http://www.techradar.com/pro/linux May 2019 LXF249 79
Vector graphics TuTorials
Startwithsomeboxes
Todemonstratethebenefitofconnectors,we’regoingto
createasimpleorganisationaldiagram.So,setupasnapgridand
placesomeboxesonthepage.Weneedoneonthetoprow,two
onthesecondandfouronthethird.Wesuggestusingadifferent
colourforeachrow.Don’tbothertoomuchabouttheirexact
position–we’lladjustthemlater.
1
Connectthemup
Nowwe’regoingtojoinuptheboxesusingconnectors.
SelectthefirsttypeofconnectorfromtheConnectoriconinthe
Drawingtoolbar(bottombydefault).Moveoverthetopboxand
severalconnectorattachmentpointsappear.Clickthebottom
oneanddragtothetopconnectionpointonthefirstboxonthe
secondrow.Connectalltheboxesinthesameway.
3
Annotatetheboxes
Eachboxrepresentsapersoninthecompany,soannotate
themwithanamefollowedbyajobtitleineach.Thetopboxisthe
mostseniorperson,perhapstheMD,thepeopleinthesecond
rowaredirectors,andthethirdrowcomprisesmanagers.Youcan
addanotherlayer(moredamnmanagementlayers!–Ed)later,if
youwant.Foreaseofediting,groupeachboxanditsannotations.2
Finaltouches
Finally,tofinishoffthediagram,movetheboxesaroundso
thatalltheboxesonthesamerowareatthesameheightand
equallyspaced.Notehowtheconnectorsstayattachedtothe
boxes,reroutingasnecessary,asyoudothis.It’spossiblethat
someoftheconnectorsmightnotlineupproperly,buttheycan
beeditedmanuallyasyou’llseeifyouclickone.4
usinGCOnneCtOrs
the option of moving the so-called control points which
appear as small circles, and which enable the exact
shape of a curved section to be adjusted. Mess around
with control points to see how they affect the shape –
it’s much easier to try than to describe!
Finally, truly irregular shapes can be drawn using
the Free-form Line tool, and its filled variant. These are
drawn by clicking and dragging to produce any line or
shape, just as you would draw a line with a pencil or a
drawing tool in a bitmap package, although the result
is subjected to a degree of smoothing.
As a final bit of guidance on creating non-regular
shapes, it can sometimes be rather time-consuming to
achieve exactly the shape you need using the various
curve tools alone. For example, perhaps you want a
square with one of the sides turned into a curved line.
The secret, in cases like this, is to start with the closest
regular shape which, in this case, is a square. Normally,
of course, the options for editing the shape of a square
are limited to expanding or shrinking it, and individual
points or line segments can’t be edited. However, by
converting it to a curve or a polygon using the Convert
option on the Modify menu, all that changes. Now,
depending on whether you’ve converted it to a curve or
a polygon, some or all of options that are available for
editing polygons or curves become available, thereby
giving you full control over the shape.
Another related facility is the Combine option, which
is also available in the Modify menu. This operates on
two or more selected objects and, while it might seem
similar to grouping objects, in reality it’s very different.
Instead of grouping them together for ease of handling,
they are actually converted, irreversibly, to a single
irregular object, which can subsequently be edited by
manipulating its nodes and control points. Again, have
a play – you’ll quickly get the idea of it.usethe
Gluepoints
featureto
addextra
attachment
pointsto
objects.