Oberon Object Tiler May 2026

Oberon Object Tiler — quick guide

Roadmap

• [ ] WebAssembly build for in-browser tiling
• [ ] GPU-accelerated placement for massive datasets
• [ ] GUI demo app (Oberon Tile Studio)
• [ ] Native support for Tiled map editor files

Declarative UI Frameworks

Imagine a web browser or a native desktop framework where every DOM node or SwiftUI view is an Oberon Object. When the user scrolls, only the objects entering the tile boundary are re-binned. This allows for 120 fps scrolling with complex shadows and gradients—something traditional retained-mode UI struggles with.

Key Advantages Over Traditional Techniques

Implementation pattern (step-by-step)

1. Choose tile key (coordinate for UI; object ID range or module+offset for structural).
2. Define tile size (balance I/O overhead vs. memory locality).
3. Represent tile metadata: tile ID, version, checksum, reference table.
4. Serialize object parts into tiles; replace cross-tile pointers with stable handles.
5. Load-on-demand: fetch tile when accessed; keep LRU cache for hot tiles.
6. Update: modify tile in memory, bump version, write back asynchronously.
7. Consistency: on multi-tile updates, use transactions or two-phase commit across affected tiles.
8. GC integration: mark from roots, follow handles; collect whole tiles when empty or compact into fewer tiles.

How the Tiler Works

In technical terms, the Object Tiler is responsible for scanning the display list and rendering visible objects. The process can be broken down into three distinct phases:

1. Scanning (The Loop): The system maintains a global list of objects currently visible on the screen. The Tiler iterates through this list. It does not "know" what the objects are; it simply knows their dimensions and position.
2. Clipping and Intersection: The Tiler calculates the intersection between an object’s bounding box and the "dirty rectangle"—the area of the screen that needs to be redrawn (due to scrolling, opening, or editing). This is a strictly geometric operation.
3. Dispatch (Polymorphism): Once the Tiler identifies an object that intersects with the update region, it invokes the object's Draw method.

This architecture utilizes what modern developers might recognize as the Visitor Pattern or a dispatch table. The Tiler is the generic engine; the objects are the specific content. The system does not need to know that Object A is a line of text and Object B is a raster image. It simply

The Oberon Object Tiler is a classic VBA macro for CorelDRAW (developed by Alex Vakulenko of Oberon Place) that automates duplicating a selected object to fill a page—perfect for business cards, labels, and stickers.

To "develop a feature" for it, you would typically modify its GMS (Global Macro Storage) file using the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor inside CorelDRAW. 🚀 Proposed Feature: "Smart Nesting with Rotation"

Current versions of Object Tiler typically tile objects in a rigid grid or allow a single "Best Fit" orientation for the whole set. A high-value addition would be Smart Nesting, which rotates individual objects to squeeze more copies onto a single sheet of expensive media. 🛠️ How to Implement This Feature

To build this, you would need to add logic to the TileObjects subroutine in the VBA code:

UI Update: Add a checkbox to the user form: chkAllowMixedRotation. Logic Logic:

Calculate the area of the page versus the area of the object.

Run two simultaneous calculations: one with the object "Portrait" and one "Landscape." Oberon Object Tiler

If a row has leftover space that is smaller than the object's width but larger than its height, rotate the object 90° to fill that gap.

Bounding Box Check: Use the .SizeWidth and .SizeHeight properties of the Shape object in VBA to compare dimensions against the remaining Page.SizeWidth. 📋 Other Feature Ideas

If you are looking for specific functionality to add, consider these community-requested improvements:

Bleed Control: Automatically add a user-defined "Bleed" margin to each tile while keeping the crop marks at the actual trim line.

Variable Data Integration: Allow the tiler to pull different images or text from a CSV file for each "tile" (e.g., serialized barcodes or name tags).

Staggered/Running Bond Layout: Add an "Offset" percentage for every second row, which is often required for wallpaper designs or certain tile patterns.

Media Cost Calculator: Add a small text field at the bottom of the form that calculates the "Waste Percentage" based on the unused area of the page. 💡 Prototyping Tip

To start developing, open CorelDRAW, press Alt + F11 to open the VBA Editor, and find the ObjectTiler project in the Project Explorer. Look for the UserForm to add buttons, and the Module code to change how the objects are placed.

Which of these features sounds most useful for your workflow? I can help you draft the specific VBA code snippets for any of them! Oberon Object Tiler — quick guide Roadmap

Oberon Object Tiler. Макрос для CorelDRAW - CIFRAmagazine

Oberon Object Tiler is a specialized macro for developed by Alex Vakulenko of Oberon Place

. It is primarily used to automate the process of duplicating a single object across a page to maximize space—a task commonly referred to as "imposition" or "step and repeat". Core Functionality Automatic Filling

: The macro calculates how many times a selected object can fit on a page both horizontally and vertically. Optimization

: It can automatically rotate the page or the object to find the most efficient layout for the highest yield of copies. Print Preparation

: Users can define specific margins (page gutters) and spacing between objects to ensure they are print-ready. Crop Marks

: It includes a feature to automatically place crop/cutting marks around the tiled objects, which is essential for professional printing of business cards, labels, or flyers. Common Use Cases Small Format Printing : Ideal for quickly laying out business cards or stickers. Efficiency

: Provides a more streamlined and automated alternative to CorelDRAW's native "Step and Repeat" or "Print Preview" imposition tools. Availability and Installation : It is a VBA-based macro (

The Oberon Object Tiler is a specialized utility primarily known as a macro for CorelDRAW that automates the arrangement and repetition of objects to create seamless patterns and tiled designs. It is part of a suite of productivity tools developed by OberonPlace.com for graphics software. Core Functionality [ ] WebAssembly build for in-browser tiling [

The Object Tiler is designed to simplify the complex task of manually positioning objects for repetitive layouts.

Automatic Tiling: It takes a selected object and automatically repeats it across a specified area, ensuring perfect alignment and spacing.

Pattern Creation: Often used by textile designers and illustrators to create seamless repeating patterns (seamless tiles).

Customizable Spacing: Users can define the exact horizontal and vertical gap between objects or choose to have them touch.

Object Selection: It allows for specific object selection within groups or layers to be used as the base for the tiling operation. Integration and Compatibility

Host Software: It is explicitly built as a macro for CorelDRAW (supporting various versions like X6, X7, and later).

Related Tools: It is frequently used alongside other Oberon utilities, such as Oberon Limit Colors, which helps manage color palettes in complex tiled graphics. Usage Context

While "Oberon" also refers to a historical programming language and operating system from ETH Zurich, the "Object Tiler" specifically refers to the graphic design macro. In the broader Oberon operating system context, a "Tiling-viewer display manager" was used to manage windows without overlap, but this is a separate architectural feature of the OS rather than the CorelDRAW design tool.