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License Terms
1. The OCAD license gives the right to the purchaser to install and use OCAD on
one computer.
2. If OCAD is not used where it is installed, it may be removed and installed on
another computer, but it must never be installed and used on more than one
computer at a time.
3. There is one exception to the above rules: If OCAD is installed in a classroom
of a school, it may be installed on any number of computers in the same class
room.
4. The translation and any other modification of the program and help files and
of the manual is forbidden.

Guarantee
OCAD is carefully tested before delivery. If, for any reason, the CD or
documentation is illegible, it will be replaced free of charge upon returning the
faulty medium. All claims extending beyond this are excluded. On no account is
OCAD AG liable for consequential damage, even if it is caused by program
errors.

Errors and suggestions

All software contains errors, OCAD, too. Reports on errors found and
suggestions are welcome at all times.

OCAD is a registered Trademark

of OCAD AG.
Copyright 2005
OCAD AG

OCAD AG
Mhlegasse 36
CH - 6340 Baar / Switzerland
Tel (+41) 41 763 18 60
Fax (+41) 41 763 18 64
Email info@ocad.com
URL http://www.ocad.com

OCAD 9

Contents
About this Book 5
Convention 5
About OCAD 6
Technical Data 6
Installing OCAD 7
Starting OCAD 7
Service Update 7
Getting Online Help 8
The Help Menu 8
Help in Dialog Boxes 8
The F1 Key 8
Help for Menu Commands 9
Creating a New Map File 10
Objects 11
Graphic Objects 11
Image Objects 11
Unsymbolized Objects 11
The background map 12
Open a georeferenced raster image 12
Scanning the Draft Map 12
The Draft Map Must Have a Grid 13
Scanning directly from OCAD 14
Opening a Background map 14
Adjusting the Background map 15
Drawing modes and symbol types 16
Drawing Point Objects 16
Numeric drawing mode 17
Drawing Curves 18
Editing the Object 20
Examples for Drawing Curves 20
Corners in Curves 22
Continuing Existing Objects 23
Reversing Objects 23
Drawing Elliptical (Oval) Objects 24
Drawing Circular Objects 25
Drawing Rectangular Objects 26
Drawing Frames 28
Drawing Straight Lines 29

OCAD 9
Numeric drawing mode 30
Corner Points and Dashed or Dotted Lines 31
Symbols in Corner Points 32
Combining Curves and Straight Lines 33
Drawing in Freehand Mode 35
Smoothing Freehand Lines 36
Straight Segments in Freehand Lines 36
Following Existing Objects 37
Holes in Areas 39
Editing Holes 40
Influencing Dashed Lines 41
Writing Text 43
Unformatted Text 43
Formatted Text 44
Line Text 44
Colors 46
Colors for Pictograms 46
Colors for Streets 47
Color Separations 49
Symbols 51
Using the Right Mouse Button in the Symbol Box 52
Creating a New Point Symbol 53
Creating an Icon for a Symbol 54
Moving a Symbol in the Symbol Box 54
Creating a New Line Symbol 55
Selecting a Group of Symbols 55
Symbols as Layers 56
Color EPS File 57
Spot Color Separations 58
AI (Adobe Illustrator) Files 60
Importing AI Files 60
Exporting AI Files 60
Publishing the map on the Internet 60
Creating a street index 61
Course setting for Orienteering 62
Sample maps 62
Using the Keyboard with the Mouse 63
Drawing 63
Drawing a Circle 63
Edit 63
Cutting a Line 63
View 63

OCAD 9

About this Book

This book is an introduction to OCAD. It helps you to get familiar with the
program step by step.
This is not a reference manual. If you want information about specific dialog
boxes or about the meaning of an error message, you must use the online
help. The chapter "Getting online help" gives you more instructions about
using the online help.
The next chapter gives you general information about OCAD. If you are
experienced in installing Windows programs and using online help you may
skip "Installing OCAD" and "Getting online help" and proceed directly to
"Creating a new map file".

Convention
In this book we use the following convention:
Bold

Buttons, dialog box, key board

Italic

Menu command

"Apostrophe"

Input values, Selection values

OCAD 9

About OCAD
OCAD is a program for drawing maps. It offers an extensive set of symbols to
draw all kind of maps, like city maps, street maps, recreational, geological
maps and orienteering maps. Sample symbol sets are provided for the
different map types. Due to its ease of use OCAD requires only a very short
learning time.
The draft map (or a small piece of it) is scanned and displayed as a
background map in the background of the screen. The map is drawn over that
background map. Alternatively you can import data from GIS (Geographic
Information Systems).
Proofs can be printed on any printer with a Windows driver. For printing maps
on color copiers or on digital printing machines you can create optimized EPS
or PDF files. Maps can be printed in CMYK or spot colors (PMS).
OCAD 9 is available as a Standard and a Professional edition.

Technical Data
Computer: OCAD requires Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 or XP.
128 MB RAM is recommended. 10 MB of free disk space.
Map size:

Maximum 4 x 4 meters (Standard edition)

Maximal 16 x 16 meters (Professional edition)
Resolution 0.01 mm
16 million objects

OCAD 9

Installing OCAD
OCAD requires Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 or XP. To install:
1. Insert the OCAD CD into the CD drive. After a while the OCAD start screen
appears (if the start screen does not appear after a while, because the
corresponding Windows function has been switched off, start the Windows
Explorer and go the CD drive. In the root directory of the OCAD CD doubleclick "Autorun.exe").
2. In the start screen click English.
3. Click Next.
4. Enter your license information. You can find the license name, the license
number and license key on the back of the CD cover.
5. The OCAD setup program appears. If required, you can change the
proposed directory to another directory.
6. Click Start. The setup program copies the files from the OCAD CD to the
hard disk.
When installation is complete, remove the OCAD CD from the disk drive and
keep it in a safe place.
Starting OCAD
Choose Programs from the Start menu, then OCAD and then OCAD 9. You
may also start OCAD from a short cut on the Desktop.

