[Solved] Angled straight lines with rounded corners - how?

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AndyNoCo
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[Solved] Angled straight lines with rounded corners - how?

Post by AndyNoCo »

I've been through all the posts about rounded corners and Bezier curves, but I'm still stumped:

How do I draw a line with angles, that has straight line segments and rounded corners at the angles? I used the Polygon curve tool to make an "open ended" polygon. But in Format > Position and Size > Slant & Corner Radius, Corner radius is dimmed. (Please see my attachment.)

The simplest example is drawing an "L" shaped line, with the corner rounded to, say, 0.25". More complex is a zig-zag line with straight segments but rounded corners at the angles - not necessarily 45 degrees.

I'm sure the answer is Bezier curves, but I'm too dimwitted to make the Edit Points tools work. When I move the Bezier handles, everything goes into cattywampus "S" curves.

Any help would be most appreciated.
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Rounded Line Corners.odg
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Last edited by AndyNoCo on Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), macOS Mojave 10.14.3, Apache OpenOffice 4.1.6, Legacy Java 6
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acknak
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Re: Angled straight lines with rounded corners - how?

Post by acknak »

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you're looking for. The lines in your sample already have rounded corners—you just have to zoom in far enough to see them.

If you're looking for a line that follows a smooth path, then yes, you want a Bezier curve. You can convert what you have to a curve by Modify > Convert > To Curve. Once that's done, you can use "Edit Points" mode and drag the control handles to get the curve you want.
Attachments
Rounded Line Corners_curves.odg
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AOO4/LO5 • Linux • Fedora 23
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AndyNoCo
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Location: Colorado, USA

Re: Angled straight lines with rounded corners - how?

Post by AndyNoCo »

I modified acnack's technique. First I draw the lines with two points at each angle. Then I click on the first point in the angled section, and the Edit Points menu pops up. Then I click Convert To Curve.

The two points in the angled segment each get one Bezier handle - only on the inside, not both sides. The other points in the line do not change to Bezier points.

Then I zoom in and move the points and Bezier handles around to get the desired curve. I get perfectly straight segments with smoothly rounded angles. One thing was a huge help: turn on Snap To Grid.

Thanks, acknack. I couldn't have done it without your help.
Attachments
Two-pointed_curves.odg
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acknak
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Re: [Solved] Angled straight lines with rounded corners - ho

Post by acknak »

Right. Nice improvement!
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