Hello List,
I am working on a 34 page document which identical. I need to edit transparency on on a curve on page 1, 7, 14, 21, 28 - then the same on different curve on 2, 8. 15, 22, 29 and so on. Yes I know about layers but in this situation working with 32 layers in Coreldraw....... shoot me first!! Shame Coreldraw doesn't have a simple drop down menu for layers like AutoCAD.
Its neon that has sections fading in and out.
Thanks!!
Just so I understand...
Are you working with ~12 shapes on a page, on 34 pages - and so you need to edit the transparency of ~12 x 34 = ~408 shapes?
Hi Eskimo.....so sorry for the late reply, we've been very busy. I went ahead an edited each object one by one.
I am spoiled by AutoCAD. If I was doing this in AutoCAD I would create as many layers as I want as I mentioned layers are a simple dropdown menu, and view and hide them easily. AutoCAD is not a graphics program and CorelDraw is not a CAD program...alas.
I wish CorelDRAW had an easy way to measure point to point without using the dimension tool.
Oh well... one can dream, yes?
Thanks again for your reply and sorry I didn't get back sooner!
Cheers!
For the specific task you initially described, I think that there could be some ways to do it programmatically, e.g., using VBA macro subs.
I'm thinking of something where you would assign names to the different objects, and then use macros to set the transparency by object name and page. So, something like, "For Shape 1, set the transparency to 90% on Page 1, 80% on Page 2, 70% on Page 3, 60% on Page 4,..."
Even if it took 408 lines of code to do that, it might be faster to set up - and easier to plan things out - than doing it all manually in CorelDRAW.
One could also imagine a macro that would import a text file with that information, with each line of the text file containing all of the transparency information for a given object. So, the line for "Shape 1" might look like:
Shape 1, 90, 80, 70, 60, ...
With that approach, you could build different versions just by editing a text file and running the macro again. The text file could come from a spreadsheet, too, and so give you spreadsheet tools for editing it.
Just an idea; it's not a type of work that I have ever tried to do.
Thanks for that, this sounds logical however I'm not that adept with coding. If I ever need to do this again it seems to me that CorelDRAW is not the answer. I will look for animation software, or as I use AutoCAD I can do solid fills and set transparencies which might be easier with AutoCAD's layer management.
I agree that it may make sense to choose different tools based on what you are trying to accomplish.
I have a layer management macro (not on my blog at this time) that makes it easier to see the status of multiple layers, and allows status (Visible/Printable/Editable) and Wireframe view status to be changed for multiple layers in a single operation.
It can also save and restore status information for multiple layers. So, if you have set up properties for multiple layers in a particular way, you can take a "snapshot" of that status information and then restore it later.
Thanks! Where can I get this macro? I will have to check it out.
If CorelDRAW was able to export to AutoCAD without everything being in SPLINES I would be as happy as Larry and so would many others. You can import an AutoCAD drawing as lines but going the other way its all splines.
Please contact me through the forum messaging system, and provide an e-mail where I can reach you.
I don't have documentation, demonstration videos, etc. for that macro, but you are welcome to use it, and I will be happy to answer questions.
I agree that, for some users, CorelDRAW is "CAD-like" enough that it comes very close to doing everything they need. Sadly, their DXF/DWG export is weak. Some people use third-party tools for that.