Service Update
Keep OCAD 9 updated. Download the newest, free service update from the
Internet. These correct detected errors.
URL: www.ocad.com , follow the link Download.

OCAD 9

Getting Online Help

The main source for help is the online help. These are the help texts that
appear on the screen when working with OCAD.
In the help pages you have keywords. They are underlined and appear in a
green color. If you click on such a word you come to another page where you
get more information about the keyword. In the online help you have a
button marked Back. Click this button to get back to the last help page.
The Help Menu
If you have general questions you may use the Help menu. It provides the
following commands:
Contents: Choose this command to get an overview of the help, to learn
about basic procedures or to search for a keyword.
Menu: Choose this command to get information about the different menu
commands.
Toolbar: Choose this command to get information about the buttons in
the toolbar.
Help in Dialog Boxes
Dialog boxes have a Help button. Click this button to get help about the
different boxes and buttons in the dialog box. Pressing the
keyboard has the same effect.

key on the

The F1 Key
key on the keyboard gives you help
In many situations pressing the
information for the present status of OCAD. For instance if a map is loaded
and the Curve button is pressed,
curves.

gives you information about drawing

OCAD 9

Help for Menu Commands

To get online help about a menu command:
1. Click on the desired menu.
2. With the

key on the keyboard move to the desired command.

3. Press the

key.

This opens the help page for the selected menu command.

OCAD 9

Creating a New Map File

All objects in an OCAD file are based on symbols. These symbols depend on
the type of map you want to create. For the following map type's sample
symbol sets are included with OCAD:
City maps
Tourist maps
Orienteering maps
Geological maps
To create a new map file:
1. Choose New from the File menu. The New File dialog box appears.
2. In the Load symbols from box select one of the sample symbol sets. A
description of the selected symbol set appears below the symbol box.
3. Click OK.
Menu

Toolbar

Drawing Window Status Line

Symbol Box

The symbols appear in the symbol box on the right side of the screen.

10

OCAD 9

Objects
Everything on an OCAD map must have a corresponding symbol. Working
with symbols has a number of advantages:
You define a symbol like a major road symbol only once. Then all objects
drawn with that symbol have the correct color, line width, etc.
If you modify a symbol, all objects drawn with that symbol are updated. If
you decide to increase the width of major roads, you do the modification in
the symbol and all major roads drawn with that symbol on your map are
increased in width automatically.
The symbols define the layer where the objects appear (which object is
drawn above which object).
You can work with symbols much like layers. You can export, delete or hide
a symbol or a group of symbols.
Later in this manual you will learn how to create your own symbols and how
to store them as a symbol file.
However, OCAD has objects, which arent assigned to any symbol.
Graphic Objects
You get graphic objects, if you convert a composite symbol like a double line
or a complex point symbol to individual graphic objects. Select the
corresponding object in the drawing window and choose in the toolbar
Convert to graphic. Those graphic objects arent any longer assigned to any
symbols and it is possible to edit each individually. If a graphic object is
selected in the status line Graphic object is shown.
Image Objects
Image objects are created by importing of a AI or a PDF file. These objects are
displayed with the corresponding CMYK colors. Given that they arent
assigned to any spot color, in the spot color view those objects dont appear.
If an image object is selected in the status line Image object is shown.
Unsymbolized Objects
Unsymbolized objects are created by importing of DXF, EMF, WMF or Shape
files. These objects arent assigned to any symbol and appear in gray color. If

11

OCAD 9
an unsymbolized object is selected in the status line the layer name or symbol
number is shown.

The background map

In OCAD it is possible to show multiple background maps. Those background
maps can be dimmed, assigned to a spot color and displayed transparent.
However it isnt possible to edit the background map.
To open a background map select Open in the menu Background map.
Example of background maps:
- Geo-referenced raster image (GeoTiff)
- Orthophotos (rectified aerial photograph)
- Scanned draft map
- Scanned color excerpts of an existing map
- Existing OCAD map
- Scanned color separation drawing

Open a georeferenced raster image

You can open a geo-referenced raster image in GeoTiff format as a
background map.
1. Select Open in the menu Background map and select a file. In the dialog
box Tiff Background map (Geo referenced) will be displayed.
2. Select New offset if your map isnt geo referenced. Select Existing offset
and angle, if your map already contains information for geo referencing.
3. Click OK.
4. Click on the Entire map button in the toolbar to display the entire
background map.

Scanning the Draft Map

The draft map is scanned and then used as a background map in the
background of the screen. The map is drawn over the background map.
OCAD does not provide an auto-tracing function.

12

OCAD 9
The Draft Map Must Have a Grid
Often the draft map already has a grid of horizontal and vertical lines. If your
draft does not have a grid, it is highly recommended to draw vertical and
horizontal grid lines. These grid lines should be drawn on the base map
before doing the fieldwork. The advantages of a precise grid are:
You can scan small pieces and easily adjust them in the grid.
All pieces fit together and you have no distortions on the entire map.
OCAD allows 2 coordinate systems:
Paper coordinates: Coordinates are measured in millimeters on the final
printed map. These coordinates cannot be rotated.
Real world coordinates: These coordinates are measured in meters in the
"real world" normally according to the national grid. If the map is not
oriented towards the North of the national grid you can still use these
coordinates, they can be rotated in OCAD.
For the use in OCAD you should have a grid line in one of the 2 systems every
50 to 100 mm.
After creating a new map you define the coordinate system:
1. Choose Scales from the Options menu. The Scales dialog box appears.
2. For Map scale enter the scale of the final printed map.
3. When working with paper coordinates select Paper coordinates and enter
the distance of the grid lines in millimeters. The grid distance is measured
on the final printed map. If the scale of the draft is different from the final
map you have to adapt the value for the grid distance.
When working with Real world coordinates (meters in the real world) select
Real world coordinates and enter the distance of the grid lines in meters.
For Horizontal offset and Vertical offset enter the national grid values
for a point in the center of your map. For Angle enter the angle
(counterclockwise) for the Real world coordinates if they are rotated.
4. Click OK.

