Blend presets are used the same as other CorelDRAW preset controls and can be saved and applied to two or more different objects. Creating Extraordinary, Complex Blend Effects More advanced blending can solve illustration challenges when a standard, direct blend can’t. The following sections show you how to create multipoint blends, how to map blend control object nodes, and how to apply blends to paths. Yes, this is the “good part” of this chapter! Creating Multipoint Blends You can set the intermediate objects in the blend group as child objects of the blend, which causes them to behave as blend control objects. The properties of these child blend objects can be edited in the same way as control objects, which in turn affects the appearance of the blend effect applied between the original parent control objects and/or other child blend objects. The action is referred to as splitting. When split, the blend objects between the child objects and the control objects become child blend groups. By creating and moving child 634 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 21-12 The Object and Color acceleration options in this blend have been unlinked. The rate at which the blend group objects are shaped remains constant. Color acceleration decreased; slider moved left of center Outline width properties participate in acceleration Color acceleration increased; slider moved right of center blend objects, you can have a blend follow an indirect path between its parent control objects. This affects the appearance of the child blend groups between the child and control objects. As byzantine as this sounds, the effects can be absolutely spectacular; they more than pay for your mental gymnastics, and this is as difficult as it gets for complex blends. Child objects controlling a split blend can also be returned to their original state as blend group objects, which eliminates the split. This is called fusing and is done using the Fuse End command. Figure 21-13 shows in detail the before-and-after effects of a split blend; familiarize yourself with what the visual effects are of splitting and fusing a blend effect. CHAPTER 21: Blends and Contours 635 21 FIGURE 21-13 A blend between two polygons with different colors is fine. But when two of the blend group objects are split, and the child objects are repositioned and then assigned new fills, you’re talking something visually complex and fascinating! Control object Control object Splits Control object Child blend group Child blend group Child blend object repositioned and recolored Child blend group Child blend object repositioned and recolored Control object recolored In splitting, two blend objects within a blend group are specified here as child blend objects and then moved, resulting in a multipoint blend. Each time the blend is split, a new set of interactive markers appears between the control and child blend objects on the path of the child blend group. Splitting and Fusing a Blend You can split an existing blend effect by using the Blend tool and property bar options. Fusing a split blend is done the same way as using the Fuse End command. Let’s take a dip in the deep end of the pool in the following tutorial and put all these explanations to hands- on use. Splits and Blends: The Fun Never Ends 1. Create two objects and then use the Blend tool to make a blend of about 12 steps. 2. Choose the blend group object whose position in the blend is the point at which you want to make a split, and then double-click this object. Your blend effect is now split. 3. While the blend control markers are visible, click-drag the object’s marker to move it around on the page. The effect should remind you of editing a path with the Shape tool—this child blend object is a “node,” and you alter the path of the blend by moving this object. 4. You can also change the shape of the blend path by click-dragging the child blend object with the Pick tool; try this now. 5. Drag a color well (a swatch) from the Color Palette, and then drop it onto the child blend object. Notice that there are two color transitions happening now in the total blend; one from the Start blend control object to the child, and a different one from the child to the End blend control object. Think of the drawings of fuzzy caterpillars that are easy to create using child blend objects. 6. Make the blend a contiguous one now by removing the child blend object’s “childhood”: choose the Blend tool, click the blend to reveal the child blend object’s marker, and then double-click the marker. This is called fusing and it can also be performed using the More Blend Options button on the property bar. You’ll see that the blend reshapes itself to make a Direct Blend transition across the page and that the color transition you created in step 5 is removed. You can also use property bar options to split a blend, which is handy when you have a lot of blend steps, and a precise point in the blend is difficult to select. To do this, click the More Blend Options button on the property bar and click the Split button, as shown next. The entries in More Options are actually little buttons—you need to click the icon to the left 636 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide of the word “Split”—not the word itself. The cursor changes to a targeting cursor, and then you can click the object on the blend group where you want the split to be. Ill 21-5 Because a blend with child blend objects is more or less a blend within a blend, the markers between control objects and child objects also include acceleration marks for objects (their positions) and colors. You can make use of the acceleration markers with child objects