How to Transform Designs (Move, Resize, Rotate, Skew)

In DRAWings PRO XII, “transformation” refers to any operation performed to change the physical appearance or position of a design part. This includes moving, sizing, stretching, skewing, or rotating objects.

While you can input specific numeric values for these changes, the most intuitive way to transform designs is by using the mouse within the workspace. This guide explains how to use the selection handles to manipulate your embroidery designs.

1. Selecting Your Object

Before you can transform an object, you must select it.

1. Enter Selection Mode (standard arrow cursor).
2. Click on a design part to select a single object, or click and drag a box around multiple parts to select them all.
3. Once selected, a highlighted rectangle (bounding box) with small square handles will appear around the object(s).

2. Moving an Object

To change the position of a design:

1. Hover your mouse cursor over the artwork itself (inside the shape, but not on a handle).
2. The cursor will change to a multi-directional arrow.
3. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag the object to its new location.

3. Resizing and Stretching

You can change the size of an object proportionally or stretch it to change its aspect ratio.

Proportional Resize

To change the size while maintaining the original shape (aspect ratio):

1. Hover your mouse over any of the four corner handles.
2. The cursor will change to a bi-directional diagonal arrow.
3. Click and drag outward to increase size, or inward to decrease size.

Stretching (Non-Proportional)

To stretch the object vertically or horizontally:

1. Hover your mouse over the handles located in the middle of the sides (top, bottom, left, or right).
2. The cursor will change to a bi-directional straight arrow.
3. Click and drag to stretch or squash the design in that specific direction.

Useful Tip: Be careful when using the side handles on intricate embroidery designs. Stretching a design too much can distort the stitch density or pattern logic. Using corner handles is generally safer for maintaining design integrity.

4. Rotating and Skewing

The standard transformation mode allows you to rotate and skew without changing tools, simply by adjusting your mouse position relative to the handles.

Rotating

1. Hover your mouse cursor over a corner handle, then move it slightly to the outside of the handle.
2. The cursor will change to a curved rotation arrow.
3. Click and drag to rotate the selection clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Skewing (Slanting)

1. Hover your mouse cursor over a side/middle handle, then move it slightly to the outside of the handle.
2. The cursor will change to a slant (half-arrow) cursor.
3. Click and drag along the axis to skew the perspective of the object.

Alternative Method: Separate Resize and Rotate

Some users prefer a workflow similar to other vector software where clicking the object toggles between “Resize” mode and “Rotate” mode. You can enable this in DRAWings PRO XII.

How to Enable:

1. Go to the Tools menu and select Options.
2. Click on the Tools tab.
3. Check the box for “Separate Resize – Rotate”.
4. Click OK.

How to Use:

With this option enabled, the behavior of the handles changes:

• Default View: When you first select an object, the handles are strictly for Resizing.
• Switch to Rotate: Click on the selected object one more time. The handles will visually change.
  • Corner handles now perform Rotation.
  • Side handles now perform Skewing.

Useful Tip: If you find it difficult to precisely locate the “outside” area for rotation in the standard mode, enabling “Separate Resize – Rotate” is highly recommended for a faster and more precise workflow.