4. Once your object has been created and any glyph node editing is complete, your other basic shape properties (such as outline and fill) can be changed in the usual way. For example, you can change the width or height of your new shape by using the selection handles. Editing Glyph Nodes Glyph nodes are edited in ways similar to the control points on a polygon. As they are moved, the glyph nodes often have the effect of resizing, changing proportion, or dynamically moving a certain part of an individual symbol. Complex symbols can include up to three color-coded glyph nodes. To explore glyph node editing, take a moment to try this: 1. Choose the Banner Shapes tool. 2. Choose the second style from the left on the property bar. 3. Using a click-diagonal drag action, create a new shape on your page. Notice the shape includes two glyph nodes—one yellow, one red. 4. Click-drag the yellow glyph node up or down to reposition it several times. Notice its movement is horizontally constrained; as it is moved, the vertical width of each portion of the banner changes. 5. Click-drag the red glyph node left or right to reposition it several times. Notice its movement is vertically constrained; as it is moved, the horizontal width of each portion of the banner changes to match your movement, as shown in Figure 8-11. Glyph nodes can be edited using both the Perfect Shapes tool you used to create the shape and the Shape tool ( F10). You can also edit glyph nodes by using the Object Properties docker for a selected Perfect Shape, as shown in Figure 8-12. This docker offers precise control over glyph node position; right-click your shape and choose Properties from the pop- up menu or press ALT+ENTER. Depending on the Perfect Shape you’ve selected, the Object 234 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Converting Shapes to Curves Any of the shapes discussed in this chapter can be converted to curves by using the Arrange | Convert To Curves command ( CTRL+Q). Using this command removes any dynamic-editing properties. For example, an ellipse shape may be converted to a pie or arc (and vice versa); but after it is converted to curves, you’ll no longer have the option of turning the object into a pie wedge. The same applies to rectangles, polygons, and so on. With the exception of the Undo command, once an object is converted to curves, you have no way to return the object to its dynamically editable state. CHAPTER 8: Creating Basic Shapes, Applying Transformations 235 8 FIGURE 8-11 When movement is vertically constrained, the width of each portion of the banner changes. Glyph nodes Original Shape Yellow glyph node moved up Red glyph node moved right New object shape Edited Shape FIGURE 8-12 Use the Object Properties docker to edit glyph nodes. Color-coded glyph node position sliders Vertical adjustment Horizontal adjustment Auto Apply Properties docker might display one, two, or more controls. Also, Auto Apply can be locked or unlocked by clicking on the lock button next to Apply. This is a useful feature if you want to adjust several different node positions without CorelDRAW immediately updating a shape several times. Using the Convert Outline To Object Command A lot of the shapes covered in this chapter, the spiral in particular, are objects that have outline properties but no fill. So what do you do, for example, if you want a gradient-filled spiral? The Convert Outline To Object command converts any shape’s outline properties to a closed path. To apply the command to a selected object, choose Arrange | Convert Outline To Object, or use the shortcut: CTRL+SHIFT+Q. Once the outline is converted, the resulting closed path looks exactly like the shape of the original, except it can be filled because it’s not an outline but instead is a closed path object whose shape is based on an outline. When an object is converted to an outline, CorelDRAW X5 performs a quick calculation of the Outline Pen width applied to the object and creates a new object based on this value. When applying this command to objects that include a fill of any type, a new compound- path object is created based on the outline width. If the object includes a fill of any type, the fill is created as a new and separate object applied with an outline width and color of None. When you’re converting open paths, only the path itself is created as a single outline object of the path according to the Outline Pen width applied. Figure 8-13 shows a spiral shape with a thick black Outline Pen width that is converted to outline using the command. Things are certainly shaping up now, aren’t they? You’ve learned how to create basic shapes and smart shapes, and how to edit them to create scores of original and visually interesting items: think of how your next brochure will look with prices framed in elegant banners, fancy stars, and rounded-corner rectangles. This isn’t the half of it; in Chapter 9 you learn to move, rotate, scale, and put your new objects anywhere you like on the page. Arranging and organizing objects is your next destination, and you’ll find it to be a moving experience. 