Quick links to procedures on this page:

 
 
 
 

Spraying objects along a line

CorelDRAW lets you spray a series of objects in a line. Besides graphic and text objects, you can import bitmaps and symbols to spray along a line.

You can control how a sprayed line appears by adjusting the spacing between objects, so they are closer or farther apart from each other. You can also vary the order of objects in the line. For example, if you are spraying a series of objects that includes a star, a triangle, and a square, you can change the spray order so that the square appears first, followed by the triangle and then the star. CorelDRAW also lets you shift the position of objects in a sprayed line by rotating them along the path or offsetting them in one of four different directions: alternating, left, random, or right. For example, you can choose a left offset direction to align the objects you spray to the left of the path.

You can also create a new spray pattern with objects of your own.

Objects sprayed along a curved line (left). The objects and line were edited after the objects were sprayed (right).

To spray a pattern Back to Top
1
 
In the toolbox, click the Artistic media tool .
2
 
Click the Sprayer button on the property bar.
3
 
Choose a spray pattern category from the Category list box on the property bar.
4
 
Choose a spray pattern from the Spray pattern list box on the property bar.
5
 
Drag to draw the line.

You can also
 
Adjust the number of objects sprayed at each spacing point
Type a number in the top box of the Images per dab and image spacing box on the property bar.
Adjust the spacing between dabs
Type a number in the bottom box of the Images per dab and image spacing box on the property bar.
Set the spray order
Choose a spray order from the Spray order list box on the property bar.
Adjust the size of spray objects
Type a number in the top box of the Size of objects to be sprayed box on the property bar.
Increase or decrease the size of the spray objects as they progress along the line
Type a number in the bottom box of the Size of objects to be sprayed box on the property bar.
Reset a spray pattern to its saved settings
Click the Reset values button on the property bar.
Apply transformations to spray line thickness when scaling
Click the Scale stroke with object button on the property bar.

Increasing the value for the size of spray objects along the line causes objects to become larger as they are distributed along the path.
Spray patterns that have more complex objects use more system resources. CorelDRAW requires more time to produce lines when complex objects are used, and these objects increase the file size. Using symbols for each group in the list can help reduce file size and ease the demands on your system. For more information about creating symbols, see Working with symbols.
You can also choose spray patterns from the Artistic media docker. You can open the Artistic media docker by clicking Windows Dockers Artistic media.
To rotate the lines that you spray Back to Top
1
 
Select the spray pattern that you want to adjust.
2
 
Click the Rotation button on the property bar.
3
 
Type a value between 0 and 360 in the Angle box on the property bar.
If you want each object in the spray to rotate incrementally, enable the Use Increment check box and type a value in the Increment box.
4
 
Enable one of the following options:
Relative to path — rotates objects in relation to the line
Relative to page — rotates objects in relation to the page
5
 
Press Enter.
To offset the lines that you spray Back to Top
1
 
Select a spray pattern.
2
 
Click the Offset button on the property bar.
3
 
Enable the Use offset check box to offset objects from the path of the line sprayed.
If you want to adjust the offset distance, type a new value in the Offset box.
4
 
Choose an offset direction from the Offset direction list box.
If you want to alternate between the left and right of the line, choose Alternating.
To create a new spray pattern Back to Top
1
 
Click Effects Artistic media.
2
 
Select an object, a set of grouped objects, or a symbol.
3
 
Click the Save button on the Artistic media docker.
4
 
Enable Object sprayer.
5
 
Click OK.
6
 
Type a filename in the Filename box.
7
 
Click Save.
Spray patterns are saved as CorelDRAW (CDR) files and can be accessed by choosing Custom from the Category list box on the Artistic media property bar, and choosing a spray pattern from the Spray pattern list box.
To delete a custom spray pattern, select the spray pattern from the Spray pattern list box on the property bar, and click the Delete button .

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