Using Canvas

This brief tutorial was originally based on Canvas 5.0. The verision that is currently on the geology computer lab machines, Canvas X, is similar for the what we will be doing, but has new features too.

Basic principles.

  1. Set up the size/number of pages before you begin.
  2. Use the "layers" capacity for complicated drawings.
  3. Two "types" of work are possible
  4. Most things you can do appear on the Toolbox Palette

Here's the basic window

We will cover the basics in class including:



Setting up the Page Size, etc
Press the F10 key or choose Layout/Document Setup from the Menu

If you just want one page, choose US Letter in the Illustration Size.
If you want the illustration to be printed on more than one piece of paper, or you want to reduce it down later, choose a larger size or use custom and set either the number of inches or printer pages, depending on how you set the "document units".

Using Layers
from the menu choose Layout/Layers/Layer Info...
which brings up this Palette
 
You can.....
add layers
delete them
make them visible or invisible
printable or not
locked (can't write on them).

This is especially useful when you have a scan on which you are basing a drawing or map.  (If you want you can "Auto Trace" the linework from a bitmap into a line drawing.)


Using the Toolbox
The default palette looks like this.

Most of what you'll do is center on this tool box.  You can "tear off" the submenus to make a palette out of them too.
When you select a line or object, it highlights it with a box.
                  Double click and you can edit it
                                                        by moving a vertex
                                                                                if it's a smoothed curve (Bezier), move the "handles"



Line Drawing versus Bit Maps


In class we will cover

Harbor, 99, Connors, 01, 07