There are many computer applications that you can use to drive a laser cutter. CorelDRAW is the most
versatile and mastery of it will allow you to achieve the outstanding results from your laser system.
CorelDRAW is a very powerful professional vector graphics package usually sold with other Corel
products such as CorelTRACE and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Some features will be familiar to those
provided in similar applications such as Adobe Illustrator. CorelDRAW supports Windows shortcuts and
is both configured with it's own additional shortcuts and can be customised to have additional shortcuts
added. It has a vast array of import and export filters to allow you to work successfully with the majority
of other applications you will encounter. Another advantage to be gained from using CorelDRAW is that it
can be used to great benefit for a multitude of other tasks Teachers encounter in their day to day work.
This manual for example has been produced in CorelDRAW.
Learning how CorelDRAW treats the various objects you create and import is an essential element of
your training. A glossary of CorelDRAW terminology is provided with this material and you can find
further explanations in the Help screens.
To begin this tutorial, let's take a look around the workspace. CorelDRAW has gone through many
updates over the years and earlier versions will have some of the features located in different places to
those described in this manual, however since Version 9 most of these have been standardised.
The Workspace
If you are entirely new to CorelDRAW or maybe you haven’t had much opportunity to use it in the past he first thing
to do is to familiarise yourself with the workspace.
At the top of the screen you will find the Menu Bar. The Menus contain a wide variety of commands to modify the
characteristics of your workspace and the entities within it.
Beneath the Menu Bar you will find the property bar. This is adaptive dependent on the object you select or the tool
you are using and you should note the various options you can control with each tool you use or shape you create.
On the left-hand side of the screen is the toolbox you use to create shapes and text with. At the bottom of the
screen is the Status bar. This will tell you important details about the objects you select and is an invaluable guide
to resolving problems.
A number of Dockers are available to allow you to manage your drawings and modify the components you create. A
Docker is a toolbar that can be opened and closed as you wish and either kept floating or docked at the side of
your workspace and collapsed to allow you greater screen space. I always have the following dockers open: Object
properties, Transformations, Shaping. I frequently open the Object Manager and Undo Docker for advanced control
of my drawing.
Menu Bar
Property Bar
Toolbox
Colour Palettes
Dockers
Status Bar
Page
Rulers
Configuring the Workspace
Defining the Page Size
You can create your drawings in any page size you find convenient however it is very important that when
you print your file to the laser cutter that the page you print from represents the bed size of your machine.
If it doesn't you will have no control over where the file is being cut.
The page size can be set on the Property Bar:
The rulers on your laser cutter
have their origin at the top lefthand
corner and you will find it
useful if your CorelDRAW page
has the same. This can be defined
by double-clicking on the rulers
and entering the value you set the
page height to in the Vertical
Origin. Note it is easier to keep the
units in Inches when you do this.
VL200 16” x 12”
VL300 24” x 12”
M-300 24” x 12”
M-360 24” x 12”
V-460 24” x 18”
X-660 32” x 18”
VLS2.30 16” x 12”
VLS3.500 24” x 12”
PLS3.60 24” x 12”
PLS4.60 24” x 18”
PLS6.60 24” x 18”
Nudge Keys
The Nudge Keys allow you to
make quick precise incremental
adjustments to the position of
selected objects. Select objects
and use the arrow keys on your
keyboard to move them.
A Nudge is a movement by a
defined amount. Double-clicking
on the rulers opens the ruler options dialogue where the nudge amount can be defined. I recommend a value
of 1mm is entered.
You will also see options for Super Nudge and Micro Nudge. These will move a selection by a multiple of the
Nudge value you defined. I recommend for practical purposes you set the Super Nudge to 10 and the Micro
nudge to 2. A Super Nudge will then be 10mm and a Micro nudge will be 0.5mm.
Depending on the version of CorelDRAW you have this can be set in the Property Bar when nothing is
selected by entering a value in:
Note that the Super Nudge and the Micro Nudge factors cannot be set in the Property Bar and will be
whatever factor has been defined in the ruler options.
To use Super Nudge, hold down the Shift key as you press the arrow keys.
To use Micro Nudge, hold down the Ctrl key as you press the arrow keys.
As the bed of your Universal laser cutter has been built to
Imperial measurements, you may find it simpler to set the
Units to Inches first before entering the dimensions. These
are the actual dimensions depending on the model you
have.
1.0 mm
The Toolbox
Take a tour of the Toolbox. By default this resides on the left hand side of the screen but it can be moved anywhere
else, sometimes inadvertently, particularly if you use a laptop computer with a touch mousepad!
