Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Trace Out a Path
Beginners and experts alike use guides and bitmaps on layers
beneath the current layer to
trace out a path
, as it's called in
architectural design. Having something to trace is particularly
helpful for developing the skill to work with paths in Xara; in
the following steps you'll do exactly that.
Open the document, shapes to trace.xar. Open the Object
gallery, and notice the file contains a bitmap image on the
bottom layer (which is locked) and you have a new Trace
layer on top for a little practice with tracing shapes. Click on
the Trace layer to select it, if it's not already the active layer.
The goal is not to perfectly trace any of the four drawings but
instead to develop the skill so that in the future you won't
need
to trace to draw.
How Many Points Make the Best Path?
You can click (or click and drag) as many points as you like to create shapes; however,
too many control points can result in difficulty making your shape smooth in appearance.
Conversely, too
few
control points that make up, for example, an oval, makes
editing
the oval
a challenge.
Curve handles behave as levers for what can be described as the fulcrum—the pivot
point—a control point along a curve. If you've ever tried to move an object by putting a
plank under it and using something round as the fulcrum, you know that the farther the
handle is from the fulcrum, the less control you have over precisely where the object will
be moved.
What's true with curve handles is true with control points. Usually, you want to create
control points at no more than 90° apart on the arc that describes the curve. When you
design a curve segment along a path, envision where the center of rotation would be for the
curve if it were part of a complete circle or oval. Then imagine the angle created by two
lines extending from the center to each control point that makes
up the arc. When you're just starting to use Xara, you might
get away with 60° between points surrounding a curve, but if
you create control points at every 45° or less, your path almost
always will look uneven, a little lumpy, and hard to smooth.
90
o
