Rembrandt
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The first of Rembrandt's primary tools is K Board-the drawing mode. Each number key (0-9) becomes a shape that can be placed anywhere on the 80 column by 24 line screen-one shape at a time. There is also a repeat command that lets you "paint" a shape with the cursor keys, and at any time you can switch to the "graphic" menu to redefine any of your ten keys, choosing from a chart of over 150 different shapes. I would have liked Rembrandt to display the-key definitions at the bottom of the drawing board screen.
Corrections are made by-overwriting with another shape. Other features include defining shapes for reverse video, flashing, underlining, and half-intensity (effects that really enhance graphics), switching into text mode to add words and numbers, and block commands to move images around the screen.
K Graph is a tool for drawing charts and graphs. It's much faster to use than K Board because you're not really "creating," you're "filling in the blanks." Rembrandt provides the overlay charts; you just add numerical data, parameters, labels and titles. Pie and bar charts and scatter graphs can be completed with information from existing databases or spreadsheets.
K Brief is the last of the three tools, and Rembrandt's masterpiece. By writing a simple "command" file with your word processor, you can have artwork, charts, even text screens, appear sequentially. You determine how long each screen is displayed, and how one screen moves to another-from nine options, including fades, wipes, curtains, spireling out from the center, etc.
Any picture you make with K Board or K Graph can be saved (2K memory for each), called up and reworked at any time, enabling you to build an "electronic portfolio for future use. The program is available from CG/Systems, 23145 Bigler Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91364 for $79.95 (for all Kaypros with graphic capabilities).
(Kugram, Jan/Feb 1985)
K2-'83 and 4-'83 Version
It appears from the LA Times article below that the '83 version requires a change in the character ROM.
K10 and later Version
This version includes the 2-'84, 2X, 4-'84, 4X, 10 and Robie.
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Spectre’s other offering is called Rembrandt, and it allows you to make drawings and produce bar, line and pie charts. There is even a version for old Kaypro II and Kaypro 4 models that comes with a replacement graphics chip to replace the original that contains no graphics characters.
Rembrandt sells for $79.95 for graphics-capable Osbornes and Kaypros and $89.95 for the early Kaypro models, including the replacement graphics chip.
The graphic results on your screen are serviceable but scarcely elegant. I doubt that anyone would find the quality adequate for actual business presentations. In my opinion, you’ll have to buy an IBM or compatible or Apple Macintosh to get acceptable business graphics.
(LA Times May 27, 1986)
REMBRANDT is both screen- and printer-oriented, a good all-round program that is the only one to exploit all the graphics capabilities of the Kaypro. Drawing is done with the entire ASCII set - all 256 characters - on a full-screen canvas. You have 10 graphics characters on your "palette" at one time, choosing one by striking a number key - painting by numbers, as it were. Ordinary keyboard characters can be typed in anytime. Access to the fine-line graphics makes possible much more varied effects than the block graphics allow, such as graphs that look like they're drawn on graph paper. Screens can be chained together for presentation in a "slide-show" format with various effects such as fade-in. Auxiliary programs will prepare various types of graphs automatically from entered data. REMBRANDT puts out good printed images, and reproduces half-intensity on paper as well as on the screen, but as a printing program it is less flexible than SCS-DRAW; nor is the overall presentation as attractive and fast-moving.
(GRAPHICS ON CP/M KAYPROS by Peter Donnelly)