Documentation/AOO4 User Guides/Draw Guide/Combining Multiple Objects/Merging Subtracting or Intersecting Shapes/Practical Example

Apache OpenOffice 4.1 Draw Guide

Combining Multiple Objects

[[{{{PrevPart}}}|< Previous Section ]]

[[{{{NextPart}}}|Next Section >]]

• Introduction: Grouping and Combining Objects
• Grouping Objects
  • Grouping by Common Selection
  • Maintaining Groups and Undoing Groups
  • Editing Individual Objects in a Group
  • Nesting Groups
• Combining Objects
  • Connecting Lines
• Merging, Subtracting, or Intersecting Shapes
  • Merge
  • Subtract
  • Intersect
  • Practical Example
• Aids for Positioning Objects
  • Moving an Object to the Front or to the Back
  • Aligning Objects
  • Distributing the Distance and Space Between Objects

< Previous Page

Next Page >

Practical Example

The following example shows how to use the merge functions to create a complex shape—a knife with a wooden handle.

1. Draw an ellipse and then a rectangle overlapping half of its width.
   
   
   
   
2. Select both shapes, right-click, and choose Shapes → Subtract from the pop-up menu. The result should resemble the shape to the right, as shown below:
   

1. Draw another rectangle and put it over the top half of the ellipse. Then subtract again.
   
   

1. Draw a small ellipse covering just the lower right corner and subtract again.
   
   

1. The knife blade is now complete. To make the handle, draw a rectangle and an ellipse as shown.
   

1. Merge the shapes.
   
   

1. Group this image with the previous one.