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  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Default Dashed Lines limitations

    How hard can it be to A) Offer more dashed line options, or better still, B) User-defined dashed line creation?

    At line sizes like 1px it is very hard to tell the difference.
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: Dashed Lines limitations

    Quote Originally Posted by gwpriester View Post
    How hard can it be to A) Offer more dashed line options, or better still, B) User-defined dashed line creation? At line sizes like 1px it is very hard to tell the difference.
    We already have Option B) - Scatter Brushes.

    What we do not have is Dot patterns.

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Dashed Lines limitations

    Unless I am missing something, Scatter Brush has limitations. I am not asking for a work-around, I've used Xara for enough years to know how to accomplish what I need. I am asking for a vector dashed line option that has more options that works out of the box.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  4. #4
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    Lightbulb Re: Dashed Lines limitations

    I wouldn't have called Scatter Brushes a workaround. You can tweak the pitch of the line and you can alter the Line width.
    With a Scatter Brush and a fairly simple pattern, you can then change the Line to Shapes and Ungroup to gain a vector solution.

    I find that there may be a workaround:
    • Set Scale Line Width off.
    • Resize the shape until you hit symmetry.
    • Set Scale Line width on.
    • Restore the Shape to its original size.
    • Change the Line width to its original size.

    Xara's built-in Dashed Lines, however, do not product vector objects - they force your shape to be rendered as a Bitmap.
    Native CSS properties don't support the customization of border-style and this is only applied to regular (box) shapes. There is a trick with an SVG image inside background-image property.
    Irregular shapes that are SVG can have vector strokes applied.

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Location
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    Default Re: Dashed Lines limitations

    Further when you create scatter brushes you can name shapes. So if you create a brush using coloured rectangles mixed with non filled rectangles you can individually select the rectangle that are colour filled and give them a name 'Filled' or 'My-filled' for example. Give the rectangles a name 'non-filled' for example. nb I'm not talking named colours here but names via the little luggage label icon ;-)

    You can then create a brush giving whatever dash pattern you wish by using filled shapes then non filled shapes to add the gaps, then use it on a shape like your star, adjust spacing, I like to use 99% so there's an overlap, then you can Convert Line to Shape - Ungroup - Use the name gallery to select all the shapes named 'non-filled' and delete them. Now select all shapes named 'My-filled' and Arrange / Combine Shapes / Add Shapes (Ctrl + 1) which gives you a simple vector shape with a dash pattern.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by Egg Bramhill; 04 September 2024 at 04:21 AM. Reason: clarification
    Egg

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  6. #6
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    Default Re: Dashed Lines limitations

    @Egg, thank you.
    For demo purposes, if you add 0px Line width to the Named Sapes, you can see the relationship from the Bitmap to the pattern.

    I follow everything you've done but I am having issues with the render.
    If I change the browser width or its zoom, the page disappears off left.

    Playing with the Scroll Vertical transition makes no difference.
    I've not found why it slides in from the left either.
    The page size is A0.

    Is it me, you or the latest update?

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Dashed Lines limitations

    neat egg - but the minute brushes were mentioned in this context i could see a problem and you have demostrated it here:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    xara brushes and [acute] corners can be problematic - the line gallery dashes don't do this

    plus changing brushes for different sized shapes can be time consuming, although very flexible if you can avoid the corner issue - but you could build up a library over time...
    -------------------------------
    Nothing lasts forever...

 

 

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