Drawing Exterior Model Walls in CorelDRAW

When you open CorelDRAW it should look like this. The default page size is 8.5” x 11”

We need to change the page size so that it fits the laser. The laser table is 12” x 24” but we want a little extra

room for alignment so set your page size 1/8” less. 23.875” x 11.875” is what we want to set it at in the upper

left hand corner of the screen.

Now that our piece size is set we are ready to begin drawing our walls. We will start with the overall outline /

profile of the wall and then come back and layout the doors and windows later. When drawing walls we will

either be drawing a hip or a gable style wall. Some walls may be 1 story and some may be 2 story walls

depending upon your individual design. To find these wall sizes you want to measure directly off your model.

Make sure you are always using the 1/4" scale

Measure the length: (This wall was 36’-6” long)

Then measure the height: (This single story wall was 10’ tall)

A 2 story wall is typically 20’ tall:

To draw these walls in CorelDRAW we must first covert our wall sizes from the 1/4” scale into the full 1:1 or

1/16” scale. To do this simply take the size you measured from your model and multiply it by .25 When

drawing a hip wall we can just use the rectangle tool in CorelDRAW and set the height and width to our

calculated sizes.

Once you draw a rectangle set it to the calculated size in the upper left hand corer of the screen. For this

example my wall was 36’-6” long and 10’ tall in the 1/4 “ scale. When converting feet and inches to decimal

form subtract 1 from the inches for a more accurate size calculation. So if I were to convert 36’-6” I would

subtract 1 inch from that number to get 36.5 and then multiply that number by .25. My resulting length is

9.125” which I put into Corel as the length of the rectangle. Do the same for your wall height. 10’ is a nice

round number with no inches associated with it so I simply multiply 10 by .25 to get a resulting height of 2.5”

which I set put into Corel as the height of the rectangle.

Rectangle Tool

Set rectangle size and hit “enter”

Resulting rectangle / wall

To draw a gable wall requires a few more steps, and we will

be using the 2 point line tool to draw the wall instead of the

rectangle tool. The 2 point line tool is somewhat hidden

underneath the freehand tool. On the left hand side of the

screen right below the magnifying glass you should see a

squiggly line with a little black triangle in the lower right

corner of it. Click and hold on that tool and other tool

options will fly out. Select the 2 point line tool.

Measure the gable wall just like you would a hip

wall, first the length, then the height. When

measuring the height measure from the bottom

of the wall to the bottom of the overhang. In

this example my wall is 10’ tall.

Measure the length of the wall the same way. In this example my wall is 25’ long.

To draw the walls in Corel use the 2 point line tool. When using the 2 point line tool hold the “Shift” button to

ensure the line you are drawing is straight. Once you draw the line then set its popper length. The length of

my gable wall is 25’ so I take 25 and multiply it by .25 to get a resulting size of 8.75. Then input that size in the

upper left hand corner of the screen in Corel.

When drawing the vertical sides of the wall using the 2 point line tool start the vertical line at one of the ends

of the wall length line. Hold the “Shift” key and draw a line vertically. My wall height was 10’ so I took 10 and

multiplied it by .25 to get 2.5” Once I drew my vertical line I set the size to 2.5” and then used the arrow keys

on my keyboard to position the line in place.

Once moved in place to create a corner, repeat the same process for the other side, like this

The lines are attached but not aligned

properly to form a corner. Use the

arrow keys on your keyboard to position

it correctly.

The next step in drawing a gable wall is to create the overhangs and returns. Our overhangs should measure

1’ deep and the overall height of the return should be 6” tall. These numbers may vary slightly on your

individual model so make sure you measure yours for an exact fit. Draw the overhang first. 1’ x .25 = .25” so I

used my 2 point line tool and drew a straight line and made it .25” long. Next draw the height of the return,

this is typically 6” or half of a foot. To calculate it do .5 x .25 = .125” so I made a vertical line and set its length

to .125” tall resulting in

Repeat the same process for the other side and it should look like this:

1’ overhang set to

.25” in Corel

6” return height set

to .125” in Corel

The final component of a gable wall in the roof line. To draw this we must first measure the distance from the

bottom of the wall to the peak of the roof. In the picture below my peak is measuring 18’ tall.

Now that I know my peak height I can draw it in Corel. In order

for the scales / rulers along the top and left side edge of my

screen in Corel to work for me I must first set my origin to the

bottom of the wall I am working on. The origin tool is located in

the upper left hand corner of Corel where the vertical and

horizontal rulers / scales meet.

Origin tool

Vertical scale / ruler

Horizontal

scale / ruler

We must click and drag the origin o the bottom left corer of the wall we are working on. Once that has been done it

Corel will set that point at (0,0) and you should see you scales / rulers adjust accordingly.

Drag the origin

to bottom left

corner of wall

Zero on both to horizontal

and vertical scales / rulers

will then align at that set

point

Now that our origin is set we can accurately set construction lines. To set a construction line simply click

anywhere on either the vertical or horizontal scale / ruler and drag into the drawing. To set the center point

of my peak a dragged a vertical construction line along the bottom of my wall until it said “center” and then

released the mouse. To create a horizontal construction line to set the height of my peak I clicked and held in

the horizontal scale / ruler and dragged it down so it aligned at 4.5” on my vertical scale / ruler. The overall

height of my peak that I measured previously was 18’. So I calculated 18 x .25 = 4.5” that is the height I align

my horizontal construction line with. Where the two construction lines intersect is where my peak is.

Then use the 2 point line tool and go from the top of the return to peak point.

Horizontal construction

line set at 4.5”

Vertical construction line

set to center of wall

Repeat the same process for the other side to complete the gable wall.

Use these practices to draw all of the exterior hip and gable walls for your model house. Take your time and

make sure your measurements and calculations are correct so you do not waste time and your colored mat

board material. Remember that single story walls are 10’ tall and two story walls are 20 feet tall, and always

measure directly off of your model for the most accurate results. Once you have drawn all of the exterior

walls for your house, move onto the next tutorial for drawing doors and windows on those walls.