Need Help stupid newbie question

[Ranel]

Hi there.

So I'm a complete newbie and completely stuck. So basically we started to do our own traffic signs and I'm stuck right away with the "give way" sign. We have 4 size groups for triangle shaped signs (give way and all the warning ones) and I thought that once we have a sign its just importing it to worksheet, selecting it, putting in right height and done. Well now we discovered that as soon as I change the sign size the corner radius is wrong - if the corners fit the sides are too thin and if the sides fit the corners are stretching over.

So my first question is - is it even possible to make one universal sign that I can just change size so the corner radius would scale accordingly? If not, does it mean that I have to make 4 different signs from scratch with correct corner radiuses? Seems like insane lot of time consuming work.

So if not could I atleast change the existing signs in a way where I give the sign desired size - and then select it and use some tool to change the corner radius values - all at once if possible? I know that if making a new shape you can choose the type of corner you want and if its round its possible to put in the radius value of the corner etc. but is it possible to change that once the shape is done? Even if I have to modify and save one sign 4 times it would eventually be all done and easy to use afterwards.

I'm could use both Corel or Flexi but I guess the guide would need to be really specific cause I tried fiddling around and for example in corel went to window-docks Fillet/Scallop/Chamfer and tried to use fillet to change the corners but it ended up chaning the inside of the sign not outer edge.

 

[Adam Vreeke]

What program are you using to design these? If it is Adobe Illustrator I can be of help, but sadly I really lack any knowledge in Corel and Flexi.

If you are using Illustrator the first thing I would say is go to the top; Edit > Preferences > General. In there you will see a whole list of items, search for the options and make sure they are checked: Scale Corner Radius, and Scale Stroke and Effects.

Without these selected if you have a line point at lets say 35pt no matter how big or small you scale it, it will always be 35pt. with these selected it will scale the stroke and corner radius proportionately.

Other useful tips: Hold shift and drag to scale proportionately down from the corner. Hold Alt + Shift + drag to scaled proportionally down from the center.

 

[Billct2]

You can create the "design" once but will have to create the four backgrounds separately
Then scale the text/icon to fit the background and place it

 

[jwlllpl]

In Coreldraw you can draw out your box - do not convert to curves - set your corner radius - uncheck relative corner scaling box - save as a template - change size as needed.

 

[myront]

In Coreldraw you can draw out your box - do not convert to curves - set your corner radius - uncheck relative corner scaling box - save as a template - change size as needed.

Exactly, don't use the Fillet tool as it will convert the square/rectangle to curves and won't allow to easily change later. Use these instead

 

[White Haus]

Don't forget, to get the printed inner border to match the sign border, you can't just scale the same size border down! You have to use either the contour tool, or do the math on distance from edge and corner radius to determine the printed border's radius. It kills my soul a little bit each time I see something like this.
View attachment 153222

THIS. A million times. I also die a little inside every time I see signs with improper radius on borders etc.

 

[Ranel]

What program are you using to design these? If it is Adobe Illustrator I can be of help, but sadly I really lack any knowledge in Corel and Flexi.

If you are using Illustrator the first thing I would say is go to the top; Edit > Preferences > General. In there you will see a whole list of items, search for the options and make sure they are checked: Scale Corner Radius, and Scale Stroke and Effects.

Without these selected if you have a line point at lets say 35pt no matter how big or small you scale it, it will always be 35pt. with these selected it will scale the stroke and corner radius proportionately.

Other useful tips: Hold shift and drag to scale proportionately down from the corner. Hold Alt + Shift + drag to scaled proportionally down from the center.

I'm using both corel and flexi - I would prefer at one point for everything to be converted into flexi so we have designing-printing and cutting all in one software. All an all it seems that Corel. Flexi, Ai are all very similar - in flexi you can even select your worktoom type to be like one of them - not that it helps me alot since I have less than 2 week experience with the whole process, 0 experience before with any design software and 0 training.

