Unexpected behaviour, or just a plain bug ...

[Michael]

OK, here's something I have been struggling with since some time but I finally can pin-point and reproduce. So please Xara, correct this behaviour.

I do a lot of designing using maps and aerial photographs. So I have to make shapes on top of bitmaps. Sometimes it's more handy to use the pen while holding the Alt key. In that case you'll get a nice straight line. I get used to holding the alt-button and releasing it shortly whenever I need to make a point, pressing the alt-button again will produce a straight line immediately after placing that point. So, to make a shape consisting of straight lines I choose the freehand/pen tool, press the Alt-key and follow the desired object while making intermediate point while releasing the alt-key for a moment. Very satisfying and a quick way to produce clean shapes with very little point and still have maximum control over the shape,

But, very often, while manually tracing bitmaps, the moment the pen gets near the starting point of the shape (the plus sign appears near the pen and sometimes even the magnet) the whole shape disappears! And then you will have to start over again.

Fix for this is not closing the shape. Then deselect, select, and start from the last point again.

But, IMHO, it is a bug (and a nuisance)PAYbiEPsk1.mp4

[gwpriester]

Hi Michael

When the cursor shows a + it indicates you are close to the start point and if you add your line to the start point you will have a closed shape.

I have never had the entire line disappear. I wonder if you switched to the Selector Tool and then tried to delete a point?

[Michael]

When the cursor shows a + it indicates you are close to the start point and if you add your line to the start point you will have a closed shape.

That's the expected behaviour, yes. That's just what I wrote....

I wonder if you switched to the Selector Tool and then tried to delete a point?

There's the catch; there's no line at all!!!

[gwpriester]

Hmm? Strange.

[Acorn]

Michael, what Line Width and Fill Colour are you using?
i have tried a number of configurations and i don't get the crash out.

You could try Run as administrator the once.

Acorn

[Michael]

Independent of attributes used.

It should make no difference if ran with admin rights. But, just in case, I followed your suggestion. Alas, still the some behaviour.

Oh, and for your idea; on different machines with different hardware ...

[handrawn]

I'm intrigued as to why the bitmap has handles showing whilst you are freehand drawing...?