584 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 19-11 This extrude’s minimum facet size is too high; the extrude edges, as they change color to reflect the lighting, are very obvious. Wireframe view Minimum facet size set to 1 inch; facets are apparent. FIGURE 19-12 Extrude facet smoothness is proportional to the number of facets needed to create the smooth impression. Minimum extrude facet size set to 0.001 inch; facets are nearly invisible. Wireframe view to curves, and the effects are live in this document, so you can use the Copy Extrude From command to sample and apply any of these effects to objects you’ve drawn. In Figure 19-13 you can see the file, and an explanation of what was done and why will give you some ideas of your own based on the principles behind the novel use of the effect. ● The artistic text spelling out “DRAMATIC” is not a “straight” extrude, but instead it was created by extruding the first character and then rotating it. Then the extrude effect was copied to every other character via the Copy Extrude From button on the property bar list. Finally, the Rotation pop-up was used in Numerical Value mode to rotate the characters progressively by about 10° difference to create an arc of text instead of a somewhat flat and planar treatment of this flashy headline. ● The suntan lotion bottle takes advantage of the fact that an extrude doesn’t have to face forward; the side of the rounded rectangle is exposed to view to represent the bottle, a circle was extruded to make the cap, and similarly, you see the extrude group edge more than you do the control object circle. When you extrude something, you’re dealing with a 3D object, and it’s up to you, the artist, to decide which side of the 3D shape is the most visually interesting. The label on the bottle was created by using the perspective effect, covered in Chapter 18. CHAPTER 19: Extruding Objects 585 19 FIGURE 19-13 Four examples of strange and inspired use of the Interactive extrude tool ● The little tin-roof hut is another example of using the extruded sides instead of the face of the extrude to convey an artistic idea. The roof is a squiggle created with the Bézier pen tool, and then the outline was converted to a shape ( CTRL+SHIFT+Q) to extrude (you can’t really extrude open paths). The shed itself is a compound shape, and the chimney is an extruded circle, rotated along its X axis so it’s almost at a 90° angle to the roof. ● The glass cubes were made from extruded rectangles, but they were then simplified ( CTRL+K), and the three faces hidden by the original extrude were drawn in by hand (using Snap To Objects for precision). The extrude effect does not create back-facing facets. Then transparency was applied in Linear style, at different amounts to allow the back faces to show in certain areas and remain hidden in others. The real lesson here is that the extrude effect can sometimes be a jumping-in point for an idea, and not necessarily the finished product. When you break the extrude group from the control object, you’re free then to manually edit all the objects to arrive at exactly the design you had in mind. Chapter 20 continues The Official Guide “Effects Extravaganza,” with envelopes and distortions the highlights. Learn to get an object or group of objects from close to what you want to draw, to exactly what it is you have in your head. Just rotate this page 180° counterclockwise along your local X axis. 586 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide PART VII Creating Special Effects This page intentionally left blank CHAPTER 20 Envelope and Distortion Effects 589 Y ou’ve probably seen this effect in stores a dozen times: the words “Fresh Fish” shaped in the silhouette of a fish. In CorelDRAW this is called an envelope effect. With it, you can shape words and other objects (and groups of objects) to conform to a different shape. And to add to your creative effects in CorelDRAW, there’s also the Distort tool, a kissing cousin of the envelope effect, which provides much more dramatic reshaping options, and which makes quick work, for example, of reshaping a simple flower petal shape to look more natural and intricate. Remember when you were a child and played with that putty that came in a plastic egg? This is the theme of this chapter; in it, you’ll learn how to treat apparently solid and stiff objects as though they had the flexibility of putty. In the process, you’ll gather several practical and creative uses for the envelope and distort features…and discover that work can be fun! What Does an Envelope Do? In CorelDRAW you can start with a fresh envelope around an object, use presets, copy a shape to use as an envelope of a different shape, and edit the envelope until the object suits your need. Envelopes are nondestructive; your original artwork can be restored at any time. The property bar has a “remove envelope” button when an enveloped object is selected with the Envelope tool. Once an envelope has been defined, you edit the envelope exactly as you would a path—you can drag on segments and nodes, and change the node control points to your heart’s content. Figure 20-1 demonstrates both the ease and usefulness of the envelope effect. In the top illustration, the artistic text object is enveloped, and the envelope is based on an existing shape seen at right. The bottom illustration shows the envelope control segments and nodes in the process of being edited. It’s