Two things

[Sheff]

There are two things in Illustrator CS4/5 that I wish Design Pro had.

One would be the blob brush which creates shapes and adds to them. The other would be the eraser brush which deletes shapes. These brushes are tremendous powerful and really inspire me to take up using Illustrator again just for these features.

This would really benefit people who prefer to draw their shapes directly rather than creating them point by point.

I am aware that this can be done by drawing with a line(s) then converting those lines to a shape and erasing could be done by drawing another line and converting that line to a shape and then doing a boolean on the two shapes, but I would much prefer reducing the amount of steps to get the same effect.

[gwpriester]

Love your site Sheff

Xara does have an eraser function as explained in this Xara Xone TIP:

Xara’s eraser function TIP: Many new users ask if Xara has an eraser tool. The answer is not as such. But there is a “Redraw” function that has the same effect. With a shape selected, select the Freehand and Brush Tool. When you move the cursor over a control point a small tilde (~) appears. Click and drag from any control point to any other control point. The smaller of the two shapes will be erased as shown above. Xara also has an “Eraser” function that works when drawing with the Freehand and Brush Tool. While your line is still active, hold down the Shift key and the Pencil icon flips over to the eraser side and as you move the eraser back over the line, it is erased.

[James Allen]

Beautifully illustrated Gary.

Sheff, here is a VIDEO showing this.

You can also erase from any point in the line as well as from control points. You can also add to the shape using the same process. In my opinion this may even be a more precise way of erasing and adding, because you are using a controlled line instead of a blobby brush. As usual, Xara were way out in front.

[zaphodeist]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Illustrator raster? Xwd etc aren't. You're not going to get raster stuff - like Illustrator's eraser - in Xara. Best to think Vector with Xara and Raster with Illustrator [if you have any brain energy left after opening the thing ]

[pauland]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Illustrator raster?

From Adobe:

"What is Illustrator?
Explore new paths with the essential vector tool.."

There's no reason the original request couldn't be implemented by Xara, though like everything else, ot's easy to ask, harder to do.

[Sheff]

Let's assume I have drawn an object by creating a long line and converted it into a shape. Let's also assume that I want to erase a specific shape that I intend to create by drawing it and erase from the middle of the object. You can't do that in Xara without creating a second shape and applying a boolean. This existing tool in Xara, that I was already aware of is only good for modifying the edge of a shape. Illustrator's tool can modify a shape regardless of whether or not it is on the edge or in the middle. It can also combine two separate shapes by drawing a line between them and converting them into a single shape. Also, you cannot erase a line after you have let go of it. You can only erase while you are creating it.

When I erase, which is a tool of the raster domain rather than the vector one, I am thinking of the SHAPES I want to erase, not the POINTS. When painting/drawing in bitmap apps or on paper, I don't think about points, I think about shape.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QBapnb6KksM?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QBapnb6KksM?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

If you have Illustrator CS4/5, I invite you to try out those tools and tell me whether or not they would be a benefit to DP7. Otherwise, I will have to continue to import Illustrator objects into Xara.

[handrawn]

we tend to get closed mindset knee-jerk reaction everytime this subject is brought up Sheff - sometimes i think it's deliberate

[spline]

Love your site Sheff

Xara does have an eraser function as explained in this Xara Xone TIP:

When you move the cursor over a control point a small tilde (~) appears. Click and drag from any control point to any other control point.

I found that you dont even have to move from a control point to another control point Just from one line to another.
Thats very useful! Its sort of an ereaser but just that you cannot just erase from the inside.

It shouldn´t be that hard to make also a an ereaser as the basic functions are there with the boolean operations? No?

I also agree that a blob modeling tool as well as a real ereaser would be useful and in 50% of the cases faster when sketching than first drawing what you want to erase than making an operation on it. Xara says its the quickest program but the tools are also speed.

I hope Xara will focus more on the vector tools since the webtools are now quite cool for making nice webpages.

[Albacore]

I have read this thread with interest and since Illy is my work tool I think I can make a comment here. Illy has had the eraser since I think CS 3 and the Blob Tool since CS 4 and I find like Steff that the Blob Tool a real bonus in your work flow it is so easy to use and it would be a great bonus to have in the Pro version. On the eraser part I am not so sure and since the Transform and Pathfinder Tools are so powerful in Illy I very rarely use it. Come on boys don't be so picky here do you not think that a few more vector tools would be an advantage to the people who are using D Pro 6 as an illustration tool for print, be helpful, because I certainly do.

[pauland]

Yes, but illustrator is a vector drawing program, not like Xara, a web design program that does some vector drawing. How would this feature make a website better? ;-)