Select Tool
Shape / Knife Tool
Zoom Tool
Freehand Tool
Smart Drawing Tool
Rectangle Tool
Elipise Tool
Polygon /Graph / Spiral Tool
Basic Shapes Tool
Text Tool
Blend / Contour Tool
Eyedropper Tool
Outline Tool
Fill Tool
Interactive Fill Tool
Note the small triangle
in the corner of some
tools. Clicking on this
opens a flyout with
other related tools.
Drawing Basics
Drawing with CorelDRAW is best achieved by
breaking the items you are creating down into a
series of discrete components that are then sized
using the Transformation Docker and shaped with
the shape tool and the Weld and Trim tools in the
Shaping Docker.
There are 4 basic tools used to create shapes:
Freehand Tool
Rectangle Tool
Ellipse Tool
Polygon Tool
Select any one of
these tools and
click and drag your
mouse to draw.
When using
the Freehand Tool to
draw a straight line you
need to click, then move
the mouse without dragging
then click again. Holding down
the Ctrl Key as you do this will
constrain the line you draw to
be horizontal, vertical or at
15 degree snaps
between.
Holding down the Ctrl key when drawing
the other shapes will constrain the shape
to be regularly proportioned, i.e.
rectangles becomes a squares, an ellipse
becomes a circle and a polygon has
identical sides.
Click and Drag
Click, take finger off mouse button,
move mouse then click again.
Holding down the Ctrl key
as you do this
Click and Drag
Holding down
the Ctrl key
as you
click and drag
The rectangle and polygon objects
you draw can be modified in these
ways: You can radius the corners
of a rectangle and you can turn a
polygon into a star shape. If you
select the shape you will see
control points where the lines
connect and at the mid point of
the polygon lines. Using the
Shape Tool, click and drag these.
Control Points
Dockers
A Docker is a type of dialogue box that can reside on the screen to allow you quick access
to commands, provide information about your work, to allow you to modify your work, to
control your drawing in many ways.
There are a number of dockers that you may choose to keep open at all times. They can be
minimized to keep your workspace as large as possible but are readily accessible, and can
be closed down if you don't use them very frequently.
Dockers that are particularly useful and worth keeping open all the time are: the Object
Properties Docker; the Transformation Docker; the Shaping Docker; the Undo Docker and
the Object Manager Docker.
Dockers are opened through the Window drop-down menu.
Minimize Expand by clicking
here or on the tab for
the Docker you want
to use.
Dockers stack over
each other as you
open them
The Transformation Docker
The Transformation Docker enables us to modify the objects we create or import in a precision way. We
can move objects to a precise location, rotate, mirror, size and skew accurately.
Position
Rotate
Scale and Mirror
Size
Skew
Anchor point
The Shaping Docker
The Shaping Docker lets you achieve the following things;
Weld, Trim and Intersect. Late versions of CorelDRAW have
added more functions to the shaping Docker that advanced users
may find useful but of all the functions Weld and Trim will be found
to be powerful tools that are the most useful.
In each function you are given the option to leave the original Source object
and/or Target object. Checking these tick-boxes when you use these functions
will create duplicate objects. This is useful for advanced users with good
planning skills and enables better productivity.
It is advised that you leave these tick-boxes unchecked until you are fluent
with using the Shaping tools.
The Source Object is the object you originally select to weld or trim.
The Target Object is the object you subsequently act upon.
It is important to understand that using these tools will affect the properties of
the objects you are working with. The source object will take on the properties
of the target object.
The best way to understand how these tools are used is by example.
Weld.
Draw a rectangle. Now draw a second rectangle that overlaps the first.
Apply a colour fill to the second rectangle.
With the second rectangle selected,
click Weld and with the arrow cursor that appears click on the first rectangle.
You will find the two rectangles have combined into a single object without a fill.
Try this again, this time selecting the first object and welding this to the second.
You will achieve the same shape but this time the new object has a fill.
Trim
Draw 2 rectangles as before. Select one and trim this to the other.
You will find that the target object has a piece missing where the
source object overlapped.
Using the shaping tools automatically converts objects to curves.
The Weld Command
Try this again, this time selecting the first object and welding this to the second.
You will achieve the same shape but this time the new object has a fill.
The Weld command creates a single curve from 2 or more components.
The components may overlap, sit next to each other or be some distance
apart.
You are given the option to leave the original
Source object and/or Target object. Checking these tick-boxes
will create duplicate originals. This is useful for advanced users with good
planning skills and
enables better productivity. It is advised that you leave these
tick-boxes unchecked until you are fluent with using the Shaping
tools. The Source Object is the object you originally select to weld
or trim. The Target Object is the object you subsequently act upon.
