Here's one of those things that experienced users, as well as newfers (especially those who are used to using other "big-name" vector programs), may have overlooked. I could not seem to find anything in the help file.
Xara X mentions that there are a couple ways to stretch (scale) objects ... interactively or by using the Info Bar. However, these two methods have different capabilities which, if not understood, can inhibit the drawing "experience".
Using the Info bar, Ellipses and Rectangles can be "stretched" ALONG THEIR AXIS OF ROTATION using the Size entry box. This can't effectively/easily be done using the interactive mode.
Xara may be one of a few programs that can do this important function. It is very useful when precision is required. Try the steps below. Also see the attached example.
1. Create a 40 pix wide x 20 pix high rectangle using the Rectangle tool.
2. Rotate the rectangle 33 degrees: With the rectangle selected and the Rectangle tool active, go to the Rectangle Tool Info Bar, select "Rotation" from the drop down menu, type in 33 in the adjacent box, and press Enter.
3. Make a Clone (Crtl+K). I changed its outline to red for clarity.
Change the width of the Clone to 80 pix: With Rectangle still tool active, select "Width and Height" from the drop down menu of the Rectangle Tool Info Bar, type in 80 in the adjacent upper box, and press Enter.
4. Step 4 illustrates the same technique applied using an ellipse.
[This message was edited by John Clements on February 16, 2001 at 05:37 PM.]
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