ERASE TOOL IN HS8 (and more)

I don't understand your message. Please explain, step by step what do you click, press or otherwise do to reproduce the problem, maybe then I'll be able to help.

The lines and other shapes you draw are "floating objects" above the main bitmap. You may click then at any time  - the selection handles will appear around them, then you may move, resize or delete these objects. To delete, just press Delete key on the keyboard. All object that are currently selected will be deleted.
 
Erase tool works only on the underlying image (bitmap). The shapes you draw are separate from that bitmap, until you "imprint" them. Think of the image like a tablecloth on a table, and the shapes drawn e.g. utensils, plates etc. You can move them and remove from the tablecloth anytime. The erase tool is like a sponge you would use to clean a spot on the tablecloth. Of course the sponge would not affect the utensils and plates, you'd rather remove them before using a sponge...
 
There is an "Imprint" button on the Edit ribbon tab. that will actually make the selected shapes part of the bitmap.

Let me refer to the table cloth again. Put four knives on the cloth like a square. Click on any one of the four. It gets these handles and can be moved, deleted, copied and so on.
Click on the cloth anywhere away from the "knives". The handles disappear but the knive is still there.
Click on any other "knive". It get the handles.
It is the same as marking text in a word processor. As soon as you mark some other text, the first marking disappears.
If you have any experience with graphics in Word or PowerPoint you know about selecting several objects by pressing CTRL while clicking an object. You can select more than one, then move, delete, copy etc.
I can only recommend taking a look at the manual. Every tool and effect is described.
And I think I know what you mean by objects disappearing:
If you draw an object (knive) and then click on the Drawing Mode Toggle the cloth will be turned over, like all knives are lying UNDER the cloth. You can now draw things like with a pen directly on the cloth. Those can NOT be clicked on. Unlike lifting a knive you cannot lift a line drawn with a pen. Click on the Toggle again and the knives are again above the cloth.
A word to imprinting.
As long as an object (knive) is floating, you can easily work with it or even delete it. As soon as you imprint it, you cannot change it any more. the "knive" is now like drawn with a pen on the cloth. IF you decide to erase it, the following happens: The eraser will remove the color beneath its square and will replace it with the background color (in most cases white). If your background color should be ... green, the erased part will appear green. And the eraser will never be as small as the lines you draw.
You can undo (CTRL-Y or Z - Germans have Z on the Y-key) all these changes, but you cannot select an undo. You undo everything until you have the result you want. All erasing, imprinting but as well creating objects will be undone in the order they were done, only backwards.
Don't give up on the drawing power of HyperSnap. If you take an hour experimenting, you will find it an excellent tool expecially for creating and moving objects on a bitmap.
 
Thomas
The Lesser Admin
 

Hi Thomas,
 
Thanks for your detailed explanation, it is clearer now. Earlier I did look at the Manual, but not having any clue about the concept, it didn't make much sense to me at the time.
 
Will do more experimenting with that.
 
For now, I wished that the toggle switch would default to the last setting used, but it always starts up in Shape Editing.
 
On occasions some funny stuff happens but trying to replicate it consistently. Will get back in a day or so.
 
Thanks,
Toon
 
 

Another issue:
 
SHAPE EDITING MODE
1. Select object
2. Click Copy, then click Paste
3. Drag the pasted copy
4. Rotate object 90 degrees anti-clockwise
 
On several occasions the object unexpectedly moved itself elsewhere on the screen. Having difficulty replicating it.
 

Same issue with line drawing. I click on the Freehand Erase button, and all the lines I just drew are gone. Right, nothing to erase.
 
Click on either Line (or Text) icon, and it re-appears.
 
MUST SAVE DRAWING EACH TIME AND CLOSE PROGRAM, THEN RE-OPEN.
 

I did write: Always in Drawing Directly on Image mode...
 
But if that is the case also in Drawing Directly on Image mode, I will stop using this software.
 
Too confusing. Sorry.
 
 

No, using Imprint is not the best way to delete the text or line. Simply switch the cursor to "Select" mode (regular cursor on top or right click on image), then click again the text. It becomes selected again (squares outside). Then press the Delete button on the keyboard, or click X button (Clear) on top, and the entire text is deleted. Much simpler and faster than using an eraser after the text was imprinted.
 
Or if you just want to edit that text, instead of completely deleting and re-doing, double-click the text and edit it. Or if you need to change the outside frame of the text, click it once and grab and drag one of the square handles.

You may rotate text object or any other objects drawn over the image, to any angle you want. Switch cursor to selection mode (fastest way - right click over the image), then click the text object. It gets handles around it. Note small + mark at the center of the text. Move cursor over this + mark, it becomes a circular arrow, showing rotation mode. Press left mouse button and hold it, move the mouse in any direction, e.g. down. A dotted line is drawn from the center + mark to the mouse. Release mouse button then press it again, then move the mouse in another direction, e.g. right. Observe how the text objects rotate. Release it when it is at an angle you want. You can repeat this many times, you may also move the text around as you want.

OK, thank you for your opinion.