to create phenomenally complex arrangements from blends, such as autumn leaves scattered on a sidewalk and a box of marbles someone carelessly dumped on the floor. Mapping Control Object Nodes When a blend is applied, the blend group is built of a series of intermediate objects between the control objects. When you use two completely different shapes as control objects, the chances are that they won’t have the same number of nodes connecting path segments; additionally, the position on the page of the first node you draw is usually arbitrary, depending on your style of drawing. By default, CorelDRAW blends two different objects using node mapping: the blend effect makes an assumption that the blend should start with the first node on the Start object and should end at the first node on the End object, and that all objects in the blend itself make the transition based on the same node position on the page as the Start and End control objects. Occasionally you might get a blend that looks like a parade of crumpled sheets of paper, or something similarly nasty—it’s interesting, but not what you had in mind! Fortunately, you can match the nodes of your control objects in a few clicks. To map the nodes in a blend, click the More Blend Options button, and click the Map Nodes button. The cursor becomes a targeting cursor, your signal to click the nodes you want matched. Node mapping is a two-step operation: click a node on the Start blend control object (the operation temporarily increases the size of the nodes so it’s easy to tell what the targeting cursor wants you to do), and then click the corresponding node on the End blend control object (see Figure 21-14). CHAPTER 21: Blends and Contours 637 21 Node mapping is unavailable if a blend effect has been split into a multipoint blend. Assigning a Blend Path Making a blend travel along a path can produce anything from kaleidoscopic patterns, to numbers on a clock, to a handsomely illustrated directions map. Blend paths can be set to evenly space a number of objects along a path; with a little skill, you can even adjust the acceleration of the objects along the path, thus adding a bit of a random quality to this effect. Blend objects on a path can also be rotated, offset from the path, and set to fill the full path or only part of the path. There’s a “down and dirty” way to create a blend effect while simultaneously directing the blend along a path: with two objects on the page, choose the Blend tool, and then while holding ALT, click-drag a path from one object to the other. The only real disadvantage to using this technique is that the path you define probably won’t show the steadiness of a path drawn, for example, with the Bézier tool, and the blend along the path might look a little shaky. The following tutorial takes you through the more studied and precise approach to binding a blend to a path, using the Path Properties pop-up, shown next: 638 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 21-14 The blend is confused; you need to remove the kinks by node mapping the control objects to make a smoother blend transition. Node mapping cursor Node mapping cursor Ill 21-6 Blending Objects along a Path 1. With a blend effect already created and an open or closed path in view on the page, choose the Blend tool, and then click the blend group portion of your effect to select it, not the control objects on either end of the blend. 2. Click the Path Properties button and then choose New Path. Notice your cursor changes to a targeting cursor. 3. Click the open or closed path with this special cursor; the blend now follows the path you clicked. Notice also that the blend has changed position to align with the path exactly where it’s positioned. Figure 21-15 shows a blend effect applied to a path. Choosing New Path while a blend effect is already applied to a path lets you assign a new and different object as the blend path. To remove a blend effect from a path, use the Detach From Path command. If the blend includes so many steps that the path is hidden—or if the path itself is not visible because it has no outline color applied—use the Show Path command to select and highlight it for editing. Show Path is also a good command for editing a path you created using the ALT+click-drag technique described earlier. Remember: as long as the path is visible (in any view mode), you can change its course by using the Shape tool to edit the path’s nodes. If you don’t want a path to be visible in the final effect, set its Fill and Outline colors to None. This way you can edit the path later. CHAPTER 21: Blends and Contours 639 21 Path Properties button FIGURE 21-15 These two objects were set to follow an open path by using the New Path command. Blend path object Path targeting cursor Rotating Blend Objects Objects set to follow a path do so using their original, unaltered orientation by default. For example, a blend involving vertical lines when blended to a path results in the centers of objects aligning with the path, but their orientation will remain vertical. If you need your blend group objects to align with the orientation of the path itself, choose the Rotate All Objects option in the More Blend Options pop-up menu in the property bar, shown here, which is available when a blend on a path is selected. Ill 21-7 Doing this applies rotation values to each of the objects in the blend group to align with the direction of the path. In Figure 21-16, 3D stars were created using the Star tool in combination with the Extrude tool; the extrude effect was simplified (Arrange | Break Extrude Group Apart), and then the objects were grouped and duplicated to make a Start and an End