iCalamus 2 > Reference > Inspectors > Frame-related inspectors > Outline inspector Index

Outline styles

The Outline inspector offers various outline styles, which can be selected from the relevant popup menu.

Default Style

By default, this Default Style is selected, for which the Outline inspector offers various default outline parameters as described in the previous chapter. The other outline styles offer more outline parameters which are described in detail as follows.

Dimension Line

With this outline style, you can create dimension lines as known from technical drawings.

Here the default outline parameters are enhanced by the following options:

Dimensioning	Choose whether the dimensioning text shall be shown above, within or below the line, or if you want to suppress the dimensioning text at all.
Units	Here you define which of the available measurement units to be used for the dimensioning text.
Show unit	This option shows the selected unit (in its abbreviated form) with the dimensioning text.
Show tolerance	Use this option if the dimensioning text should also document tolerance values.
Text Style	Here you define the text style to be used for the dimensioning text. If no suitable text style is available, please create a suitable one in the Text Style inspector.

Rough

This outline style corresponds to the basic default style, while no smooth, plain outline is drawn here, but a rough line for which you can define the roughness parameter.

ZigZag

Using this outline style, you create a zigzag line which comes with three more parameters:

Wavelength	Here you define how far the zigzag waves should be away from each other.
Amplitude	Define the height of the zigzag waves with this parameter.
Spread	With this parameter, you can modify the shape from very pointed zigzag waves up to strongly overlapping, curved wave forms.

Path Text

Tip: How to create path text

This powerful outline style offers to form any text running along any paths. If you e.g. need round text typesetting, text on a wave line or path text along a shape line, this is the right tool.

The required parameters are:

Place	Here you define whether the path text should be placed above, within or below the line.
Offset	Use this slider to define the position of the text in relation to the outline path.
Layout	Here you have the option to position your text Along Path or Along Reversed Path. Because the result really depends on the selected outline path, you will get the desired result faster by simply trying out, like so often.
Text Style	Here you define the text style to be used for the path text. If no suitable text style is available, please create a suitable one in the Text Style inspector.
Alignment	Here you find the usual buttons for left justified, centered, fully justified, and right justified alignment.
Text	Please enter your desired text into this field. Note that you cannot add more formattings to text in this text field, because just the plain text will be used. If the path is too short, then surplus text will be cut off in the path text output.

Hint: If you want to typeset plain path text without a visible outline path, simply switch off the Draw line option above in the Outline inspector.

Path Decoration

This outline style uses the outline path to spread graphic elements along it. So you will not find any of the usual outline parameters here. Here, the outline itself will basically be shown as a guide only. Therefore, the View menu option Show Frame Guides has to be switched on.

Instead, you find the following outline parameters here:

Spacing	Here you define the distance in which the graphic element should be repeatedly placed on the selected outline path.
Scale	Here you define the size of all copies of the graphic element on the outline path.
Offset	Here you can set an offset for the first graphic element on the starting point of the outline path.
Ramp	Use this slider to let elements grow from the outline path's start and end until they reach their defined size in the middle area of the path.
Rotate to path curvature	When this option is checked, all graphic elements are rotated to follow the path curvature. If you don't use this option, all graphic elements stay unrotated on the outline path, like they are shown in the graphic element field.
Graphic Element field	In this field, your chosen graphic element for this outline path is presented. The field cannot be filled with graphic elements directly by drag 'n' drop. Instead, copy the desired element into the clipboard.
Get From Clipboard	When you have copied a graphic element into the clipboard, you get it into the graphic element field using this button.
Clear	If you want to delete the current graphic element from the graphic element field, please click this button.