Press the grid button

window.

in the toolbar to see the grid in the drawing

13

OCAD 9

Scanning directly from OCAD

If your scanner supports the TWAIN interface you can scan directly from
OCAD:
1. Choose Scan from the Background map menu and then choose the
submenu Acquire. The scanner dialog box of your scanner appears. This
dialog box depends on the scanner.
2. Scan the background map and close the dialog box.
3. The Save Background map dialog box appears. Enter a filename to save the
background map on disk.
4. Click OK. The background map is saved and appears in the drawing
window.
If your scanner does not support the TWAIN interface, then you use the
scanner software which comes with the scanner and save the background
map in the BMP, GIF, JPG or TIFF format. You can then open this background
map in OCAD.
Opening a Background map
To open an existing background map on your hard disk:
1. Choose Open from the Background map menu. The Open Background
map dialog box appears.
2. Select the image file which you have saved in the scanner program.
3. Click OK.
The background map appears in the drawing window.

14

OCAD 9

Adjusting the Background map

You can use 1 to 12 points to adjust the background map to the grid. The
easiest way to adjust the background map is to use the crossing points of the
grid lines.
Use 1 grid point if the scale of the background map is accurate and the
background map is not rotated. OCAD moves the background map to the
right position, but leaves the scales and the angle unchanged.
Use 4 grid points if you want OCAD to adjust the scale and the angle of the
background map with an affine transformation. The points should be
arranged as a rectangle. OCAD calculates the best possible scales in
horizontal and vertical direction and the best angle.
To adjust the background map:
1. Choose Adjust from the Background map menu.
2. Click a point (crossing point of the grid) on the background map.
3. Click the corresponding point on the grid in the drawing window.
4. Repeat step 2 and 3 for all desired adjustment points.
5. Press the enter key
on the keyboard. The background map is
redrawn in the adjusted position.
If the background map is larger than the drawing window, you can use the
scroll bars or the buttons Zoom in and Zoom out between the adjustment
points. Thus you can precisely adjust a large background map.

15

OCAD 9

Drawing modes and symbol types

OCAD supports the following 8 drawing modes:
Curve
Ellipse
Circle
Rectangular line (without complement to starting point)
Rectangular (with complement to starting point)
Line
Freehand
Numeric
OCAD supports the following 6 symbol types:
Point symbol
Line symbol
Area symbol
Text symbol
Line text symbol
Rectangular symbol
In the following chapters you get more information about each drawing
modes and symbol types.

Drawing Point Objects

Point objects have only one coordinate. To draw a point object:
1. Select the desired symbol in the symbol box.
2. Choose any one of the drawing modes in the toolbar

3. Click on the desired place in the drawing window. The point object appears.
Sometimes you may want rotated point objects. To draw a rotated point
object you drag a line in the desired direction instead of just clicking in the

16

OCAD 9
drawing window. Dragging a vertical line upwards places the point object in
its normal position.
You can change the angle of an existing point object:
1. Click the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Click in the center of the point object to select it.

3. Click the Direction button

in the toolbar.

4. Drag a long line in the desired new direction of the point object. Note that
this is not a rotation (you do not mark an anchor point and then rotate).

Numeric drawing mode

With the numeric drawing mode you can place a point object to a specific
coordinate.
1. Select a point symbol.
2. Select the Numeric button

in the toolbar.

3. Enter in the fields Easting and Northing the coordinates.

4. Click in the toolbar on the button Finish to create the point symbol.
Hint: OCAD uses the mathematical coordinate system. The x-axis runs from
left to right, the y-axis from bottom to top.
+y (Northing)

-x

0/0

+x
(Easting)

-y

17

OCAD 9

Drawing Curves
Using curves is the fastest way to draw curved lines and areas and gives the
best result on the printed map. However drawing curves needs some practice.
For CorelDraw, Illustrator and Freehand users
OCAD has a curve tool that has been optimized for maps and works
slightly different than in other drawing programs. However, it is possible
to use the same curve tool as in other drawing programs. To do this
choose Preferences from the Options menu. In the Preferences dialog
box choose "Illustrator mode". The main differences are:
In the OCAD mode the length of the handles is calculated
automatically. You do not have to indicate a handle length. Just the
direction is used.
In the OCAD mode the length of the handles can be different on 2
sides of a point. This gives more flexibility than the symmetrical handles
in other drawing programs and requires less editing.
As OCAD does not require symmetrical handles, the best places for the
tangents (nodes) in OCAD are often different from those in other
drawing programs.
The OCAD mode is the recommended mode and the following refers to
this mode.
To draw a curved line you drag tangents (direction lines) on certain points
along the line. OCAD then calculates the curve between these tangents. You
drag a tangent:
At the beginning of the line.
Each time the radius changes. Here you need some practice to choose the
best points.
At the end of the line.

18

OCAD 9
To draw a simple curve:
1. Select a line symbol, preferably a simple full line.
2. Select the Curve button

in the toolbar.

3. Drag a tangent at the beginning of the line. The length of the tangent is
not used, only the direction.

4. Drag a tangent at the end of the line.

5. Click (press and release the left mouse button in the same position)
anywhere in the drawing window to terminate the line. The line object
appears in the correct shape. The continuative tangents will be shown as a
line in the drawing and editing mode.

Pressing and releasing the left mouse button in the same position terminates
the object in all drawing modes.

19

OCAD 9

Editing the Object

To edit the object:
1. Select the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Click anywhere on the line object. When the line object is selected, the
points of the object are marked.

The first point of an object is marked with a rectangle

Curve points are marked with circles

. They are outside the line.

The last point of an object is marked with a cross

You may drag the Curve points to see how they influence the line.
Hint: You can switch between drawing and editing by pressing the right
mouse button.
Examples for Drawing Curves
Example 1: A small valley with a watercourse

If you have a watercourse in a valley, draw a tangent perpendicular to the

watercourse. This gives a perfect impression that the watercourse flows in the
center of the valley.

