Getting Started Guide 7.1
Chapter 7
Getting Started with Draw
Vector Drawing in LibreOffice
This document is Copyright © 2021 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors are listed below. You may distribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU General Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.
All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.
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Peter Schofield |
Jean Hollis Weber |
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Jean Hollis Weber |
Peter Schofield |
Claire Wood |
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Dave Barton |
Ron Faile Jr. |
Olivier Hallot |
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Hazel Russman |
Kees Kriek |
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Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team’s mailing list: documentation@global.libreoffice.org
Note
Everything sent to a mailing list, including email addresses and any other personal information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot be deleted.
Published June 2021. Based on LibreOffice 7.1 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this document. For a detailed list, see the application Help.
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Windows or Linux |
macOS equivalent |
Effect |
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Tools > Options |
LibreOffice > Preferences |
Access setup options |
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Right-click |
Control+click or right-click depending on computer setup |
Open a context menu |
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Ctrl (Control) |
⌘ (Command) |
Used with other keys |
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F11 |
⌘+T |
Open the Styles deck on the Sidebar |
LibreOffice Draw is a vector graphics drawing program, although it can also perform some operations on raster graphics (pixels). Using Draw, you can easily and quickly create a wide variety of graphical images.
Vector graphics store and display an image as an assembly of simple geometric elements such as lines, circles, and polygons, rather than a collection of pixels (points on the screen). Vector graphics allow for easier storage and scaling of the image.
Draw is fully integrated into the LibreOffice suite, and this simplifies exchanging graphics with all components of the suite. If an image is created in Draw, reusing it in a Writer document is relatively easy. For example, select and copy the drawing in Draw and then paste the image directly into a Writer document. Also, drawings can be worked on directly from within Writer or Impress, using a subset of the functions and tools from Draw.
The functionality of LibreOffice Draw is extensive. Draw was not designed to rival high-end graphics applications, but it possesses more functionality than the drawing tools that are generally integrated with the majority of office productivity suites.
A few examples of the drawing functions are: layer management, magnetic grid-point system, dimensions and measurement display, connectors for making organization charts, 3D functions that enable small three-dimensional drawings to be created (with texture and lighting effects), drawing and page-style integration, and Bézier curves.
This chapter introduces some features of Draw, but it does not attempt to cover all of the Draw features. See the Draw Guide and LibreOffice Help for more information.
The large area in the center of the Draw main window (Figure 1) is the Workspace, where drawings are created. This drawing area can be surrounded with toolbars and information areas. The number and position of the visible tools vary with the task in hand, user preferences, and computer setup.
The maximum size of a drawing page in LibreOffice Draw is limited by the computer setup and the page size that that can be set and used in the printer connected to the computer.
Drawings in Draw can be split over several pages. Multi-page drawings are used mainly for presentations. The Pages pane, on the left side of the Draw main window, gives an overview of the pages that are created in a drawing. If the Pages pane is not visible, go to View > Page Pane on the Menu bar. To make changes to the page order, drag and drop one or more pages.
A layer is a workplace where you can insert drawing elements and objects. By default, the Workspace consists of three layers (Layout, Controls, and Dimension Lines). The default layers cannot be deleted or renamed, but you can add layers when necessary.
Tabs for default and other layers appear in the Layers bar at the bottom of the Workspace. You can use the Layers bar for navigation between layers, adding layers as required, or deleting layers that have been created. For more information on layers, see “Working with layers” below.
Figure 1: Draw main window
The Sidebar has five main decks in Draw and is similar to the Sidebar in the other LibreOffice modules. To open a deck, click on its icon on the right of the Sidebar, or click on the Sidebar Settings icon at the top of the tab bar and select a deck from the drop-down list. If the Sidebar is not visible, go to View > Sidebar on the Menu bar.
Properties
Shapes
Styles
Gallery
Navigator
Rulers are positioned on the upper and left-hand sides of the Workspace. If they are not visible, go to View > Rulers on the Menu bar. The rulers show the size of a selected object on the page using double lines (highlighted in Figure 2). You can also use the rulers to manage object handles and guide lines when positioning objects.
The page margins in the drawing area are also represented on the rulers. You can change the margins directly on the rulers by dragging them with the cursor. The margin areas are indicated by the grayed out area on the rulers as shown in Figure 2.
To change the measurement units of the rulers, right-click on a ruler and select the measurement unit from the drop-down list, as shown in Figure 3 for the horizontal ruler. The horizontal and vertical rulers can be set to different measurement units.
Figure 2: Rulers showing object size
Figure 3: Ruler measurement units
The Status bar (Figure 4) is located at the bottom of the Workspace in all LibreOffice modules. It includes several Draw-specific fields, which are described where relevant in this chapter. For details on the contents and use of these fields, see Chapter 1, Introducing LibreOffice, in this guide and the Draw Guide. To hide the Status Bar, go to View on the Menu bar and deselect Status Bar.
Figure 4: Status bar
Note
The measurement units shown on the Status Bar are set by going to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Draw > General on the Menu bar. These units may be different to the measurement units set for the rulers.
To display or hide the various Draw toolbars, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select from the drop-down menu. For more information on toolbars, see the Draw Guide.
