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Corel Draw. Adrian FarnsworthObjects Corel Draw is a Vector Graphics package. Unlike Bitmap or painting software, which uses an array of coloured squares or pixels, vector software uses objects. Each object has two major properties, an outline and a fill. Objects are arranged on the page front to back. One object can appear to be on top of another. To change the front to back order of objects, use the Arrange, Order menu.
Two objects, one in front of the other. The ellipse is selected, and has eight handles visible.
Whenever you select one of the tools below, a set of associated buttons appears on the Property Bar at the top of the page. The Pick Tool 
This tool allows you to select, move, resize, rotate and skew objects. Click once on an object, and eight handles appear. The corner handles resize the object equally in all directions (proportionately). The top, side and bottom handles resize the object in the direction you drag. Click a second time on the object and eight different handles appear, for rotating and skewing the object. Note that the centre of rotation can be moved. The Node Tool
Each turning point on the curve of an object is a node. Using a technique known as Bezier curves, these nodes can be used to shape an object precisely. There are three basic types of node, the cusp, smooth, and symmetrical. A cusp node allows the curve to bend sharply, a smooth node creates a smooth bend in the line, and a symmetrical node creates a smooth bend in the line which is symmetrical about the node.
Nodes can be joined and broken. You can add a node to a line by double clicking the appropriate point. You can delete a node by selecting it and pressing the Delete key. The Magnifier Tool
Marquee select the area you want to magnify (marquee = drag a rectangle shape). Click with the right mouse button for zoom out options. Click with the left mouse button for simple zoom in. If you have a wheel mouse, you can use the wheel, even when this tool is not selected. The Line Tool
Like several tools, this button has a flyout. Click and hold on the button, and several options appear. The first option is freehand, and the most useful is the second, Bezier curves. To create a shape, simply click at each major point on the outline. If you want a closed shape rather than a line, click over the first node with your last node. A shape can only be filled if it is closed.
A teddy, created using the Bezier drawing tool, then shaped using the node editor. The Shape Tools
Three tools for circles, squares and polygons/stars. To draw a square or circle (as opposed to a rectangle or an ellipse) hold down the control key as you draw. To draw out from t The Text Tool
Two types of text are possible, artistic text and paragraph text. To create artistic text, simply click at the starting point and type your text. To create paragraph text, use the tool to draw a rectangle around the area you want to be a paragraph block. If you resize artistic text, the text size will change, whereas if you resize paragraph text, the text size will remain the same. Options are available from the Property Bar or the Text menu. Roll-ups
Many controls are available through Roll-ups. They are available through the View, Roll-ups menu. There are quite a few, but the most useful are Pen, Special Fill, and Node Edit. When you have made changes in a roll-up, you have to click the Apply button to apply the effects. Many of the features in Roll-ups also appear in the property bar at the top of the screen. The buttons in this bar change with the tool you are using. The Edit button in most Roll-ups reveals lots of options. Grouping & Combining Two or more objects can be Grouped or Combined. Grouping: To group objects, you must select them. To select multiple objects, either:
The objects will now move as one, and any changes to fill or outline affect every object in the group. Objects can be Ungrouped. (Arrange menu) Combining: Combining is similar to grouping, but it makes all the objects into a single object. So, although two objects may be on opposite sides of the page, they behave as one. They all share the same fill and outline. To separate combined objects, use the Break Apart command. (Arrange menu) Rulers Rulers can be switched on and off from the View menu. A right mouse click on the rulers will allow you to get to Ruler Setup.
If you drag from the meeting point of the two rulers onto the page, you can define the zero point of the x and y scales Guidelines To create a guideline, simply drag from the vertical or horizontal ruler. If you click and select a guideline, it can be rotated. Guidelines do not print out. They have two purposes:
by activating Snap to Guidelines in the Layout menu, objects will snap to guideline when they get near it. This allows you to line objects up. Grid The grid is an array of dots, which, like guidelines, objects can be made to snap to. You can make the grid visible from the View menu. Like guidelines, it does not print out. You get to Grid Setup by right clicking on the ruler. Select Spacing, and enter the desired figures for the horizontal and vertical spacing. The grid is very useful for creating graph paper and similar arrays. |
