Arrows
The two Arrows boxes provide access to 89 different arrow styles, ranging
from a variety of normal-looking arrows to an airplane, a writing hand,
and starbursts. The Arrows box on the left controls what will appear at
the start of the line; the right box sets the arrow for the end of the
line. Note that these are not based on direction: if you draw a line from
right to left, the ending arrow will appear on the left side of the line.
If you get confused and set the arrow on the wrong side, click Options
and choose Swap (either Options button will do).
Do you see an arrow style here that you almost like? Maybe it
would be just perfect if it were a little larger, or more elongated, or
fatter? Its easy to create simple variations on arrow designs with
the built-in Arrowhead Editor. From the property bar, choose Other from
the drop-down list of arrows, or from the dialog, choose Options Ø
Edit.
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| WARNING All the arrowhead style definitions
are stored in a file called coreldrw.end, in the Custom
subdirectory. Before editing any of the default arrow styles, make
a backup copy of this file. Editing an arrow replaces its original
version. Using your backup will be the only way to return to the default
arrowheads, short of reinstalling the program.
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For example, DRAW doesnt offer long and thin or short and squat
arrows like the ones shown in Figure 7.2. But, using the Arrowhead Editor,
you can create either of these arrows from an existing one. Just pick
the arrow youd like to use as your starting point and click on the
Options button under the arrow selection box. Choose Edit to replace the
chosen arrowhead, or New if you want to add your new design to the list.
DRAW will bring up the Edit Arrowhead window, where you can resize and
reshape your arrowhead and reposition it in relation to the end of the
line.
You neednt concern yourself with keeping the arrow precisely in
the center of its linethats what the Center in X and Center
in Y controls are for. (Remember your geometry? The x-axis runs along
the horizontal and the y-axis along the vertical.) The Reflect buttons
mirror the arrow along each axis. The Reflect in X button actually turns
the arrow completely around, so it faces the line; pointing to where youve
been rather than where youre going. The Reflect in Y button flips
the arrow upside down.
The vertical line in the Edit Arrowhead window represents the end of
the line to which the arrowhead will be applied. If the arrowhead extends
past that line (as in the middle image in Figure 7.2), it will extend
past the endpoint of the line to which it is attached.
FIGURE
7.2 The Arrowhead Editor is responsible for
custom arrows like the ones shown here.
Line Style
This drop-down list offers you a choice of a solid line plus 27 other
line styles. They are combinations of dots, spaces, and dashes. To use
one of them, simply click on it and your selected object will inherit
that line style. When this feature is used in conjunction with the Line
Caps settings, several additional useful styles of dotted and dashed lines
can be created.
You can also create your own pattern from the Edit Line Style dialog
(see Figure 7.3). To open this dialog, select any line style other than
solid, and then select the Edit Style button below the drop-down line
style list.
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| NOTE When you use (or create) a line style,
the length of dots, dashes, and spaces scales with the lines
width. A hairline will look solid unless you zoom to a high magnification.
But make the same line 8 points wide, and youll see the style
clearly.
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FIGURE
7.3 You can create and preview your own line
pattern with DRAWs Line Style Editor.
Color
Your handy entrance to all of the Outline Color controls is the Color
drop-down box in the Outline Pen dialog. Here you can choose among all
the colors in the current palette. And as we mentioned earlier, if thats
not enough, click Others to reach the Select Color dialog. From there,
you can change palettes, choose spot colors, search for names of Pantone
colors, and mix your own CMYK, RGB, or HSB values. (For more on color
models and palettes, see Chapter 27.)
Corners
There are three choices for controlling how outlines are drawn on objects
with sharp corners. As Figure 7.4 demonstrates, these controls operate
intuitively.
FIGURE
7.4 Changing corners on corners is as easy as
a click.
Line Caps
These three options determine how the ends of lines are rendered. The
first choice (the default) cuts the line off right at the end. The middle
option draws round caps that extend beyond the end of the line, and the
third control draws square caps that extend beyond the end of the line.
Figure 7.5 shows how a choice of line cap can affect lines that meet
but do not share a node. Notice that with the default line cap (the first
one), there is an obvious gap between the two lines, while the other choices
produce the illusion that the lines meet.
FIGURE
7.5 The influence of Line Caps on lines that
have separate nodes where they meet
Calligraphy
Using these settings to control the shape and orientation of the Outline
Pen is not unlike working with a pressure- and orientation-sensitive ink
pen. By adjusting the size and angle of the pen, you can create realistic
calligraphic effects. Figure 7.6 shows two such examples with their settings,
along with an example of what is produced by the default settings (100%
Stretch and 0 degree Angle).
FIGURE
7.6 Results of various Outline Pen Calligraphy
settings
Behind Fill
The position of the Outline Pen is either in front of a fill pattern
(the default) or behind it. When an object has no fill, this control is
of no consequence, which is why most users pay little or no attention
to it. But the important thing to know about all of this is that DRAW
places outlines in the center of an objects edge. In other words,
half of the thickness of the outline is outside of the objects edge
and half is on the inside.
This is also not normally front-page news, unless you do something like
kern the heck out of a string of text and/or apply a thick outline, as
shown in the top part of Figure 7.7. There simply isnt enough room
for all of the outline!
FIGURE
7.7 With the outline behind the fill, tightly
kerned text takes on a whole new lookand a much more readable one.
The solution is in one of the controls in the Outline Pen dialog, called
Behind Fill. When this option is checked, the outline is placed behind
the fill, so that only the outside part of the outline is shown. The lower
half of Figure 7.7 shows the resulta nice effect of welded text.
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