This button on the top toolbar shows a pop-up dialog box where you can add contours to polygons.

Select a shape in the drawing area. This can be any shape with sides that are straight lines of curves, but not text, grouped shapes or compound paths.

Use the sliders to set the number of contours to be drawn and the spacing between the contours.

Contours can be added on outside (default) or the inside of the shape.

When drawing contours inside a shape, only a certain number will fit depending on the contour spacing. The program will attempt to stop the drawing if the number of contours exceeds the number that will fit.

However, this may not work with irregular polygons. In this case just click the undo button on the top toolbar and then use the sliders to reduce the number of contours and/or the spacing.

How to get the best results when contouring shapes:

Open and closed shapes

You can add contours to both open and closed shapes.

Rounded corners

Picture A on the left shows the effect of starting with a rectangle and adding 3 contours with the "Round corners" option checked. In this case each of the added contours has the same corner radius (5mm).

In picture B, the starting shape already has rounded corners, so the "Round corners" option is ignored and the contours do not have a constant corner radius.

Rounding the corners of the original shape

• Choose a shape with straight edges.

• Check the Round corners option.

• Set the number of contours to zero.

Colours and effects

he contours can be coloured like any other shapes. In Picture A, successive contours have been selected and filled with different colours.

Picture B was made by starting with a rectangle, adding 1 contour on the side then selecting both shapes and XOR-ing them.

Tip:Turn the grid snap off before doing this or a shape may move slightly when selecting it.