[Issue] Freehand Drawing

[Hagar Delest]

Hi, I'm new to OpenOffice Draw and can't find any resource for simply drawing figures freehand. Closest I've found is using a Curve tool which allows for drawing figures but only until the stylus is lifted. Then it becomes a fixed object which requires visiting the Curve tool again to add additional drawing. Is this what is meant by vector drawing and is only for drawing figures using standard shapes and mathematically calculated lines? Thanks for your response.

[acknak]

Greetings and welcome to the community forum!

There is a "freeform line" tool; I think this may be the one you've already found. You can avoid having to re-start it by starting with a double-click. This makes the same tool available for multiple uses, until you hit escape or choose a different tool. You may need to undock the line tools palette to get a free-floating window, in order to allow double-clicking.

But that's still pretty limited for drawing. It might help if we knew what sort of work you need to do and what the goal is.

Is this what is meant by vector drawing and is only for drawing ... mathematically calculated lines?

That is exactly what is meant by "vector drawing". The graphic objects are all stored as numerical data (points in an xy plane) and connected by lines and curves calculated from the points. That doesn't mean it can't be used for more artistic, free-style projects, but there are limitations.

If you want something closer to painting, you probably need some kind of bitmap graphics tool, which OO Draw does not provide.

[cubot]

Thanks so much for your speedy response. I undocked the palette with the lines and shapes tools on it but couldn't get the freeform curve tool to respond to the double-click trick. Since I'm wanting something that is similar to pen and paper for for actual sketching it sounds like another resource might be preferable, as you've suggested. I'm grateful for OO functionality in other regards tho, as it's my goto app for word-processing and spreadsheet tasks. Thanks again.

[acknak]

What I've heard most often from working artists is that freehand sketching or drawing is best done using a graphics tablet for input. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_tablet

[cubot]

Thanks, I'm sure you're right. I'll check out the link.

[salaphaics.com]

I tried everything to get the curve tool to 'stick' (that is, be able to make multiple curved lines). ALMOST everything. I did the double click with the pen stylus (Huion tablet) and could make multiple curved lines. Great, I though as I want to use it for writing freehand text and figures as in a presentation.

But, there is a snag. when writing and there's pen lifts, they happen quickly enough to be interpreted as double clicks and that ends the curve tool.

So, yes, it can be used for multiple curved lines...as long as there's enough time between each line that it's not perceived as a double click.

Is there a way to grab the tool and keep it active until something like esc or a mouse click is done?

Interestingly, while the pen stylus worked to double click, my regular mouse doesn't work to do a double click to grab and hold the curve tool. My pen is set for the stylus to represent the left mouse button.

[Bidouille]

https://bz.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=64630

[John_Ha]

You will do much better if you get a program designed for freehand drawing. Google something like drawing graphic program - I quickly found The best free graphic design software. You can easily save an image and insert it into any AOO program.

[capmonkey]

Yeah, OpenOffice Draw is a twisted up, poop version of MSPaint. Confusing, broken, and impossible to repair.

Don't use OpenOffice Draw.

Instead, there are a few other versions of Paint out there that are free and have been worked on by people with much more care for user interface.

[Zizi64]

Yeah, OpenOffice Draw is a twisted up, poop version of MSPaint.

The MS Paint is a BITMAP based drawing tool, but the AOO/LO Draw is a VECTORGRAPHIC tool. It is is a basic difference.
In other (and in the simpliest) words: The AOO/LO Draw is a very simple CAD sofware with decreased function list.
The vectorgraphic CAD softwares can not edit the pixel based images

The Draw is similar to MS Visio, but not to MS Paint anyway. The Apache OpenOffice (and the LibreOffice) is NOT a clone of the MS Office or other MS softwares.

You MUST choose the proper tool for your job.

[John_Ha]

Yeah, OpenOffice Draw is a twisted up, poop version of MSPaint. Confusing, broken, and impossible to repair.

That is factually wrong. MS Paint is a pixel based system. Draw is a vector based system.

Your statement is as silly as calling a hammer a screwdriver and then complaining that the hammer you call a screwdriver is useless for driving screws. Just read the cover of the Draw manual where it says Draw Guide - Drawing Vector Graphics in OpenOffice.org

Don't use OpenOffice Draw.

Don't use Draw for pixel based drawings. Use Draw for vector based drawings.

Showing that a problem has been solved helps others searching so, if your problem is now solved, please view your first post in this thread and click the Edit button (top right in the post) and add [Solved] in front of the subject.

[keme]

I present to you a twisted up(1) poop(2) version of a Lamborghini. Most likely it does not provide what you would want from a Lamborghini, but it is just different, neither confusing nor broken. Also, if it ever breaks, repair is relatively easy.

(1) ...because it navigates rougher terrain and turns narrower corners than you imagined any Lamborghini ever would.
(2) Yep, it will drag loads of that animal poop out on your field, if you have one.

[robleyd]

And
3) the poop hauler was around long before the sports car

Or if one desires fewer wheels:

[Lupp]

It's cathartic to find such a plenty of humour here in reply to a remarkably doltish post.
Cheers!

[John_Ha]

Or if one desires fewer wheels:

An off-topic question for you, David.

You are riding your motorbike along a straight road and you want to turn right.

It's a simple question: In which direction do you turn the handlebars? To the right? To the left? Or how?

Don't be too hasty with your reply

[robleyd]

It's called counter steering, and the answer is Left :-0

Source: have been riding aforementioned means of transport for many years.

[John_Ha]

Absolutely correct! The second and third videos at What is countersteering? show it very well.

Did you see that Sky is trialling a new super-domestique? See this video