It is important to understand that using these tools will affect the
properties of the objects you are working with. The source object
will take on the properties of the target object. The best way to
understand how these tools are used is by example.
Draw a rectangle. Now draw a second rectangle that overlaps
the first. Apply a colour fill to the second rectangle. With the second
rectangle selected, click Weld and with the arrow cursor that appears
click on the first rectangle. You will find the two rectangles have
combined into a single object without a fill.
The Trim Command
The Trim command creates a single curve from 2 or more components.
The components must overlap. Trim forms the shape of the selected
object (Source Object) into the object you trim to where it overlaps.
(Target Object).
You are given the option to leave the original
Source object and/or Target object. Checking these tick-boxes
will create duplicate originals. This is useful for advanced users with good
planning skills and
enables better productivity. It is advised that you leave these
tick-boxes unchecked until you are fluent with using the Shaping
tools. The Source Object is the object you originally select to weld
or trim. The Target Object is the object you subsequently act upon.
It is important to understand that using these tools will affect the
properties of the objects you are working with. The source object
will take on the properties of the target object. The best way to
understand how these tools are used is by example.
Draw a rectangle. Now draw a second rectangle that overlaps
the first. With the second
rectangle selected, click Trim and with the arrow cursor that appears
click on the first rectangle.
The Intersect Command
Intersect creates the shape that is formed by the overlap of 2
components.
You are given the option to leave the original
Source object and/or Target object. Checking these tick-boxes
will create duplicate originals.
Draw a rectangle. Now draw a second rectangle that overlaps
the first. With the second
rectangle selected, click Intersect With and with the arrow cursor that
appears
click on the first rectangle.
Try intersecting circles with squares
In this example I have Intersected one circle with another then intersected
this with the third.
The Object Manager Docker
Advanced CorelDRAW users make
much use of the Object Manager
Docker. Each item you have
created can be identified, accessed
and modified in the Object
Manager.
New layers can be created in your
drawing in the Object Manager and
it allows you to move objects
between layers and pages. You can
do this by dragging the item to
another layer or page. Dragging
objects within the layer they are on
will change the order within the
drawing.
Each page you create within your
drawing will appear in the Object
Manager and selecting objects
within these pages will
automatically switch the view to the
page they are on. You can give
names to the layers and pages
here too. Right-click on the layer or
page and click on rename.
Layers
Layers allow you to manage your
pages efficiently and productively.
You can turn on viewing, printing
and editing of individual layers. An
example would be in the production
of a printed carton. Images that are
to be printed on the carton will be
created on one layer. A second
layer is used for the creation of the vector cutting and scoring part of the file. Turn off printing of the cutting
layer when you are printing the images, reverse this when printing to the laser cutter.
Master Page
Each new file has one Master Page that contains and controls three default layers: the Grid, Guides, and
Desktop layers. The Grid, Guides, and Desktop layers contain the grid, guidelines, and objects outside the
borders of the drawing page. The Desktop layer lets you create drawings you might want to use later. You can
specify settings for the grid and guidelines on the Master Page. See the section on Guidelines for further
information. You can specify settings, for example colour, for each layer on the Master Page.
You can add one or more master layers to a Master Page. This layer contains information that you want to
display on every page of a multipage document. For example, you can use a master layer to place a header,
footer, or static background on every page.
The Undo Docker
The Undo Docker
This lists the sequence of events that you have made in your drawing and allows you to get
back to a specific point without losing the work you have done. It is particularly useful for
teachers as it will let you see how your students have constructed their drawings. You can
use this to go back to a point in your drawing where you constructed an item and copy this
item to the clipboard. Then go to the last event and paste the item from the clipboard into
your drawing again.
If you go back to a previous point and then change something you will lose the other
work you did from that point on.
It is important to remember that the number of undo steps available has to be configured in
the CorelDRAW setup. The default is around 20 steps but you will find this limiting at times.
If you have a reasonable amount of RAM on your computer I would suggest you increase
this to around 50 steps or more.
Outlines and Fills
When you create drawings to be cut or engraved on the laser you have to ensure the following
criteria are applied:
Outlines need to have a line weight of hairline.
They need to have a colour that the laser driver recognises as a command, i.e the precise
colour as defined in your laser manual.
Filled areas of your drawing can only be engraved.
Outline Fill
We can set the outline colour by
using the Outline Tool in the Object Properties Docker.