The icons used for the tools on each toolbar depend on the computer operating system and how LibreOffice has been setup on a computer. For more information on how to setup LibreOffice, see Chapter 2, Setting Up LibreOffice.
The three main toolbars used in Draw are:
Standard – this toolbar is the same for all LibreOffice components. By default it is docked at the top of the Workspace when a Draw document Is opened (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Standard toolbar
Drawing – this toolbar contains all the necessary functions for drawing various geometric and freehand shapes, and for organizing them in the drawing. By default, it is locked into position on the left of the Workspace (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Drawing toolbar
Line and Filling – this toolbar is normally docked at the top of the Workspace below the Standard toolbar. The tools and pull-down lists on this toolbar vary according to the type of object selected. The Line and Filling toolbar (Figure 7) only becomes active when an object on the Workspace is selected.
Figure 7: Line and Filling toolbar
Draw provides a wide range of shapes, located in palettes accessed from the Drawing toolbar or from the Shapes deck on the Sidebar (Figure 8). This section describes only a few of the basic shapes, including text, which are treated as objects in Draw. See the Draw Guide for a complete description of the basic shapes available.
Some of the tool icons on the Drawing toolbar change according to the shape that has been selected. Some tools on a toolbar have extra tool palettes available and these are indicated by a small downward triangle ▼ to the right of the tool icon.
Note
When you draw a basic shape or select one for editing, the Information field in the Status bar changes to reflect the present action. For example Line created, Text frame xxyy selected, and so on.
Figure 8: Shapes deck on Sidebar
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a line:
Click on Insert Line on the Drawing toolbar.
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Lines and Arrows tool on the Drawing toolbar and select Insert Line from the drop down list.
Click on Insert Line in the Lines and Arrows section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar (Figure 8).
2) Place the cursor at the starting point on the drawing, then click and drag the cursor to draw a straight line.
3) Release the mouse button when the end point is reached and a straight line is created. A selection handle appears at each end of the line, showing that this object is the currently selected object. The selection handle at the starting point of the line is slightly larger than the other selection handle as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9: Line starting point
Tip
To snap the end of a line to the nearest grid point, keep the Ctrl key pressed while drawing the line. However, if the Snap to Grid option in View > Snap Guides on the Menu bar has been selected, the Ctrl key deactivates the snap to grid.
To restrict the drawing angle of a line to a multiple of 45 degrees (0, 45, 90, 135, and so on), keep the Shift key pressed while drawing the line. However, if the option When creating or moving objects in the Constrain Objects section of Tools > Options > LibreOffice Draw > Grid has been selected, the Shift key deactivates this restriction.
To draw a line symmetrically outwards in both directions from the start point, keep the Alt key pressed while drawing the line. This draws lines by starting from the center of the line.
When a line is drawn, it uses default attributes. To change any of these attributes and format a line to the drawing requirements, select a line by clicking on it and use one of the following methods to access formatting options for the line:
Go to the Properties deck on the Sidebar and open the Line panel (Figure 10).
Right-click on a line and select Line in the context menu to open the Line dialog (Figure 11).
Go to Format > Line on the Menu bar to open the Line dialog.
Use the tools Line Style, Line Width, and Line Color on the Line and Filling toolbar.
Figure 10: Line panel in Properties deck on Sidebar
Figure 11: Line dialog - Line page
Draw classifies both lines and arrows as lines and are drawn like straight lines. Hovering the cursor over each tool in the Lines and Arrows sub-toolbar (Figure 12) indicates what type of line or arrow each tool will draw. The information field on the Status Bar shows them only as lines.
Figure 12: Lines and Arrows sub-toolbar
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing an arrow:
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Lines and Arrows tool on the Drawing toolbar and select the type of arrow required from the Lines and Arrows sub‑toolbar (Figure 12) that opens.
Click on the type of arrow required in the Lines and Arrows section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
2) Place the cursor at the starting point of the arrow, then click and drag the cursor. The arrowhead is drawn at the end point of the arrow when the mouse button is released.
Tip
To snap the end of an arrow to the nearest grid point, keep the Ctrl key pressed while drawing the arrow. However, if the Snap to Grid option in View > Snap Guides on the Menu bar has been selected, the Ctrl key deactivates the snap to grid.
To restrict the drawing angle of an arrow to a multiple of 45 degrees (0, 45, 90, 135, and so on), keep the Shift key pressed while drawing the arrow. However, if the option When creating or moving objects in the Constrain Objects section of Tools > Options > LibreOffice Draw > Grid has been selected, the Shift key deactivates this restriction.
To draw an arrow symmetrically outwards in both directions from the start point, keep the Alt key pressed while drawing the arrow. This draws arrows by starting from the center of the line.
Note
Hovering the cursor over each type of line or arrow available indicates the type of line or arrow each tool draws.
Note
The tool icon for the Lines and Arrows tool used most recently will already be selected on the Drawing toolbar. This makes it easier to use the same tool again.
Note
After drawing a line or arrow, the line or arrow style can be changed by opening the Line dialog and using the options available on the Line Styles or Arrow Styles pages.
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a rectangle:
Click on Rectangle on the Drawing toolbar.
