This column is being written to demonstrate practical uses of CorelDraw for those working within the awards and engraving industry. For those new to Corel, I suggest concentrating on the basics from books, media, seminars or tutoring, with the aim of becoming productive as soon as possible. In other words, earn while you learn! And the most effective way to learn is by repeated use, gaining proficiency and then moving forward adding new skills. These articles try to focus on skills relevant to your needs. Procedure descriptions are somewhat generic due to wide variation in Corel versions. Consult your version documentation as needed.

My article in the February 2010 issue of A&E provided an introduction to using the bezier tool for those new to CorelDraw, making it possible to become immediately productive creating custom shapes—well, custom straight-sided shapes (polygons), that is. There is a right of passage in the world of the bezier tool that even those just starting out can manage to master. We have arrived at the place where many have come before and turned back, for lack of seeking help or carefully reading the instruction manual. It is the land of the curve.

In this article, I will try to make it easy to cross that line, but if this is your first experience with the bezier tool, then I would strongly suggest reading the February article (Bezier Heaven) and practicing enough to become comfortable with the basic process. The reason is that bezier magic happens by way of some unusual built-in controls (not yet discussed) within certain components of a bezier path that can become confusing and frustrating. Many computer processes are quite instinctive and can be mastered by trial and error. There is a tendency to give up trying when trial and error meets the big, bad bezier. It’s unfortunate, because the bezier tool is the core around which CorelDraw is built, and though it’s possible to achieve much without this tool, it is very limiting to be bezierless.

The two troubling aspects of creating curved shapes using the bezier tool involve being clear about the anatomy of a bezier curve and overcoming some mixed messages regarding eye-hand coordination that can happen in managing the tool using a mouse.
 

Figure 1

As noted in the last article, straight lines are not drawn. Nodes are placed on a page by clicking with the bezier tool, and the lines automatically appear between them (connect the dots fashion). Nodes are functional control points that are visible when drawing or editing but are not seen in the final drawing on the screen or when output. This can cause some confusion, especially when drawing curves, because hidden inside of each node is a further hidden control function that only shows up when needed in creating or editing a drawing. Since the curve-control functions appear as lines emanating from the node, anyone looking at them without being clear what was happening could become quite confused and frustrated.

So let’s try to make some sense out of it. Drawing curves using the bezier tool happens not by drawing lines, but by placing nodes. The Bezier Tool is located several icons down in the Toolbar in a fly out menu that begins with the Freehand tool (default). If the tool is Clicked and Released anywhere on a page, a node appears. If the mouse is moved and clicked again, another node appears and in between a straight line appears as discussed in the February issue.

To get a curved line, it is necessary to Click/Hold/Drag/Release the mouse. Again a node will appear, but it will have two control arms emanating from it, and by default the two arms will be connected at the node and function something like a seesaw. By the way, the dragging motion when placing the node should only be for about a half inch on your screen and aimed in the general direction of where the next node will be placed. When the mouse is released, it can be moved to that new location and the process repeated. After being released to create the second node, a curved line will appear between the two nodes.
(See Figure 1)

The main difficulty with bezier drawing is that it does not feel like drawing. The drawing happens after the fact in response to where the nodes are placed. It is a short lag time, but still the process is quite different from normal drawing which is quicker and more instinctive. Bezier drawing is more considered because it is necessary to decide where to place the nodes. Where beziers excel is in the editing process which is far superior to erasing and redrawing. Once a bezier drawing has been created, and they often look a little awkward at first, the nodes provide access to the outline, which can then be manipulated to perfection. Each letter of the type you are now reading is a little bezier drawing, and each demands refinement, subtlety and precision in order to do their job correctly. It is to such applications the editing features of the bezier tool are dedicated.

In the instructions above, I suggested two points, but for more complex curves more nodes could be added, and if the dragging action were directed back towards the first node placed, that node could be connected to, forming a closed shape. Once a curved line or shape is complete, clicking on a node using the Shape tool (second tool in the Tool Bar) will select that node, allowing it to be moved to a new location (editing the shape) in the same manner as discussed in the February issue for editing straight-sided shapes.

However, curved lines and shapes also reveal the control arms. These appear as a dotted line running through the node and tipped with an out-facing arrow at each end. Clicking on the arrow end of a control arm with the Shape tool allows it to be moved in, out and around the node, and as it does, it will alter the line segment emanating from that side of the node accordingly. The combination of being able to reposition the nodes and control the curve of the line segments attached to that node make it possible to draw just about any shape imaginable.

Figure 2

The process then for creating a custom curved line or shape is quite simple. Use the bezier tool and Click/Hold/Drag/Release the mouse to create a node, making sure not to drag more than a half-inch on the screen and aiming that in the direction of the next node to be placed. After releasing, move the mouse to the intended next position on the page and again Click/Hold/Drag/Release. To make a complete shape, position nodes following a clockwise direction back towards the first node placed and again Click/Hold/Drag/Release on the first node to complete the shape. At this point it matters little what the shape looks like as long as it is made up of curved line segments.
(See Figure 2)

There is a strong tendency when dragging the mouse the half-inch necessary to reveal the control arms, to mistake the action for that used in traditional drawing and overextend the control arms in an attempt to draw. The purpose of the dragging motion is only to extend those arms. It is also common to try to place the next node on top of the arrow of the extended arm. It is very important to place the next point far enough away from the first node to clear it and its control arms. I’ve noticed, too, that those using the bezier tool for the first time to make curves have a hard time with the Click/Hold/Drag/Release action. What often ends up happening is Click/Release/Click/Hold/Drag/Release, which can result in a big mess. If that happens, just select the whole mess using the Pick tool, delete it and start again but take your time until the action becomes second nature.

Figure 3

Once a line or shape is complete and made up of curved lines, it can be edited using the shape tool. Select that tool and click on the line or shape to reveal the nodes. Click on a specific node and it will be selected, revealing the arms that control the line segment coming into and going out of that node. Every curved line segment has a control arm for each of the two nodes it is connected with to adjust the half of the segment closest to that node. So in addition to the two arms emanating from the selected node, there will be a single arm indicated, attached to the nodes on either side of the selected node as well.
(See Figure 3)

Figure 4

Using the Shape tool, the selected node can be repositioned anywhere desired. In addition, the line segments on either side of the selected node can be adjusted by clicking on and dragging the arrow end of either control arm. These segments can be further adjusted by clicking on the arrows belonging to the nodes on either side of the selected point, automatically selecting the nodes those arms are attached to. This combination of moving nodes and adjusting the line segments using the control arms makes it possible to achieve an infinite variety of curves. The best way to become proficient at this is to practice editing curved shapes, since it is through the editing process, more so than the drawing process, that it is possible to create what can be imagined.
(See Figure 4)

In my next article, I will explain some important things to keep in mind when drawing with and editing beziers. In the meantime, however, there are a few general considerations to be aware of.

In drawing and editing, try to leave plenty of clearance between one node and its control arms and its neighbors on either side. When the control arms of two adjacent nodes cross over each other, strange things begin to happen.

It is possible to create a circular shape using 20 nodes or with only 2 nodes. Because final outcome is so dependent on the editing process, the more nodes that are placed, the more editing will be required. Try to place as few nodes as possible to achieve the desired results.

In my next article, I will discuss broken arms—control arms, that is, which allows two curves to come to a point, greatly expanding drawing options. However, there is enough to consider and practice in this article for now, even if the possibilities are somewhat limited.