236 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 8-13 When an object is converted to an outline, CorelDRAW X5 performs calculations that create a new object. Original with 16-point outline applied New fountain-filled object based on the outline CHAPTER 9 Moving, Scaling, Rotating: Basic Transformations 237 O ften when you create or import an object, it’s not exactly where you want it on the page. Or it might be an inch away from where you want it, and a little too large. The object might also be rotated a few degrees off from where you want it to be—you get the picture. This chapter covers the common—and not so common—techniques to use in CorelDRAW for transforming objects, from the manual approach to pinpoint-precise numerical entry. You’ll soon have the skills and know the steps for composing elements on a page the way you want them, and then you can stop cursing at the cursor. Basic Object Selection You choose the Pick tool from the toolbox and then click an object to move, scale, or create other transformations. The easiest way to select more than one object is to hold SHIFT; you then add to your existing selection by clicking other objects. With one or more items selected, you’ll notice that information about the selected shapes is displayed on the status bar. The other workspace area to watch is the property bar, which shows the position, size of the selection, and offers options such as the number of degrees to rotate the selected object(s). Also, if you press ALT+ENTER with something selected, the Object Properties docker provides you with not only details about what you’ve caught, but also the opportunity to quickly change many of the object’s properties. Ill 9-1 238 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Property bar Status bar Pick Tool Selections The Pick tool can be used for several things, the most important of which are to choose an object or several objects, and to create a change in the selected object(s) by moving it and adjusting its selection handles. Clicking an object once selects it. While an object is selected, selection handles appear—the eight black markers surrounding the object, as shown in Figure 9-1. Additionally, depending on the type and properties of an object, you’ll see nodes at various areas around the object, which indicate the control points path (when a vector object is selected) or the edge of an object (when a bitmap is selected). A small X marker appears at the centermost point of the object, indicating its center origin. This origin can be moved, is quite useful for defining a center of rotation for an object, and will be discussed later in this chapter. Nodes are edited using the Shape tool, covered in Chapter 11. The Pick tool has no effect on nodes. CHAPTER 9: Moving, Scaling, Rotating: Basic Transformations 239 9 Pick tool Ill 9-2 FIGURE 9-1 Select any object with a single click using the Pick tool. Selection handles Center marker Object nodes Occasionally you or a coworker will create a shape with an outline stroke that’s very narrow and has no fill, and you have trouble selecting the darned thing with the Pick tool. If zooming in doesn’t make selecting it any easier, activate the Treat All Objects As Filled option. Open the Options dialog ( CTRL+J) and choose Workspace | Toolbox | Pick Tool from the tree at left. Check the Treat All Objects As Filled check box, and then click OK to close the dialog, as shown in Figure 9-2. Object Selection Techniques You can use a number of tricks while navigating through a selection of objects or for selecting more than one object at a time using the Pick tool. Many of these object-selection 240 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 9-2 Select unfilled objects by clicking anywhere on them using this option. Check this option to treat all selected objects as though they have a fill. techniques can also be used in combination with each other as you adopt your own selection technique. Here’s how you can make a selection of more than one object in one fell swoop: ● SHIFT-clicking to select Holding SHIFT while clicking an unselected object adds it to your current selection. This also works in the reverse: holding SHIFT while clicking a selected object deselects the object. ● Marquee-selecting objects To select all objects in a specific area, click-drag diagonally with the Pick tool to surround the objects; a dashed blue outline representing the rectangular area of selection appears until you release the mouse button. While you’re marquee-selecting, all object shapes completely within the area you define become selected, as shown in Figure 9-3. The complete object’s shape must be surrounded for it to become selected. Holding SHIFT while using the marquee-selection technique causes unselected objects to be selected, and it also causes selected objects to become unselected. ● Holding ALT while marquee-selecting If you come to CorelDRAW from Adobe Illustrator, you can use the convention of selecting objects by merely touching a shape in a marquee-selection technique. Holding ALT as the modifier while click- dragging to marquee a specific area causes all objects within—and even those whose edge you touch—to become selected. Holding SHIFT+ALT while marquee-selecting causes the reverse to occur, deselecting any objects that are already selected. CHAPTER 9: Moving, Scaling, Rotating: Basic Transformations 241 9 FIGURE 9-3 A click-drag with the Pick tool in any direction marquee-selects the objects that are completely surrounded. 