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Basic Shapes tool on the Drawing toolbar and select Rectangle from the Basic Shapes sub-toolbar (Figure 13).
Click on Rectangle in the Basic Shapes section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
Select the type of rectangle from the Legacy Rectangles toolbar (Figure 14). To display the toolbar, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select it.
2) Place the cursor at the starting point for the rectangle, then click and drag the cursor until the required size is drawn. As the rectangle is drawn, the rectangle appears with its bottom right corner attached to the cursor.
3) To draw a rectangle from its center, position the cursor on the drawing, press the mouse button and then hold down the Alt key while dragging the cursor. The rectangle uses the start point as the center of the rectangle.
Figure 13: Basic Shapes sub-toolbar
Figure 14: Legacy Rectangles toolbar
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a square:
Click on Rectangle on the Drawing toolbar, then hold down the Shift key while dragging the cursor to draw a square.
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Basic Shapes tool on the Drawing toolbar and select Square from the Basic Shapes sub-toolbar (Figure 13).
Click on Square in the Basic Shapes section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
Select the type of square from the Legacy Rectangles toolbar (Figure 14). To display the toolbar, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select it.
2) Place the cursor at the starting point for the square, then click and drag the cursor until the required size is drawn. As the square is drawn, the square appears with its bottom right corner attached to the cursor.
3) To draw a square from its center, position the cursor on the drawing, press the mouse button and then hold down the Alt key while dragging the cursor. The square uses the start point as the center of the square.
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing an ellipse:
Click on Ellipse on the Drawing toolbar.
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Basic Shapes tool on the Drawing toolbar and select Ellipse from the Basic Shapes sub-toolbar (Figure 13).
Click on Ellipse in the Basic Shapes section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
Select the type of ellipse from the Legacy Circles and Ovals toolbar (Figure 15). To display the toolbar, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select it.
2) Place the cursor at the starting point for the ellipse, then click and drag the cursor until the required size is drawn. As the ellipse is drawn, the ellipse appears with its bottom right corner attached to the cursor.
3) To draw an ellipse from its center, position the cursor on the drawing, press the mouse button and then hold down the Alt key while dragging with the cursor. The ellipse uses the start point as the center of the ellipse.
Figure 15: Legacy Circles and Ovals toolbar
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a circle:
Click on Ellipse on the Drawing toolbar, then hold down the Shift key while dragging the cursor to draw a circle.
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Basic Shapes tool on the Drawing toolbar and select Circle from the Basic Shapes sub-toolbar (Figure 13).
Click on Circle in the Basic Shapes section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
Select the type of circle from the Legacy Circles and Ovals toolbar. To display the toolbar, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select it.
2) Place the cursor at the starting point for the circle, then click and drag the cursor until the required size is drawn. As the circle is drawn, the circle appears with its bottom right corner attached to the cursor.
3) To draw a circle from its center, position the cursor on the drawing, press the mouse button and then hold down the Alt key while dragging with the cursor. The circle uses the start point as the center of the circle.
Tip
To quickly insert a line, rectangle, ellipse, or circle, press and hold down the Ctrl key and then click on one of the icons for Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, or Circle and a standard sized object is drawn automatically in the work area. The size, shape, and color are all standard values. These attributes can be changed later, if desired. For more information, see the Draw Guide.
Dimension lines display a measurement of an object in the drawing (Figure 16). The dimension line does not belong to the object itself, but it is normally placed close to it.
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a dimension line:
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Lines and Arrows tool on the Drawing toolbar and select Dimension Line from the Lines and Arrows sub-toolbar that opens.
Click on Dimension Line in the Lines and Arrows section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
2) Place the cursor at the point close to the object to position the start of the dimension line.
3) Click and drag the cursor to draw the dimension line. As the dimension line is drawn, the dimension is displayed and automatically calculated.
4) To change the measurement unit used for dimension lines, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Draw > General on the Menu bar.
5) To change the display of a dimension line and its appearance, right-click on the dimension line and select Dimensions in the context menu to open the Dimension Line dialog (Figure 17).
6) Select the required options in Line and Legend, then click OK to save the changes and close the Line Dimension dialog.
Figure 16: Example of dimension lines on an object
Figure 17: Dimension Line dialog
Figure 18: Curves and Polygons sub-toolbar
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a curve:
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Curves and Polygons tool on the Drawing toolbar and select the type of curve from the Curves and Polygons sub‑toolbar (Figure 18).
Click on the type of curve required in the Curves and Polygons section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
2) Click and hold the left mouse button to create the starting point of the curve, then drag from the starting point to draw a line. Release the mouse button and continue to drag the cursor to bend the line into a curve.
3) Double-click to set the end point of the curve and fix the curve on the drawing. A filled curve automatically joins the last point to the first point, closing the curve and filling it with the selected fill color. A curve without fill will not be closed at the end of drawing the curve.
Note
A single click fixes the curve to the drawing and allows drawing of straight lines from the end of the curve. Each single click allows the drawing of straight lines to continue. Double-click to end drawing a curve with straight lines.
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a polygon:
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Curves and Polygons tool on the Drawing toolbar and select the type of polygon from the Curves and Polygons sub‑toolbar (Figure 18).
