing crossing
           number.  if you click on the button repeatedly, you get more and
           more complex torus knots and links.

   RandT --- a selection of torus knots and links, chosen randomly


Decorative knots

KnotPlot comes with what is perhaps an over abundance of decorative knots.  
You can use these buttons to select one of them at random.  The knots are 
grouped according to symmetry type, the symmetry being that of the knot `shadow'
or projection to the xy-plane.  

Because many of these knots look nicest when viewed in an orthographic projection
and if the tube radius isn't too large, various display settings are set when
you load one of the knots.  Use the check boxes to selectively turn these off.

Some of the decorative knots are actually complicated unknots, or can be greatly
simplified using KnotPlot's knot simplification techniques.
