TIP - How to Draw an Isometric Circle to a Specific Size

[jclements]

If you have ever wondered how to draw an Isometric circle to a specific dimension using the isometric grid here is one way of doing it.

Assume you want to create an ellipse that has a diameter of one unit, that you have the isometric grid displayed, that Lock Aspect Ratio is on, and Snap To Grid is turned on.

1. Select the Shape Editor tool and choose "Make a Line "L" in the Info Bar. Click on the grid at one-unit intervals to create an isometric square. See the Orange colored quadrangle.

2. Change the Shape Editor tool option to "Make a Curve "C" in the Info Bar. Click on each of the quadrangle's four corners. This will create something quite close to a true isometric circle. See the Green colored ellipse.

3. Select the green ellipse and in either one of the Scale entry boxes in the Info Bar, type in 69.4%, and press [Enter]. This will produce an ellipse which represents an Isometric circle which is one unit in diameter. See the magenta colored ellipse whose circumference just touches the four sides to the 1 x 1 quadrangle.

Note: The 69.4% scale factor is based upon Xara's current Isometric grid.

[This message was edited by John Clements on March 08, 2001 at 10:04 PM.]

[This message was edited by John Clements on March 08, 2001 at 10:04 PM.]

[jclements]

If you have ever wondered how to draw an Isometric circle to a specific dimension using the isometric grid here is one way of doing it.

Assume you want to create an ellipse that has a diameter of one unit, that you have the isometric grid displayed, that Lock Aspect Ratio is on, and Snap To Grid is turned on.

1. Select the Shape Editor tool and choose "Make a Line "L" in the Info Bar. Click on the grid at one-unit intervals to create an isometric square. See the Orange colored quadrangle.

2. Change the Shape Editor tool option to "Make a Curve "C" in the Info Bar. Click on each of the quadrangle's four corners. This will create something quite close to a true isometric circle. See the Green colored ellipse.

3. Select the green ellipse and in either one of the Scale entry boxes in the Info Bar, type in 69.4%, and press [Enter]. This will produce an ellipse which represents an Isometric circle which is one unit in diameter. See the magenta colored ellipse whose circumference just touches the four sides to the 1 x 1 quadrangle.

Note: The 69.4% scale factor is based upon Xara's current Isometric grid.

[This message was edited by John Clements on March 08, 2001 at 10:04 PM.]

[This message was edited by John Clements on March 08, 2001 at 10:04 PM.]

[gwpriester]

John

You never cease to amaze me. You must have been a whiz at math.

Having been among the more severly math-challenged, I had to create my own non-methematical way to do things as demonstrated in the attached illustration:

1. Create a circle and square.

2. Create an isometric grid square

3. Select the circle and square and then the Mould Tool. Apply a Default Perspective envelope.

Enable Snap To Objects (the red magnet icon on the Infobar). Snap the corners of the circle square mold to the appropriate corners of the isometric grid square.

4. Done. (No math involved) [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

Be It Every So Humble...

[jclements]

Gary, me no whiz (I struggle with a calculator ... and spelling too). I just drew one circle touching the outside corners of the square and another one touching inside sides of the square in an ortho graphic view. Then I turned them into an isometric face and divided the diameter of one circle by that of the other and got 69.4%. Thank goodness for the artistic-side-of-the-brain people such as yourself to come to the aid of the rest of us.

Thanks...

[This message was edited by John Clements on March 09, 2001 at 03:45 PM.]