We can set the fill colour by
sing the Fill Tool in the Object Properties Docker. You will only be able to see and print a fill
in a closed path however the object will own fill properties if these were applied. Once the path
is closed the fill will be visible and can be printed. For information about closing paths refer to
the section on curve editting.
simply right-clicking on a colour in the colour pallette. It can
also be set
simply left-clicking on a colour in the colour pallette. It can also be
set u
You will have received a CorelDRAW colour pallette with your laser driver. The colours in this
pallette are the specific colours that the driver recognises and which you can assign tasks for
the laser to do. This palette needs to be copied to the CorelDRAW palettes folder and opened
using Window - Colour Palettes - Open Palette then locating the palette from its location.
In the Universal Laser Systems colour pallette there are 8 primary colours and 19 shades of
grey. The grey colours will apply a percentage of the power you set the black colour to
corresponding to the percentage of grey you use, i.e. 50% grey applies 50% of the power you
set for black.
Aligning Objects
As you build your drawing you will find it necessary to arrange components so that they align with
other components. There is a variety of ways to do this and CorelDRAW has some quick methods.
Select the objects you wish to align then go to the Arrange dropdown menu Align and Distribute
then select the method of alignment you need. Note the shortcuts listed to the right of the options:
L aligns the objects to the left of their bounding box
R aligns the objects to the right of their bounding box
T aligns the objects to the top of their bounding box
B aligns the objects to the bottom of their bounding box
E aligns the objects to the to their centres Vertically
C aligns the objects to the to their centres Horizontally
P aligns the objects to the centre of the page
Remembering these shortcuts will speed up the production of your drawing. Just select the objects
and press the keyboard character corresponding to the alignment mode.
A few things to note:
All the components you select will be aligned in the same way and this may not be quite what you
intended. Imagine the example below for a simple keyring. The keyring shape has been drawn, a
hole for the ring has been drawn and you are ready to place the text to be engraved.
Solar Laser Systems
01634 290260
www.solarlasers.co.uk
Solar Laser Systems
01634 290260
www.solarlasers.co.uk
Solar Laser Systems
01634 290260
www.solarlasers.co.uk
Selecting everything and aligning them
centrally will place the keyring hole in the
centre too. To avoid this happening, first
group the keyring shape and the hole, then
align the text on the keyring.
Format text before you align it as formatting
after will lose the alignment.
Oops!
About Curves
A curve is a series of line segments, each line segment have a node at each end. Line segments can be
straight or curved and they need not be connected to each other within a single curve.
Curve objects can be modified in different ways to the other objects you create. Each simple shape you
draw using the tools in the toolbox can be modified in its own particular way. Rectangles can have their
corners radiused, ellipses can be converted to arcs or pies, polygons to stars etc and text can be edited.
Converting any of these to curves loses that ability but gives you the ability to infinitely modify the shape
of the object.
Certain commands automatically convert objects to curves. An example is when using the Shaping
Docker tools. Converting to curves is a one-way street so make sure your object is exactly as you want it
to be before you do this. You will not be able to correct a spelling mistake once you convert text to
curves and the process of changing the radius on a rectangle is much more complicated.
One of the great assets CorelDRAW has is the powerful curve editing capability. This is provided by the
Shape tool in the Toolbox (Not to be confused with the Shaping Docker tools). See the section on Curve
Editing for more information.
Shape tool
Node
Curve Editing
We have almost infinite ability to change the shape of the curves we create. The position and type of
nodes can be controlled, whether the line relating to the node is straight or curved, whether adjoining
nodes are connected, whether nodes exist at all.
Node editing is achieved with the Shape tool in the Toolbox. You can use this to select the curve you are
editing, pick up individual nodes and move them around, drag the line segment to change its form, move
the node control points to alter the form of line segments, add and remove nodes.
There are four node types: cusp, smooth, symmetrical, or line. Nodes can be changed from one type to
another.
Cusp nodes make the node's intersecting line take on the shape of a corner or point when you adjust
the position of the node's control points.
Smooth nodes make the node's intersecting line take on the shape of a curve. Each control point can
be shortened or lengthened independently, giving you smaller or larger angles to work with.
Symmetrical nodes make the node's intersecting line take on the shape of a curve as well as intersect
the node at exactly the same angle.
Line nodes let you shape objects by changing the shape of their segments. You can make a curve
segment straight or a straight segment curved.
The more nodes there are in a curve, the greater degree of control is possible with its shape however
beware of adding too many as this will increase the work your laser has to do and may slow down its
operation.
Nodes can be added by clicking on the point of the curve you wish to add the node then clicking on the +
icon on the Property Bar. They can be removed by selecting them and pressing delete, clicking on the
icon on the property bar or by double-clicking on the node.
Selecting a node and clicking on the Break Curve icon separates adjoining nodes. You can also use the
shape tool to click on a line segment then click on the Break Curve icon to break the curve at that point.