true: the CorelDRAW envelope effect is just like playing with silly you-know-what! 590 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 20-1 Use the Envelope tool to create different object looks. Envelope shape copied from the object Envelope manipulated Creating Envelope Effects When applying envelopes, you can choose from three different methods: ● Shape your envelope from scratch by defining a default envelope and then manually reshaping it. ● Copy an envelope shape based on an object on the drawing page. ● Apply a preset. Let’s begin working with the first technique. Using the Envelope Tool and Property Bar Using the Envelope tool along with the property bar options is the most intuitive way to apply envelopes. You’ll find it in the toolbox grouped with other interactive tools, as shown here: Ill 20-1 With both the Envelope tool and an object selected, the property bar displays the options shown here: Ill 20-2 CHAPTER 20: Envelope and Distortion Effects 591 20 Envelope tool Preset Options Node Tools Envelope Modes Add New Envelope Keep Lines Copy Envelope Properties Convert To Curves Mapping Mode Create Envelope From Clear Envelope Selection Mode You’ll get the best results from the envelope effect if you follow a sequence of moves in CorelDRAW. Let’s work through some basic maneuvers using the following steps. The Envelope, Please 1. Create or open an object (or group of objects) that you feel would make a good target for the envelope effect, and then choose the Envelope tool from the toolbox. Notice that the property bar shows envelope options. The more intricate the object, the more noticeable the effect will be. In general, don’t choose a rectangular shape to which you want to apply a rectangular envelope; the effect would be more or less redundant. 2. Click the mode button resembling a square with one corner higher than the other— the Straight Line mode button—and notice the markers surrounding your object. 3. Drag one of the nodes on your object in any direction. Notice that the direction of movement is constrained, and the shape of your object changes to match the envelope as you release the mouse button. 4. Click the next mode button, resembling a square with one curved side—the Single Arc mode button. Drag any node in any direction, and notice that the object changes, but this time you have some curvature going on with the edges of the envelope and the object(s) inside. The Double Arc mode provides more distortion, most noticeably when you drag a center envelope node instead of one of the four corner bounding nodes. 5. Notice that you can drag an envelope node to reshape the object, but the direction handles on either side of the node are fixed and won’t budge. Click the Unconstrained Mode button, the rightmost envelope mode on the property bar. Now try dragging nodes and then their direction handles. The following illustration shows the object group in its original state, and then at right it’s been worked over a little in Unconstrained mode…it looks reminiscent of how your packages occasionally arrive on Mondays, doesn’t it? In all seriousness, however, this is a prime example of the plasticity with which you can reshape objects through the envelope feature. Nothing is hard and fixed in a CorelDRAW drawing and no changes are permanent. 592 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide Ill 20-3 You’ve applied a basic envelope effect to your object, but the inherent shape of the object remains intact. Clicking the Clear Envelope button in the property bar removes the envelope, returning everything to normal. There is a limit, particularly with grouped objects in an envelope, to how much you can reshape before the paths that make up an object begin to self-intersect. This is usually an unwanted effect, so the remedies are to take it easy on the extent of the envelope, to ungroup the group and apply similar envelope effects to individual objects, or to use the distort effect, shown later in this chapter. Using the Envelope Docker The Envelope docker provides an alternative to using the interactive method. This docker enables you to select options before they are actually applied. To open the Envelope docker, shown in Figure 20-2, choose Effects | Envelope, or press CTRL+F7. The main difference between using the Envelope tool and the Envelope docker is that the docker is more visual—you have a good view of presets, but the set of editing tools on the docker is not comprehensive. The docker might be for a less experienced Corellian to use, while using the property bar with the Envelope tool and the Shape tool after an envelope has been created is the sport of designers who want hands-on, low-level control over the effect. CHAPTER 20: Envelope and Distortion Effects 593 20 Unconstrained Envelope Mode Original . the envelope control segments and nodes in the process of being edited. It’s true: the CorelDRAW envelope effect is just like playing with silly you-know-what! 590 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE. good target for the envelope effect, and then choose the Envelope tool from the toolbox. Notice that the property bar shows envelope options. The more intricate the object, the more noticeable the effect. 584 CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide FIGURE 19-11 This extrude’s minimum facet size is too high; the extrude edges, as they change color to reflect the lighting, are very obvious. Wireframe