Click on the type of polygon required in the Curves and Polygons section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
2) Click and hold the left mouse button to create the starting point of the polygon, then drag from the starting point to draw a line.
3) Release the mouse button and continue to drag the cursor to draw the next line for polygon, then click to mark the end point of the line and to start drawing another line. Holding the Shift key down while drawing lines, restricts the angles used in the polygon to 45° or 90°.
4) Double-click to set the end point of the polygon and fix the polygon on the drawing. A filled polygon automatically joins the last point to the first point, closing the polygon and filling it with the selected fill color. A polygon without fill will not be closed at the end of drawing the polygon.
A polygon 45° is drawn using the same procedure as polygons, but the angles between lines are restricted to 45° or 90°. This restriction of angles cannot be changed. However, and if required, hold down the Shift key as the line is drawn so that the line is drawn at an angle other than 45 or 90 degrees.
A filled polygon 45° automatically joins the last point to the first point, closing the polygon and filling it with the selected fill color.
Drawing a freeform line is similar to drawing with a pencil on paper.
1) Use one of the following methods to start drawing a freeform line:
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Curves and Polygons tool on the Drawing toolbar and select the type of freeform line from the Curves and Polygons sub-toolbar (Figure 18).
Click on the type of freeform line required in the Curves and Polygons section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
2) Click and drag the cursor to create the freeform line shape required.
3) Release the mouse button when satisfied with the freeform line and the drawing is completed. A filled freeform line automatically joins the last point to the first point, closing the freeform line and filling it with the selected fill color.
All Draw objects have glue points, which are not normally displayed. Glue points (Figure 19) become visible on an object when a connector is selected on the Drawing toolbar or in the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
Most objects have four glue points (Figure 19). More glue points can be added and customized using the Glue Points toolbar (Figure 20). If the Glue Points toolbar is not visible, go to View > Toolbars > Glue Points on the Menu bar to open the toolbar. For a more detailed description on adding and using glue points, see the Draw Guide.
Glue points are not the same as the selection handles of an object. Selection handles are for moving or changing the shape of an object. Glue points are used to fix or glue a connector to an object so that when the object moves, the connector stays fixed to the object.
Figure 19: Example of object glue points
Figure 20: Glue Points toolbar
Connectors are lines or arrows whose ends automatically snap to a glue point of an object. Connectors are especially useful in drawing organization charts, flow diagrams, and mind-maps. When objects are moved or reordered, the connectors remain attached to a glue point. Figure 21 shows an example of using two objects and a connector. For a more detailed description of the use of connectors, see the Draw Guide.
Figure 21: Example of a connector between two objects
Use one of the following methods to access connectors:
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the Connectors tool on the Drawing toolbar and select the type of connector from the Connector sub-toolbar (Figure 22).
Click on the type of connector required in the Connectors section of the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
Figure 22: Connectors sub-toolbar
Geometric shapes are similar to basic shapes. They are provided in Draw as a starting point when creating objects for a drawing. Geometric shapes are located on the Drawing toolbar and in the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
The tool icons on the Drawing toolbar, used for drawing geometric shapes, always indicate the last geometric shape drawn and may not be the same as the tool icons shown on the Drawing toolbar in this chapter. This makes it easier to use the same tool again.
Access geometric shapes using one of the following methods:
Click on Shapes on the Sidebar to open the Shapes deck, then choose from the geometric shapes available.
Click the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of a geometric shape on the Drawing toolbar to open a drop-down or sub-toolbar giving access to more geometric shape tools. See below for the tools available.
Using geometric shapes is similar to drawing rectangles, squares, ellipses, or circles as explained in “Drawing basic shapes” above. For more information on geometric shapes, see the Draw Guide.
Note
Text can be added to all geometric shapes. For more information, see “Using text” below and the Draw Guide.
The Basic Shapes sub-toolbar (Figure 23) also includes rectangle and ellipse tools that are identical to the ones displayed on the Drawing toolbar.
Figure 23: Basic Shapes sub-toolbar
Figure 24: Symbol Shapes sub-toolbar
Figure 25: Block Arrows sub-toolbar
Figure 26: Flowchart sub-toolbar
Figure 27: Callouts sub-toolbar
Figure 28: Stars and Banners sub-toolbar
Figure 29: 3D-Objects sub-toolbar
In Draw you can add, insert, and format text in a drawing, object, or shape, as follows. For more information, see the Draw Guide.
As a dynamic text frame, which is an independent Draw object that expands as more text is added within the frame.
As text within a previously drawn object. This integrates the text within the object and is placed within the boundary rectangle that surrounds an object. This boundary rectangle is not dynamic and care must be taken so that the text does not go outside the object boundaries.
Before you can add any text to a drawing, you need to activate text mode, using one of the following methods:
Click on Insert Text Box on the Standard or Drawing toolbars.
Go to Insert > Text Box on the Menu bar.
Use the keyboard shortcut F2.
Double-click inside the boundary rectangle that surrounds an object on the drawing. Text inside an object is not placed into a text box.
The Text Formatting toolbar (Figure 30) automatically opens when text mode is activated, replacing the Line and Filling toolbar.
