If you want to edit your beveled shapes

[sallybode]

With beveled shapes I have not been able to edit them unless I remove the bevel first and then convert to editable shapes, then reapply the bevel.

I don't always create shapes thinking about what I'd like to do with them later.

However, if you convert to shapes, joining them subtracts size whereas adding them makes the shape editable but it rather becomes a tiled bitmap of what you had before you began editing your shape.

In fact no matter when you choose add shapes to a beveled object, even if it had been already converted before to editable shapes, you can pull it apart to a tiled bitmap.

I have wondered when making bitmap fills because any of my vector bevels appeared as well in the list of available bitmap fills.

X1 behaves about the same way.

[Christine Farrelly]

So long as you have the shape selected and not the bevel you should be able to edit the shape. Check the status bar to see which is selected. The bevel will automatically follow the new shape.

Christine

[Know1]

I haven't used the convert to editable shapes that often but I just made a shape with the quick shape tool, bevelled it and converted it to an editable shape.
And I actually get the same behaviour as sallybody.

[Mark (theKeeper)]

Folks you need to convert your shape before you bevel it. That will make the bevel effect change when you alter the shape.

After adding the bevel effect just click on the inner shape and you can use the Shape Editor tool on it.

[Christine Farrelly]

What you are actually doing is converting the bevel to a shape, I guess it depends on exactly what you are trying to achieve. With any of the standard shapes 'circle, square and quick shapes' if you are likely to want to edit the shape nodes you should convert to shapes prior to applying any bevel. With any created shape you can edit the nodes/lines of the shape even after a bevel has been applied.

That is to say, if you use the rectangle tool to draw a square you can't edit the nodes without converting to shapes but if you draw a square using the pen tool you can even if a bevel has been applied.

Christine

[jclements]

Mark is right.

I use bevels for org chart boxes. The only time I don't convert shapes before applying bevels are rectangles with rounded corners.

Why? Because if you need to resize a shape with a bevel (let's say, in the case of an org chart, you add more text), scaling the shape can change the size of the bevel. If you have several bevels in a drawing you would want them all to look the same, so now you would have to go back and resize every bevel (in Xtreme I think you can copy bevel attributes, but I am not sure how well it works). Since the shape has been converted to an editable shape, you can select its nodes and use the arrow keys to "nudge" the nodes WITHOUT CHANGING THE BEVEL SIZE.

The Help Movies that Xara produced for making Gel Buttons do a great job of demonstrating this. Check it out.

[Mark (theKeeper)]

scaling the shape can change the size of the bevel.

Actually i used to be concerned about that too. But what i do now is... i convert the shape as usual and just select the corner nodes on the side i need to scale and MOVE them (using the shape editing tool) to resize the shape.

This allow for scaling without effecting the size/shape of the rounded corners.

[sallybode]

It isn't really a problem, I can understand why it is happening. Found it interesting, and a very quick way to a tiled background if I so desire.