If the path has 2 separations it is possible to break the curve apart using the Break Curve Apart
command in the Arrange dropdown menu. This will produce 2 separate curves.
Selecting 2 adjoining nodes and clicking on the Join 2 nodes icon connects them.
You do not have the ability to define an absolute position for nodes directly but you can get them to snap
to guidelines or to a grid to achieve this. You can also get their control points to snap to guidelines.
Add node
Delete node
Join Two Nodes
Break Curve
Convert Curve to Line
Convert Line to Curve
Make Node a Cusp
Make Node Smooth
Make Node Symetrical
Combining and Breaking Apart
Terminology that applications use can sometimes be confusing and misleading especially when it is in conflict
with our usual appreciation of the same terminology. In the case of CorelDRAW a curve for example may
consist of only straight lines. It may also be comprised of several seemingly separate entities. This can often
be a difficult concept to grasp because the tendency is to think of these entities as a group.
Individual components can be combined into a single curve. This provides very useful properties regarding fills
and editing capability. The process of separating them is called breaking apart. A number of commands we
apply to our work automatically combine curves and it may be necessary to break these curves apart before
we can continue editing them.
A simple way of understanding this is to think of text characters. The letter A for example comprises an outline
shape with a triangle inside. The fill surrounds the triangle but the triangle itself is not filled.
Try the following. Draw the letter A using the text tool. It may help if you enlarge it to a size you can see clearly.
Convert this to curves (Arrange Convert to Curves). With the object selected look at the status bar at the
bottom of the screen. It will tell you it is a curve. Now break the curve apart (Arrange Break Curve Apart) and
notice what happens to the fill and what the status bar tells you. We now have 2 objects. Because the triangle
is a curve in its own right now it has its own fill. Now combine them again (Arrange Combine) and you will see
the letter A as before.
A The ability to control fills in this way has a huge impact on the creativity that is possible when you are producing
artwork for engraving.
Converted to Curves Broken Apart The individual pieces can be moved
Objects can be combined to create a curve object that has particular properties. A fill only fills
the gap between the inner and outer parts of the curve. Although the curve is made from 2 or
more components it is treated as a single curve. An example is shown below.
This curve was created by drawing the heart shape and placing a
duplicate smaller heart inside. The 2 objects are seleted together and
combined into a single curve using the Combine command in the
Arrange drop-down menu. The curve can then be filled. The shortcut for
Combine is Ctrl + L.
Text can be Broken Apart too. The process works as follows. Paragraphs are broken into
Sentences. Sentences then have to be broken Apart into Words. Words can be Broken Apart
into individual Characters. The text is still editable as text but it’s no longer linked to the text it
was previously part of. Characters that are converted into Curves can be Broken Apart into
the individual curves that form them, for example the letter B is formed from 3 components.
Tip
Files containing text objects can only be opened
on other computers having the font that is used
installed. Converting text to Curves means that
the text is now a graphical object that can be
opened on computers that do not have the same
font installed. Obviously, once text is converted to
curves it cannot be edited as normal.
This is one curve. It was created by taking the heart shape and
duplicating 2 smaller heart shapes inside. The 3 shapes were then
combined so that when filled there is an open area between the
filled areas of the curve. The open area can be seen in the
illustration below.
Combining and Breaking Apart Part 2
Convert Outline to Object
The Convert Outline to Object command can be used to produce solid objects from open curves.
In this example I have drawn a spiral.
Set the line weight to a
given thickness.
Now set the Convert Outline to
Object command (Arrange -
Convert Outline to Object).
Give the object an outline and
remove the fill.
Note:
When you convert an outline to an object you still retain the original line. This line is invisible
but can be located in the object manager and deleted if necessary.
An example of a complete project created using this technique is shown later.
Using Guidelines
Guidelines can be extremely useful tools in the drawing creation process and CorelDRAW gives many options for their
use.
Simple Guidelines
Simple guidelines can be produced by clicking and dragging the rulers. They can also be produced by entering the
guidelines setup (View Guidelines Setup) The left-hand ruler produces a vertical guideline, the top ruler produces a
horizontal guideline. You can drag them to the rough location you require and you can set them to a precise location on
the workspace. You can rotate the guidelines, either roughly or to a precise angle. You can create guides from shapes you
draw and you can snap to the guidelines.
When you create a guideline it will appear as a red dotted line. The property bar will show its position. Entering a value in
the Object's Position will move the guideline to the location you require. When you deselect the guideline it will appear
as a faint grey dotted line.
Rotating Guidelines
Selecting the
guideline and clicking
on it again will open
the Rotation
Handles enabling the
guideline to be
rotated at will. If you
want to set this to a
precise angle this can
be set in the Angle of
Rotation on the
Property Bar and the
centre of rotation can
also be set.
