Chapter 14. Getting Ready to Draw

IN THIS CHAPTER:

105 Set Draw Options

106 Create a New Drawing

107 Open an Existing Drawing

108 About Drawing with Draw

109 Print a Drawing

With Draw, you can generate drawings and graphics. Draw supports all popular graphics formats, both for importing images as well as for the drawings you want to save. Here are just a few features Draw supports:

• Vector graphics ” Use predefined geometric shapes to generate your drawings.

• 3D objects ” Create three-dimensional shapes to add depth to your images.

• Light application ” Adjust the perceived light source on the objects you draw to add realism .

• Object connections ” Logically connect objects so that when you move or resize one, other objects adjust accordingly .

KEY TERMS

Vector graphics ” Graphics defined by geometric shapes such as lines, curves, rectangles, and polygons. Internally, vector graphics are stored as mathematical values, helping to decrease file size .

Snap lines ” Also called snap-to lines and refers to logical lines that align the objects on your drawing to one another. When requested , an object shifts to the closest snap line as soon as you drag that object close to the snap line. Items aligned along the same snap lines will stay in alignment unless you move them relatively far from their snap lines.

Draw supports a gallery that contains numerous graphic images, animations, sounds, and Web graphics such as buttons , bullets, and backgrounds that you can use to spruce up your drawings. You can make your drawings more consistent by taking advantage of Draw's grids and snap lines .

If you're a graphic design artist, you'll be surprised at the tools you can get in Draw considering its free price. If you're not much of an artist, like this author, you'll be thankful that Draw's tools can help make your drawings more presentable when you need to create them.