20

OCAD 9

Hint: After dragging a tangent, the Curve points of the last segment are
marked as small circles . If you move the mouse pointer to one of these
points the mouse pointer changes to an arrow
point to another position.

and you can drag the curve

Example 2: A long narrow re-entrant

Here you see a tangent for every radius change. In addition there is a tangent
at the end of the valley to control the length of the re-entrant.
Hint: If you are not satisfied with a tangent, press the backspace button
on the keyboard. The last tangent will be deleted and you can try
again. You can delete tangents until the beginning of the line.
Example 3: River

With a tangent on the outermost points you can easily control the extent.

21

OCAD 9

Corners in Curves
You can make corner points when starting 2 tangents in the same position.

Tangents 2 and 3 start in the same position with a different direction.

You can change normal points to corner points on existing objects:
1. Click the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Select the object.

3. Click the Corner point button

in the toolbar.

4. Click on the point to be changed to a corner point. Now you can move the
curve points (marked with a circle) to the desired position.
Normal points and corner points are marked differently:
Normal points which are not at the beginning or at the end of a line are
marked with a full rectangle
Corner points are marked with an open rectangle

22

OCAD 9

Continuing Existing Objects

You can continue an existing object. To do this keep the Shift key
on keyboard pressed when dragging the first tangent. The tangent must start
at the first or the last point of the existing object. The new points are added to
the existing object without creating a new object.
Reversing Objects
Line symbols can be asymmetric like lines with tags pointing to the right side.
If you draw such an object in the wrong direction, the tags point to the
wrong direction.

To reverse the object click the Reverse button

in the toolbar.

23

OCAD 9

Drawing Elliptical (Oval) Objects

OCAD allows you to draw elliptical line and area objects in any angle without
having to use a rotate function.
1. Select an area symbol (the same can be done with line symbols).
2. Select the Ellipse mode button

in the toolbar.

3. Drag the longer axis of the desired oval.

4. Drag the shorter axis of the oval.

The oval area object is drawn.

Elliptical objects are stored as curves. Therefore you can modify them like any
other curved object.

24

OCAD 9

Drawing Circular Objects

To draw a circular object:
1. Select a line symbol.
2. Click the Circular mode button

in the toolbar.

3. Drag a diameter of the circle. You may drag it in any direction. This is

different from some drawing programs where you drag the surrounding
rectangle.

The circular object is drawn according to the selected symbol.

Hint: You can drag the circle starting from the center. Press the Shift key
on the keyboard and keep it pressed when dragging. In this case
you just drag a radius.
Hint: If you just click in the center of the circle without dragging, then the
Draw Circle dialog box is displayed. You can enter the radius on the
keyboard.

25

OCAD 9

Drawing Rectangular Objects

Most buildings have 4 or more rectangular corners. OCAD provides the
rectangular tool to easily draw those objects with exactly rectangular corners.
1. Select a building symbol.
2. Select the Rectangular mode button

in the toolbar.

3. Drag the longest side of the building. The angle of this side determines the

angle of all other sides.

4. Drag the next side. A dashed line indicates how the entire object would

look like.

If the building was just a rectangle, you could terminate the object here. To
terminate click (press and release the left mouse button in the same
position) anywhere on the drawing window. But for more corners you
continue to draw sides of the building.
5. Drag the third side of the building.

26

OCAD 9
6. Drag the fourth side of the building.

7. Click (press and release the mouse button in the same position) anywhere in

the drawing window. As in all other drawing modes, this terminates the
object. The object appears in the color defined by the building symbol.

Objects drawn in the rectangular mode are stored like objects drawn with
straight lines (see next chapter). They can be modified like any other objects.

Hint: The only difference between the drawing mode rectangular and
rectangular line is, that the complement isnt drawn. To change to the
drawing mode to rectangular line click on rectangular line mode
the toolbar.

on

27

OCAD 9

Drawing Frames
Often you want to draw a rectangular frame around the entire map or around
a part of the map. To do this you define a rectangle symbol. To create a
rectangle symbol choose New from the Symbol menu and then select
"Rectangle symbol" in the New Symbol dialog box.
Define the properties of the rectangle in the dialog box Rectangular symbol:
1. Enter in the field Description a symbol name.
2. Choose in the field Line width the desired value.
3. Click on the OK button to close the dialog.
To draw a frame:
1. Select a rectangle symbol in the symbol box.
2. Choose any drawing mode.
3. Drag the frame in the drawing window.

Hint: When editing a frame in Edit Point mode, you can move each side
individually. This allows you to exactly adjust a side in a high magnification.

28

OCAD 9

Drawing Straight Lines

Whenever you have to draw straight lines you should use the straight line
tool. To draw a line object with 2 straight segments:
1. Select a line symbol for a dashed line.
2. Select the Straight line button

in the toolbar.

3. Drag the first straight segment

4. Drag the second straight segment. Note that you have to drag the mouse

pointer; a simple click would terminate the object.

5. Click (press and release the left mouse button in the same position)

anywhere in the drawing window to terminate the object. The object

appears according to the symbol definition.

29

OCAD 9
6. Click the right mouse button in the drawing window. The object is marked

The straight line tool has created a corner point in the corner of the line.
The dashes are calculated separately for the 2 segments.

Numeric drawing mode

You can draw straight lines also in the numeric drawing mode.
1. Select the desired line symbol in the symbol box.
2. Select the Numeric button

on the toolbar.

3. Enter in the fields Easting and Northing the coordinate of the start point.
4. Click on Next button.
5. Enter in the fields Easting and Northing the coordinate of the next point.
Repeat sequence 4 and 5 as often as needed.
6. Click on the Finish button to finish the line. Now the line object will be
drawn.

30

OCAD 9

Corner Points and Dashed or Dotted Lines

Corner points influence dashed lines and dotted lines. For dashed line you
have always 2 full dashes in a corner point:

If you change the corner point

like this:

to a normal point

, the dashes may look

To change a corner point to a normal point on a selected object:

1. Select the normal point button

in the toolbar.