Snapping to
Guidelines
Snapping to
guidelines can be
turned on or off in the
Property Bar when no
object is selected or
go to View Snap to
Guidelines if you
have objects
selected. Objects can
be snapped to guides
at their Bounding Box
or centre. The edge
of the object will
appear as a blue
dotted line when it is
snapping.
Creating Guide Objects
Guideline reside in the Guides Layer on the Master Page in the Object Manager Docker.
If you make this layer active, anything you draw will be treated as a guide object. Such objects will not have fill properties
and will appear as a faint grey outline. You can drag objects from other layers into the Guides Layer. You can of course
copy objects and then paste them into the Guides Layer when this is active.
Rotation Handles
Centre of Rotation
Dynamic Guidelines
Dynamic guides were introduced
in CorelDRAW 12 and can
revolutionise the way you work.
You will need to turn them on
either in View - Dynamic
Guidelines, by using the icon in
the Property Bar or by
Alt+Shift+D. They can be
somewhat unnerving until you
get used to them as they flash
up as blue lines when you create
or move objects relative to other
objects. It is well worth
persevering because they will
improve your productivity once
you have mastered them.
As you drag an object the
Dynamic Guidelines will tell
you if you are moving it
orthogonally or at a preset angle
and how far you are moving it.
They will tell you the specific place you are grabbing the object. They will
automatically snap to other objects and tell you the specific place you are
snapping to.
You can set the Dynamic Guideline options in View Dynamic Guidelines
Setup.
Shortcuts
Many of you will be familiar with Windows shortcut keys. CorelDRAW supports all the usual
shortcuts and has a number of its own to speed up production. You can also assign your own
shortcuts to suit your particular working methods. The common shortcuts you are likely to find
useful with producing drawings for your laser cutter are listed below. As you become familiar
with the program you are likely to use it for other purposes. A comprehensive list of
CorelDRAW shortcuts can be found in Tools Customisation Commands Shortcut Keys View
All. You can save these to a comma separated text file or print them out.
Ctrl + Z Undo
Shift + Ctrl + Z Redo
Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + V Paste
Ctrl + X Cut
Ctrl + G Group
Ctrl + U Ungroup
Shift + PgDn To Back
Shift + PgUp To Front
B Align Bottom
E Horizontally aligns centres
C Verically aligns centre
L Aligns left
R Aligns right
P Aligns to centre of page
Ctrl + L Combine
Ctrl + K Break apart
Moves selection up by defined nudge
Moves selection down by defined nudge
Moves selection left by defined nudge
Moves selection right by defined nudge
Shift + Moves selection up by Super nudge factor
Shift + Moves selection down by Super nudge factor
Shift + Moves selection left by Super nudge factor
Shift + Moves selection right by Super nudge factor
Ctrl + Moves selection up by Micro nudge factor
Ctrl + Moves selection down by Micro nudge factor
Ctrl + Moves selection left by Micro nudge factor
Ctrl + Moves selection right by Micro nudge factor
Box Project 1
So let’s apply the techniques we’ve covered so far
and use them to create a jointed box.
Step 1
Draw a rectangle.
Step 2
Size the rectangle to 10mm long by 3mm tall
Step 3
Select the rectangle and using the Relative positioning tool
enter 20mm and click Apply to Duplicate 3 times
Step 4
Uncheck the Relative tick-box and click the bottom centre radio button.
Select the 5 rectangles and enter a value of H:0.0 and V: 0.0 and click Apply.
Box Project 2
Step 4
Draw another rectangle and set the size to be 70mm x 64mm
Step 5
Set the anchor point in the position tool to be the top centre.
Enter a value of H: 0.0 and V: 0.0 and click Apply
Box Project 3
Step 6
Select the 4 small rectangles and copy to the clipboard (Ctrl=C) or Edit - Copy
In the Shaping Docker click Weld and touch the arrow cursor on the large rectangle.
Step 7
Using the Rotate tool, enter a value of 180 degrees and click Apply.
Now position the top centre of the object to H: 0.0 and V: 0.0
Step 8
Paste the 4 rectangles held on the clipboard and Weld these to your object
Step 9
Using the Rotate tool, enter a value of 90 Degrees and click Apply.
Position the top centre to H:0.0 V:0.0 and click Apply
Draw a rectangle and set the size to H:40mm and V: 3mm
Position the top centre to H:0.0 V:0.0 and click Apply
Step 10
Copy this to the clipboard then Trim it to the other object.
Box Project 4
Box Project 5
Step 11
Rotate the object 180 degrees
Paste the rectangle from the clip board and Trim this to the other object.
