how to draw a line in Coreldraw

How to draw straight line in Coreldraw?

Im just a beginner in Coreldraw. I saw other people using the fourth tool (right below the zoom button on the left  toolbar) to draw lines. But when I try to draw line using that tool, im not getting straight line. It curves when I move the cursor forward to draw a line.

  • If you will look carefully, that tool (among others in the same toolbar) has a small triangle on the lower right of the icon. Click on that triangle and a fly-out will appear, showing other types of drawing modes, such as bezier, polyline, etc.

    • Welcome to Draw. Hope you have fun learning.

      Two simple ways to create straight lines:

      1) Click on the button you refer to, the one that seems to have a plus sign shape in the upper left corner, and a squiggly line in the lower right corner - if you hover your mouse over the button, you'll see it's called the Freehand tool. To make a straight line with the freehand tool, click the tool, then in your document left click to create one end of the line, RELEASE the mouse button, then move the mouse to wherever you want the line to end, then left click again. If you don't release the button in between the two ends of the lines, you get the curvy lines you noted in your question (for freehand drawing)

      2) If you click the triangle in the lower right hand corner of the freehand tool, you'll get a flyout menu of other tools, the second of which is the "two point line" tool. To use that to create a straight line, click the tool, then in your document left click where you want the line to begin, HOLD the mouse button down and drag to wherever you want the line to end, then release.

      Hope it helps,

      Bill Coley

       

      EDIT: If you want vertical or horizontal straight lines, hold down the Ctrl key as you use either method.

      • Thanks all of you friends. 

        ~Bill Colley~

        I understood your first point. But as to your second point, I cant find any option like two point tool in the bar which pops-out if I click the small triangle on that tool. It has only 8 options, freehand, Bezier, Artistic Media, Pen, Polyline, 3 point curve, connector, dimension

        About the last point, I tried holding control key  while pulling my line, but it doesnt have any effect. 

        • learntech said:

          ....But as to your second point, I cant find any option like two point tool in the bar which pops-out if I click the small triangle on that tool. It has only 8 options, freehand, Bezier, Artistic Media, Pen, Polyline, 3 point curve, connector, dimension

          About the last point, I tried holding control key  while pulling my line, but it doesnt have any effect. 

           

          I think the issue with the missing 2 point line tool is that you and I aren't using the same version of Draw. I'm using X5 and I think you're using X4. I don't know whether X4 has a comparable tool. Fortunately, these forums are filled with people eminently qualified to tell you.

          As for the the Ctrl key, the official word for what it does is "constrain" your line - in this case, holding down Ctrl forces the line you create to be at one of a limited number of angles. If you go to your Tools menu, then click Options, and look under the Workspace section, you'll find an Edit subsection. Click on Edit and on the right side of the dialog you'll see reference to a "constrain angle." Mine is 15 degrees, which means when I hold down the Ctrl button, the line I create will have to be 0 degrees (vertical) or 15 or 30 or 45 or...all the way to 360. Because 90 and 180 are multiples of 15, the Ctrl keys makes it easy to draw horizontal and vertical lines. If you don't hold down Ctrl, there's a chance you could draw a 93 degree line or an 84 degree line, or a.... Ctrl takes away such near misses.

          You say Ctrl doesn't have any effect. Try this: Click the freehand tool. Hold down Ctrl. While holding it down, click in your document to create one end of a line, release the mouse button, then before you click to create the second end of the line, drag your mouse to the right and left. You should see the proposed line rotate around, as if making stops every so many degrees. That's the constrain effect of the Ctrl button. Now release the Ctrl button and drag your mouse right and left again. The proposed line should move more smoothly, without making jumps between stops.

          Hope this helps,

          Bill

           

          • The two point tool that you are looking for, would be the use of the Pen tool, on the flyout. Select that tool and then position your cursor to where you want one end of the line, left click to anchor it (place a node) there, then move your cursor to where you want the second point to be, left click, again.

            Now, you can continue to draw to the next point/node or you can terminate the line, simply by pressing the Spacebar (which will cause the Pick/Select tool to be selected and active) or you can press the Escape key which will end the line but still keep the Pen tool active for your next line creation.

            • If you want to read and see how each of the drawing tools work, you might want to look into my CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed book. There is a chapter dedicated to the drawing tools. Of course that is just one of many chapters included. So once you've got the drawing tools down, there is a lot more to learn.
               
               
              • Is the "Pen Tool" something new with X5?  In X4, the "Freehand Tool" wsa the one I was refering to:

                • My bad.  There is the Pen Tool right there (in the middle) and I just played with it and it works real well.

              • Another quick tip is to hold down the CTRL button while pulling your line -- it maintains a straight edge in whichever plane you are pulling.