CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide part 28 potx

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
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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.
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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
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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.
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FIGURE 9-3 A click-drag with the Pick tool in any direction marquee-selects the objects that
are completely surrounded.
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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!
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