Xara 365-vector brush confusion.

**angelize** · 19 July 2016, 07:39 PM

A grouped vector brush definition object should yield a vector result if a) all shapes only have simple flat fills and or flat transparencies, and b) the vector path does not contain sharp corners or cross it's self, or have too much of a curve.

I haven't got the time right now to figure out how much of a curve it takes but I don't think it's very good this way. I have submitted this to Xara support but I'm not holding my breath as TPTB at Magix are the ones that would need to be persuaded.

**Egg Bramhill** · 19 July 2016, 07:58 PM

A grouped vector brush definition object should yield a vector result if a) all shapes only have simple flat fills and or flat transparencies, and b) the vector path does not contain sharp corners or cross it's self, or have too much of a curve.

I agree & that's exactly the problem Frances. Converting Line to Shape can either create a group (which is ungroupable) or a Clipped Photo which is next to useless as it can't be unclipped. As you state this all seems dependant on sharp corners or overlaps (even without closing the shape).

No use to Man nor Beast.

**Albacore** · 20 July 2016, 10:31 AM

These problems are known to the dev. team as they were brought to their notice when Ver. 11 came out. To my mind it is only the Shape Painter Tool that works as it should although no said line profiles can be set with this tool as it is a "shape". Having said that you can develop great brushes by changing the Roundness, Angle and Softness in the brush. You can get real vector shapes that have a great Calligraphy style by changing basically the angle but I do the roundness as well. So if you're exporting your drawing have a look at this tool as it will give you what you want.

I have used it a lot when I was doing cartoons for newsletters it's a good tool to try cos. It's easy once you have drawn the say a head for a cartoon to edit and emphasize depth, as I like to do, the thickness of a line on an outlined shape. Like all Xara brushes when and this includes the Shape Painter Tool you get too many control points even after using Smoothing Slider.

**handrawn** · 20 July 2016, 11:10 AM

as you guys probably know - if you draw a line with a vector art brush and then intersect it with a rectangle shape, you do not get a result that is the shape of the brush line, all you get is a uniform path shape

this applies in my experience to all the brushes, whether they convert to vector groups or bitmaps, and it indicates to me that they are built with overlays rather than being a pure vector line/shape.....

**PhilM** · 20 July 2016, 01:18 PM

"overlays"?

You should get the intersection of the brush-stroked outline with the rectangle. If you do not that is a bug.

Phil

**handrawn** · 20 July 2016, 06:06 PM

Hi Phil

ok panic over -think I may have forgotten to convert brush stroke before intersect

**handrawn** · 20 July 2016, 07:41 PM

... although having said that [now I have doubled checked] - if you intersect a stroke shaped normal line with a rectangle you get a shape the same as the line ; ditto pressure sensitive normal stroke - in neither case do you need to convert line to stroke before the intersect, as you do with an art brush...