2. Click on the corner point. The corner point

changes to a normal point

For dotted lines there is always a dot in the corner point:

With a normal point the object may look like this:

31

OCAD 9

Symbols in Corner Points

You can create a special symbol ("Corner symbol") which appears in every
corner point of the line object. An example for a line symbol with corner
symbol is the "Power line" in the symbol set for orienteering maps.
If you draw the above line, the corner symbol (a short line) appears in the
corner point.

It is possible to change the first or the last point of the line to a corner point.
In this case a corner symbol appears at the beginning or the end of the line
object.
1. Select the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Click on the line object to select it.

3. Select the Corner point button

in the toolbar.

4. Click on the last point of the line object. The corner symbol appears at the

end of the line object.

32

OCAD 9

Combining Curves and Straight Lines

You can continue existing objects even if they are drawn using curves. To do
on keyboard pressed when dragging the
this keep the Shift key
first straight segment. The segment must start at the first or the last point of
the existing object. As an example we take an area which has curved and
straight borders.
1. Select an area symbol in the symbol box.
2. Select the Curve button

in the toolbar.

3. Draw a curve by dragging 2 tangents.

4. After terminating the curve is filled

5. Select the Straight line button

in the toolbar.

33

OCAD 9

6. With the Shift key

on the keyboard pressed, drag a vertical line

starting from the end point of the existing object. The existing object
becomes selected when the mouse button is pressed.

7. Drag a horizontal line

8. Terminate the object by clicking in the drawing window. The object is filled.

Hint: To drag exactly horizontal or vertical lines keep the Alt key on the
keyboard pressed. You may combine the Shift and the Alt key.

34

OCAD 9

Drawing in Freehand Mode

You can draw curves in freehand mode. Freehand lines can be converted
automatically to curves. In general you should consider using the curve tool
instead of the freehand tool to achieve better quality.
To draw an area object in freehand mode:
1. Select an area symbol.
2. Select the Freehand button

in the toolbar.

3. To start the line click in the drawing window.

4. With the released mouse button draw the outline of the area. It is not

needed to close the outline. OCAD will close it automatically with a straight
line.

5. Click (press and release the mouse button in the same position) again to

terminate the object. The object appears in the color of the area object.

35

OCAD 9

Smoothing Freehand Lines

Freehand lines always have a certain amount of "dither". To smooth them you
can either convert them to curves or leave them as freehand lines, but arrange
the points to reduce the "dither".
To select the smoothing method, choose Preferences from the Options
menu. In the Preferences dialog box:
Activate "Freehand to curve" to convert freehand lines to curves.
Deactivate "Freehand to curve" to leave the lines as freehand lines.
In the toolbar you find 3 buttons to set the amount of smoothing

"0" means minimum smoothing, "2" means strong smoothing.

Hint: To convert freehand lines to curves choose To Curve from the Edit
menu. The smoothing level determines how much the lines are smoothed
during the conversion.
Straight Segments in Freehand Lines
You can draw straight segments in freehand lines. To draw a straight segment
press the left mouse button and with the mouse button pressed, drag a
straight line, then release the left mouse button. No corner points are created
in freehand mode.

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OCAD 9

Following Existing Objects

Often areas are limited by line objects. You can follow existing lines without
drawing them again. Following is possible in:
Curve mode
Straight line mode
Freehand mode
To follow existing lines keep the Ctrl key on the keyboard pressed.
As an example draw a line that you will use as a border for an area:

1. Select an area symbol in symbol box.

2. Select the Straight line button

in the toolbar.

3. Drag a line from outside to the existing line.

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OCAD 9
4. With the Ctrl key on the keyboard pressed drag a line to another point on
the existing line. It must start and end exactly on the existing line. After
pressing the mouse button, the existing object is marked.

After releasing the mouse button the last dragged line is replaced with a line
following the existing line.
5. Drag a line away from the existing line.

6. Click anywhere in the drawing window to terminate the object. The area is
filled according to the selected area symbol.

You can follow the border of existing area objects. You cannot follow more
than half the border of the area object, otherwise it will be followed the other
way round. The point until where you can follow is marked with a big
rectangle (like the first point of an object).
Hint: On double lines (streets) you can follow the main line and both
sidelines.

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OCAD 9

Holes in Areas
Sometimes you need "holes" in area objects. OCAD allows to cutting holes out
of areas, to fill them, make borders etc.
If you have drawn an area you can no longer see the background map.
However, you can display the map transparent or the full areas as hatched
areas to see the background map behind. Choose Draft mode or Hatch areas
from the View menu.
Then you can cut a hole out of an existing area:
1. Select the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Select the area object.

3. Select the desired drawing mode. You can use any drawing mode to cut the

hole. If you do not select a drawing mode the Cut hole function will use the
last selected drawing mode.
4. Select the Cut hole button

in the toolbar.

5. Draw the hole. Terminate the line as you terminate any area object. The

area object is redrawn with the hole in it.

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OCAD 9

Editing Holes
Instead of selecting the entire area object you can select a hole only:
1. Select the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Click inside the hole. Only the hole will be marked, but not the entire area

object.
After selecting a hole you can fill it with another area object:
1. Select the desired area symbol.
2. Click the Fill button

in the toolbar. The hole is filled with an area

object of the selected symbol.

By choosing a line symbol instead of the area symbol, you can make a border
around the hole.
Besides filling you can do a number of other operations with a selected hole:
Select the Edit object button
Select the Rotate button

in the toolbar to move the entire hole.

in the toolbar to rotate the hole.

Press the Delete key on the keyboard to remove the hole.

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OCAD 9

Influencing Dashed Lines

OCAD always creates dashes of equal length, you never get half dashes.
Normally the dashes are calculated for the entire line object. However if the
line object contains a corner point, the dashes are calculated before and after
the corner point separately. In the corner point you get 2 adjoining dashes.
In cartography you have often the need to influence the dashes. As example
we take a road junction:

The solution is to create a corner point on the horizontal line where the
vertical line meets. To create a corner point:
1. Select the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Select the horizontal line.

3. Select the Corner point button

in the toolbar.

