Blending objects
Blends let you merge one object into another using a series of intermediate objects (called ‘steps’). This process is sometimes called 'morphing' or 'tweening'. The two objects can be any of LX's object types including bitmaps and even other blends. The intermediate steps are calculated by Xara LX when the object is displayed on screen so blends take up virtually no memory.
To blend between
objects
1. Choose the Blend Tool.
2. Move the pointer over the first object.
3. Drag to and release over the second object.
Tips
When blending between two objects
with the same number of points you may find selecting the 1
to 1 Button on the Blend Tool Infobar
gives better shaped results. See One
to One Node Mapping button for more details.
Sometimes the steps are not the
shape you want. For extra control, you can drag from a corner (or handle)
on one object to the corner of the second. Blending between different
corners produces different blends. This is how you can put twists in blends.
The blend steps are not separate
objects. To make them selectable, you need to convert the blend to simple
editable shapes. See Converting
blends to shapes.
Blending objects in different layers
moves the objects into the same layer.
If you blend between two bitmaps,
the blend shows the first bitmap for all steps except the last. (See Blending bitmaps for a way of
getting round this).
For details on how to blend between
two blends, see Creating two-way
blends.
Movie—click below (not working in this version)