control object for the blend effect. Clearly, the bottom illustration, where Rotate All Objects was used along an arc path, is more visually interesting. Blend Along Full Path If the path you’ve applied your blend effect to is the right size and length to cover your blend completely, you may automatically set the blend group and control objects to cover the entire path. To do this, choose the Blend Along Full Path option from the More Blend Options pop-up. Using this option, you can move the center origins of the control objects in the blend to the first and last nodes of the path. Figure 21-17 shows the effect when a blend is applied to an open path. Once a blend group is bound to a path, you can manually space the blend objects by click-dragging the Start control object with the Pick tool. This is a good feature for visualizing how you want spacing to occur in a blend. Controlling Blend Object Path Alignment When a blend follows a path, the point at which all objects align with the path is determined by their center origin. The center origin is where all objects are rotated during any default 640 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Click to align object rotation to path. CHAPTER 21: Blends and Contours 641 21 FIGURE 21-16 The Rotate All Objects option can create a scaling progression between blend group objects. Rotate All Objects option unchecked Rotate All Objects option checked FIGURE 21-17 You have the option either to blend along the full length of a path or to retain the same original distance between control objects. Position of original control objects Objects blended along a path Blend Along Full Path chosen rotation. Controlling how a blend aligns to a path is one of those hidden features you won’t find in any dialog or property bar. Instead, the center origin is moved manually using the Pick tool, with object rotation and skew handles in view. By moving the center origin, you can control how the objects align to the path. By default, the blend aligns all objects on the path using the object’s default center. If you reposition the center origin of a control object, the blend effect aligns with the path to create a different overall composition. To move an object’s center origin, select the object with the Pick tool, click it a second time so the object is in rotate/skew transformation mode, and drag the center origin marker in any direction. Once the center origin is moved, the blend is updated automatically. Figure 21-18 shows an illustration of a zipper; the artist wanted the zipper to begin exactly where it begins at the top illustration, but felt it should swoop downward as it travels from left to right. The simple and quick solution is to move the End control object’s center upward, offsetting its relationship to the path, and the blend group follows this change gradually and smoothly. Working with Multi-Object Blends Blending between more than two objects can produce an effect quite unlike splitting a blend, and it’s just as easy to do. You click-drag between different objects on your document page. Each time you do this, a new blend group is created. The dynamic link is maintained between all objects in a multi-object blend, which means you can change control objects, 642 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 21-18 The center origin of these control objects was moved to change how the blend aligns with the path. Default path alignment Selection handles Move center origin with Pick tool Center origin and the blends are instantly updated. Figure 21-19 shows two blend effects applied to three different objects with the multi-object blend defined in different directions. Each blend of a multi-object blend is considered a separate effect; each has its own control objects with defined Start and End blend objects. You can change the Start and End blend objects using the Start And End Properties pop-out menu commands, shown next, available on the property bar. The Start and End blend objects are the key to making blends that change shape all over the place in very intriguing patterns. With a blend selected, you first need to locate the Start or End blend objects—choose either the Show Start or Show End command. Choosing New Start changes the cursor to a targeting cursor, so you can then unlink the blend effect from one object and target a different one. Doing this creates a new effect each time a different object is targeted. Choosing New End works similarly. Ill 21-8 When working with multi-object blends, clicking any blend group in the effect selects all control objects and all blend groups. To select individual blend groups, hold CTRL while clicking. Blend effect properties across multiple objects can be edited only individually and only while selected. CHAPTER 21: Blends and Contours 643 21 FIGURE 21-19 These three objects are blended in different sequence. Control object Control object Control object Control object Control object Control object Blend sequence Blend sequence Start And End Objects button . to click the icon to the left 636 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide of the word “Split”—not the word itself. The cursor changes to a targeting cursor, and then you can click the object on the blend. pop-up, shown next: 638 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 21-14 The blend is confused; you need to remove the kinks by node mapping the control objects to make a smoother blend transition. Node. path, the point at which all objects align with the path is determined by their center origin. The center origin is where all objects are rotated during any default 640 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Click