Figure 30: Text Formatting toolbar
When you add text to a drawing, a text box is automatically created to contain the text.
1) Activate text mode as above.
2) Create a text box in the drawing using one of the following methods:
Click at the approximate position for the text box and a single line text box is created containing a flashing cursor. Start typing the text or paste copied text into the text box. The width of a single line text box increases as text is added.
Click at the approximate position for the text and drag the cursor to the approximate width required for the text box creating a multi-line text box. Start typing the text or paste copied text into the text box. As the horizontal limit of the text box is reached, the text automatically word wraps inside the text box and the text box expands vertically as it fills.
The Status bar indicates text edit mode and the position of the cursor (Figure 31).
Note
You can create multiple lines of text in a single-line text box by pressing Enter to create a new paragraph, or using Shift+Enter to create a line break in the tex.
Figure 31: Text information in Status bar
3) When you have finished adding text, click outside the text box to exit text mode. The Text Formatting toolbar closes and the Line and Filling toolbar opens in its original position.
4) To format and/or reposition the text box, see the Draw Guide for more information.
5) If required, select the text using the various tools on the Text Formatting toolbar (Figure 30) or in the Character, Paragraph, and Lists panels on the Properties deck of the Sidebar (Figure 32).
Figure 32: Character, Lists, and Paragraph panels in the Properties deck on Sidebar
By default, Draw is set for horizontal text only. The options for vertical text have to be switched on and added as follows:
1) Go to Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages on the Menu bar to open the Languages page in the Options dialog.
2) In Default Languages for Documents, select the Asian option and the default language displayed in the scroll box.
3) Click Apply, then OK to close the Options dialog and save the changes.
4) Add the Insert Vertical Text tool to the Standard and/or Drawing toolbar as follows:
a) Right-click in a blank area on the toolbar and select Visible Buttons in the context menu.
b) Select Insert Vertical Text from the list of available tools and the icon will appear on the toolbar.
Note
Formatting vertical and vertical text boxes is the same as horizontal text and horizontal text boxes. A vertical text box expands vertically as text is added into the box. For more information on vertical text, see the Draw Guide.
The easiest way to select an object is to click directly on it. For objects that are not filled, click on the object outline to select it. The first click selects an object and a second click deselects the selected object. To select or deselect more than one object, hold the Shift key down while clicking.
You can several objects once by clicking and dragging the cursor around the objects, drawing a selection rectangle around the objects. Only objects that lie entirely within this selection rectangle are selected. To select multiple objects by framing, Select on the Drawing toolbar must be active.
Note
When you drag the cursor to select multiple objects, the selection rectangle being created is also known as a marquee.
If objects are located behind others and not visible, they can still be selected. When you select a hidden object, its selection handles appear through the objects covering it.
Windows, macOS or Linux – press the Tab key to select and cycle through the objects in a drawing, stopping at the hidden object to select it. To cycle through the objects in reverse order, press Shift+Tab.
Windows or macOS only – select the object in front of a hidden object, then press the Alt key and click to select the hidden object. If there are several hidden objects, keep holding down the Alt key and clicking until the object required is reached. To cycle through the objects in reverse order, hold down the Alt+Shift keys and click.
In a complex drawing, several objects may be stacked on top of one another. This stacking order can be rearranged by moving an object forward or backward using one of the following methods:
Select an object, go to Shape > Arrange on the Menu bar, or right-click on the object and select Arrange from the drop-down menu, then use one of the following options:
Bring to Front (Ctrl+Shift++)
Bring Forward (Ctrl++)
Send Backward (Ctrl+-)
Send to Back (Ctrl+Shift+-)
In Front of Object
Behind Object
Reverse – clicking on this option reverses the order of the selected objects.
Select an object, then click on one of the Arrange tools on the Line and Filling toolbar. When you hover the cursor over a tool, its function is indicated.
When positioning or changing the size of an object, check the information area of the Status bar at the bottom of the Draw Workspace (Figure 33). From left to right, it shows what object is selected, its position on the drawing in X/Y coordinates, and the dimensions of the object. The measurement units are those selected in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Draw > General.
For more information on positioning and adjusting objects, see the Draw Guide.
Figure 33: Information on left end of Status Bar when working with objects
To help in the positioning and adjustment of objects, Draw has a zoom function that reduces or enlarges the screen display of the current drawing. For example, zoom in to position objects on a drawing with greater accuracy; zoom out to see the complete drawing. Zooming is controlled using the Status bar, Zoom & View Layout dialog, or Zoom toolbar. For more information on using zoom, see the Draw Guide.
To move an object (or a group of objects), select it and then click within the object borders and hold down the left mouse button while dragging the mouse. During movement, a ghost image of the object appears to help with repositioning (Figure 34). To locate the object at its new location, release the mouse button.
Figure 34: Moving objects
To change the size of a selected object (or a group of selected objects), move the mouse cursor to one of the selection handles. The cursor changes shape to indicate the direction of movement for that selection handle. As the object size changes, a ghosted outline of the object appears (Figure 35). When the desired size of the object is reached, release the mouse button.
The results depend on which selection handle you use. To resize an object along one axis, use a side, top, or bottom handle. To resize along both axes, use a corner handle.
