Drawing and shading rectangles

[cuchulain9]

I would like to draw maps of city blocks showing individual lots, i.e. a large rectangle with interior rectangles of varying but precise sizes and include different shadings of the individual smaller rectangles (lots). Seems this should be easy, but I find it simply explained in other programs but not psp.

cuchulain9

 

[TonyGroves]

In PSP7, here's how I would do it:

Create a vector layer in the blank image.
Turn on the rulers and/or grid.
For the first rectangular "block":
Click the Preset Shapes button.
Using the rulers/grid (and the dimensions shown in the status bar) as a guide, draw a rectangle.
If necessary, use the rectangle's handles to re-size and/or rotate the object.
Click the Object Selector button.
Right-click the rectangle, select Properties.
Set the Stroke and Fill colour and style as appropriate.
For subsequent blocks:
Copy the first block.
Paste as many others as needed.
Move/resize/rotate each pasted block using using its handles.
For each rectangular "lot", use the same procedure as for a block.


Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat.

 

[cuchulain9]

Thanks.

I started to follow the instructions, but as soon as I drew the rectangle, the Object Selector became disabled?

Slainte,
Jim McCormick

 

[TonyGroves]

I can't see how that would happen in a vector layer. Are you sure it was a vector layer you created?


Beir bua.

 

[cuchulain9]

Thanks. I can't explain the disparity. I did it several times at work and each time the object selector became disabled as soon as I finished drawing the rectangle. Now at home, that does not happen. It is exactly the same program, since i loaded it at work from my cd. Oh well.

Hope you don't follow ups. Is there a way to make the lines of the grid part of the image? If that were the case, my 'lots' would automatically be created as part of the larger 'block' rectangle.

Is there a simple way to apply cross hatching inside a rectangle?

I still say that psp is the most non-intuitive program with the worst help function I have ever encoutered. Apparenly there is no question so simple that they can't come up with an extraordinarily convoluted instruction, if one can be found at all.

Jim Mc

 

[TonyGroves]

I can't find any hatch-fill facility in PSP7. If you want to incorporate a grid into your drawing, probably the best thing to do would be to create another vector layer, and draw the lines manually (with some help from copying and pasting).

I must admit though, if I wanted to do precise drawings, Paint Shop Pro would not be my first choice; it is really a painting program (a good one, I think) with a few vector bits thrown in.

I would use either a CAD program (maybe a bit over-the-top here), or the Draw program in OpenOffice.Org, which is a good vector-drawing program with all the basics including customisable hatching. Plus, it's free from

http://www.openoffice.org.