User Guide¶
Welcome to the PyLithics User Guide¶
This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instructions and best practices to help you get the most out of PyLithics for your lithic analysis.
Guide Contents¶
Image Requirements¶
Learn about the image specifications and drawing conventions that work best with PyLithics:
- Supported file formats and resolutions
- Drawing style guidelines
- Orientation requirements
- Scale bar placement
- Tips for optimal results
Metadata Setup¶
Understand how to prepare your metadata CSV file and scale calibration:
- Required columns and format
- Automatic scale bar detection system
- Automatic fallback to pixel measurements
- Linking images to scales
- Directory structure organization
- Handling missing scales and mixed calibration methods
- Example templates
Basic Usage¶
Get started with running PyLithics analyses:
- Command-line basics
- Essential arguments
- Scale calibration examples and options
- Configuration options (config.yaml)
- Understanding the processing pipeline
- Customizing analysis parameters
Outputs¶
Explore all the files and data PyLithics generates:
- CSV data structure and metrics
- Scale calibration metadata columns
- Labeled visualization images
- Voronoi diagrams
- Log files and debugging output
- Arrow detection results
Dashboard¶
Launch an interactive browser dashboard to explore your results:
- Overview headline numbers
- Distribution histograms with shared filters
- Per-lithic drill-down with the labeled and Voronoi images
Glossary¶
Reference for all terms and metrics:
- Complete list of measurements
- Archaeological terminology
- Technical definitions
- Metric units and calculations
Next Steps¶
- Start here → Image Requirements - Ensure your images are compatible
- Next → Metadata Setup - Prepare your CSV file
- Then → Basic Usage - Run your first analysis
- Finally → Outputs - Understand your results