CorelDRAW Help | Polygons and stars

Polygons and stars

CorelDRAW lets you draw polygons and two types of stars: perfect and complex. Perfect stars are traditional-looking stars and can have a fill applied to the entire star shape. Complex stars have intersecting sides and produce original results with a fill applied.

Left to right: Polygon, perfect star, and complex star, each with a fountain fill applied

You can modify polygons and stars. For example, you can change the number of sides on a polygon or the number of points on a star, and you can sharpen the points of a star. You can also use the Shape tool to reshape polygons and complex stars, just as you would with any other curve object. For more information about working with curve objects, see Curve objects. Perfect stars can also be reshaped, but with some restrictions.

To draw a polygon

• In the toolbox, click the Polygon tool

, and drag in the drawing window until the polygon is the size you want.

You can draw a polygon from its center by holding down Shift as you drag.

You can draw a symmetrical polygon by holding down Command as you drag.

To draw a star

To	Do the following
Draw a perfect star	In the toolbox, click the Star tool , and drag in the drawing window until the star is the size you want.
Draw a complex star	In the toolbox, click the Star tool . Click the Complex star tool on the property bar, and drag in the drawing window until the star is the size you want.

You can draw a star from its center by holding down Shift as you drag.

You can draw a symmetrical star by holding down Command as you drag.

To modify a polygon

To	Do the following
Change the number of sides of a polygon	Select a polygon, type a value in the Points or sides box on the property bar, and press Return.
Reshape a polygon into a star	Select a polygon, click the Shape tool , and drag a node on the polygon until the star is the shape you want.

Left to right: The Shape tool was used to change a polygon into a star that can be shaped as a curve object. The line segments of the star were then converted to curves and adjusted to produce the starfish shape.

To modify a star

To	Do the following
Change the number of points on a star	Select a star, type a value in the Points or sides box on the property bar, and press Return.
Sharpen a star’s points	Select a star, and type a value in the Sharpness box on the property bar.
Reshape a star	Select a star, click the Shape tool , and drag a node on the star.

When you use the Shape tool to reshape a perfect star, the node movement is constrained. Also, on perfect stars, you cannot add or delete nodes, nor can you convert line segments to curves.