Sams Teach Yourself StarOffice® 5 for Linux in 24 Hours |
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Hour 6: Creating Graphics with StarDraw |
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The basic objects you've drawn can be modified in many ways. The first step in modifying any object is to first select it. To select an object, choose the Arrow icon (the Select tool on the Main toolbar) and click on the object that you want to select.
Tip - If you can't select the right object because many objects are too close together, click on any object; then use the Tab or Shift+Tab keys to select each object in the drawing in turn. Watch the green selection handles and the status line messages to see when you have selected the desired object. |
To begin, work on the line you just created. Select it so that green handles appear on each end.
Note - Only a few of the options you can use to modify these sample objects are explained here; however, here you will see how to access the modification process, where additional options are available. |
Now move the mouse pointer so that it sits on top of the line (the mouse pointer points in a different direction) and press the right mouse button. Choose Line from the pop-up menu. The Line dialog box appears (see Figure 6.7).
Figure
6.7
The
Line dialog box enables you to modify the features of a line.
Note - With a line selected, you can also choose Line from the Format menu, but using the right-click pop-up menu only shows those options that apply to the selected object (for example, no 3D effects option appears for the Line object). |
To make this line heavier, in the Line tab, enter 0.2 in the width field (assuming that you're using inches--choose another number, if necessary). Now choose Ultrafine dashes from the Style field on the left side of the dialog box.
Finally, in the Style field on the right side of the dialog box (where the arrow heads are visible), choose none from both drop-down lists. (Assume that you decided that you don't want arrowheads on this line.) From the Arrow Styles tab, you can choose any graphic image as the arrowhead.
Choose OK to close the Line dialog box and apply your changes to the line object. The result is shown in Figure 6.8.
Figure
6.8
The
modified Line object has no arrows, and a different width and style.
Tip - Any selected object can be moved by clicking and dragging it, or by choosing position and size from the format menu. |
Next modify your torus object. Click on the object to select it. Now click and drag on the bottom, middle, green handle to resize the torus. An outline shows you the new size. Release the mouse button when you're finished. The object is redrawn at the new size.
Now double-click on the torus object (just click again if it's still selected with green handles). Red handles now appear, and the mouse pointer changes to the rotate tool. Click and hold the left mouse button. An outline of the box enclosing the torus rotates in three dimensions as you move the mouse. When you release the mouse button, the torus is redrawn. The red handles remain, however.
Tip - With the torus selected, you can also select the Draw Effects icon on the Main toolbar to rotate the object. |
Click in the white space outside of the selected object to deselect it.
Most objects in StarDraw can have a color associated with them. Objects are generally composed of an outline and a fill color. You can choose to make both the outline and the fill invisible, or you can use a color (including black) to display them.
With any object selected, you can use the drop-down lists on the Object toolbar to set the outline and fill options.
For example, with the torus selected, choose Continuous from the drop-down line style box that currently shows the word invisible.
Then choose invisible from the drop-down fill style box that currently shows the word Color. The result is shown in Figure 6.9.
Choose Undo from the edit menu twice to revert to the filled torus.
Tip - The line style and color and the fill style and color can also be modified by choosing Line and Area on the Format menu. The Colors tab of the Area dialog box gives you greater control over color than do the drop-down lists on the Object toolbar. |
Figure
6.9
You
can select colors for the fill and outline of each object. This Figure shows an
invisible dill color and a continuous black outline.
As you create objects, they are layered on top on one another. Thus, the last item created is the top item visible; it covers any items that are created before it.
But you don't always want things to stay that way. To alter the arrangement of the layered objects, select an object, right click on it, and choose Arrange from the pop-up menu. The Arrange submenu enables you to move an object forward or backward by one object, or to the front or back of the entire drawing (as if it was the first or last object created). By selecting different objects and using these options, you can arrange the overlapping of all the objects in your drawing.
Caution - StarDraw also has a feature called layering, in which multiple objects are placed on different layers and modified, viewed, or printed as a set. This advanced feature is beyond the scope of this introduction to StarDraw, but you can choose Layer from the Insert or Format menus to begin experimenting with layers. |
When you have a drawing containing many objects, it can be helpful to work with many objects in the drawing as a group (for example to resize, move, or change their color simultaneously).
For example, suppose your line and torus form the core of a fancy new logo. After you've established the look that you want, you'll need to resize them both at the same time.
You can select both objects at the same time and use the Position and Size dialog box on the Format menu.
But you can also group the objects together so that they are tied to one another; selecting one selects both and editing either edits both. This enables you to use graphical tools to resize the objects, and makes using other features more convenient.
This is especially true when the objects that you want to use together comprise a group of 10, 50, or many more objects. It doesn't make sense to select them all each time.
In addition, when you have a complex drawing, it can be very difficult to precisely select the object that you want among the many others onscreen. By creating a group of objects, you can tie together associated objects to work on them simultaneously.
To create a group, follow these steps:
1. Click on the line to select it.
2. Hold down the Shift key and click on the torus. Now both objects are selected.
3. Choose Group from the Modify menu. The two objects are grouped together, and now show only one set of green handles.
Sams Teach Yourself StarOffice® 5 for Linux in 24 Hours |
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Hour 6: Creating Graphics with StarDraw |
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