4. Click on the junction. A corner point is inserted and you get 2 adjoining

dashes.

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OCAD 9

Sometimes you do not want to have 2 adjoining dashes, for instance if a small
path exits from a road:

In this case you place a dash point in the junction. The dashes are calculated
in a way that the dash point is in the center of a dash.
1. Select the Edit point button

in the toolbar.

2. Select the horizontal line.

3. Select the Dash point button

in the toolbar.

4. Click on the junction. A dash point is inserted and one dash is placed exactly

in the junction.

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OCAD 9

Writing Text
There are 3 different types of text:
Unformatted text. Lines have no limitation in length.
Formatted text. Text is limited by a left and a right margin. If the text
reaches the right margin, it is automatically continued on the next line.
Line text. This is text along (curved) lines.
For every text style (font, size etc.) used in the map, a text symbol or line text
symbol is required. A text symbol can be used for both formatted and
unformatted text, whereas a line text symbol is required for line text. Normally
text on maps is highly standardized, you will define separate text symbols for
towns, street, rivers etc.
Unformatted Text
To write unformatted text:
1. Select a text symbol.
2. Select any drawing mode.
3. Click in the drawing window to mark the starting point for the text.
4. Write the text.

To start a new line press the Enter key

on the keyboard.

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OCAD 9

Formatted Text
Formatted text has a left and a right margin. Define these margins by
dragging a rectangle:
1. Select a text symbol.
2. Select any drawing mode.
3. Drag a rectangle in the drawing window to mark the top, left and right
margin for the text.

4. Write the text. If a word exceeds the right margin, the text is continued on
the next line.

5. To start a new paragraph press the Enter key

on the keyboard.

Line Text
For text along (curved) lines a line text symbol is required. To write a line text
you draw first the line in any drawing mode.
Select a line text symbol. In the City Map sample symbol set, the text symbols
marked with an "L" are line text symbols.
1. Select the Curve button

44

in the toolbar.

OCAD 9
2. Draw a simple curved line using 2 tangents.

3. After terminating the line, an insertion line appears and you can type the

text on the keyboard. The reference line will be displayed in the drawing
and edit mode.

Hint: If the text goes in the wrong direction, use the reverse line button
in the toolbar to change the direction.
Hint: Often you want to control the total length of the text graphically. To
make this easy there is an additional alignment for line text symbols "All line".
If this alignment is selected the characters are distributed along the entire line.
1. Click with the right mouse button on the line text symbol.
2. Choose Edit from the pop-up menu. The Line Text Symbol dialog box

appears.
3. Select the Spacing page.
4. Choose "All line" for alignment.
5. Click OK.

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OCAD 9

Colors
All colors on a map are (and must be) defined in the color table. All symbols
are based on these colors and therefore it is important to read this chapter
before defining your own symbols.
A color table has the following advantages:
When defining a symbol you can easily choose a color from the color table.
When printing with spot colors you can define for each color how it should
appear in the color separations. One color may even appear in more than
one color separation.
The color table defines in which order the colors are drawn (which color is
above the other). You do not have to move single objects to the foreground
or to the background.
For an example create a file with the sample symbol set for city maps:
1. Choose New from the File menu.
2. In the New Map dialog box double-click on City Map.ocd. This creates a
new map file with a sample symbol set for city maps.
3. Choose Colors from the Symbol menu to see the color table.
The most important principle is: The colors are drawn from the bottom up,
the color on the bottom is drawn first and the color on top is drawn last.
Colors for Pictograms
11 Pictogram white foreground
12 Pictogram black
13 Pictogram yellow
14 Pictogram red
15 Pictogram blue
On the top of the color table you find the pictogram colors, because the
pictograms (like a parking sign) should appear on top of all other contents of
the map.

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OCAD 9

For a blue parking sign you will use "Pictogram blue" for the background and
"Pictogram white foreground" for the "P".
Colors for Streets
8

Street in-fill

10 Street sidelines
Streets are drawn using one color for the sidelines and one color for the in-fill.
That means that first all sidelines are drawn (even for streets of different
classes) and then the in-fill. The in-fill automatically cleans up the street
crossings.
1. Select the symbol "501.0 Major road" (this symbol uses the colors "Street in-

fill" and "Street sidelines").

2. In Straight line mode draw 2 crossing roads
2
1

The street crossing is cleared automatically.

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OCAD 9

If one road is an overpass, then you do not want the crossing to be cleaned
up. For that case you find 2 additional colors in the color table "Street in-fill
overpass" and "Street sidelines overpass".
19 Street in-fill overpass
20 Street sidelines overpass
9

Railway

Street in-fill

10 Street sidelines
The color for railways was put between the street colors and the overpass
colors. So you can draw streets over and under the railway.
To draw an overpass:
1. Select the symbol "501.0 Major road".
2. In Straight line mode draw a diagonal street.

3. Select the symbol "501.1 Major road overpass" (this symbol uses the colors

"Street in-fill overpass" and "Street sidelines overpass").

4. Draw the second street.

The crossing is not cleared, the symbol "Major road overpass" remains on top.

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OCAD 9
Color Separations
If the map is printed with the process colors, cyan, magenta, yellow and black
you do not have to define color separations. A service bureau can produce
CMYK color separations from EPS files exported from OCAD.
Some maps are printed using spot color separations. Orienteering maps are
an example for maps often printed with 5 spot colors: yellow, green, brown,
blue and black. To see how spot color separations are defined create a new
map with orienteering map symbols:
1. Choose New from the File menu.
2. In the New Map dialog box double-click on "Orienteering Map.ocd". This
creates a new map file with a sample symbol set for orienteering maps.
3. Choose Colors from the Symbol menu to see the color table.
In this color table you have the color "All color separations".

207 All color separations

Black

Blue

Brown

100

100

100

This color is used for register crosses. Register crosses must appear in all color
separations and therefore 100 (%) appears in all color separation columns.