We have now completed 1 side. The opposite side will be identical.
Move the object away from the zero-zero point ready for the next part.
Box Project 6
Step 12
Create 4 rectangles as we did in Steps 1 - 4 and position them so that the top centre is at H: 0.00 V: 0.00
Create a rectangle and set the size to be 70 x 70mm
Position this rectangle so that the top centre is at H: 0.00 V: 0.00
Step 13
Select the 4 smaller rectangles and copy these to the clipboard
Trim these to the larger rectangle
Box Project 7
Step 14
Rotate the object 180 degrees, copy the rectangles from the clipboard and Trim these to the other object.
Step 15
Rotate the object 90 degrees.
Create a rectangle and set the size to be 40mm x 3mm.
Position this rectangle so that the top centre is at H: 0.00 V: 0.00
Box Project 8
We now have a joint for the base
Step 16
Rotate the object 180 degrees.
Paste the rectangle from the clipboard and Trim this to the other object.
We now have a side that will joint into the first side we made.
Again, the opposite side will be identical.
Move this piece out of the way ready for the top and bottom pieces
Box Project 9
Step 17
Create a rectangle that is 40mm x 70mm
Position this so that the Centre is at H: 0.00 V: 0.00
Rotate 90 degrees THIS TIME CLICKING Apply to Duplicate
Step 18
Weld the second rectangle to the first.
Box Project 10
Step 19
Create a rectangle that is 64mm x 64mm
Position this so that the Centre is at H: 0.00 V: 0.00
Step 20
Weld the rectangle to the other object.
We have now completed the top piece.
Box Project 11
Step 21
All that remains now is to position the 3 pieces we have drawn so that they are aligned with
each other and duplicate them.
Position the parts within your graphic where you wish them to be cut and save your graphic.
Creating Clock Face Numerals
Using the Text tool, c and with the font Centre Justified type 12.
Position the text at H: 0.00 and V: 100.00
In the Rotate tool enter a value of 30 deg, set the Centre of Rotation to be H: 0.00 and V: 0.00
then click apply to Duplicate 11 times.
hoose your font
Now select each number in turn
and in the Text drop-down
menu choose edit text and
modify the text to be the
number required for its position
on the clock face.
The numbers can be rotated
relative to the position each has
by checking Relative Centre in
the Rotate tool, set the anchor
point to be in the centre and
with the Angle set at 30 deg
click Apply a number of times
until the number is viewed
correctly.
Select all the numbers and group them. The Group command is in the Arrange drop-down
menu but you can also use Ctrl + G as a shortcut. The clock face numerals can now be
Using Text Creatively
CorelDRAW refers to 2 different text modes: Artistic Text and Paragraph Text. They are used for
different purposes.
Artistic text can be used for small amounts of text and is generally simple to manage. It can be
used to follow a path around a shape, or be manipulated using the extrude tool etc.
Paragraph text is used for large bodies of text and is used creatively to have the text flow around
or inside objects. It can be linked to other text boxes that work interactively with each other.
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n
T
To all the girls I
loved before, that
wandered in and out my
door, I’m glad they
came along, I
dedicate this
song to all
the girls I
love
Getting text to
flow around
shapes is
achieved by
setting the text
wrapping properties of
the objects the text has to
flow around.
To get text to follow a path
you can simply type the text
then select it and click on Fit
Text to Path in the Text dropdown
menu.
Text can be fitted within an object in the following
manner. Draw the frame for the text then Unig the text
tool hover over the edge of the frame. You will see the
cursor change to this or this.
AB
A
AB
A
This cursor is used to fit the text within a frame. When
you get this cursor click and start typing.
This cursor will automatically fit text to a path around the
object. It is not necessary to use the Fit Text to Path
command if you use this option just click and start typing
when you get this cursor.
To link text from various text boxes, click on the square at the top of
the text box. Now click on the text box this needs to be linked to.
If the at the bottom of a text box contains a black inverted arrow like this,
it is telling you there is an overflow of text in this text box. You will either need to make
the text box larger of link the text box to another that can take the overflow.
select the text then
Importing into CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW supports the import and export of many different file-types. Files can be imported
using the Import command in the File drop-down menu or by clicking on the Import icon on the
Standard toolbar. You can also drag files from Windows Explorer into CorelDRAW to import
them or you can copy objects from other applications and paste them into CorelDRAW.
Import Export
Graphics that have been imported into CorelDRAW will be grouped
so if you intend to modify them you will need to ungroup them first.
Although CorelDRAW does its best to keep up with the files other
applications produce, these are constantly being revised. Corel’s
import filter is usually one or 2 versions behind the files other
applications produce. If you experience difficulty with importing, try
saving the file as an earlier version.