Figure 35: Adjusting object size
Note
If you press and hold the Shift key while resizing an object, the change in size will be carried out symmetrically with respect to the object width and height so that the aspect ratio of the object remains the same. This Shift key behavior works on all selection handles.
To rotate or slant an object (or a group of objects), select an object and switch to rotation mode using one of the following methods:
Right-click on the object and select Transformations > Rotate in the context menu.
Click on the small downward triangle ▼ on the right of the tool icon for Transformations on the Standard or Line & Filling toolbar and select Rotate.
The selection handles change shape and color and a center of rotation appears in the center of the object. As the cursor is moved over the handles, the cursor changes shape to indicate the type of movement.
Figure 36: Rotating an object
1) Click and hold the mouse button over a corner selection handle, then move the cursor to rotate the object. A ghost image of the object being rotated appears and the current angle of rotation is shown in the Status bar, as shown in Figure 36.
2) When the object is at the desired rotation angle, release the mouse button.
3) To change the angle of rotation, click on the rotation point and drag it to another position. This position can be outside the object.
Note
Press the Shift key while rotating or slanting an object and the movement is restricted to 15°.
1) Click and hold the mouse button over a selection handle at the top, bottom, left side, or right side of an object.
2) Drag the selection handle to slant the object. A ghost image of the object being slanted appears (as shown in Figure 37) and the current slant angle is shown in the Status bar. The axis used for slanting an object is fixed to the edge of the object directly opposite the selection handle being used to slant the object.
3) When the object is at the desired slant angle, release the mouse button.
Figure 37: Slanting an object
Select an object so that the selection handles are displayed and flip the object vertically or horizontally using one of the following methods:
Right-click on the object and select Flip > Vertically or Horizontally in the context menu.
Go to Shape > Flip > Vertically or Horizontally on the Menu bar.
Click on Vertically or Horizontally tool on the Line and Filling toolbar.
Use Flip Vertically or Flip Horizontally tool in the Position and Size section on the Properties deck of the Sidebar.
However, the Flip tool on the Transformations toolbar (Figure 38) provides greater control over the flipping process. Use the Flip tool to change the position and angle that the object flips over. See the Draw Guide for more information.
Figure 38: Transformations toolbar
Three tools on the Transformations toolbar (Figure 38) let you drag the corners and edges of an object to distort an object.
Distort – distorts an object in perspective.
Set in Circle (perspective) – creates a pseudo 3D effect.
Set to Circle (slant) – creates a pseudo 3D effect. Despite the (slant) in the name of this tool, it operates differently from the slanting created by rotation.
In all three cases, you are asked if you want to convert the object into a curve. This is a necessary first step, so click Yes. Then you can move the object handles to produce the desired effect. See the Draw Guide for more information on how to distort an object.
Transparency gradients can be controlled the same as color gradients. Both types of gradient can be used together. With a transparency gradient, the direction and degree of the object fill color changes from opaque to transparent. In a color gradient, the fill changes from one color to another, but the degree of transparency remains the same. An example of a dynamic gradient is shown in Figure 39.
Two tools on the Transformations toolbar are used to dynamically control transparency and color gradients – Interactive Transparency and Interactive Gradient. See the Draw Guide for more information on how to create transparencies and gradients in an object.
Figure 39: Dynamic gradient example
Duplication makes copies of an object while applying a set of changes such as color or rotation to the duplicates that are created. An example of duplication is shown in Figure 40. For more information on duplication, see the Draw Guide.
Figure 40: Duplication example
1) Click on an object or group of objects and open the Duplicate dialog (Figure 41) using one of the following methods:
Go to Edit > Duplicate on the Menu bar.
Go to Shape > Duplicate on the Menu bar.
Use the keyboard shortcut Shift+F3.
2) Select the required number of copies, placement, enlargement, and colors from the options available.
3) Click OK to duplicate the object and close the Duplicate dialog.
Figure 41: Duplicate dialog
Cross-fading transforms one object shape to another object shape. Cross-fading only works when two objects are selected.
1) Select two differently shaped objects and go to Shape > Cross-fading on the Menu bar to open the Cross-fading dialog (Figure 42).
2) In Increments enter the number of shapes between the two objects.
3) Select Cross-fading attributes to apply a gradual change of line and fill properties between the two objects.
4) Select Same orientation to apply a smooth transition between the two objects.
5) Click OK to carry out the cross-fading and close the Cross-fading dialog.
Figure 42: Cross-fading dialog
The result is a new group of objects with the first object selected as the start object and the second object selected as the end object. For example, when the options in the Cross-fading dialog are applied to a diamond and an ellipse, the cross-fading produces the result shown in Figure 43.
Figure 43: Cross-fading example of two objects
Using Draw, a group of objects can be grouped together allowing multiple objects to be treated as one object, or combined together to create a new shape, as shown by the example in Figure 44. For more information on grouping and combining objects, see the Draw Guide.
Grouping of objects is similar to putting objects into a container. The objects can be moved as a group and global changes applied to the objects within the group. A group can always be undone (ungroup). Objects that make up a group can always be manipulated separately and retain their own individual properties.
