There was a change in functionality in the way that the Combine command works in CorelDRAW. Now you have to dig pretty deep to find out exactly how things were changed as it involves the winding rule on objects. The main thing you’ll notice is that sometimes combining may not cut out areas as you’ve seen in older versions.

OK, let’s first describe the winding rule so you’ll understand it a bit. If you have a simple horizontal straight line, it can be drawn in two ways. You can draw from right to left or from left to right. The winding rule defines which way the line is drawn. Of course this gets a bit more complex with long curves and lots of nodes.

Users doing things like vinyl cutting probably know the winding rule well as it determines the direction of the knife when cutting the vinyl. This can be very important on some designs. There is even a button on the Property Bar when node editing that allows you to change the direction of the curve.

If that feature still isn’t enough, check out Hendrik’s Startnode as it can automate even more of the process. Even better, it is free!