The October 2012 tutorial: Revenge of the Shape Tool

[Gare]

The October video is up ... >>>visit Xara Xone<<<.

Let's tawk after you've watched and played around some!

My Best,

Gary

[angelize]

I've finally had time to sit and watch the video. I enjoyed this. Most of this was for me a refresher course, but a good one I use the shape tool all the time for close cropping photos, tracing bitmaps to vectorize them, and for drawing it is one of my favourite tools.

[Gare]

Well, then, Happy Refreshing!

I need to address beginning level tasks every month in a while, you know. :)

My Best,

Gary

[angelize]

It's good even for those of us who use the software on a daily basis to be reminded of the basics now and again

[Gare]

Well, in that case, I hope I got it all correct!

If not, and even if so, let's discuss right here.

After spending quality time with the shape tool, I believe it's possible to wean myself away from the Pen tool. And we're talking more than 20 years using a vector pen-type tool.

I must admit I crave a B-spline tool now and then, though.

Everybody, get that clock tower drawn now! :)

My Best,
Gare

[mwenz]

Hey, does a start count? <g>...

Still gotta take the time for more of the 3D pieces parts. Probably something to do while "watching" the debate tonight.

Take care, Mike

[Gare]

That is FABULOUS, Mike!

With the Shape and ellipse tools, right?
you even did the little nuances of the number markers receding as the "numbers" grow higher.

What a piece, man. You make an aging teacher very, very happy.

-g

[mwenz]

Drew them flat (didn't trace), did the 3D thing and used the angle settings to mimic the angles of your original. Why not trace the 3D flat image? Because it is next to impossible for me to match the angles and perspective once the vector drawing becomes a 3D object.

This is the most 3D stuff I have *ever* done in Xara. So this has been fun.

But yes, the shape tool is my friend.

take care, Mike

[Gare]

Fool Disclosure:

There is indeed a slight perspective on the "camera" angle capturing the scene—the clock tower is not "dead on", thus complicating a totally accurate trace.

But that wasn't the point of the tutorial—it was just to get everyone's head around:

1. There is nothing wrong with tracing. Heck, Leonardo DaVinci and Norman Rockwell both traced off areas of source material, and a pantograph, one of my favorite childhood "toys", is nothing more than a big tracing machine. As long as you generated the source image, what you trace is your own. Or if you're skilled enough to make something original from a source you own, you can call a finished piece your own with an ethical conscience. And if not, you still develop skills by tracing.

2. Generally, how to work with control points, and specifically, those control points and handles that are a product of the Shape tool.

Damned clever and ambitious, Mike. you are a gifted technician, man—I wish I had your chops.

Here's my "make good": this image was capped within the modeler; and oops, the side view is a tad smaller than the front. But there is no perspective, this is an isometric view.

Actually what comes around goes around, because I designed the paths for the model in Xara, with the Shape tool.



-g

[angelize]

I haven't yet had time to experiment with the clock file as I've been busy with work but here are two advertisements I did today in which I used the shape tool to crop photos.

The dog photo was provided to us, the veggie pie photo is a product shot that I took today.