1 2 242 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide The Pick Tool’s Shape Tool State If you’re getting an idea that the Pick tool has a host of hidden features, you’re right. One of these is its alternate state—the temporary Shape tool state. The Pick tool can temporarily act like the Shape tool while a single object is selected and when held over object nodes. But this isn’t its normal behavior, and you need to first enable this feature in Options. Ill 9-3 Typically, the Pick tool is used for selecting and transforming objects, while the Shape tool is used for editing curves and selecting object nodes. The temporary Shape tool state lets you move object nodes without changing tools. To access this, choose Tools | Options, and click to select Workspace | Display in the tree directory; then check Enable Node Tracking. This convenience gives you control to modify selected characters in a line of artistic text, to edit open and closed paths, and to modify an ellipse, star, polygon as star, graph paper objects, and even bitmaps. The next illustration shows this temporary state in action; you’ll see in your work that when the Pick tool is outside of a shape, it looks like an arrow cursor. However, after an object is selected and the tool is positioned inside a shape, the tool presumes you want to perform an operation such as moving the selected shape, and it becomes a four-headed arrow: Ill 9-4 Normal Pick tool state Pick tool as Shape tool Normal Shape tool states Pick tool moving selected object Pick tool as Shape tool, moving object with object node selected ● Pressing TAB to select next object Suppose you have a bunch of objects in a document, but some of them overlap, and you’re getting nowhere by attempting to click the one you need. Pressing TAB alone while the Pick tool is active selects a shape and causes the next single object arranged directly behind your current selection to become selected (whether or not it overlaps the current object). Holding SHIFT while pressing TAB causes the single object arranged directly in front of your current selection to become selected. This tabbing action works because each new object created is automatically ordered in front of the last created object—no matter how the object was created (for example, using various duplicate, repeat, transformation, or object effect-creation methods). Tabbing cycles through single-object selection on a page, whether you have a current object selected or none at all. The key is to begin tabbing after you’ve chosen the Pick tool. ● ALT-click to select objects covered by other objects To select an object that is ordered in back of and hidden by other objects, hold ALT while the Pick tool is selected, and then click where the object is located. Each time you ALT-click with the Pick tool, objects that are ordered further back in the stack are selected, enabling you to “dig” to select hidden objects. Although you can select nodes with the Pick tool when Enable Node Tracking is active, you can’t perform editing operations other than moving a node. To create curves from straight path segments and work with node control handles, you need to use the genuine Shape tool. Selecting Objects by Type So far, you’ve learned to select any objects on or off your page. But you may also select objects by their type (such as text objects, guidelines, or path nodes) using commands from the Select All menu, shown in Figure 9-4. Each time you use a command, a new selection is made (and any current selection of objects becomes unselected). Here’s how each of the commands is used: ● Select All Objects Choosing Edit | Select All | Objects causes all objects in your current document window to become selected. Quicker to use is the CTRL+A shortcut, which accomplishes the same result and is easy to remember because it’s used by many professional software programs. Double-clicking the Pick Tool button in the toolbox instantly selects all visible objects in your current document window view. You can’t select what’s locked or hidden. Check the status of layers with the Object Manager if there’s an object that is apparently nailed to the page! CHAPTER 9: Moving, Scaling, Rotating: Basic Transformations 243 9 . experience. 236 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 8-1 3 When an object is converted to an outline, CorelDRAW X5 performs calculations that create a new object. Original with 16-point outline. more than one object at a time using the Pick tool. Many of these object-selection 240 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 9-2 Select unfilled objects by clicking anywhere on them using this option. Check. caught, but also the opportunity to quickly change many of the object’s properties. Ill 9-1 238 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Property bar Status bar Pick Tool Selections The Pick tool can be