I recently purchased my own CorelDRAW after using an older version at work (X6), I tend to draw shapes with the freehand tool, dropping nodes and then I used to click ctrl a to select all those nodes and it would automatically switch to the shape tool so I could turn them all to curves and edit them, it doesn't seem to work in this version, can anyone point out how to make it work?
I realise I could use F10 to switch but it's not as convenient on a laptop or as the other way.
Yes, the ability to use Ctrl+A to select all nodes when a single object was selected was removed many versions ago and some users miss it, most of us don't.There are a few things you can try, which may help a little.1. "Enable node tracking" (Options > CorelDRAW > Nodes and Handles).When it is enabled and you hover over a node, the tool will temporarily switch to the Shape tool and give you node editing capabilities.Depending on which tool is active in the background, these capabilities are more or less limited.Freehand Tool will only allow you to select and move single nodes, I think.Edit: If you Ctrl+Shift+click on a node (using this tip), all nodes will be selected, and you can move the entire curve without switching tool.2. Use customized shortcuts.Create your own shortcuts for the tools you use the most. F10 for Shape tool isn't very convenient (never use it myself).Maybe it is worth sacrificing some of the default shortcuts to get usable, easy to reach, shortcuts for the tools you really use?I have A = Shape Tool, S = Rectangle, D = Ellipse, Z = Pen, for example. Tools I use a lot and I can easily switch between them with my left hand.Spacebar will, as you know, toggle to and from the Pick Tool by default, which is useful and leads to tip 3.3. Double click an object to activate the Shape tool.When for example the Freehand tool is active, first hit Spacebar to activate Pick Tool, then double click to switch to Shape Tool.
That's a brilliant help thank you! we did have really old versions at work, it's nice to have a new one but a bit of a hassle figuring things out, appreciate the help!
Glad I could help.
If you have an object selected, you can double click the shape tool button in your menu bar to select all nodes in that shape. It also works if you have multiple shapes selected as long as they are not part of a group.
Could add the Shape Tool to the Right Click options for the document or the shape itself. After you're done drawing, right-click and choose the shape tool, no need to take your eyes away from focus by any keyboard shortcut or physically moving way over to grab the shape tool.