Just Released: Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 11

[angelize]

Hi Marc, can you elaborate a bit more about what you mean by explode them into a path?

[MarcT]

Hi Frances, I mean using "Convert line to shapes" on an Art brush object.
I get a clipped bitmap as a result.

Marc

[handrawn]

yes - basically they are 'live effect' of a kind; plugin effects - this seems to be way it is even if you create your own from pure vector

it's a pity

[PhilM]

Think about what the art brush does, though, folks... It distorts the shapes and fills in an arbitrary way, so for any fill type other than flat fills, they can't be represented by any existing fill geometry. The only way to capture them is as a bitmap.

At the moment even flat fills return bitmaps from Convert Line to Shape but we hope to be able to return flat filled vector shapes in those cases soon (it's on the list).

Phil

[mwenz]

I'll welcome the flat fill = vector. But for myself I have never been afraid of bitmaps in vector work. The main issue to me is resolution. As long as the brushes are of sufficient resolution, I pretty much could care less.

Why? Because when I do brush work additions in Art rage or Twisted Brush, guess what the result is?

[handrawn]

that's good news Phil, and yes, I understand it can only be done for the flat fills I wasn't really expecting any more than that to be honest [though you can always hope ]

meanwhile for a monochrome flat fill, can work around by bitmap tracing it as black and then assigning whatever colour is required afterwards

[handrawn]

@Mike - sure no problems with bitmaps per se, I love em too - but there are things you can do with vectors you cannot do with bitmaps afterwards

[mwenz]

@Mike - sure no problems with bitmaps per se, I love em too - but there are things you can do with vectors you cannot do with bitmaps afterwards

The same is true of a bitmap--there're things one can do with them that cannot be readily done with vector.

I'm fairly happy with the current progress. It's a bit of live toward the illustration side of things. And as long as there is momentum for the illustration aspects, hopefully it continues into the future.

Mike

[handrawn]

I could say vector to bitmap is an 'eyes-closed' operation, whereas bitmap to vector is often rather fraught.. but hey there is nothing to debate really because yes they both have their 'uses' and this is real progress and very welcome indeed

the implementation is very effective, impressive

[MarcT]

Think about what the art brush does, though, folks... It distorts the shapes and fills in an arbitrary way, so for any fill type other than flat fills, they can't be represented by any existing fill geometry. The only way to capture them is as a bitmap.
Phil

Yes, this is indeed quite an amazing engine while remaining simple.
It didn't occur to me at first that you could use gradients and bitmaps.

At the moment even flat fills return bitmaps from Convert Line to Shape but we hope to be able to return flat filled vector shapes in those cases soon (it's on the list).

This would be most appreciated.

the implementation is very effective, impressive

Agreed !


Using the brush tool made me think that a simple point-based pressure profile editor would complement it very well.

Marc