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Possible to maintain control point angles while moving them?

Mar 17, 2012 1:19 PM

Tags: #mac #illustrator_cs_5

How can I make sure a bezier control point remains at the same angle with it's anchor while dragging it to a different length?

1729 Views 21 Replies Latest reply: Martin_Moore, Apr 14, 2012 7:03 AM

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1. Monika Gause,

Mar 17, 2012 1:47 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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You could scale it using the scale tool
or
you could draw a line that acts as a guide
or
you could take a look at the plugin VectorScribe.

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2. Jacob Bugge,

Mar 17, 2012 1:59 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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Metacarpal,

By pressing/holding the space bar while dragging.

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3. Kurt Gold,

Mar 17, 2012 1:57 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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Which AI version?

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4. Jacob Bugge,

Mar 17, 2012 2:01 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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It seems that the vampire squad is taking over.

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5. Metacarpal,

Mar 17, 2012 2:17 PM in reply to Monika Gause

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You could scale it using the scale tool ---- don't quite understand but probably too much work
or
you could draw a line that acts as a guide ---- definitely too much work when I need to do it so often

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6. Metacarpal,

Mar 17, 2012 2:20 PM in reply to Jacob Bugge

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Holding space bar causes the controls to snap to 45 degree increments, not keep it where it is.

(AI CS 5.5)

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7. Monika Gause,

Mar 17, 2012 2:34 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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Metacarpal wrote:

You could scale it using the scale tool ---- don't quite understand but probably too much work

select the anchor with direct select. Then use the scale tool and see.

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8. Kurt Gold,

Mar 17, 2012 2:49 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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Potential misdirections as well as hasty answers are sometimes caused by fragmentary descriptions.

Show an illustration that shows what you really want.

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9. JETalmage,

Mar 17, 2012 3:22 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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The problem with scaling the anchor is that the opposing handle (if extended) also scales.

Similarly, you can extend a handle at its present angle by dragging the segment (i.e.; bending a segment). But doing so also affects the handle at the opposite end of the segment.

JET

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10. Jacob Bugge,

Mar 17, 2012 3:32 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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Metacarpal,

Holding space bar causes the controls to snap to 45 degree increments, not keep it where it is.

(AI CS 5.5)

Argh, so they have wrecked the spacebar rubber band fake. That was an unpleasant surprise.

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11. Kurt Gold,

Mar 17, 2012 3:37 PM in reply to Jacob Bugge

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No, that's not the case. You may have read the request in a different way as well.

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12. Metacarpal,

Mar 17, 2012 4:00 PM in reply to Kurt Gold

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It's not complicated and seems so fundamentally necessary I can't believe there isn't an easy way to do this in AI. In Fontlab Studio and Fontographer, option-dragging a control point maintains the angle. For the first time, I have AI available and wanted to create the vector paths for my font's glyphs in AI and copy them over since the tools are mostly better.

I simply want to move any particular bezier control point nearer to, or farther from it's anchor without changing the angle of the line between the two. i.e. change the pull on the adjacent curve without changing the direction of the pull

I tried what Monika suggested, with the scale tool. Holding shift while scaling does maintain the angles of the control points because scaling is the same in both directions, but on the downside, both bezier controls are always scaled, and I rarely want to scale both at once.

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13. Jacob Bugge,

Mar 17, 2012 4:02 PM in reply to Kurt Gold

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I believe you are right, Kurt.

It seems that I have excelled in misreading, not only the OP but also the sixth post.

But maybe, just maybe, I have an excuse for the latter: no one understands the sixth post.

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14. Jacob Bugge,

Mar 17, 2012 4:10 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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Metacarpal,

Now that I finally get it (I hope), you may try this silly way, using Smart Guides which will tell you what you need to know:

1) Direct Select the Anchor Point,
2) Switch to the Line Tool and drag with it from the Handle to the Anchor Point (not the reverse, you will know why if you try),
3) Switch back to the Direct Selection Tool and click the original path to get the Anchor Point and Handle(s) visible,
4) Drag the desired handle along the Line Segment,
5) Delete the Line Segment.

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15. Metacarpal,

Mar 17, 2012 4:14 PM in reply to Jacob Bugge

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Aaargh! I'm the one who misread about "space bar". My brain was saying "shift". Of course space bar causes the mouse to move the whole anchor w/control points around.

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16. Jacob Bugge,

Mar 17, 2012 4:17 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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Metacarpal,

Maybe we shall all be confused at a higher level shortly.

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17. Metacarpal,

Mar 17, 2012 4:30 PM in reply to Jacob Bugge

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In step 2) the anchor and handle disappear as soon as I click with the line segment tool, of course, so I don't necessarily know where the anchor was, to drag to it. When I want to reselect the anchor in step 3), it may not be possible with the new line segment anchor sitting on top of it.

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18. DayForce,

Mar 17, 2012 6:01 PM in reply to Metacarpal

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For the first time, I have AI available and wanted to create the vector paths for my font's glyphs in AI and copy them over since the tools are mostly better.

If you're designing a font in Illustrator, you really ought to look (as Monika suggested in the very first reply) at the plug-in VectorScribe. Its PathScribe tool lets you extend/retract a handle without changing its angle (with Option, as you are used to), as well as other niceties for font design like numerical handle positioning, moving anchor points to their nearest tangencies, and Smart Removing anchor points. It's by Astute Graphics.

DF

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19. Jean-Claude Tremblay,

Mar 17, 2012 8:01 PM in reply to DayForce

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I agree with that VectorScribe is good at manipulating anchors point & handles in decents ways. Sad all this is notbuild in Illustrator!
You can watch some video here: http://bit.ly/VS-Movies

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20. Jacob Bugge,

Mar 18, 2012 3:09 AM in reply to Metacarpal

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Metacarpal,

In step 2) the anchor and handle disappear as soon as I click with the line segment tool, of course, so I don't necessarily know where the anchor was, to drag to it.

This is why I wrote

using Smart Guides which will tell you what you need to know:

2) Switch to the Line Tool and drag with it from the Handle to the Anchor Point (not the reverse, you will know why if you try),

When you drag from the Handle, which has just disappeared, in the direction you have just seen and follow/probe the original path, Smart Guides will say anchor point when you are there.

When I want to reselect the anchor in step 3), it may not be possible with the new line segment anchor sitting on top of it.

I apologize for my being too curt, at least in 3), here is an amended version:

3) Switch back to the Direct Selection Tool and click the adjacent segment (beside the Line Segment) of the original path to get the Anchor Point and Handle(s) visible,

Obviously, any improvement in the tooling, or the use of (more or less costly) plugins, would ease the way, but some of us still prefer the challenge of limping along with Illy and a few free additions.

At least here it is true that what does not kill you makes you stronger.

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21. Martin_Moore,

Apr 14, 2012 7:03 AM in reply to Metacarpal

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I'm not a 100% sure what you mean.

Lets say you have a line which is tilted 26,85 degrees. You want to resize this line to make it longer at either direction but still maintain the exact angle. If you use the selection too to resize it, you can just hold down the SHIFT key and it will be resized at the same angle. But maybe this is not what you're looking for

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