Breaking circle...how?

**dudelsack** · 31 May 2004, 08:41 AM

Hi! Small but angeÂ´ring problem and I can't find the answer in the help/movies. I want to draw a perfect circle, break it in two halves and transpose the one half and link it up again to the first half...sort of a "S" on it's side, and then naturally use it for a text guide to get text in a wave form on the page. I think I have done this in Xara, but it could have been Freehand to. I can't seem to break anything I make with either the Quickshape or ellipse tool. Must be a very small trick.....have patience with a newbie! Thanks! Bagpiper

**dudelsack** · 31 May 2004, 08:41 AM

Hi! Small but angeÂ´ring problem and I can't find the answer in the help/movies. I want to draw a perfect circle, break it in two halves and transpose the one half and link it up again to the first half...sort of a "S" on it's side, and then naturally use it for a text guide to get text in a wave form on the page. I think I have done this in Xara, but it could have been Freehand to. I can't seem to break anything I make with either the Quickshape or ellipse tool. Must be a very small trick.....have patience with a newbie! Thanks! Bagpiper

**Judi A** · 31 May 2004, 09:56 AM

Create the circle, convert to editable shape (Arrange/Convert to Editable Shape) Next select the shape editor tool (F4) select the point on one side and use the break at point option, then do the same thing to the point opposite to it. Flip the bottom horizonally.

Select what is now 2 lines Arrrange/Join Shapes.

**dudelsack** · 31 May 2004, 11:11 AM

Thanks Judi...but it STILL doesn't work....I have tried all this. I make the circle using the ellipse tool, convert to an editable shape, change to the Shape Editor and use the break points funtion and here is where the problem starts. I can't move them apart with the shape editor without deforming them and if I change to the selector tool, I can't mark just one of the sides and flip it, the circle stays intact. There is some small thing I am either doing or not doing. If the program would just let me actually BREAK the circle without deforming it, I could flip it.....so I am still stumped on this...should be SO easy too. Give it another try and see if there is some small thing I am not clear on! Thanks! bagpiper

**masque** · 31 May 2004, 11:48 AM

Small demo which I hope is clear enough to show how its done.

**dudelsack** · 31 May 2004, 02:26 PM

Dummy me! Following all these instructions to the letter didn't help me until I started to think for myself too. One finds that most instructions are designed for someone who already knows a lot and can read between the lines. If you are new to a program, or haven't used some function often, you just can't do that. If it doesn't tell you to do something, you won't think of doing it by yourself.
The problem was that I didn't make the zoom high enough to see what I was doing and never saw that the single point had been made into two points and they were overlapping. I never succeeded because I never pulled the overlapping points apart....clear as a bell now that I woke up....thanks! Have faith...I'm not really stupid, just overloaded with perhaps 15 Programs I have to use at the same time. I end up never learning ANY of them well.
Best to you! Thanks for the help! Bagpiper

**raynerj** · 31 May 2004, 02:48 PM

Another Way to skin the Cat...

using shape editor draw a line. Add a point right in the center. Pull one side up, push the other down...

**dudelsack** · 31 May 2004, 10:40 PM

Thanks...you can't get a PERFECT half circle that way unless your aim is awful good, but it comes as close as anyone might need...good idea.
As to the cat...you could skin ours and no one would blink an eye, he is either out chacing ladies all night or attacking my poor turtles, which are so dumb that they don't even bother to jump in their water when my son revs his motorbike up next to them. They just sit and watch... the cat has easy prey...so if you can skin him...make us a rug and all will be well! Best! Andrew