VectorPaint unit pictograms: represent odd quantities with whole and half symbols

English translation of the Chinese original, translated on 2026-11-07. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

One pictogram need not mean one item, and partial symbols require a stated convention. Use equal circles for three invented quantities: each full circle means two items and each half one. Maintain counts/graphics manually without automatic legend conversion or chart generation, and keep the unit explanation in the output.

Fix three quantities and one unit legend

Create a 1200 by 800 pixel canvas with A=5, B=8, C=3 invented items. State full circle=2 and left half-circle=1, not an unexplained symbol title. Calculate A two full plus half, B four full, C one full plus half. Retain data externally without real organisations/groups. Blank layout slots are not missing observations. Define the unit before symbols instead of filling a row and inventing matching quantities afterward.

Use one full source and crop exactly one half

Draw one simple full circle and crop its left half with a verified mask or independent semicircle path. Retain the source radius/height; scaling a whole circle to half dimensions changes area/shape and is not this half symbol. White covers simulate one background, not true transparent clipping. Keep both sources with consistent colour/stroke and no end decoration implying a different category. Here a half explicitly means one item, not an approximation or unknown value.

Use shared slots without stretching rows

B needs four full-symbol slots; establish four equally spaced positions and start A/C on that same grid. A final half occupies the left half of its slot, without widening or shifting elsewhere to fill the row. Keep row names and values separate, align the baselines of the first symbols, and preserve blank space in shorter rows. Read symbols without labels, then compare 5/8/3. Independently stretching all rows to equal width destroys the encoding. Row grouping may help movement without changing source sizes or units.

Separate visible symbols from full-symbol equivalents

A has three visible symbols, B four, C two: nine shapes. Full-symbol equivalents are 2.5,4,1.5, total 8, encoding 16 items. Nine times two wrongly counts halves as full. Verify 5+8+3=16 and each row, since totals can hide wrong assignments. Halves must be recognisable without value labels. Record quantity, full count and half count separately so later editing cannot promote a half into a full symbol.

Update the last symbol after an odd/even change

Change A from 5 to 6 in a copy, calculating three full circles and replacing the half only. A still has three visible objects, but its encoded quantity changes. Update A and total explanations and retain the 5/8/3 source. Reversing 6→5 uses the same half source, not a slightly shrunken last circle. Check placement/size/transparency and exclude stacked full/half copies. Objects do not transform from numerical edits automatically; the list determines the change.

Keep the legend and partial-symbol rule consistent

Keep full=2 and half=1 across rows rather than silently using full=4 for B. A unit change requires recalculating every row, not rounding remainders arbitrarily. A new symbol shape needs updates everywhere and in the legend with recognisable partials. Group colour should not imply another unstated value. Quantity here comes from counts of one-sized sources/defined halves, not comparative icon areas. Another encoding needs its own definition rather than a mixed ambiguous system.

Deliver the legend and scope with the actual output

Save data, full/half sources and array. Read 5/8/3 and a complete legend in export; small halves must not become full-looking through clipping/strokes. Test backgrounds and actual white covers. Name two-items-per-symbol sample, dataset revision and size and exclude A=6 tests. Real use needs provenance, units and time scope, not certification from this invented chart. Even a cropped row needs its legend so two-full-plus-half is not misread as three items.

Return to full/half sources when labels conceal mistakes

For A labelled 5 with three full circles, replace the missed half instead of relabelling 6 to hide the task error. A tiny-circle half needs clipping, not scaling. An 18 total confuses visible/full equivalents; equal row lengths suggest stretching. White edges need mask/backing checks. Recheck legend, row counts, total and real file so symbols express units rather than merely decorate three rows.