Figure 44: Example of grouped and combined objects
A temporary grouping is when several objects are selected using one of the following methods:
While holding down the Shift key, click on each object with the cursor to select it for the temporary group.
Using the mouse, click and drag a rectangle (also known as a marquee) around the objects for the temporary group.
Any changes to object parameters carried out are applied to all of the objects within the temporary group. For example, rotating a temporary group of objects in its entirety.
To cancel a temporary grouping of objects, click outside of the selection handles displayed around the objects.
A permanent grouping of objects can be created after selecting objects using one of the following methods:
Go to Shape > Group > Group on the Menu bar.
Right-click on the selected objects and select Group in the context menu.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+G.
When deselected, the objects remain grouped together. Any editing operations carried out on the group are applied to all objects within the group. If one object in the group is clicked, the whole group is selected.
You can edit an individual within a group without ungrouping or breaking the group. After selecting the group, use one of the following methods to enter the group:
Go to Shape > Group > Enter Group on the Menu bar.
Right-click on the selected group and select Enter Group in the context menu.
Use the keyboard shortcut F3.
Double-click on the selected group.
When you have finished editing an individual object within a group, use one of the following methods to exit the group:
Go to Shape > Group > Exit Group on the Menu bar.
Right-click and select Exit Group in the context menu.
Use the keyboard shortcut Shift+F3.
To ungroup or break apart a permanent group of objects, use one of the following methods after selecting the group:
Go to Shape > Group > Ungroup on the Menu bar.
Right-click and select Ungroup in the context menu.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G.
You can create a group of groups, more commonly known as nested groups. When nested groups are created, Draw retains the individual group hierarchy and remembers the order in which groups were selected. That is, the last individual group selected will be on top of all the other groups within a nested group. Ungrouping and entering a nested group work in the same way as for individual groups.
Combining is a permanent merging of objects, creating a new object. The original objects are no longer available as individual entities and cannot be edited as individual objects. Any editing of a combined object affects all the objects that were used when combination was carried out. For more information on combining objects, see the Draw Guide.
After selecting the objects for combining, use one of the following methods to create a new object:
Go to Shape > Combine on the Menu bar.
Right-click on the objects and select Shapes > Combine in the context menu.
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+K.
After selecting several objects, the Merge, Subtract, and Intersect functions become available. These functions are similar to combining objects, but allow the creation of a differently shaped object from the selected objects. The shape of the object depends on which function used. See the Draw Guide for more information on how to use these functions.
In Draw, selected objects can be arranged, aligned, and distributed in relation to each other:
Arrange the position of an object by moving it either forward or backward in relation to the order of objects.
Align objects with respect to each other using Left, Centered, or Right for horizontal alignment and Top, Center, or Bottom for vertical alignment.
Distribute objects so that the space between each of the objects is the same.
See the Draw Guide for more information on arranging and aligning objects.
Draw contains a number of functions for editing images (also called pictures, raster graphics, or bitmaps). These functions include the import and export of images, and conversion from one image format to another. For more information on working with images, see Chapter 11, Images and Graphics in this guide and the Draw Guide.
Draw includes a large range of filters so that it can read and display several image file formats. It also includes several tools for working with images, but does not have the same functionality as specialized programs like GIMP or Adobe Photoshop.
Images can be added from several sources:
Directly from a scanner (Insert > Media > Scan on the Menu bar).
Created by another program, for example photographs from a digital camera (Insert > Image on the Menu bar).
The LibreOffice Gallery; see Chapter 11, Images and Graphics.
Draw saves images as drawings in the Open Document Format (ODG). To save an image or the entire Draw file in another format, go to File > Export on the Menu bar and select a format from the drop-down list. The image formats that Draw can export in and save to are listed in Appendix B, Open Source, Open Standards, OpenDocument in this guide.
Draw files can also be exported in HTML, XHTML, or PDF format from LibreOffice. For more information, see Chapter 10, Printing, Exporting, Emailing, and Signing.
HTML export uses a conversion wizard that creates as many web pages as there are pages in a Draw document. You can optionally choose to dispaly drawing pages in frames with a navigator and set an index page. For more information, see Chapter 12, Creating HTML Files.
Although Draw does not match the functionality of specialized drawing or image editing programs, it is capable of producing and editing very good 3D drawings. For more information, see the Draw Guide.
You can create a 3D object in Draw using one of the following methods:
Select a 3D shape from the 3D Objects section in the Shapes deck on the Sidebar.
Right-click on a 2D object and select Convert > To 3D or To 3D Rotation Object in the context menu.
Right-click on a 2D object and select Format > 3D Effects on the Menu bar.
Using layers when creating complex drawings makes a drawing easier to navigate and edit. Placing a simpler drawing that is part of a complex drawing into its own layer makes editing easier. Any area of a layer that does not contain a drawing object is transparent and does not obscure any part of a complex drawing. Any number of layers can be added to a drawing. For more information on layers, see the Draw Guide.
A drawing in LibreOffice contains three default layers that cannot be deleted or renamed:
Layout – is the default Workspace where objects are normally placed when a drawing is created.
Controls – used for form controls that have been assigned an action. Objects on this layer are always in front of objects on other layers.
