Page 163 - Xara Designer Pro X17

Drawing Lines and Shapes 163

Mixing curved and straight lines
To create an object which is a mixture of straight and curved segments, just switch
between the MAKE CURVE and MAKE LINE buttons as you create the object (you can also
press "L" or "C" on the keyboard.)

Note: You can also use the keyboard shortcut "X" to create a Cusp Join or "S" to create a
Smooth Join while using the SHAPE TOOL. These affect the way two line segments come
together. A Cusp Join creates 2 independent Bezier control handles that you can edit
separately. With a cusp join, you can create a sharp angle. A Smooth Join creates a
symmetrical join that works like a see saw. If you drag one Bezier control handle down,
the opposing control handle goes up.

To draw a curved line segment:
This is similar to starting a straight line (described above).

1. Click where you want to start the line.
2. If necessary select the MAKE CURVE button (shortcut "C".)
3. Either click or drag (as described for straight lines) to create a second point handle,
and a curve segment will be added to the line.

A curve segment has CURVE HANDLES associated with
the selected point handle. You can drag these to
adjust the angle and radius of the curve.

Extending the line

Make sure an end point handle is the selected handle (red outline) and then just click
again to add a new line or curve section. Each successive click places a new point
handle and draws a new line segment to the selected point handle.

Adding a new point handle

The SHAPE TOOL has three modes, depending on whether no point handles are selected
(a click will start a new line), an end handle is selected (a click will add a new section), or
one or more other point handles are selected (you can drag or change the handles).