can anyone help me with the coreltrace v12 feature please?

[John Gregson]

In Coreldraw12 can you not just click on trace bitmap in the bitmap tab on the top and this will open coreltrace. When coreltrace has worked its stuff click on the results and copy paste it back to coreldraw12. Thats the way I do it – could be wrong but it seems a lot faster than saving and opening/importing.

Cheers John

[Graeme Harrold]

Corel Draw 12 got weird, I used 10 for quite a while and the trace was always dropped back into the draw program on top of the original bit map. 12 didn’t and found this frustrating, plus I never liked the results and always redrew as a new graphic.

Since trialing X4 the trace function operates as another docker within the draw package so the result is drawn to the side of the bitmap!!!

[Ian Muir]

Nah, there’s no bitmap tab that I can see on the top John…… thinking of going for x4 soon anyway, I’ve heard good things about it…

But for now the latest thing thats annoying me is the contour tool, sure it’s better than corel 6 but it puts trillions of nodes on the contour and unlike 6 it doesn’t seem to have a node reduction tool, at least I can’t find the damned thing… :lol1:

Ian :lol1:

[Chris Wool]

quote :

thinking of going for x4 soon anyway,

dont think do it, 11 and 12 were pants, i still use v10 but x3 is winning me over, your contour problem is cured in x3 and 4.

chris
[/code]

[David Rowland]

X3 sp2 is rock solid in our office… hoping x4 sp1 is too

[Glenn Sharp]

The way I would do this in 12 would be (depending on original)

1) Change clipart to black and white bitmap (without changing any colours first)

2) Select ‘Trace Bitmap’ icon from the tool bar (It should become active when you select a bitmap on your screen)

3) In Trace…..Trace the bitmap at your chosen settings

4) Close down trace….It will ask you if you want to save changes….say yes and it will shut down with your new trace in position over your original bitmap

All in all it’s pretty slick I think….no need to save as such or import or export

[John Gregson]

Hi Ian,
It might depend how you have your page set up but here’s what mine looks like: Right at the top of the Screen, just under where it say Coreldraw12, there is a tool bar. It say File, edit, view, layout, arrange, effect, BITMAP etc – its just above your shortcuts.

One click on the bitmap tab brings in a drop down list – 4th down on the drop down list is "TRACE BITMAP".

Click on your image then click on this trace bitmap and it will open Corel trace in a new window.

Cheers John

[Alan Drury]

If you are considering upgrading to X4 don’t bother with V12 just go to X4. The trace is different but considerably better and more streamline, contour issue is sorted regarding curves and reduce nodes is better too and that’s apart from the better import filters and other things to numerous to mention. Don’t forget to go to http://www.oberonplace.com and http://www.macromonster.com to see the macros available there.
Alan D

[Ian Muir]

Thanks John, don’t know why I didn’t see this before, that will speed things up a little.

Alan, been looking at x4 suite packages, they vary a lot in price but sometimes don’t come with complete features… although seems like most if not all come with VBA to obtain third party macros. Noticed that an upgrade by download (£179) does not provide a clipart book (v. useful) or tutorials.
If you buy by post you get these extras
Some are going for about £80 but education edition not sure if they have VBA or clipart included yet, but having been a lecturer I can genuinely order it.

Is there any form of node reduction in v12 at all?

Ian :lol1:

[Glenn Sharp]

Ian

When you select a curve using the node edit tool it should change the toolbar to node editing tools…….on mine…next to an elastic band shape is another little icon that allows you to select all nodes….use that and then next to it is a sliding scale that allows you to reduce the nodes

[Hugh Potter]

that’s how i do it Glenn, but with the additions in red…

quote Glenn Sharp:

The way I would do this in 12 would be (depending on original)

1) Change clipart to black and white bitmap ‘one bit’ (without changing any colours first), on the pop up window choose lineart and adjust for the best mono image, can take a few goes to get it right

2) Select ‘Trace Bitmap’ icon from the tool bar (It should become active when you select a bitmap on your screen)

3) In Trace…..Trace the bitmap at your chosen settings, prob best to use ‘trace with advance outline’ and play with other settings,

4) Close down trace….It will ask you if you want to save changes….say yes and it will shut down with your new trace in position over your original bitmap (didn’t know it did that, i always save as cmx (i think) and then simply import it into my workspace, will have to try your way, though i tend to draw rather than trace these days.

All in all it’s pretty slick I think….no need to save as such or import or export

[Ian Muir]

Seems like mine is not set up for that Glenn, whether I use select tool to select a curved object and then the shape (node edit) tool or just select with shape toll then no toolbar changes to node edit features…..
I have to right click to open a list which has basic edit features, there is an elastic mode but no reduce nodes or similar close by or in the list……
I suppose I have to set this feature up somewhere, anyone know where please?

Ian :lol1:

[Alan Drury]

Your toolbar should change when in node edit and automatic node reduction icon should be there and live when nodes are selected, if not goto ‘tools – customisation – commands – edit – find the auto reduce icon and drag it onto your toolbar. This applies to most of your most used features, an icon can be dragged onto the toolbar.
Alan D

[Ian Muir]

Thanks Alan, dropped an auto reduce into my toolbox, still no idea why the toolbox doesn’t change when I’m in node edit mode, must be a ticky box somewhere in set up but can I hellers like find it….. :lol1:

Ian :lol1:

[Alan Drury]

You could try a F8 Draw start up, it will wipe any custom workspace so save it first, you can open it again later. Start Draw with f8 pressed and accept the factory workspace, this will take Draw back to when it was first installed. I am assuming this is retail version and oem or student version as various bits may have been disabled for these.
JFYI I see Amazon are doing X4 upgrade for £141 ish with free carriage if you do it within the next little while.
Alan D

[Ian Muir]

Making steady progress Alan, seems what people have been referring to as toolbars was in fact the ‘property bar’ which had been disabled on my pc, now enabled it, added node reduction (which still wasn’t there for some reason) and all is going swingingly…. thank you and everybody else for your assistance….

Ian :lol1:

[Alan Drury]

Just as a side note. X3 had work done to it regarding the node reduction as in earlier versions the reduce nodes could be a bit destructive to the shape so watch out for that, X3 and X4 was improved.
Alan D