Digital Workshop

Hi all,

I am new on this list.
First I must apologize for my english .
I am working on a big project : an educational CD with more than 380 pages.
I a CD about fishing in Tahiti and I have to add some animated graphs : the graph are sounding lines. I have two difficulties :
- the sounding line have peaks which are very closer each over. And I an't put the node where I want : It seem that there is a minimum for the lenght between 2 nodes ? (I use the straight drawing tool).
- When I try to draw the line with the freehand tool, first my line is very straight between each node but as soon I release the mouse button, all the segment become curved.

My question : is there a solution

Many thanks for your help

Hi,

Thank you for your enquiry.

It sounds as though you have the grid enabled and this will cause each of the vector nodes to be 'snapped' to the nearest grid dot. To prevent nodes being snapped in this way, simply hold down the Shift key on the keyboard as you move the node. This will allow the node to be moved in increments of one pixel (as opposed to the 10-pixel limit imposed by the grid).

Alternatively, you could turn off the grid (by clicking View > Grid > None) prior to using the Drawing tool and this will allow you complete freedom of node placement.

As for the problem with 'curved' lines, it sounds as though you have selected the 'Bezier Curve' drawing tool (the second icon in the Drawing toolbar), rather the 'Freehand' option (the third icon). Try selecting the third icon (which looks like a snake) then draw a freehand line on the page. The line should now more closely follow your cursor movement.

I hope this helps. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.

Kind regards,

Dear Robin,

No the grid is not enabled. I try the shift key method but I am unable to follow the souding line. Peaks seems to close each other. It seems that there is a setting that force the nodes to have a minimum space between each other. I can’t put a node where I want.
But when the line is finish I an edit the node and place them where I want.

For the curved line I don’t make an error by selcting the Bezier Curve drawing tool. I use the freehand tool. But when I have finish to trace the line, automatically, all the peaks in the line become curves… I don’t understand why. May be is there a setting to set in a menu ?

New question : I upgrade from Opus pro 4.0 to 4.21. And now when I want to open an image, I can’t see the miniatures in the window : I see only icons. What is wrong ?
I am on Windows 2000 last SP.

Many thanks

Hi Guy,

I don't think Opus is designed to do intricate freehand "on-screen-refreshing" whilst drawing freehand lines. (Robin can correct and bash me about if I am wrong)

Therefore small discrepancies will tend to visually snap a few pixels. As you know, nodes can be moved/edited later.

If you want to fine-tune nodes (slight repositioning), you can select the node/s and then using the arrow keys on your keyboard to 'nudge' the nodes in their desired position. If you go to "View >> Zoom" and set it at say 400%, you can do very fine tuning of nodes by nudging them one pixel on screen. If you hold down SHIFT whilst nudging (when zoomed in), the nodes will nudge a few pixels, representing like they were being nudged in normal page view.

If using normal page view and you use SHIFT whilst nudging, then they will "snap to the grid spacing", regardless if the grid is on or off. The grid size can be set in Tools > Options.

I'll leave your other "Opus pro 4.0 to 4.21 question" for Robin, but sounds like you need to hold down CTRL-ALT immediately after starting Opus, to reset the registry. You will get a dialog prompt, but note you will lose any custom tool settings you have made.

I think the issue is that the freehand tool automatically seems to 'smooth' curves. It's not entirely easy to get a 'pointy' corner.

Further to the previous replies, the Freehand drawing tool assumes that all nodes are smooth curves. If you wish to change a particular node into a line, simply go into Node Edit mode (by right-clicking on the vector object and selecting Node Edit), click on the node you wish to convert, then right-click and select To Line. The selected node should now become the vertex of two lines.

If you want the entire shape to be made up of straight lines, simply use the Straight Line drawing tool and click on the individual points which make up the line.



As far as I can tell, this is nothing to do with the upgrade to 4.21 but suggests that Windows' own View settings for the folder have been adjusted. Please try the following:

- Launch Opus
- Create a blank new publication
- Add an Image object to the page
- In the Image properties, click on the Browse button
- Navigate to a folder containing image files
- Right-click on an empty area of the file list and select View > Thumbnails as shown below:



- The images in the folder should now be displayed as thumbnails

By the way, the very latest build of Opus Pro 04 is version 04.30, so I would recommend downloading and installing Service Release 3 from the following location:

ftp://ftp.digitalworkshop.com/pub/opusu ... 04_SR3.exe

I hope this helps. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.

Kind regards,

Hi Robin,

sorry to answer with delay but I was working on another job.
Many thanks for the tips to view the image. It works !
Thanks also for the link for the latest build.
By the way I change my computer system and now I am working with XP pro SP2.

I have always the same difficulties to be abble to draw a line with a lot of very closer peaks... What I do : I put the node where I can and after I move them one by one but it takes a long time as I have near 20 lines like this to draw. Thanls also to steve for the tips (using the arrow keys). It's help a lot.

Thanks to all

Guy

It is a tiny bit irritating that the 'freehand' tool isn't entirely ''free" in what it lets you draw and smoothes your curves whether you want it to or not!

An option to switch the curve smoothing on or off would be nice.

Not sure I understand the problem here; how is this different from using the straight line tool?

The freehand tool as is seems to force a minimum radius on curves.

It doesn't alter what you draw by much, but it does alter it enough to ber annoying.

Trying to draw some letters on screen, say for a handwriting practice game, was difficult, as the Opus editor subtley altered the shapes of the words as I was drawing them.

I was using a graphics tablet so could trace on screen more accurately which improved matters a little.

Plenty of shapes are made up of both smooth and sharp curves and it seems a little restrictive to have tools confined purely to one or the other. Not to mention, rather infuriating when you've carefully traced a shape only to have Opus 'snap' it to what it thinks you meant instead of what you actually drew!

Further example of shapes needing both smooth and sharp curves--Guy, I believe was working on a depth chart (correct me if I'm wrong) where you might easily have shallow curving slopes and sharp drop-off as the topology varies.