 

[Big Rice Field]

Corel Draw Corp. responeed to sign designers requests by making scalable corner radiuses. In addition, if you make a rectangle with corner radiuses and change the aspect ratio, the corner radiuses stay the same. Corel Draw has many features that are of use to sign designers that Illustrator lacks. This is why most large sign companies use Corel instead of Illustrator as their primary design tool.

 

[Big Rice Field]

Mr Burton how about sharing that math formula with us. I already contributed this one.

 

[Ranel]

Corel Draw Corp. responeed to sign designers requests by making scalable corner radiuses. In addition, if you make a rectangle with corner radiuses and change the aspect ratio, the corner radiuses stay the same. Corel Draw has many features that are of use to sign designers that Illustrator lacks. This is why most large sign companies use Corel instead of Illustrator as their primary design tool.

Well my problem seems to be that if I select the sign the corner options and the tab to "relative corner scalind is not there". If I draw a rectangular shape then it is there. So theres some hidden flag with the sign that I need to disable or do or somh but what could it be?

 

[myront]

Well my problem seems to be that if I select the sign the corner options and the tab to "relative corner scalind is not there". If I draw a rectangular shape then it is there. So theres some hidden flag with the sign that I need to disable or do or somh but what could it be?

Don't confuse a "true rectangle" with a rectangle that has been converted to Curves. If you're using any clipart or template it's likely that all shapes are converted to curves. Select your shape and look in the lower left corner of the workspace and it'll tell you whether it's a "Curve" or "rectangle". A quick and easy way to convert the curve back to a rectangle is to select it, hold shift key and double-click on the rectangle tool. Now delete the curve whereby leaving the rectangle.

I'm still using X7 but from a post above I see mentioned that 2021 possibly has the ability to set corner radius on curves as well without using Fillet.

 

[Ranel]

Don't confuse a "true rectangle" with a rectangle that has been converted to Curves. If you're using any clipart or template it's likely that all shapes are converted to curves. Select your shape and look in the lower left corner of the workspace and it'll tell you whether it's a "Curve" or "rectangle". A quick and easy way to convert the curve back to a rectangle is to select it, hold shift key and double-click on the rectangle tool. Now delete the curve whereby leaving the rectangle.

I'm still using X7 but from a post above I see mentioned that 2021 possibly has the ability to set corner radius on curves as well without using Fillet.

Okay, gonna check it out tomorrow if theres something in the left corner. I suppose that selecting image, right clicking and seeing an option to "convert to curves" doesn't mean that the whole image is not yet curves? Also one thing what I just don't understand is that if I create rectangle then I have the corner tools available as toolbar like whatsort of corners I want, what is the corner radius and do I want the corner radius to scale when changing size. To create a triangle shape or warning sign or give way sign I have to use polygon tool and create a triangle but even though triangle has corners and basically all the same paramaters - just one less corner I don't get the corner tool activation or being able to change corner radius, degree etc.

 

[unclebun]

Whether you want the corner radius to scale with object size depends on what you are trying to do. If you want the object to have everything proportional as it grows or shrinks, then yes, you want the radius to change with scaling. This is the same as what would happen if you converted the rectangle to an ordinary object (convert to curves) instead of a special object, a rectangle.

The reason you sometimes don't want to do that is if you are going to make the sign blank using ordinary tools, and so you only have corner punches in set radii, such as 0.75", 1.5", and 3.0", as is the case with traffic sign blanks. Then, depending on the particular blank you are using, you will want to scale the size of the sign, then set the radius to whatever corner punch is going to be used to make the blank.

 

[Ranel]

If you want the object to have everything proportional as it grows or shrinks, then yes, you want the radius to change with scaling.

Well thats exactly what I wan't to do since the aluminum sign bases are also made so that radius changes with scaling or proportionally the printed sign thats gonna be applied to it has to do also. So now I have loads of signs in corel and eventually I would like to convert them all to flexi so I would have all the signs with all the different class sizes ready for importing for job.