Drawing and writing · Chapter 5

Shapes

Rectangle, circle, diamond: you always have the nine basic shapes in the toolbar. Every shape can carry text, so a box quickly becomes a step in a process.

Drawing out a shape

Choose the Shape (key S). A second click on the tool opens the choice: Rectangle, Rounded rectangle, Circle, Triangle, Diamond, Hexagon, Star, Arrow and Speech bubble. Below them, All shapes … leads to the shape library with hundreds more.

A click places the shape at a standard size. If you drag, you already see the shape in its real form as you draw it out.

• Shift while drawing out gives equal sides, so a square or a circle.
• Alt draws the shape out from its centre.

Colour, outline and text

When you select a shape, the context bar appears above it. There you choose the fill from ten colours or None, and an Outline. You can write in any shape: double-click and off you go.

Changing a shape

Should that rectangle become a diamond after all? With Change shape in the context bar you swap its form for one of the nine basic shapes. Text, colour and the lines attached to the shape stay as they are.