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OCAD 9
The street colors are defined as:
Black
103 Street in-fill

105 Street borderline

100

Blue

Brown
50

Street sidelines appear as 100% in the black color separation. Nothing

happens in the other color separations.
Street in-fill appears as a 50% screen in the brown color separation. It appears
white (0%) in the black color separation and therefore erases any sidelines in
street crossings. Nothing happens in the blue color separation.
These are the conventions for the color separation fields:
An empty field means nothing is drawn in this color separation
A percentage number means a screen with that percentage is drawn, 100
means full color.
A "0" means any existing color is erased.
Note that also in color separations colors are drawn from the bottom up.
Therefore a "0" only erases color below that number.

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OCAD 9

Symbols
Everything drawn on an OCAD map must have a corresponding symbol.
OCAD provides a number of sample symbol sets. However for your maps you
will probably have to add symbols or even create your completely new symbol
set.
You can
Create new symbols
Arrange symbols in the symbol box
Change the existing symbols
Delete symbols
Symbols display, protect or hide
OCAD supports the following 6 symbol types:
Point symbol
Line symbol
Area symbol
Text symbol
Line text symbol
Rectangular symbol

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OCAD 9

Using the Right Mouse Button in the Symbol Box

If you click on a symbol in the symbols box with the right mouse button a
pop-up menu appears:
New...
Edit...
Icon...
Enlarge/Reduce...
Copy
Paste
Delete
Duplicate
Add to favorite
Sort
Select
Normal
Protected
Hidden

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OCAD 9

Creating a New Point Symbol

Point symbols can be simple, like a single dot or more complicated like a
pictogram for a parking place. OCAD contains a symbol editor where you can
draw the point symbol. To create a new point symbol:
1. Click with the right mouse button in the symbol box.
2. Choose New from the pop-up menu. The New Symbol dialog box

appears.
3. Select "Point symbol".
4. Click OK. The Point Symbol dialog box appears.
5. Enter a number between 0.1 and 999999.999 for "Symbol no".
6. Enter a name for "Description".
7. Click Edit. The dialog box disappears and the main window changes to the

Symbol Editor.
8. In the Symbol Editor you draw your point symbol. Select one of the 4 object

buttons:

Lines. Any drawing mode can be used.

Areas. Any drawing mode can be used.

Circles.

Dots (filled circles).

Enter the color, the line width (for lines and circles) and the diameter (for
circles and dots) on the right side of the screen.
Draw the point symbol. It may consist of different colors.
When you have finished drawing the point symbol click the Close button.
The Symbol Editor is closed and the Point Symbol dialog reappears.
9. Click OK. The new point symbol is inserted in the symbol box after the

previously selected symbol.

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OCAD 9

Hint: Click the Change button to change the style of existing objects. To
change the line width of an existing line:
1. Select the line. The values on the right side of the screen are automatically

set to those of the selected line.

2. Enter the new line width.
3. Click Change. The line changes to the new line width.

Creating an Icon for a Symbol

The new symbol appears as an empty field in the symbol box. To create an
icon:
1. Click on the symbol with the right mouse button.
2. Select Icon from the pop-up menu. The Edit Icon dialog box appears,

which contains a simple drawing program for the Icon.

3. Draw the icon.
4. When you have finished drawing the icon, click OK. The new icon appears

in the symbol box.

Moving a Symbol in the Symbol Box
To move the new symbol to another place, you just drag it with the mouse to
the new position. Drag means:
1. Move the mouse pointer to the desired symbol.
2. Press the left mouse button and keep it pressed.
3. With the left mouse button pressed move the mouse pointer to the desired
position. The new position is marked with a small vertical rectangle
between the 2 symbols where the dragged symbol will be placed.
4. Release the left mouse button.

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OCAD 9

Creating a New Line Symbol

Line symbols can be very complex. Therefore it is often recommended to start
with an existing symbol and make the necessary changes:
1. Click with the right mouse button on the similar existing symbol in the

symbol box.
2. Select Duplicate from the pop-up menu. A copy of the symbol is created

and inserted after the selected symbol.

3. Click with the right mouse button on the new line symbol (beside or after

the old existing symbol).

4. Choose Edit from the pop-up menu. In the Line Symbol dialog box you

can make the desired changes.

In the online help you can find examples for the most common lines types:
1. Choose Contents from the Help menu.
2. Select the Index page.
3. Enter "Line".
4. Double-click on "Line symbols: Examples" in the list below. The first example

appears in the online help. From there you can proceed to the other
examples.
Selecting a Group of Symbols
For different operations you have to select a group of symbols. This is done
much like in the Windows Explorer to select a group of file.
To select a continuous group of symbols:
1. Click the first symbol
2. Press and hold down the Shift key
last symbol.

on the keyboard and click the

To select a group of any symbols:

1. Click the first symbol
2. Press and hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and click all the
additional symbols.

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OCAD 9
Symbols as Layers
You can regard the symbols much like layers in other drawing programs. Every
symbol is its own layer.
Like layers they can have different states:
Normal: Objects drawn with this symbol are visible and can be modified.
Protected: Objects drawn with this symbol are visible, but cannot be
modified. Protected symbols are marked with a diagonal gray line in the
symbol box.
Hidden: Objects drawn with this symbol are not visible and cannot be
modified. Hidden symbols are marked with a diagonal cross in the symbol
box. Objects with a hidden symbol are neither printed nor exported.
To change the state of a symbol:
1. Right-click on the selected symbol or on the group of selected symbols.
2. In the pop-up menu select the desired state (Normal, Protect or Hide).
In the Extras menu you find a number of commands which are applied to all
objects with a selected symbol. As an example you can create a map with only
the streets:
1. Select all street symbols.
2. Choose Export by symbol from the Extras menu.
3. In the Export by Symbol file dialog box enter name for the new file.
4. Click OK.

