Fretmarker Design is a Java application to aid in the design of unique guitar fret position markers. Fretmarker designs are specified with control points which indicate the general shape of the design; as the points are dragged to new positions, the fretmarker shape changes in the same direction. By moving (and adding and deleting) control points, a design can be refined until it has the desired shape. A dialog allows the specification of the parameters of the guitar fretboard, including the scale length, the fretboard width at the the nut, and the fretboard width at the 12th fret. These parameters are used when the design is printed: the design is automatically scaled to produce templates for each of the frets which traditionally receive a marker (the F, G, A, B, C#, E, G, A, B, C# and E frets), as illustrated below.
A design can be saved in an app-specific XML format that can be later re-opened and refined. The XML file is just a text file that contains a human-readable specification of the control point sequence if the locations and weights are desired. A design can also be exported as a PDF file that can be viewed and printed with any PDF app, or as an SVG file that can be opened and edited with a vector graphics application such as Inkscape. The SVG output can also be used to generate gcode for a CNC router using a program such as the JSCut Inlay Assistant.