Graphics from other applications will be imported as curves however they may not always have
their nodes joined, it depends how the application that created the graphic works. Generally,
polyline objects have connected nodes. If the nodes are not joined you will not be able to apply
a fill to the object.
The most common export option for graphics packages is DXF format. It is also the most
tedious and unreliable to work with. When you import a DXF file into CorelDRAW you are given
the option to select the units (either Inches or Metric) you wish the file to be imported with. In
some instances you will need to ensure the application that the file was exported from was set
to the units you will be importing as well.
DXF files sometimes have components rearranged when they are imported. This usually
occurs when the files are particularly large. You should check the file looks like it did before it
was imported before proceeding.
Sometimes DXF files have additional lines and nodes. CorelDRAW gives you the option of
automatically reducing nodes when you import to reduce this.
Some applications treat circles as a series of straight lines rather than a circle. The number of
lines that comprise the “circle” are a function of the application that created it, in some
instances this can be setup in the application but regrettably not always.
Tracing Basics 1 of 3
Step 1 >>
Lighten your image,
using the arrow (pick
tool). Then click on
effects > adjust >
brightness/contrast/
and set the settings to
Brightness: 30
Contrast: -40
Intensity: 0
Then press OK!
Step 2 >>
Click on the small arrow
to get the menu to fly
out then click on the
polyline tool. (Note: to
zoom in and out simply
roll the mouse wheel).
Step 3 >>
Using the polyline tool
roughly trace the shape
from your image, then
double click when you
reach the end this
closes the line. (Note:
if you don't the line will
keep on going!)
Watch the detailed tutorials to learn more at:
http://www.lanfrancdt.co.uk/software/coreldrawtracing.htm
Tracing Basics 2 of 3
Step 4 >>
Now we need to increase
the line thickness and
colour so we can see it.
Using the arrow (pick tool)
click on your line. Next
double click in the
corner of your screen on
the outline colour (the
rectangle next to the small
pen). Set your colour to
red and your line width to
something thicker then
press ok!
Step 6 >>
Now click on the shape
tool and draw a box
around the whole of your
shape. This will let you
curve, smooth and cusp
all nodes on the line
instead of one by one!
Step 7 >>
Now you will see options
at the top of the screen.
Click on 1. Convert line
to curve, then 2. Make
node smooth, then
3.Make node a cusp. You
will now be able to easily
curve the lines.
Watch the detailed tutorials to learn more at:
http://www.lanfrancdt.co.uk/software/coreldrawtracing.htm
1 3 2
Tracing Basics 3 of 3
Step 8 >>
Now select the arrow
and click away from the
shape to unselect it. Next
select the pick tool and
click on your shape then
click on a node on your
shape. You will now see
two handles appear from
your node.
Step 9 >>
Now drag the nodes
handles to create any
curve you wish. Now
shape your line to fit
the image your tracing.
Now trace your whole
image.
Want to know more about Corel Draw?
On the same page as the tutorial is a Corel manual. It is the last link on
the page. Or use the direct link below:
http://www.lanfrancdt.co.uk/websiteprintablepdfs/HowtouseCorelDRAW.pdf
The manual tells you much more about Corel and the many things it can
do. Have fun with Corel Draw and get learning!
Watch the detailed tutorials to learn more at:
http://www.lanfrancdt.co.uk/software/coreldrawtracing.htm
Rendering 1 of 2
Step 1 >>
Using the arrow click on the
part of the drawing you wish
to render. Then click on the
colour you wish it to be from
the colour panel on the right.
Step 2 >>
Next click on the fill tool then
click on the fountain fill tool.
The fountain fill window will
then open.
Step 3 >>
Now click on the custom
button and a custom
colour bar will appear. Now
click on an arrow then pick
a colour and the bar will
change. Double click
anywhere on the bar to
add a new colour. You can
also drag an arrow this
helps you blend the colour.
Note: you can choose a
radial blend or a linear
blend under type at the top.
Learn more about corel draw here:
http://www.lanfrancdt.co.uk/software/coreldraw.htm
Rendering 2 of 2
Step 4 >>
Here you can see i have
added several blends to make
up my render. Once done
press the ok button to apply
it to your drawing.
Step 5 >>
Right click on your rendered
shape, then select styles and
choose the save style
properties option and enter a
name for your style i called
mine blue1. Now right click
on an un-rendered shape and
choose styles, then choose
apply and pick the styles name
you just saved. This will add the
same style to the other shape.
Step 6 >>
Now create more styles and add
them to your shapes. Also try
the other render options from the
fill tool menu try pattern and
the texture options.
Learn