Dimension Lines – is where the dimension lines are drawn. By switching the layer to show or hide, dimension lines can be switched on or off.
A layer can be set to one or all of the following attributes:
Visible or hidden.
Printable or not printable.
Locked or unlocked.
To quickly toggle the attributes for a selected layer, use the following keyboard shortcuts:
Shift+click – toggle between a layer being visible or hidden.
Ctrl+click – toggle between a layer being locked or unlocked.
Ctrl+Shift+click – toggle between a layer being printed or not printed.
To add a layer to a drawing:
1) Use one of the following methods to open the Insert Layer dialog (Figure Figure 45):
Go to Insert > Layer on the Menu bar.
Right-click on the layer tabs at the bottom of the Workspace and select Insert Layer in the context menu.
Figure 45: Insert Layer dialog
2) Enter a meaningful Name, Title, and Description for the new layer in the text boxes.
3) Select Visible if the layer is to be visible in a drawing. When Visible is not selected, the layer is hidden and its name in the layer tab changes color to blue.
4) Select Printable if the layer is to be printed when a drawing is printed. Not printing is useful if a draft layer is required for guides or annotations that are used in making a drawing, but you do not it want to appear in the final output. The name of a layer is underlined in the layer tab bar when the Printable option is turned off.
5) Select Locked to prevent any objects on this layer from deletion, editing, or moving. No additional objects can be added to a locked layer. Locking a layer is useful, for example, when a base plan is to be protected while adding a new layer with other details. The name of a locked layer is written in Italics in the layer tab bar.
6) Click OK to create the new layer and close the Insert Layer dialog. A new layer automatically becomes active when added to a drawing.
Note
Layers are added to the drawing in the order that they were inserted. The layer order cannot be changed.
1) To modify a layer, use one of the following methods to open the Modify Layers dialog, which is similar in layout and options to the Insert Layers dialog.
Right-click on the name tab of the layer and select Modify Layer in the context menu.
Double-click on the layer tab.
Go to Format > Layer on the Menu bar.
2) Make the required changes to the layer, then click OK to save the changes and close the Modify Layers dialog.
You can choose colors using a color palette, the Area and Line panels on the Properties deck of the Sidebar, and tools on the Line and Filling and Drawing toolbars, as described below.
Note
For a more detailed description of the options available for color palettes and custom colors, as well as more information on the difference between the CMYK and RGB color schemes, refer to the Draw Guide.
To display the Color Palette that is currently in use (Figure 46), go to View > Color Bar on the Menu bar. To close the Color Palette, go to View on the Menu bar and deselect Color Bar.
Using the Color Palette, you can rapidly choose the color of the area or background, and lines of selected objects in your drawing.
Left-click on a color to change the color of the area or background of a selected object.
Right-click on a color to change the color of the lines in a selected object.
Left-click or right-click on the box with the X at the bottom left of the Color Palette to select no color for the area or lines of a selected object.
Figure 46: Color Palette (Color Bar)
In the Area and Line panels in the Properties deck on the Sidebar (Figure 47), you can change the color of an area or line of a selected object as follows:
1) Select an object in a drawing.
2) Click on Properties on the Sidebar to open the Properties deck.
3) Open the Area and/or Line panels by clicking on the down-pointing symbol ▼ on the panel’s title bar.
Figure 47: Area and Line panels in Properties deck on the Sidebar
4) Change the color of an area in the Area panel as follows:
a) Select Color from the Fill drop-down list.
b) Click on the down-pointing symbol ▼ next to the Fill Color box to open the color palette.
c) Click on a color to change the area color.
d) To change the color palette, click on the down pointing symbol ▼ at the top of the color palette and select a color palette from the drop-down list.
5) Change the color of a line in the Line panel as follows:
a) Click on the down-pointing symbol ▼ next to the Line Color box to open the color palette.
b) Click on a color to change the line color.
c) To change the color palette, click on the down pointing symbol ▼ at the top of the color palette and select a color palette from the drop-down list.
The Line and Filling and Drawing toolbars have the same two tools that can be used to change the color of an area (fill) or line – Fill Color and Line Color. These two tools are used in the same way as changing colors using the Area and Line panels on the Properties deck of the Sidebar, described above.
You can add comments to a drawing using a similar process to the one used in Writer and Calc. For more about adding, navigating, and replying to comments, see Chapter 4, Getting Started with Writer.
Before using comments, make sure that your name and initials are entered into Tools > Options > LibreOffice > User Data. The name and initials then appear in the comment marker and in the Author field of the comment.
If more than one person edits the document, each author is automatically allocated a different background color.
1) Go to View > Comments on the Menu bar to show or hide the comment markers.
2) Go to Insert > Comment on the Menu bar. A small box containing your initials appears in the upper left-hand corner of the drawing with a larger text box beside it (Figure 48). Draw automatically adds your name and the date at the bottom of this text box.
3) Type or paste your comment into the text box.
Figure 48: Inserting a comment
4) If necessary, click and drag the small comment markers to move the comment to a different position on the drawing. Normally, the comment marker is placed on or near the object you refer to in the comment.
5) Right-click on the comment and choose an option in the context menu to delete the current comment, all the comments from the same author, or all the comments in the document.