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OCAD 9

Color EPS File

A color EPS file can be used for the following purposes:
If you want to produce maps on color copiers or digital printing machines.
If you want to produce films for offset printing in process colors (cyan,
magenta, yellow and black). In this case you send a color EPS file to the
service bureau and let them make CYMK separations.
To make a color EPS file of the map:
1. Choose Export - EPS from the File menu. The Export dialog box appears.
2. In the Export box select "Color EPS (CMYK)".
3. Click OK. The EPS file is now created. You are prompted for a file name. The
proposed file name is the name of the map with the extension ".eps". You
may change this name if required.
Some notes when printing on color copiers or digital printing machines:
The EPS file must be placed in a program like PageMaker or XPress before it
is sent to the copier or digital printing machine.
The EPS file has no preview section. Therefore in XPress you see only a gray
rectangle, but when sent to the copier or digital printing machine the result
will be correct.
You can create CMYK color separations from the color EPS file, but no spot
color separations.
You can open a color EPS file in Adobe Illustrator.

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OCAD 9

Spot Color Separations

If the map is offset printed, you need color separations. OCAD can produce
CMYK color separations, if the map is printed with the process colors cyan,
magenta, yellow and black. In this case you send a color EPS file to the
service bureau and let them make the CMYK separations. See previous
chapter "Color EPS File".
Spot color separations if the map is printed with spot colors. Spot color
separations have to be defined in the color table. See chapter "Colors" for
more information about defining spot colors.
Spot color separations are normally sent as EPS files to a service bureau where
the printing films are made on a typesetter. However you can make a proof
print on any printer.
To make spot color separation EPS files:
1. Choose Export - EPS from the File menu. The Export EPS dialog box
appears.
2. In the Export box select "Spot color separations".
3. In the Spot colors box select one or more spot colors (for selecting all click
the first spot color and with the Shift key pressed click the last spot color).
4. Click OK. The EPS files are now created. For each EPS file you are prompted
for a file name. The file name is the name of the map and the color
separation with the extension ".eps". You may change this name if required.
In OCAD you can define the halftone screens (angle and frequency) for the
spot color separations: Choose Spot colors from the Symbol menu to define
the half tone screens.

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OCAD 9
Some notes when bringing the spot color EPS files to a service bureau:
Inform the service bureau that the spot color EPS files are already color
separations and that they should not try to extract color separations again.
The EPS files must be placed in a program like PageMaker or XPress before
they are sent to the typesetter.
The EPS files have no preview section. Therefore in XPress you see only a
gray rectangle, but when sent to the typesetter (or to any PostScript printer)
the result will be correct.
You can open a spot color EPS file in Adobe Illustrator. However note that
the definition of the halftone screens is lost when converting to an Adobe
Illustrator file. You should therefore not make films from the Adobe
Illustrator file.

Hint: Image objects arent assigned to any spot color thus they doesnt
appear in the spot color separation. Image objects are generated by importing
of AI and PDF files. The image object has to be assigned to a symbol in order
that such image objects are shown in color separation. For that purpose select
the desired object in the drawing window and the symbol in the symbol box.
Click on the Change symbol button in the toolbar. Now the object is
assigned to the symbol.

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OCAD 9

AI (Adobe Illustrator) Files

AI (Adobe Illustrator) is an often used file format for graphics.
Importing AI Files
Use this file format of the version AI 8 to import maps or logos drawn with
other drawing programs. The advantage of using this file format is that it can
contain Bzier curves while other graphics formats (like DXF) do not support
Bzier curves.
After importing an AI file the imported objects will appear in the
corresponding CMYK color as an image object. Image objects arent assigned
to any spot color thus they dont appear in the spot color separation.
Exporting AI Files
Export a map in the AI format if you want to further process a map in a
graphics program. This may be useful to add advertisements or other graphics
around the map. Most graphics programs can open or import AI files. When
exporting in this format, the full graphics quality is preserved while you get
only a reduced quality in other formats like WMF or EMF. Choose Export from
the File menu and then select the submenu AI (Adobe Illustrator) to export a
map in this format.

Publishing the map on the Internet

Small maps can be published using the GIF or JPEG format. Note that the GIF
format gives better compression and quality.
For large maps use the OIM (OCAD Internet Map) based on Java, SVG or Flash
technology. See the online-help for more information.

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OCAD 9

Creating a street index

This is a function of the Professional version only.
OCAD has many specialized functions for drawing maps. One of them is the
Name Index function. It allows to automatically creating a street index, for
example.
1. Select the text symbol used for street names.
2. If more than one symbol was used for street names, press and hold down
the Ctrl key and select the additional symbols used for street names.
Release the Ctrl key.
3. Choose Name Index from the Extras menu. In the Name Index dialog
box enter the values for the grid. Click Help to get more information about
the values.
4. Click OK. The street index is now created in the clipboard.
5. Select the text symbol for the name index.
6. Choose any drawing mode.
7. Click in the drawing window where the street index should start.
8. Choose Paste from the Edit menu. The street index is now copied to the
text object and appears on the map.

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OCAD 9

Course setting for Orienteering

OCAD has built-in functions for course setting. It supports normal courses,
relays and one-man relays (Motala).
To find a step by step introduction into course setting choose Contents from
the Help menu. Then double-click Course Setting for Orienteering.

Sample maps
In the folder where OCAD 9 is installed, you find a subfolder "Sample". Here
are some sample maps from different cartographers.
You may use those maps to study how other cartographers have created
maps. Any further use of those maps, private or commercial, is not allowed.

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OCAD 9

Using the Keyboard with the Mouse

This gives you an overview of the various possibilities to use the keyboard
together with the mouse.
Drawing
Shift

When starting a curve, straight line or freehand line:

Continue an existing object.

Ctrl

Follow an existing object.

Alt

When dragging a straight line: The line is forced to be

horizontal or vertical.

Drawing a Circle
Shift

Drag the circle from the center (drag a radius).

Shift

Add an object to the selected objects.

Ctrl

Remove a point.

Shift + Ctrl

Insert a normal point.

Alt

Select an object behind an already selected object.

Key arrows

Move the selected object(s).

Edit

Cutting a Line
Shift

When cutting a dashed line: A gap is inserted at the cut

point.

View
Space bar + left mouse botton

Move view.

63