Objects stacking feature and more

**Ernst Dinkla** · 10 October 2007, 08:46 AM

For years I have used Artworks and I still use it from time to time if certain functions are not available in Xara Xtreme.

What I miss most is stack functions in the Alignment menu. It could be improved on the Artworks function by a choice for skeleton line stacking and outline stacking.

Other functions like the multiply tool, the vector pattern generation, the filter tool are things that I like to have as well . I general it wouldn't be bad to check what other tools Artworks has that could be implanted in Xara.

Of course I could be mistaken and there are ways to do the same actions by some finger choreography on my keyboard but I doubt they are as easy to learn and use as it is in Artworks.

A day long excursion for today's Xara developers through all the wonders of Risc Os graphic utilities wouldn't be wasted either.

I also wonder if it isn't time to implant color management like Little CMS made possible for programs like Qimage, Vuescan, Picture Window Pro, etc. Another option for a color management engine would be Argyll CMS.

A small utility that I also miss from Acorn times is that crude tracer called Best Tracer that simply stacked vector squares where pixels of the same color were. The Tetris of tracers so to say. I do not know a Windows equivalent and lost the Risc Os original in time.

I'm sure I'm asking too much :-)

**Ernst Dinkla** · 22 October 2007, 08:43 AM

No replies so nobody is interested in a stack/pack alignment function in Xara ? We all have time enough to do it by hand ?

Ernst

**steve.ledger** · 22 October 2007, 09:00 AM

Hi Ernst, I don't think anyone is being rude in not responding, if anything they may be reacting the same way as I did..
eg: I haven't a clue what you mean

Are you able to post a graphical example of your suggested 'stack/pack alignment function'

The only thing that comes to my mind is the Alignment tool I use in Xara which is very similar to other vector software I'm accustomed to..

As for the rest of your post, sorry - but personally I am unfamiliar with those names/terms.

**Ernst Dinkla** · 22 October 2007, 12:07 PM

Sledger, you wrote:

Are you able to post a graphical example of your suggested 'stack/pack alignment function'

Added the sample, vertically packed, either to the line thickness or to the skeleton (wire frame) line. The last is nice if the outlines have to overlap or for semi-technical drawings.

It could be that there some trick to do this in Xara but if it has to be done by hand and there multiple objects it will take a lot of time.

http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/attach/jpg.gif

Kind regards, Ernst

**pauland** · 22 October 2007, 12:46 PM

I think what determines what people want is:

1) How hard is it to do already,
2) How often do i need to do it.

So something you do all the time that can be made easier, is probably preferable to something you do rarely but is more effort.

For me stacking is the latter and doesn't get me excited. Sorry. :-(

Paul

**Ernst Dinkla** · 22 October 2007, 01:58 PM

My view on it is that it is so elementary that nobody will ever get excited about it till the day they need to get a lot of objects packed. They still will not get excited about it but save a lot of time. The other thing is that it can't be much work for the programmers and fits the simple alignment menu without making that part into a bloated piece of Xara. Doesn't harm anybody who doesn't need it.

Ernst

**David O'Neil** · 22 October 2007, 03:08 PM

Check out this thread, and Xhris's snapping tutorial. You may be able to accomplish what you are looking for.

**Odat** · 22 October 2007, 03:28 PM

This is one of two things I miss from using Microsoft Image Composer (the other being the ability to lock the position of something so that you can still edit it, but you can't move it around accidentcally), which used to come with Frontpage many moons ago. I used to use that like I use Xara, for creating mock-ups of GUI's.

It would be great of Xara had such a feature. However most of the time when I need that kind of functionality it's because I'm creating a row/column/grid of something (say for example setting up all the possible positions cards can be in a card game). Using the duplication function is much faster than I could ever do something like that in IC. For smaller uses I generally set up guidelines and use snap.

The Caveat here of course is that being a developer, I'm a bit OCD about everything being the exact correct size and exact correct location, so these sorts of tools make me less paranoid that something might be a pixel off.

**Egg Bramhill** · 22 October 2007, 04:50 PM

Ernst,

You must remember that the vast majority of Xtreme users have never owned an Acorn computer or used Artworks. I used Artworks but it was so many years ago now I can't remember these feature that you mention.

If you own Flash, it can do a single pixel trace.

**Ernst Dinkla** · 22 October 2007, 06:24 PM

It may have been a similar request by me to Computer Concepts or Martin Wuerthner that gave ArtWorks that pack feature. It wasn't in the early versions of ArtWorks. I believe DrawPlus or one of the other extended on Acorn Draw programs had it from the start.

After I wrote about the single pixel tracing I checked the tracers I already have and found that feature in a plotter driver program, so that is solved. Single pixel may not be the right way to describe it, if more pixels of the same color are neighbours it will make one object of them but the boundary still showing the pixel structure.

I will look for Flash.

thank you, Ernst