Shearing
The
Shear tool allows you to bend and distort elements. To do this, select the relevant elements with the mouse. Then select the
Shear 
tool. A dotted rectangle will appear around the selected object.
Position the
center
cursor at one of the four corners of the dotted rectangle. Holding down the mouse button, drag the cursor. The rectangle changes into a rhombus. Dragging the cursor to the right or left bends the elements in a vertical direction. Moving the cursor up or down produces a horizontal bending effect. The selected elements are bent relative to their common center point. The figures show a drawing before editing, after horizontal bending and after vertical bending.
If you drag the corner of a dotted rectangle then hold down the CTRL key, the rectangle changes to a rhombus and the length of its sides change in tandem with the movement of the cursor. The elements can be distorted as desired.
You can also shear your selection using a dialog box. Hold down the SHIFT key while you click the selection with the center cursor.
Hor
If you want to bend horizontally, enter the value for the angle here. The value must be between 89° and -89°.
Ver
If you want to bend vertically, enter the value for the angle here. The value must be between 89° and -89°.
You can also enter the values as a mathematical formula. Information on how to enter values can be found in the Drawing Basics Tutorial.
Under Options you can select Elements and Patterns.
If the Elements box is checked, only the elements selected are sheared. If the Patterns box is also checked, existing patterns will also be sheared. If you want to shear patterns with reference to elements, check only the Patterns box.
| Bitmap patterns and placed files containing bitmap patterns cannot be sheared. |
You can conclude your entry with OK or by clicking the Copy button. In the latter case, the selection remains unchanged. Instead, a copy of the selection is generated and is sheared in accordance with your specifications.
